A Beginner's Guide to Stardew Valley

Introduction

The video is a spoiler-free guide to set up an informed self-sufficient farmer in Stardew Valley. It covers everything from the opening menu to controls and gameplay mechanics.

Choosing a Farm

• The most important choice when creating a new farm is which farm to choose.

• Recommended farms for first-time players are the Standard Farm or Forest Farm.

• Farms not recommended for first-time players are Wilderness Farm and Beach Farm.

Advanced Settings

• Advanced settings should be left untouched except for multiplayer options.

• Do not accidentally set the profit margin lower, as it makes the game harder.

Controls

• Press pause and go to options to see what buttons are bound to.

• Left click or left face button uses tools, while check button or right mouse button allows you to interact with objects.

Starting Out

• Use pickaxe, scythe, and ax to clear space and gather resources.

• Use hoe to till soil and plant seeds.

Understanding Energy and Watering in Stardew Valley

In this section, the speaker explains how watering works in Stardew Valley and how energy is a limited resource that affects gameplay.

Watering Can and Refilling

• The watering can has a finite amount of water it can hold.

• To refill it, walk next to water and use the tool.

Energy Level

• The energy level is the main thing that limits players in the game.

• Most actions use up a little bit of energy.

• If the meter gets all the way to zero, players will be exhausted and put into an extremely sluggish state where they can barely move at all.

Replenishing Energy

• Eating food or sleeping for the night can replenish energy.

• Going to sleep for the night is possible whenever you want.

• If you hit zero energy, you'll take a half-energy penalty.

Low Energy Activities

• Scything fiber and grass, cleaning up your farm, picking forged items, talking to townspeople, giving them gifts or going fishing are activities that don't require much energy.

Time Management and Seasons in Stardew Valley

In this section, the speaker explains time management in Stardew Valley as well as seasons' impact on crops.

Moving Time System

• Every day starts at 6 am and ends at 2 am no matter what players are doing.

• An hour in-game is 43 seconds long which makes a day just about 13 minutes long.

• At midnight players get notified that it's getting late because every ten minutes after midnight they will get an energy penalty when they wake up.

Weather System

• There's a weather system with guaranteed sunny or rainy days.

• Rain automatically waters crops, so players don't have to do it themselves.

Seasons

• Every season has 28 days exactly which is four weeks.

• With the change of the season comes characters walking in different schedules, new crops to plant and new forageables to be found.

• If spring crops carry into summer, they will die immediately.

Farm Tour in Stardew Valley

In this section, the speaker gives a tour of the farm and its surroundings.

Farmhouse and Shipping Bin

• The farmhouse is situated at the very top right corner next to the shipping bin.

• The shipping bin is where players can sell pretty much any item that they want to get paid overnight.

Bus Stop and Pelican Town

• There's an exit over here that goes right out to the bus stop.

• Pelican town is over to the right with a bus that doesn't work yet.

Backwoods and Mountains

• Heading over to the left of our farmhouse there's another exit that goes north into an area called The Backwoods.

• It goes into an area called The Mountains over on the right which we'll explore in a second.

Other Areas

• There's a farm cave, broken-down building, and other areas locked until later.

Overview of Stardew Valley

This section provides an overview of the game Stardew Valley, including where to buy animals and supplies, how to find forageable items, and where to upgrade tools.

Buying Animals and Supplies

• Animals can be bought once unlocked.

• Supplies for animals can also be purchased here.

• On Fridays or Sundays, a traveling cart may appear that sells rare items at expensive prices.

Foraging in Cinder Sap Forest

• Clearing all the fiber in Cinder Sap Forest can yield mixed seeds or fiber.

• The forest is a great place to find forageable items on the ground.

• Worm patches can be found in the forest. Using a hoe on them may yield rare items like lost books or clay.

Upgrading Tools

• The blacksmith is where ores are sold for upgrading tools.

• Upgrading tools requires five of whatever material is being used (e.g., copper).

• Geodes can also be processed at the blacksmith and may contain materials needed for tool upgrades.

Other Locations

Pelican Town Hub

• Characters have their own schedules that vary by day and season.

• The hospital/general store is where players end up if they lose all their health. It's also where seeds are sold, crops are sold, and inventory upgrades are available.

Saloon

• Food and drinks can be purchased here. Drinking alcohol will give players a Tipsy debuff that slows them down.

Beach

• The beach is a great place to find forageable items and fish.

Community Center

• The community center unlocks on day five and is the main focus of the game's story. Donating items to the museum can yield rewards like buffs or decorations.

Overview of Farm Features

In this section, the speaker provides an overview of the different features available on the farm.

Farm Buildings

• The calendar and workbench are functional while other buildings are decorative.

• Crafting recipes can be found in some buildings.

• Upgrading your house costs money and wood, but it gives you more room and unlocks new features like cooking and marriage.

• Smaller farm buildings like coops for animals or silos for feed can be constructed anywhere on the farm.

Exploring the Mountains

• The mountains are a good area for fishing or foraging.

• A blocked-off area opens up a few days into summer, while another entrance leads to a backwoods area with rare forageables.

Using the Pause Menu

• The pause menu has several tabs including inventory, skills, social tab, and map.

• Inventory can be organized using the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.

• Skills include farming, mining, foraging, fishing, and combat. Each action in-game gives experience towards one of these skills which unlock new features as they level up.

• The social tab shows all characters met in-game along with their friendship levels. Gifting items increases friendship levels which unlocks new recipes and occasional gifts in return.

Map Navigation

• The map shows where you are at any given time along with shop hours and character locations.

Crafting, Collections, and Options

In this section, the speaker explains how to craft items using materials in your inventory. They also discuss the collections tab and how it shows what you have obtained. The options tab is also discussed.

Crafting

• To craft an item, click on it or press on it if it's lit up.

• Craftable items will be lit up in your inventory.

• Clicking or pressing on a craftable item will automatically use up the necessary materials.

• Keep an eye on what you unlock as some of the best items in the game are unlocked through leveling up or buying from various shops.

Collections

• The collections tab shows what you have obtained.

• Items will only show up on this tab if they have been put into the shipping bin.

• Cooking items that are dark indicate that you have the recipe for them.

Options

• Show advanced crafting information by clicking "show advanced crafting information."

• Change audio levels and graphic settings.

• Adjust zoom level to make things easier to see.

How Do I Unlock It and What Is It Good For?

In this section, the speaker provides information on how to unlock certain features of the game and their benefits.

Fishing

• On your second day, Willy will give you a fishing rod at the beach after receiving a note from him.

• Cast farther away from land for better fish.

• Wait until an exclamation point appears before pressing button quickly to enter mini-game where keeping bar on fish icon is key.

Achievements

• Achievements are various things that can be met within the game but aren't important.

Letters

• Read letters whenever desired by accessing them in this tab.

Exiting Game

• Exit game by clicking "exit to title" or "exit to desktop."

• Game only saves when you end your day.

Fishing, Mining, and Community Center

In this section, the speaker discusses fishing and how to upgrade your fishing pole. They also talk about mining and how to progress through the floors of the mine. Finally, they discuss unlocking the community center and an alternative method for doing so.

Fishing

• Level 5 fishing allows you to go back to regular rods with no difference in catching common fish.

• Once you hit certain levels, you can buy new fishing rods from Willy's shop to upgrade your pole.

Mining

• The elevator in the mines doesn't work, so players must head straight down.

• Every floor is randomly generated with a new set of rocks. Breaking any rock has a chance of revealing a staircase that leads down to the next floor.

• Enemies may appear on floors and defeating them has a higher chance of spawning staircases than breaking rocks.

• Forageables can be found in the mines just like in the Overworld. Crates can also be broken open for rare items.

• Ore nodes give copper which is used for upgrading tools. Checkpoints are unlocked every five floors.

Community Center

• Unlocking the community center requires visiting Pelican Town after 8 A.M but before 2 p.m on day five.

• Interacting with an object inside sets plans in motion and players receive a letter inviting them to visit Wizard's Tower.

• Donating items completes bundles which unlocks rewards and new rooms of bundles. This is considered by many to be the main quest of the game.

• An alternative method for unlocking the community center is by purchasing a JoJo membership from Morris in JojaMart. This permanently locks players out of donating items to the community center and instead allows them to donate money to unlock it.

Cooking and Extra Tips

In this section, the speaker discusses how to unlock cooking and provides some extra tips for players.

Cooking

• Cooking is unlocked by upgrading your house with 10,000 gold and 450 pieces of wood. The kitchen will then be available for use.

Extra Tips

• Making chests can provide extra storage space. Try keeping one of everything in storage as it may be useful later on.

• Use the auto-organize button when opening chests to automatically organize stacks in both your chest and inventory.

Tips for Playing Stardew Valley

In this section, the speaker provides tips for playing Stardew Valley.

Moving Items and Checking Weather

• To move items in your chest, select an item and mash the use button to move it over one spot. This will use a little bit of energy.

• Check your TV frequently to see what kind of weather it will be on the next day and what luck you have for that day. Luck affects many things in the game.

Unlocking Cooking Recipes and Getting Tips

• On Sundays, watch "The Queen of Sauce" channel to unlock a new cooking recipe. If you miss any recipes on Sundays, you can watch it again on Wednesday to get any missed recipes.

• On Mondays and Thursdays, watch "Living off the Land" channel to get tips about events happening in the game or how to find certain items like berries during salmon berry season.

Everything Repeats

• Everything repeats in Stardew Valley so there is no need to feel rushed or like you are missing out on anything. Choose one task per day and focus on that task until your energy runs out then do something else that you make up on the spot. You can do whatever you'd like!

Overall, these tips should help players enjoy their experience with Stardew Valley by making gameplay easier and more enjoyable.