Stardew Valley: How to Level up All Skills

Stardew Valley is a charming open-ended farming simulator game featuring a character who inherits their deceased grandfather’s run-down farm. Players can spend their days tending to the farm, in hopes of turning it into a thriving business and settling down in the countryside.

Through their journey players develop various Skills, such as Farming, Mining, Fishing, Foraging, and Combat. Each skill has ten levels, and as the player levels up, they gain access to new bonuses and crafting or cooking recipes. At level 5 and level 10 for each Skill, players unlock new Professions to specialize in. This comprehensive guide provides valuable insights for players to efficiently level up their Skills in Stardew Valley.

How to Level Up All Skills

In Stardew Valley, a player’s skills are structured into ten levels. When the game begins, players have zero experience in each Skill. To level up skills, players need to earn enough experience points, as illustrated in the table below.

Level	XP Needed	Total XP	Level	XP Needed	Total XP
1	100	100	6	+1150	3300
2	+280	380	7	+1500	4800
3	+390	770	8	+2100	6900
4	+530	1300	9	+3100	10000
5	+850	2150	10	+5000	15000

Farming

Farming is the first Skill players encounter when they start Stardew Valley. Farming experience can be gained by planting, growing, and harvesting fruits and vegetables, and taking care of animals. Five XP is earned by petting, milking, or shearing farm animals and collecting animal produce inside a coop or barn.

Having a higher level of Farming skill not only enhances the quality of animal products and crops but also grants players the ability to produce profitable Artisan Goods.

Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Scarecrow Basic Fertilizer	Stone Fence Sprinkler Mayonnaise Machine	Speed-Gro Fertilizer Bee House Farmer’s Lunch	Basic Retaining Soil Preserves Jar Iron Fence	Profession Choices: Rancher OR Tiller
Level 6	Level 7	Level 8	Level 9	Level 10
Cheese Press Fence Hardwood Quality Sprinkler	Loom Quality Retaining Soil	Keg Oil Maker Deluxe Speed-Gro	Seed Maker Quality Fertilizer Iridium Sprinkler	*Rancher*	*Tiller*
				Coopmaster OR Shepherd	Artisan OR Agriculturist

Fishing

The Fishing Skill determines how successful the player is at reeling in high-quality fish. It’s quite simple to level up since players only have to catch fish in the rivers, lakes, and oceans of the Valley. Additionally, harvesting Crab Pots or catching Seaweed, Green Algae, White Algae, or even Trash with a Fishing Rod increases the player’s Fishing Skill.

Players can use the Quality Bobber when fishing to increase the quality of fish. Catching a higher-quality (silver or gold star) fish gives players more experience points. New items at Willy’s Fish Shop are unlocked at certain levels.

Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Increases casting distance by one tile	Bait	Crab Pot Dish O’ The Sea	Recycling Machine Increases casting distance by one tile	Profession Choices: Fisher OR Trapper
Level 6	Level 7	Level 8	Level 9	Level 10
Spinner Trap Bobber	Cork Bobber Treasure Hunter	Barbed Hook Worm Bin Dressed Spinner Increases casting distance by one tile	Seafoam Pudding Magnet	*Fisher*	*Trapper*
				Angler OR Pirate	Mariner OR Luremaster

Foraging

Quartz, Sandstone, Ruby, and a Prismatic Shard in front of the mine in Stardew Valley

The Foraging Skill allows the player to collect high-quality forage items on the ground throughout Stardew Valley. Players can level up their Foraging skills by gathering forageables from the ground and chopping down Trees with an Axe.

Players gain seven XP for each foraged item picked up from the ground. 12 XP are granted for chopping down a tree, with an additional one XP for removing the remaining tree stump. For removing Large Stumps and Large Logs around the Valley, players get 25 XP.

Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Wild Seeds (Spring) Field Snack	Survival Burger	Tapper	Wild Seeds (Summer) Charcoal Kiln +1 Wild Berry Harvesting	Profession Choices: Forester OR Gatherer
Level 6	Level 7	Level 8	Level 9	Level 10
Wild Seeds (Fall) Lightning Rod Warp Totem: Beach	Wild Seeds (Winter) Tree Fertilizer Warp Totem: Mountains	Warp Totem: Farm +1 Wild Berry Harvesting	Cookout Kit Rain Totem	*Forester*	*Gatherer*
				Tapper OR Lumberjack	Tracker OR Botanist

Mining

The Mining Skill is associated with the ability to mine ore and minerals from The Mines of Pelican Town. A player’s Mining Skill is increased when they break rocks and geodes in the Mines. It doesn’t matter if players use a Pickaxe, Bombs, or any other way to destroy rocks, they will be awarded experience points. However, different types of rocks give different numbers of experience points.

Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Cherry Bomb	Staircase	Miner’s Treat	Transmute (Fe) Glowstone Ring	Profession Choices: Miner OR Geologist
Level 6	Level 7	Level 8	Level 9	Level 10
Bomb	Transmute (Au)	Mega Bomb	Crystalarium	*Miner*	*Geologist*
				Blacksmith OR Prospector	Excavator OR Gemologist

Combat

The Combat Skill is a measure of how powerful the farmer is in battle with the dangerous monsters lurking within the Mines. The only way to increase this skill is by fighting any monster the player comes across. Killing stronger enemies, such as those in The Skull Cavern, allows players to gain more experience points.

Leveling up in Combat allows players to improve stats, such as the farmer’s health points (HP).

Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Bug Steak Sturdy Ring	Life Elixir	Roots Platter	Warrior Ring	Profession Choices: Fighter OR Scout
Level 6	Level 7	Level 8	Level 9	Level 10
Oil of Garlic Slime Egg-Press	Thorns Ring Ring of Yoba	Explosive Ammo Slime Incubator	Squid Ink Ravioli Iridium Band	*Fighter*	*Scout*
				Brute OR Defender	Acrobat OR Desperado