Beginner Friendly TIPS AND TRICKS FOR Stardew Valley

General tips

  • Consider picking the Meadowlands farm to start with. You will spawn in with a coop and two chickens which will give you a good base. You can make those eggs into mayo for some early cash!

  • Plant your parsnips (till using your hoe) and then water them (watering can). Buy some seeds from Pierres with any profit you make, replant and soon you'll be making a fortune! Re-invest the money into higher value crops and ones that regrow for bigger profit.

  • Walk around and pick up everything you can find, this is called foraging. You can sell these items for money or gift them to people. It’s also a good way of getting some early game food as you can make Field Snacks with basic forage

  • Work towards getting the backpack upgrade at Pierres. This will let you keep more items in your inventory

  • Speak to people in the town and check the board at Pierres General Store. This will give you quests to do which will help you learn the game mechanics.

  • Pick an objective and work towards that, there may be 5/6 things you need to do to achieve it. Start with something simple like a plan to build a coop. For that you need money and resources.

  • Upgrade your tools at the blacksmith when you have the time and resource. This will help make the game easier as you’ll lose less energy. You’ll be able to collect resource faster and more efficiently

  • Try to keep one of everything in a chest. You’ll never know when you need items

  • Watch the TV every day. There are good things that can come from this including recipes and information about the luck which is an important mechanic in the game which impacts things like finding staircases in the mines

  • Some good early goals include building a coop and barn raising your farming level enough to unlock sprinklers. Gathering items for the Community Center is also encouraged

  • Check the trash cans around town. You never know what you may find 👀

  • Play the game at your OWN pace! There is no right or wrong here or a set list of things you must do or when you must do them by. Have fun and find your own way!

Need Money?

  • Need money? Try fishing in the rivers, lake and oceans. You can sell the fish for good money to Willy or via your shipping bin!

  • With the introduction of 1.6, the fish smoker is also a great way to make early money in the game. Smoking fish and combining that with the fisher perk can yield great results. For example with the fisher perk, catching a basic catfish, smoking it and then selling it would net 500g

  • Mining can also be profitable especially as the deeper you get in the mines, the bigger the rewards. Don't be scared and head down!

  • Do quests from the board at Pierres. Often these quest result in money and other gifts

  • Most importantly, plant and re-plant crops. This will make you the most money. You can do other things while you wait for crops to grow and be ready to be harvested

  • For more advanced players, clay farming is a good way to make early cash. Clay can be sold for 20g and if you farm enough this will add up to a nice total

Fishing TOO HARD?

  • Struggling with fishing? Get the training rod from Willy and train yourself up to make your life easier. This will allow you to catch fish up to level 5. You can then work towards getting yourself a better rod from Willy

  • When you have enough money, Get a better rod and you can add bait and bobbers to it to improve the accuracy of catching fish!

  • Obtain some Trout Soup from Willy. This will give you +1 fishing and make the bar temporarily bigger for you. There are other food items that can help with this too

  • Learn to tap the rod when fishing instead of holding down the button. This will give you greater control

  • Don’t be discouraged if you keep losing fish. It can be difficult and sometimes it’s just down to luck

Want to make friends?

  • If you want to make friends with the villagers you should talk to them. This will increase your heart level with them

  • Take it to the next level and give them gifts. Certain villages like certain items as gifts. Be careful though, you run the risk of giving a village something they wont like!

  • Ensure you give a village a good gift on their birthday. Like in real life, a birthday gift counts for more!

  • Stardrop Tea gives 250 friendship points (1 heart) and does not count towards your gifting limits (2 per week). If you’re trying to get perfection, this is a good way to go about it. You’re best chance of getting tea is from the golden fishing treasure chests but it is also given as a prize from the prize ticket machine

Mines/Skull Cavern

  • Struggling with the mines? Take some good quality food and a good weapon and you will find it much easier. Don't be afraid of dying, you can quit the game and go back into it and you can start the day again.

  • Go on days with good luck (check the TV) as the ladders will be easier to find

  • Equip rings and armour to protect yourself

  • Click here for a more detailed guide to skill cavern

    I also have more tips videos here on this this playlist