Over the years since its original release,Stardew Valleyhas become one of the most recognizable and beloved cozy farming simulators out there. It has a little of everything from farming, decorating, combat, and even romance, which provides players with a plethora of things they can focus on. While this can make it a versatile game that can appeal to a large variety of players, it can also cause new players to feel a bit lost and overwhelmed, particularly if they are new to the genre.
Even some popular streamers have expressed frustration with their initial experiences in the game, which is likely even worse when there is an audience of peopletelling them what they are missing. In reality,Stardew Valleyis meant to be played for fun, to relax. Nothing is going to go seriously wrong by ignoring one aspect for a while and focusing on something else. Players should always feel free to play this cozy game in whatever way is coziest for them. Here are a few suggestions to help reduce the feelings of being overwhelmed, butalways remember that there is no wrong way to play.
10Become Familiar With The Controls And Adjust Settings If Needed
Some Settings Can Be Very Helpful
One thing that will certainly cause a bit of demoralizing frustration with any new game is not understanding the control scheme for a game. This is no different forStardew Valley, and soit can be good to take some time at the beginning just to play around with what the buttons do, what the menus look like, and more. Going into the options menu and looking at the keybinds can also give a quick overview of what buttons do which things.
Some other settings can also be very helpful to start out with, all depending on player preference, of course:
Show Tool Hit Location
This will make aiming easier, with a red box on the ground where the tool will hit when swung.
Zoom Level
Setting the zoom level for the game can make it a more pleasant experience for players.
Audio Level
Sometimes having background music too loud can add to feelings of anxiety and being overstimulated. Perhaps lower or even turn this setting off while learning the game.
Messing around with the settings of the game before getting too far into it can help make the rest of the time inStardew Valleya better, more personalized, experience and help players to feel more in control of their surroundings.
9Think About What Sounds Fun. Most Things Can Be Ignored For A While
Stardew Valley Has A Lot Of Different Things To Focus On, But Nothing Is Immediate
There is a lot to do inStardew Valley, particularly for those who have either read ahead to different guides or perhaps have friends telling them everything to do. Whether someone wants to focus on relationships, farming, ranching, the community center, or even just on fishing, there is no wrong way to play. After starting the game and seeing a little bit about how things work,it is good to just pause for a moment and decide what sounds the most fun to focus on, because trying to focus on everything at once can be a truly challenging task, particularly for a beginner.
76-Year-Old Mom’s Year 5 Farm Highlights The True Magic Of Stardew Valley
One fan shares her mom’s experience with Stardew Valley, sharing her wholesome interaction with the game and the joy it gives the 76-year-old.
It is true that time does go by in the game and seasons will change every 28 days from spring to summer and so forth. Each new season rotates out what types of crops can be grown, fish can be caught, and more.However,even if someone missed out on fishing during their first spring, spring will come around again.There is always another opportunity for festivals, crops, and everything else that might be ignored in the first year.
8Explore The Town And Learn The Map
Knowing Where Things Are Will Help
Similar to how learning the controls will help in the long run, knowing where things are around the map inStardew Valleyis something that can help make everything a bit easier and less stressful. Understanding where Pierre’s General Store is to purchase seeds and other items is going to be crucial, as will knowing what Pierre’s hours are.Most days the shop is open from 9am to 5pm in game time, but it is closed on Wednesdays.
Every Stardew Valley Farm Map, Ranked Worst To Best
Depending on the farm, it can change the Stardew Valley experience entirely, so use this to make the best decision.
While the maps inStardew Valleyaren’t massive, they can take a little getting used to when wandering around the town. Getting to spend some time learning where things are is a little thing with big rewards. Especially when it’s getting close to 2am and the player’s character needs to get home to bed before they pass out.
7Sell Foraged Items From Trash Cans For Some Money
A Good Way To Get Some Spending Cash
Digging through a garbage can may be frowned upon, yet inStardew Valleyit can also yield some items that are beneficial to players just starting out. While exploring the town, there are several trash cans in front of various buildings which can be clicked on for an item to pop out.Sometimes it truly is trash, but other times it may end up being something valuablethat can either be kept or sold for money.
For those who are very lucky,with update 1.6 to the gamethere is also a Trash Catalogue of furniture and other items that can be found among the garbage. The trash-themed items may not be the most stylish of furnishings, but they are certainly unique and free.
6Fishing Can Be A Relaxing Activity With Many Rewards
Money From Selling Fish, And Building Up A Fishing Skill Are All Good
Fishing, whether in real life or inStardew Valley, is known as being a calm and tranquil activity. Once players have received the fishing rod, they can begin learninghow to fish in the game. As long as they have energy available, players can then enjoy peacefully standing by the water’s edge and reeling in some fresh fish, as well as some garbage. Selling the fish that are caught can provide good money to begin with, or they can be donated to the community center once it is available.
Players will receive a fishing rod from Willy on the second in-game day.
The more players fish, the more their fishing skill is leveled up. As they level up, Willy will begin to inform them of even better fishing rods that are available at his shop for players to purchase, which will make the activity even easier and help with catching bigger and better fish. Even players who have put hundreds of hours intoStardew Valleycontinue to findnew ways to enjoy fishingin the game.
5Clean Up Part Of The Farm, But Don’t Worry About Doing All Of It
There Is Plenty Of Time To Make It Perfect Later
Anyone would be devastated to walk into their new farm that they have inherited and have sweet memories of and find it in the condition players see when starting a new game ofStardew Valley. Cleaning up all the weeds, rocks, and trees that have overtaken the land would be overwhelming for anyone, especially given the very small energy meter that players have at the start of the game.
Although it can be frustrating to not make everything pretty immediately,the best thing to do is to clear out just a small corner near the farmhouse so that some seeds can be planted and a farm started. As the game progresses, the rest can be cleaned up later. However, if someone wants to focus on cleaning up their farm, that is perfectly fine too. Just be aware that energy will deplete quickly, and it may be hard to do much else for a while.
4Try To Stock Up On Wood, Stone, And Fiber For Later Use
It’s Tempting To Sell Everything At First, But These Will Come In Handy
While cleaning up little bits of the farm or other areas around town, it can be tempting to sell all the materials that are gathered in the process. This can offer a bit of extra money, which is useful while starting out, but it might not be worth it in the long run. Throughout the game,there are many times that large amounts of various resources such as wood and stone are needed. As players clear their messy farm, this is the ideal time to stock up on lots of them to make it easier later.
Building a chest or two and storing these materials may seem like a waste at first, but they aren’t worth a lot of money anyway. Also, while saving resources, this is also a good time to be getting Wild Seeds while cutting down weeds. These seeds can then be planted to earn money from what grows.
3Talk To The Other Villagers And Get To Know Them
Each Has A Unique Personality
The first few days of playingStardew Valley,there really isn’t too much that a player can do yet, particularly with not having much stamina to clean up the farm. This is the perfect time if someone would like to spend their days talking to the villagers.Getting to know each of the NPCs in the game can lead to building up better relationshipswith them and eventually even have a romance, but that is still a long way off at first.
Talking to the villagers a bit will help players understand the different personalities and can make the game more immersive as it begins to feel like a community. Plus, as friendship levels are raised, players can witness some cutscenes that further develop the surrounding characters.
2Plant Mixed Seeds Gathered For Free
Clearing The Weeds On The Farm With A Scythe Is A Great Way To Get Mixed Seeds
As a farming simulator, a lot of the main focus ofStardew Valleyis on farming. With so many different things available to do in the game,if someone doesn’t have a goal of becoming the biggest and best farmer, that is okay too. To begin the game, however, it is good to do some farming.
Players will be given some Parsnip seeds to plant right away, but anything else will need to be purchased if they want a specific type of seed. However, as players are clearing their land, cutting the weeds with a scythe has a chance of producing Mixed Seeds, which can then be planted to produce one of the crops that are available for that season. This is an easy way to get some more farming in without spending any money on purchasing seeds.
1Relax And Just Enjoy The Game, There Is No Rush At All
This Is A Cozy Game That Should Be Played For Fun
Stardew Valleyis a big game, and there is a lot going on. Somehow, starting out a new game can feel simultaneously like there is too much to do, and also like there is nothing to do. This is partly because of the lack of having a lot of energy to start with, butit is easy to get overwhelmed quickly by not knowing what direction to go in. There are a lot of guides out there on min-maxing a gameplay experience, but if someone is not enjoying themselves because of indecision and overload, it is perfectly fine to slow down.
This is a cozy game, a wholesome and calming farming simulator that should be used as a refuge from the real world. It isn’t a race unless a person makes it one. Spending a week in the game doing nothing but fishing is perfectly fine. Ultimately, players should focus on enjoying their video game experience inStardew Valleyin whatever way feels most fun for them, without pressure.
