There are plenty of things to do in Stardew Valley, so much so that some players might feel lost as soon as they start a new save file. This is a big game that has a lot of stuff for players to keep track of, so it's no surprise why some people get confused even before their first harvest season.
Thankfully, Stardew Valley is a lot simpler than one might think. Beyond the myriad of stuff to do is a cozy game that doesn't require much technical knowledge. Still, if you find yourself struggling in the early parts of the game, here are some tips to help you figure out what you need to do next.
Stardew Valley: 10 Best Things To Do In Spring
Spring is quite busy in Stardew Valley so farmers should make sure to prioritize these tasks to get the most out of the season.
Explore First, Farm Later
When you first start a new save, the best thing you can do is to start exploring the town and its surroundings first. Players might be eager to start farming as soon as they start, and while doing so is perfectly fine, exploring the area first is better for the following reasons:
- Exploring is more stamina-efficient than farming early on.
- Looting and foraging is lucrative, and it can help jumpstart your farming later.
Befriend Everyone on Your First Year
The townsfolk of Stardew Valley are more than eager to help out their newest farmer, but before they can give you any gifts or favors, you'll have to become friends with them first.
Try to reach a two-heart relationship ranking with as many NPCs as you can during your first year. This way, you'll have plenty of people providing you with support in the form of gifts and recipes. Some may even ask you to complete some quests for them, which will give you even more rewards after you complete them.
Give Food Away as Gifts
If you want to improve your relationship with an NPC more quickly, try giving them food as gifts. These tend to be more cost-efficient, and they also give more points compared to other gift types. However, always keep an NPC's preferences in mind — if you give them something that they don't particularly like, you might end up harming your relationship with them instead.
This is also a good way to fast track your romance attempts on an NPC.
Best Crops to Plant Early
There are quite a few options when it comes to what sort of crop you can plant early on, though some are more lucrative than others. When picking which seeds to buy and plant, keep the following in mind:
-
Potato
grows best during Spring. They take 6 days to fully grow, and they sell for 80-160G by default based on quality. They have a chance to yield another Potato when harvested.
-
Blueberry
is best for Summer. They take 13 days to grow, and are sold for 50-100G by default based on quality.
-
Cranberries
are the best early crops for Fall. They grow in 7 days, and they sell for 75-150G.
Parsnips are also very good as a starting crop early on, but you need to dedicate a lot of time and energy on them. Hops are also decent, but in order to maximize your profits from them, you need to turn Hops into Pale Ale, which you won't be able to do until much later.
Always plan your crop schedule based on how long your chosen crops take to grow. Also, always take seasons into account so you don't end up potentially wasting your crops.
How to Make Money Fast Early in Stardew Valley
You can get a lot of Gold early by befriending Caroline (Pierre's wife) in Pelican Town to get the crafting recipe for Tea Saplings. Once you get the recipe, gather the ingredients needed to make them, then sell the saplings for 250G per piece.
You can also plant the saplings to harvest 
Tea Leaves, but the saplings themselves sell for more while requiring less time. However, you will need to actively gather Tea Sapling crafting materials if you want to use them as one of your main income sources.
Save Animal Husbandry for Later
Taking care of farm animals is fun, but it can be pretty expensive, especially if you try to divert some of your resources into getting barns, feed, and whatnot as soon as the options become available. With that being said, hold off on getting farm animals until you get a stronger and more stable source of income.
The best time to start animal husbandry is either late into your second year or early into your third year. Either way, you'll want to get farm animals eventually so you can make and sell more expensive products.
When in Doubt, Sell Cheese
If you're not sure what sort of animal products to sell at first, 
Cheese will likely be your best option. Not only do they sell well, but they can also be eaten to restore a large portion of your health and energy. The downside to making Cheese is that it takes a while to make some, and you'll need a 
Cheese Press to process them.
Still, once you get your animal farm going, Cheese is one of the best products to make next to 
Mayonnaise and 
Truffle Oil, though sell prices will differ based on the ingredients you use and the final quality of the products themselves.
Keep Some Stuff For Yourself
As mentioned above, some items also benefit players in ways outside of providing them with just money. You can prepare the food that you grow on your farm to make meals that can restore health and energy, allowing you to do more things per day, and thus letting you earn more money depending on how productive you can be.
Some great food items to make/keep are:
Complete Breakfast
Bean Hotpot
Red PlateAlways Check the Weather Forecast
Your day can play out very differently depending on the weather conditions in Stardew Valley. For example, rain will automatically water all of your crops for you, which means you won't have to spend any energy manually watering every crop on your farm. However, this also makes some NPCs unavailable, potentially throwing a wrench into your plans.
The weather changes daily, and you can check what tomorrow will bring by interacting with your TV and checking the Weather Report. Once you familiarize yourself with how weather works, you'll be able to make the most out of their positive and negative effects.
Place Chests (Almost) Everywhere
You're bound to fill your inventory up whenever you go foraging or exploring, especially when you go down into the mines. You can make inventory management a little bit easier by making chests and placing them along your usual routes. Having a few stashes out in the world is a great way to make sure that you always have space for valuable loot.
Stardew Valley
- Released
- February 26, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)
- Developer(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Publisher(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Stardew Valley does not currently support crossplay between different consoles and PC
- Cross Save
- cross-progression is only available between the PC and mobile versions of the game
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical or Horizontal
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Simulation
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-4 Players
- How Long To Beat
- 53 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- No
- File Size Xbox Series
- 1 GB (November 2023)
