- The guide to Giving Gifts to build Friendships and Get Married is one worth referencing repeatedly, so that you know which gifts will help raise hearts with villagers. The residents of Stardew Valley will give you cooking recipes and other gifts at various heart levels, and getting married may lead to your spouse giving you a valuable stardrop to raise maximum energy. It's worth befriending a number of villagers!
Gifts to Build Hearts and Make Relationships
Making friends in Stardew Valley is primarily a matter of talking to and giving gifts to the residents of Pelican Town and elsewhere in the game world. Making friends will teach your character new recipes and villagers will send gifts in the mail once they like you well enough. This can also lead to your character marrying a villager and them becoming your husband or wife. Stardew Valley does allow for same-sex marriage, for those interested.Heart Meter
When you talk to a character, you can hover over the icon in the bottom right corner to see the amount of hearts you've built with them. Building hearts up takes time, due to the delays on gift giving and the fact that there is a little decay each day if you don't talk to them (or can't find them!). The heart meter will freeze at 10 if you can max it out - that villager will be a best friend and no longer need such attention. NPCs who are eligible for marriage - bachelors and bachelorettes - will have the meter freeze after 8 hearts and require a bouquet (engagement) to go further.How to Make Friends in Stardew Valley: Talking and Gifts
Each villager in Stardew Valley can be given one gift per day, up to two per week (with birthdays as an exception and a chance at 3 gifts in one week). To give a gift simply put it on the bar and use the item while hovering over the villager. When they like what you've given them, you will build a portion of a heart, which indicates how well they like you. If they hate that item, it will result in a reduction, and not talking to them for a long time may also see those relationships decay. Talking to them one time per ten days will stop any decay and get the relationship back to where it was. By interacting with them more frequently, you can make gains by just talking to the villager on a regular basis.Each of the NPCs in Stardew Valley have likes and dislikes, and gifts may be received in five ways: horrible, bad, neutral, good, and great, with dialog to go along with that reception. A neutral gift is worth about the same amount as talking to them each day, so it's not worthless, while a good or great one is worth over 2 or 4 days worth of visits. Just don't give them things they hate. These gifts give different point values, but so long as you stick to good or great (the best) gifts for that villager, you'll make progress and build up the friendship. Every heart level takes the same amount of effort, so it is not like leveling a skill.
Quests from the job board by Pierre's, gifting on birthdays, and gifts on holidays like the Feast of the Winter Star, where you are assigned a Secret Santa, give far more progress on building hearts so take advantage of those opportunities. Look at the calendar next to Pierre's to see when an NPC's birthday is during that season, and in the list of best gifts below.
The Social Tab
Press ESC to access the inventory screen. Head to the social tab (the heart) and note that it helps you keep track of who you've given gifts to each week (resets on Sunday). Up to two boxes may be checked, this helps you manage your gift-giving and keeps count. It will also show your current heart level with that villager. It's very handy when you want to build friendships with several NPCs at once for achievements or Grandpa's Evaluation at the start of the third year.Marriage in Stardew Valley
Getting Married means getting to 10 hearts with one of the bachelors or bachelorettes below. You must first give them a bouquet, bought at Pierre's, once you reach 8 hearts with them - this unlocks the 9th and 10th hearts. You may give a bouquet to more than one NPC, as long as you are not yet married.Getting Engaged means buying a Mermaid's Pendant for 5,000g and giving it to the villager once you've hit 10 hearts. Buying the pendant means going to the beach while it's raining and paying 5,000G to the old Mariner. To access the area you must have repaired the bridge for 500 wood. He only appears on rainy days, not snowy, and you can't buy it until you're eligible to propose so you can't snag it early to use for later. Since you need a double bed to propose, you have to upgrade the house at least once.
Marriage takes place 3 days after giving them the Mermaid's Pendant. If you continue to build relations with your spouse, you can have kids (with the final house upgrade). Your spouse will help out a little around the farm, and passing 12 hearts will result in your spouse giving you a Stardrop sometime at random, which increases maximum energy. This is easy to achieve, as you can give your husband or wife a gift every day as opposed to twice a week.
Marriage Candidates
See below for things your potential spouse likes and dislikes in order to build the heart requirements to get married!Summing it Up: Be Consistent
Because of how all of this works, it is good to start earlier rather than later if you want your character to get married, or to have many friends who teach them cooking recipes. It takes time and some dedication to get a character to 10 hearts, but mercifully you can stop at that point. Talk to them every day regardless of you having a gift for them. Learn where you normally find each NPC, and they'll usually be around there though everyone has a schedule. Sometimes it's best to catch them early when you know where they live. Farming up a favorite type of produce is one of the most reliable ways to build relationships, as you can have a gift they love and give it 2x every week. Given there are 16 weeks in a year and one birthday, you could have a good gift twice a week for each villager by making 32 of something like like and regularly delivering it.List of Gifts Most NPCs Like
A villager may 'love' these items, but should not hate them. Some love them and are noted in the bigger list below. This isn't perfect but should set you in a direction. Look for the name of the NPC you're trying to befriend with Control + F to see if they appear below in the list of generally liked items as well as their main entry in the big list.- Artisan Goods - the majority will go over well. A few dislike specific kinds: Penny and Sebastian with Pale Ale/Wine (Beer man), some dislike Mayo, Jas and Vincent hate all Artisan Goods.
- Coffee - Everyone seems to like it!
- Cooked Items - Except Bread, Hops, Fried Eggs, Sashimi, and Wheat. Krobus hates cooking, and Willy only likes fish dishes. A few (Emily, Kent, Evelyn) dislike Sashimi
- Flowers - Most NPCs like flowers, a few dislike all (George) or specific flowers (Elliot with Poppies, Jody, Sebastian, and Maru with Daffodil, and Sebastian with Dandelion)
- Minerals and Gems - Except Quartz. Leah dislikes all Gems. Elliot dislikes Limestone/Tigerseye.
- Fruit Tree Produce - Except Pierre (Hates Apples).
List of Gifts Each Villager Likes and Loves
- My Stardew Valley Tips page includes a lot of handy information for players new to the game. Learn how to save, what you should keep, and general good advice for making progress in Stardew Valley.
Helpful Advice for New Players
These are the worms mentioned below. Use a hoe on them to get rare items that can be donated to the museum. Keeping a hoe on you is a good idea because of this.Here I've compiled a list of tips that every player should know, with minimal spoilers. I know you'd prefer to discover some things for yourself. These tips can save you some time and trouble. They'll also answer frequently asked questions, such as how to craft or save the game.
List of Tips
The game saves when you sleep - there's no other way to save. Each new day begins with a save. If you have to leave and don't want to lose progress, head to bed assuming all your farmer's work is done.Watch TV every day before you step outside - Watching the TV consumes none of your farmer's time or energy. The television features weather reports for the next day (so you plan ahead and know if it's going to rain and be a free day) and also two channels that are helpful: Survival and Cooking. Survival provides handy tips and sometimes tells you a good place to go foraging. The cooking channel is essential as the Queen of Sauce will teach you recipes. The game will tell you when it's a rerun. Lastly, there's a daily fortune teller. She reveals a hidden luck bonus for each day - when your luck is high, it's a good time to go to the mines or go fishing. When it's low, you're less likely to find rare items.
Staying up too late will cost you in two ways - For starters, staying up past midnight begins to make an impact on the next day's energy level. You can go to about half a bar by being up at 1:50. If you stay up until 2AM, your character will collapse and be rescued by one of the Pelican Town residents. They'll take a 'fee' for helping you. A large chunk of the money you had on hand. I try to be fairly broke when doing dangerous things deep in the mines.
Dying in the mines - this will result in greater losses. You'll inevitably lose some of your items, though a portion of what is lost will be regained the next day. I'm not fully clear on every type of item you can lose, but some people report losing weapons they've found, which is bad and explains why the game won't let you sell the wooden sword.
Always carry your hoe - There are little worms in the ground that pop up rarely. When you see them, hit that spot with the hoe and sometimes you'll get something useful. Even items that can be donated to the museum. Some items can be found ONLY by doing this. Worms are more likely during rain. Additionally, carrying your hoe in the mines allows you to get useful items from patches of dirt.
In addition to Tool Hit Locations, you may want to lower your Zoom level so that you can see more of the surrounding areas. Another gameplay option people may miss is 'Auto Run'. Why walk in game with a time limit each day?
Enable tool hit locations from the options menu in-game - Hit ESC to bring it up. Using this will help you avoid wasting energy by hitting the wrong square. It doesn't look pretty, but will be handy when you're new to the game. Later you may want to take it off when you're experienced with hit locations.
From the ESC menu, you can manage your character and his or her equipment. Also, you can craft from one of the tabs here.
Crafted items go to your backpack - so you can walk about and find a good area to place them. They can be moved by using the hoe. Treasure chests may need to be empty for this.
Start with fast crops for the rapid return on investment and fast farming xp - Slower crops that put out more produce are amazing later, but at first you will want to grow fast crops so you can sell the produce much faster and buy even more seeds.
You can craft fertilizer from sap - this greatly boosts your income potential from farming by producing more silver and gold-star plants. You only need level 1 farming so can do it as soon as you get that. Sap is found by chopping down mature trees. Head to the crafting menu (esc) with sap in your inventory and hold right click to make a load of them. For two sap each, it's really easy to come up with a lot of fertilizer. Place fertilizer after the ground is tilled but before you place seeds. Fertilizer is effective for all types of vegetables but greatly shines when you use it on plants that produce multiple times in a season. Fertilizer itself lasts all season, so may be used on more than one round of seeds.
You can sell fruits and vegetables at Pierre's - so you don't have to wait on money from the bin to buy seeds after a harvest. This lets you plant faster. Later you may want to sell via the bin, but it's a good early-game tip. Pierre's is also where you buy seasonal seeds!.
There's a backpack on the counter at Pierre's for 2,000G - It can be purchased by clicking it. This doubles your inventory space, which is a godsend. Later, there's also a 36-slot backpack for 10,000G. donate to the museum
Items are sold via putting them in the bin beside the house - Someone will buy them overnight, resulting in money for you the following morning. This is the normal way to sell, when you're not scrambling for funds. Also, the bin will buy anything that is able to be sold, while Pierre's and the blacksmith will only buy certain types of items.
Don't sell wood, fiber, or stone - They are used heavily for house upgrades and farm buildings.
Build the bridge at the beach early - For 300 wood, you can instantly repair it and gain access to a good foraging spot you can visit regularly. You'll find things just about every day, but especially when there's a storm!
Craft treasure chests, 2 or 3 - You'll get many items by the 2nd season, especially once you start in the mines. Organize them by produce, tools/materials, and miscellaneous.
Craft a Scarecrow, and later a lightning rod - Scarecrows save you produce from crows in an 8-tile range, and lightning rods protect crops from strikes. Lightning rods can also be used to make batteries!
Save one of everything you grow or harvest - Sell the rest, though you may want some food for the mines. There are collections you can assemble. Completing them gives you rewards, and some items you find will be rare and not worth selling for this reason.
Save trash, broken cds, glasses, newspapers and driftwood - You get these from fishing and rummaging in trash cans. Stack them in a treasure chest. They are low value and later you can use them in the recycling machine to get things like refined quartz and coal.
Be aware of the Traveling Cart - A gypsy appears on Friday and Saturday in the forest south of the farm. You can get there by going to the town, down and westward if you do not have the path cleared to the farm's southern exist. She sells rare seeds and sometimes lets you buy an ancient seed. The cart sells some super expensive items and is something you will want to take advantage of both mid and late-game.
- Tools in Stardew Valley: the Axe, Hoe, Pickaxe, Watering Can, Fishing Poles and Scythe. This guide discusses upgrading your tools and how you can get the metal bars to do that.
Uses of Tools and Upgrades for Special Abilities
Most tools can be upgraded and are much more effective in their improved form. Some even gain special abilities that can be used by holding down the 'use tool' button.Your farmer starts with 5 tools in Stardew Valley and soon gets a sixth. These are core to your efforts to clean up the farm, gather resources for crafting, make money, and explore the world. The six tools you get can be upgraded by visiting the Blacksmith in town. You can reach him by going to the bottom right corner of the village, crossing the bridge to the east, and heading north past the museum. Each tool upgrade does something different, though they all make the item more effective. In order to upgrade, you must have one of four metals - Copper, Iron, Gold, and Iridium. Because of this and that most people will want the upgraded version of each tool, I'll write on how you can get each of those metals at the bottom of this guide.
Tools in Stardew Valley
All tools start normal quality, bronze is an upgrade from that. Some tools simply become more effective and let you use less energy to get the job done (like the Axe and Pickaxe) while others - namely the Hoe, Fishing Rods, and Watering Can - gain special abilities while also being more effective. The axe and pickaxe can let you access new areas as they're upgraded, by allowing you a way to clear blockages and get to the other side.Axe
Upgrading the axe lets you access the Secret Woods and improves your ability to farm for hardwood by letting you break stronger stumps and logs.The regular axe can chop down a tree with 15 hits and breaks small logs to let you gather wood, seeds, and sap. Upgrades greatly improve on that, enhancing your character's ability to gather wood. At first, it cannot break the large stumps on the farm property nor logs. Upgrading the Axe gives you much better access to hardwood, which is a useful crafting ingredient.
Hoe
Upgrading the Hoe lets you till soil in a line. This can be used for foraging!The Hoe not only allows you to till soil in order to plant seeds, it also helps you to dig up areas and collect items from doing so. Upgrades to it make preparing a farm much faster, as well as your ability to forage in areas like the Beach.
Pickaxe
The normal pickaxe can break most ore, but it becomes energy-inefficient the deeper you go into the mines. Better pickaxes also unlock a couple of special areas.The Pickaxe is used to break open rocks and ore veins. Upgrades to the pickaxe reduce the number of hits need to break a rock, while also letting you break open bigger rocks such as the large 2x2 stones on the farm property.
Watering Can
Upgrading the watering can lets you water plants in a line in front of your character. This ability grows better and better the more it is upgraded.The Watering Can tool lets you ensure your plants continue to grow and is essential to early farming. Even fully grown plants need water if they are going to continue to produce fruits and vegetables. Ensuring they're watered every day requires your farmer to use this, to do it manually, or sprinklers. Sprinklers are very expensive and only work on a small area at first, so you'll be relying on this a lot. Upgrade the watering can either during winter or when it's going to rain the next day for maximum efficiency. Thankfully, upgrades to the watering can increase its effectiveness and let you hit more blocks at once while also holding vastly more water. A normal watering can holds 40 uses of water.
Fishing Pole
Fishing poles aren't upgraded like others. You buy better ones, and gain the ability to use bait and tackle.The fishing pole is not upgraded like other tools. Your first fishing pole is given to you, allowing you to catch fish. Later, at levels 2 and 6 you can buy better rods from Willy at the docks shop. These, along with better bait and tackle become available for purchase whenever your character unlocks the ability to craft them. The first pole cannot use bait, the second can use bait but not tackle. Later you can use bait and tackle at the same time, which makes fishing much more efficient.
Scythe
The Scythe isn't upgradeable, but it does just fine in its normal form. Here my character places hay for animals to eat during winter.The Scythe lets you clear grass and other plants from the farm. All tools can clear bigger plants, but the scythe has a sweeping animation that hits about 180 degrees in front of your character, so it's much more energy-efficient. Having a Scythe with one or more Silos on the farm will result in hay being collected for your animals to eat when they cannot go outside to graze - most notably during Winter. The Scythe is the only tool that doesn't get upgrades, though it doesn't really need it and is only used situationally.
Upgrading Tools to Copper, Iron, Gold, and Iridium Quality
The axe, pickaxe, water can, and hoe can all be upgraded at the blacksmith, whose shop is located near the bridge at the bottom right of the town. Take the bridge then head north to see his shop. Bring your tool to the Blacksmith (open 9-5), along with several thousand gold and five metal bars. You must go through a series of upgrades, beginning with copper, then iron, gold, and iridium for the four tools that can be upgraded in this way. Each upgrade is more expensive than the last.
The Blacksmith will upgrade your tools, but you must bring metal bars and enough gold to cover it.The Blacksmith will give you the item back in 2 game days. Simply walk up to the counter when it's done, and you'll be given the upgraded version. Because you cannot use tools while they're being upgraded, it's wise to wait until you know you won't need them. This is especially obvious with the watering can. You can wait until it's going to rain the next day, then go in for the upgrade. This will let you pickup the tool on the 2nd day, regardless of if it's rained, and can then water your crops.
Getting Copper, Iron, Gold, and Iridium
Obtaining copper, iron, gold, and iridium is generally done with mining. However, you can buy the first three from the blacksmith. In the case of upgrading a tool, this can be rather expensive. You need 5 ore per bar, and 5 bars - so you need to buy a whopping 25 ore in order to get enough bars for an upgrade. You'd also need 5 coal and have a furnace on your farm so that you can smelt the bars. See Getting Copper, a Furnace, and Coal. The bars can be obtained freely in the mine, but only spawn on certain levels. It's random but ore spawns on the following levels of the mine:- Copper - Spawns more heavily as you approach mine level 20-39. Higher is better. On your way there, you're likely to pick up a couple dozen of them by the time you reach the sweet spot. You can return the next day to find everything respawned and use the elevator to farm more copper. Be aware that the level 30s have a lot of dark areas, so you may want to bring torches (made from the crafting menu).
- Iron - Spawns more frequently in the 60-79 range of the mines. Iron respawns just like copper and you'll gain lots of mining and combat experience by venturing this deep in the mines. Also, you will eventually grow powerful enough to tackle the end of the mine and move on to the more challenging Skull Cavern. When you reach this area, check out the adventurer's guild (opens after 2PM) for a better weapon that will make going into this part of the mine a trivial affair.
- Gold - Spawns more frequently in the 90-119 range - all the way to the bottom of the mines. Yep, you have to go pretty far, but as noted it's worth it for the mining experience. Take only necessary tools, plenty of food to heal yourself and tread carefully. The mines are much less challenging after level 90, as you get a nice weapon for reaching that level of the mine.
- Iridium - Iridium tools are upgraded the same as the rest, but you must venture to the Skull Cavern to do it. The Skull Cavern requires you to both get the key from the bottom of the mines, and also come up with 42,500 G to complete the vault bundles at the community center (requires several bundles to be completed to be unlocked). Finishing this group of bundles will result in Pam taking the position of bus driver, which lets you ride for 500G. You'll go to Calico Desert where you can use the Skull Key. Each level deeper in the cavern makes Iridium more likely to spawn, but this place does not have elevators like the regular mine. This means you must start at the beginning for each trip.
- The Guide to Winter and What to Do should help you figure out what winter activities are helpful toward the next year on your farm. Make sure to upgrade your watering can while you have the chance!
What to Do, Winter Money-Making, & Spring Preparations
Upgrading your tools is a good idea, as is collecting supplies for the year ahead. A better axe greatly improves your access to hardwood, but the main goal should be to upgrade the Watering Can to steel or better.Winter is perceived to be a bad time of year to be a farmer, but it's not entirely true. You're simply blocked from planting the usual mass-crops and money-making can slow to a crawl if you're unprepared. Instead of being bored of Worried about winter in Stardew Valley, take it as an opportunity to both prepare for Spring and explore other gameplay options that are available to you. Here's a list of things you can do in winter, and good practices that help you to prepare for the upcoming growing season.
Winter Preparations
Heaters keep animals happier during the winter, when they can't get outside. They cost 2000G each from Marnie.Before Winter - If You Have Animals
Ensure your Silo is full, so that you can feed your animals. The only type of animal that won't produce during winter are pigs - they can't go outside to fetch truffles. You'll need 28 food per animal and the Silo can hold 240 hay (harvested by using the scythe on grass). Each animal will want food each day, and the grass will be covered by snow. They'll need fed to produce and remain happy and you do not want to have to spend 50g each on hay from Marnie's Ranch. For animals like chickens, that's a loss most of the time. Also, a heater (2000G from Marnie) for each building can be a wise investment as it will keep the animals happier during the cold, thus resulting in more quality products from them. You may need more than one heater depending on how many buildings you have. So 240 hay, and heaters.
Money on Hand
Money is not as necessary at the beginning of winter, unless you plan to expand your farm. You can get enough to upgrade tools during the season itself, and have plenty of time to accomplish that. There's no rush to buy seeds in winter. However, you do want cash at the end of it. The main goal should be to build up money for when Spring arrives, so that you do better in your second year than you did in the first. You'll want to be able to make a run on those profitable spring crops like potato or rhubarb seeds when they become available, as well as any other plants that you missed for bundles.
Winter Foraging Bundle
Dig up roots and forage for the Winter Foraging Bundle at the Community Center's Crafts RoomOne thing worth completing is the Winter Foraging bundle at the Community Center. To complete the bundle you need 2 easily found items and 2 roots, which must be dug up with the hoe. Find Crystal Fruit and Crocus by regular foraging - look around until you find one lying there. The Snow Yam and Winter Root can be found by digging up dirt - think, the path to the east of your farm, the dirt paths in Pelican Town, and on the beach.
Getting all four of the items needed for the Winter Foraging Bundle, you can get yourself 30 winter seeds as a reward from the Crafts Room in the Community Center and will have knocked out one of the many bundles. In addition to these, lightly working on your Foraging in general is not a bad idea. You can find a Nautilus Shell on the beach which is used for the Field Research Bundle.
Fishing
Fishing is arguably the most profitable activity to do during Winter.Fishing is profitable as ever during Winter. Head to the beach at night to catch squid (you should get a quest for this, actually). Explore all the various types of fishing spot and catch a few new types. Most fish are available during 2 seasons each, so you can get Tiger Trout for example by fishing in the afternoon at the river. Overall this is the single best winter money-maker, and you can make further progress on bundles.
Animal Products & Artisan Goods
Stock up on fruits and veggies during fall and turn those into artisan goods during winter. Aim to always keep your artisan workshops producing. Your livestock will also continue to yield items (though not pigs). This means mayo machines, looms, and cheese presses are great to have on hand.If you haven't yet, consider working on your ability to make more complex goods out of your animal products instead of selling them raw. Turn milk into cheese, eggs into mayonnaise, and gather more materials to help you improve your production capacity if it's not enough. You can also stock up on some crops during Spring-Fall to turn into goods for Winter and make more money from them. You can make 4-10 batches, depending what types of items you're making. Read up on Artisan Goods and how much money they make. This is the only way to turn livestock into a comparatively profitable investment.
Fruit Trees Grow
Winter is a good time to snag some of the fruit trees you may want. They'll still grow during the winter, though normal trees apparently do not. The fruit trees are expensive and not major money-makers, because of how long they take to pay off but look at it as a long-term investment and one more thing you can do to complete bundles!Mining
The mines are exactly the same during Winter, so players familiar with them will be just as effective during the holiday season. Going mining is a good idea if you need materials for crafting or tool upgrades, in general it's not a huge money maker but is something you can do to improve your character and his or her farm.Upgrade your Hoe & Watering Can
Winter is downtime for your farming tools, so you can afford to lose them the two days it takes them to be upgraded. Take 5 bars of the next material you need (it goes copper, iron, gold) to the blacksmith along with several thousand gold (more is needed depending on the level of your tools). Getting the watering can upgraded is a huge boost to your ability to make money, as it both holds lots more water and gains a special ability to water more tiles at once. Similarly, the hoe can till up more dirt at once and actually makes foraging with it much more profitable!Make Friends
There are benefits to having friends (and a spouse) in Stardew Valley. Raising hearts with the NPCs offers many varied rewards, such as cooking recipes and mail-in gifts of valuable items. Learn what they like and give them presents. During Winter there's a secret santa contest for the Feast of the Winter Star that gives several times more friendship points for a good gift! You'll learn who you're Secret Santa to via mail about a week before the event, which is of course on the 25th. If you like to figure things out yourself you may try giving them a variety of things to see what they react positively to, so that you can make that type of item their gift.Clear Farmland and Collect Supplies
Of course, you can always keep chopping and smashing your way to success just using your tools on the farm, or visiting the secret forest if you've got access. Building up supplies is never a bad thing, especially if you plan to expand your farm in the year ahead.- The Secret Woods of Stardew Valley are a great place to get Hardwood for crafting. Bring your hoe as there's lots of worms to be dug up here, so it's also good for finding library books. You can also find one of the game's many Stardrops (which raise maximum energy) by visiting the area with a Sweet Gem Berry.
Where to Get Hardwood and Books from Worms
The location of the Secret Woods on the map in Stardew ValleyThe Secret Woods is a great place to visit regularly in Stardew Valley. You'll find ample hardwood, plenty of areas to dig up with the pickaxe (and thus many opportunities to find books). It is also home to a mysterious statue that gives one of the game's Stardrops, which increase your character's maximum energy by 34.
How to Get Into Secret Woods
The stump blocking the Secret Woods is found in the far left corner once you've gone out the southern exit of the farm.To unlock the Secret Woods, you must first upgrade your Axe to Steel or higher. You'll find information on acquiring metals for the upgrade on the linked tools page. Once this is done, you can smash the log blocking the entrance. Bring a weapon, your hoe, and with your axe for this trip. Head through the southern exit of your farm. You'll be in Cindersap Forest. Now head directly to the left all the way to the edge of the map. You can use the axe to smash through and enter the Secret Woods, previously denoted by ???? on the map.
Hardwood and Worms
The stumps in the Secret Woods regrow each day, giving you a reliable source of Hardwood.The woods contain 6 stumps that regrow each day, giving a total of 12 hardwood. As far as I know you do get foraging experience for these (actually a decent amount), but also from bringing the hoe and digging up the worms here. This place almost has at least 3 worms, so you can round out the museum's book collection and learn more about the game. While the first four stumps are obvious, you get to the last two by walking through the hidden passage shown above.
Slimes
The area always has at least a few slimes, so you can get some combat XP. They're not really dangerous so long as you're armed with a proper weapon.Fishing Spot - Catching Woodskip
Catching a Woodskip in the Secret WoodsThe pool in the Secret Woods is home to the Woodskip, one of the rarer types of fish in Stardew Valley. It's used for at least one bundle at the Community Center.
The Statue, Stardrop & Sweet Gem Berry
Giving the Statue a Sweet Gem Berry (as you would give an NPC a gift, by holding it and clicking them) will result in you getting a Stardrop, which raises maximum energy.Far on the left side of the Secret Woods, you can investigate a statue of Old Master Cannoli. It says, "Old Master Cannoli -- Still searching for the sweetest taste". If you bring it a Sweet Gem Berry, you'll get a Stardrop in return, raising your maximum energy permanently.
The Traveling Cart can randomly sell you Rare Seeds, which can be used to grow a Sweet Gem Berry for the statue in The Secret Woods.The Traveling Cart can sell you a 'Rare Seed' which will let you grow these yourself. Visit it every Friday and Sunday. The Traveling Cart appears on the way to the Secret Woods - you can't miss it. Every now and then the rare seed will be available for purchase for around 1,000G (for seeds) to 12,000G (for a fully grown plant). Sweet Gem Berries grow from Rare Seeds in Fall and take 24 days to grow, so you will want to plant it very early in the fall, by the 4th day.
- Calico Desert: Oasis Store and The Skull Cavern - completing the vault bundle at the Community Center awards you with a fully operational bus. You can take it to Calico Desert, where a great store is located (with 2/3 of the best seeds in the game) alongside the Skull Cavern, a harder version of the mines.
Unlocking the Bus, Casino, and Skull Cavern Mine
The top-left corner of the Stardew Valley map contains Calico Desert, location of coconuts, cactus fruit, the Oasis store and the Skull CavernThe Desert is a mystery early in your adventures in Stardew Valley. You'll only see '???' when you hover over it on the map. This area is actually Calico Desert, a place that contains a few unique features that help you as a player. There's a new shop (Oasis), forage items that help with bundles, new types of fish, and the Skull Cavern along with other secrets. This guide will elaborate on some of these features and how they are beneficial to your farm.
Get to the Desert: Ride the Bus
Finishing the Vault Bundle at the Community Center rewards you with bus repair, allowing you to access the desert.Bundles and Money Required
In order to get to the desert, you must first repair the bus. This is accomplished by finishing off one of the easiest types of bundles - The Vault. This room in the community center appears after you've already completed about 4 bundles. You'll find the Vault in the top right corner of the community center. The Vault bundle is all about money. You'll need about 42,500G on hand to finish all of them. There is one for 2500, 5000, another for 10,000 and lastly a final bundle for 25,000. Once you have purchased all of these, the bus will be repaired.
Get to the Desert: Ride the Bus
Pam arrives shortly after 10 each day to drive the bus. It is 500G to get to Calico Desert.Riding the Bus
You must wait until 10AM on any day you want to ride. Pam will arrive at the bus stop to the east of your farm, and at that point you can buy a ticket from the metal stand for 500G. Despite its distance, no time is taken to get there and no matter the time of year, the desert is always the same. On any visit to the desert you'll need to return to the bus to go home. You can stay as late as 12:30 and still make it, though not without an energy penalty.
Desert Features
Oasis & Casino
The Oasis shop sells two great types of seeds, and a third that you'll want in order to grow and ship one of everything.Oasis is where you'll find both Sandy selling seeds. The shop is easily accessibly and allows you to make some of that money from the vault bundle back. The following 3 types of seeds are always sold, and are among the best for each season:
- Rhubarb Seeds 100G each - Spring Crop, only beaten in profitability by Strawberries that can be bought at the Spring festival.
- Starfruit Seeds 400G each - Summer Crop. The single most lucrative of the season and one of the top 3.
- Beet Seeds 20G each - Fall Crop - not nearly as impressive as the other two, but you'll want some for the Qi quest and in order to ship one of every plant in the game. Beets aren't used in any bundles.
Qi's Challenge & The Mysterious Qi
The Calico Desert Casino inside Oasis is blocked by a bouncer when you first visit. You must finish a line of quests that starts with entering the Skull Cavern in order to gain access to the casino. The main purpose of this is to be able to buy the unique items inside - mostly decorative - using Qi coins, a type of currency you can gamble with or buy outright. There is also a very expensive Statue of Endless Fortune sold by the guy at the top right for 1 million G. It makes a random item every day.Once you've made it far enough in the Skull Cavern (to level 25) you'll need to come up with some other items in order to finish Qi's quest. The subsequent quests can be triggered by interacting with a couple of points of interest in the game world. A battery pack is required (from having a lightning rod in Summer) for the box in the bus tunnel. Also, a rainbow shell (also from summer at the beach) for the box at the train station. You may also want to save 10 beets for later (seeds bought from Oasis). It's worth knowing you need those items ahead of time so that you don't have to wait up to a year to access the casino.
Foraging and Fishing
Desert Fishing rewards you with the Sandfish, an item needed for a bundle.Though the desert area isn't large, you can find two new types of foraged items lying around here: Cactus Fruit and Coconuts. Both are needed for bundles back at the community center. Additionally, if you bring your fishing pole you can find fish for bundles in the northwestern pool. Sandfish are notably used in one bundle, but you can also catch Scorpion Carp in the pond. Around the area are palm trees, though you will not get coconuts or anything special by chopping them down.
Desert Mine: The Skull Cavern
The Skull Cavern is found in the top left portion of the desert. You must fully explore the mines in order to get the Skull Key that is required to go inside the more challenging mine.When you've reached the bottom of the mine, you'll be rewarded with the Skull Key necessary to enter the Skull Cavern. It's an endless, more challenging area that rewards risk-taking and planning. The deeper you go, the more likely you are to find Iridium. Monsters inside will also drop this rare metal, as well as the Prismatic Shard which is used to obtain Stardew Valley's strongest weapon.
Other Secrets
The dead dragon in the desert is used for one of Qi's quests. To the northeast you will see three pillars which are also of interest. Bringing a rare Prismatic Shard dropped by enemies in the Skull Cavern will reward you with a Galaxy Sword.- Choose vs Mushrooms or Bats once you reach 25k G in earning in Stardew Valley, you're faced with a choice for how to develop the cave on the farm. This article highlights the differences between the two. It's not a major decision, but one does seem more helpful than the other.
Mushrooms vs Fruit Bats
Should you take mushrooms or bats for the cave?When you've made 25,000G in Stardew Valley, a man named Demitrius will show up at your farm and offer to convert your cave into something useful. You must choose between fruit bats or mushrooms for the cave, and it's a permanent choice. Neither makes a huge impact, but one is arguably more useful than the other.
Fruit Bats
Stocking the cave with Fruit Bats results in items like cherries, peaches, apples, and berries being dropped by the bats in the cave every once in a while. Every one of these items is easy to get, but they are useful for giving gifts to villagers. They do not play into any major crafting recipes, though you can make wine with them. These are handy for completing bundles, but you can eventually forage and grow fruit trees to get all of them. In fact, they're some of the easiest bundles so long as you forage each season.The fruit are randomly generated each day. Either nothing, or fruit spawns. You never know what you'll get but should probably check every couple days.
Mushrooms
Stocking the Cave with Mushrooms will put six planters in the cave that reliably generate 6 mushrooms every other day. You have a good chance of getting the rarer types, such as those with purple caps and morels. All the main types of mushrooms are used in the life elixir, which is unlocked with the Combat skill (at level 2) and one of the best healing items in the game as it restores health to full. Life elixirs take one red, purple, morel, and canterelle mushroom. Most of these are found reliably deep in the mines or near the wizard's tower in the forest. They are simply not as accessible as the fruit.The Pick
I select mushrooms for the below reason. Most fruits are easily attainable via fruit trees and the wild seeds you can make with the Seed Maker, unlocked via the Farming Skill at level 9. Farming is by far the easiest skill to level.Personally, I go with the mushrooms. The reasoning for this is that I already have great access to all the items offered by fruit bats. I can make trees, as well as wild seeds with the seed maker. The mushrooms give me a chance to get those at home, here and there, and stock them up for life elixirs and other cooking (such as stir fry).
The only reason to pick the fruit is if you want it so that you can gift them, since they're technically free and almost always liked by the residents of Stardew Valley. Overall the mushrooms are more useful, at least in my eyes. You know the pros and cons, so make your pick!
- Grandpa's Evaluation (End Game) describes the evaluation process you face after completing your second year. It's similar to Harvest Moon, only you can try again if you so please, without starting the whole game over -- so don't sweat it!
Finishing the Game and the Ending Evaluation
Grandpa comes to judge you from the grave. He evaluates how you ran the farm and established friendships in Stardew Valley. How will you stack up?Stardew Valley does not abruptly end like some Harvest Moon games, where you are forced to try again if you want a better ending (and lose all your progress in some games). Thankfully, you can keep playing after the 'end' of Stardew Valley and even retry for a better 'score'. Your performance in a variety of areas are evaluated after completing year two (start of year 3) and the score you get determines if you obtain a special reward from Grandpa's Grave, who left you his farm at the beginning of the game.
Grandpa's Ghost Evaluation
Since you left home to escape the hustle-bustle of the city, and restore grandpa's farm, it's entirely logical that grandpa's ghost judges you at the start of year three, hoping you will put his spirit to rest. Nothing weird about that at all! His words during this evaluation change based upon how well you scored, so some players will certainly want to try over to get a better ending the first time this happens. It's not necessary, however, as you can repeat the review when you've improved the farm and your character some more. Grandpa will score you in various categories, with the spirit candles on Grandpa's Shrine (the grave in the top left corner of the farm) as the marker indicating how well you've done.If you did poorly, only one of the four candles on Grandpa's Shrine will light. Two may be considered average for a first attempt, three is above average, and four candles lit is as good as it gets. Your goal in Stardew Valley from the character's perspective is to start a new life and restore the farm, so making money, making friends, and succeeding in improving the town around you are the main markers of progress. If you get a perfect score, you'll get a special reward. The four tiers of points are:
- One Candle - 1-3 Points
- Two Candles - 4-7 Points
- Three Candles - 8-11 Points
- Four Candles - 12+ Points
Earnings: Up to 7 Points
You gain points based upon total earnings (not cash on hand, so safe to spend). The points are cumulative, so each threshold you meet will add an additional point. The break points are:50,000G: +1 Point
100,000G: +1 Point
200,000G: +1 Point
300,000G: +1 Point
500,000G: +1 Point
1,000,000G: +2 Points
So if you got 300,000G in total earnings you would get a total of 4 points toward the evaluation and light two candles on grandpa's shrine based upon that alone.
Relationships
Like Harvest Moon, building relationships is part of the game (see gifts for friendships). The following each add 1 additional point. You can get the friendship points multiple times if you meet both criteria:Have 8 heart relationship with five villagers: 1 Point
Have 8 heart relationship with ten villagers: 1 Point
Have a friendship with your Pet (they love you): 1 Point
Have a spouse with a fully upgraded house: 1 Point
Skill Levels
Reaching a total of 30 skill levels (average 6) results in 1 Point as does having 50 levels in skills (all maxed). You can get +2 Points for this.Unlocks
Finishing the Community Center Bundles: 3 PointsUnlock the Skull Cavern (Skull Key): 1 Point
Unlock the Sewer (Rusty Key): 1 Point
Miscellaneous
Finishing off the Museum (find all artifacts): 1 PointCatch every fish: 1 Point
Ship one of every item: 1 Point