Building a prosperous farm from scratch can be a difficult but rewarding task. Doing so will require quite a lot of resources, so here are some tips on how you can earn more money in Stardew Valley.
Stardew Valley is a simple but addictive indie farm simulation game where you’ll be tasked with taking care of a farm left to you by your grandfather and making a name for yourself. Build relationships with the people from the nearby town, attend seasonal events, grow crops, fish, mine, fight, and find your true love as you explore the endless possibilities.
One of the most crucial aspects of the game is making money, as it’s needed to make progress and unlock new content, so it would be good to know how to make more without much effort.
There is a variety of activities in Stardew Valley that can make you money, but some strategies are undoubtedly more profitable than others. If you’re in for a quick buck, here is a short guide that could come in handy.
Grow the Right Crops
Growing crops is a natural first thought when it comes to making money in a farming sim such as Stardew Valley, and it does indeed bring nice profits, especially if you know what you’re doing. In fact, it can be the best way to make money overall.
Stardew Valley features four different seasons and each season has its own challenges and opportunities to make money. If you want to get the most out of farming, prioritize the following crops:
- Spring – Strawberries, potatoes
- Summer – Blueberries, corn, hops
- Fall – Cranberries, pumpkins
Growing during winter is not possible until later in the game when you get access to the Greenhouse, at which point you want to prioritize Ancient Fruit. Also, keep in mind that each crop can have different requirements to grow.
Some may need more maintenance and care, and others may be left unattended for longer, giving you more time to take care of other stuff. What’s most profitable doesn’t necessarily have to be the best in your case.
Start Fishing
Fishing has an extremely low entry point and you can start getting decent money fairly quickly. There’s no investment needed to start, as you get your first fishing rod entirely for free. Fishing brings a quick buck as you can instantly sell whatever you catch; there’s no need to wait for weeks as opposed to growing crops. It’s arguably the fastest way to make money.
Fishing is also a great complementary way to make money while you’re waiting for your other stuff to finish. You can also fish during winter, making it the most reliable way of securing a steady income. It’s advisable to always find some time for fishing, as the more you fish, the more proficient you become, which directly translates to even more money.
Do Some Foraging
Money in Stardew Valley can literally be found on the ground, you just have to pick it up. Foraging is one of the more relaxing activities in the game and can easily bring you some extra money. Just walk around and collect whatever goods you can find.
Wild fruits, vegetables, clams, oysters – it can all be yours. It’s also important to not neglect foraging, as it brings some important bonuses at higher proficiency levels, including a crafting recipe for the rain totem that can be used to bring rain on the next day.
Put Tappers on the Trees
Although putting tappers on the trees won’t make you insanely rich on its own, selling maple syrup, oak resin, and pine tar can be a nice way to get some extra money on the side. You’re not supposed to be doing it for the money, though – at least not directly. These resources are valuable and can be used to indirectly boost your other money-making opportunities.
You’ll need them for cooking, for the Community Center, and even to prepare certain gifts to win over townsfolk which comes with its own set of benefits. Oak resin is particularly useful as it’s needed to build kegs that are used to make beverages.
Artisan Goods are Worth More
If you’ve got a chance to turn raw ingredients into refined products, profit-wise it’s usually recommended to do so. Instead of selling wool or honey, spend some little extra effort and turn them into cloth and mead, for example.
Most of these recipes are locked behind higher levels of Farming, which means you’ll have to work on improving it a little before you can start racking up bigger sums of money.
If you want to make the most money with the least effort, you may want to focus on goods such as wine and cheese in casks. Caviar is also good if you decide to build some fishing ponds.
Explore the Mines
If you’re looking for some challenge, deep diving into the mines can be a refreshing experience. The mines are full of monsters but if you have what it takes to get rid of them, there are a lot of resources to be found.
Similar to tapping the trees, it’s not about making money directly here, but rather collecting whatever is needed to craft the necessary equipment, such as sprinklers and other machines, to get your other money-making methods up and running. Think of it more like a long-term investment.
Use Crystalariums
As you make more progress in the mines, you’ll eventually unlock Crystalariums that can be used to replicate gems. This means you can start legally duping diamonds for profit.
But there are other uses for it. For example, you can replicate Jades which can be then used to trade with the Desert Trader for Staircases on Sunday. Those can be deconstructed, yielding a whooping 99 stones, which can save you a massive amount of time. And you know what they say: time is money.
Do Whatever You Like
As simple, obvious, and unhelpful as it may sound, finding what you actually like to do and doing that exact thing could be the best way of building wealth in Stardew Valley, even if it’s not the most time-efficient method.
The reason lies in psychology. If you’re exclusively hyperfocused on doing whatever brings the most profit, you may quickly start to feel burnt out, especially if the strategy consists of participating in activities, you’re not really interested in.
In Stardew Valley, no matter what you do, you will earn money. Almost everything can bring you satisfying profits. So, you may want to ask yourself if min-maxing is truly what you want to do or not.
Otherwise, you may end up repeating tasks and chores you find boring for the sake of earning money quickly, completely missing out on all the open-ended gameplay fun there is to have.
Conclusion
There are a variety of ways to make money in Stardew Valley, with some being more time-efficient than others.
However, the game encourages players to try everything and learn the game’s economy, as some of the important upgrades may be locked behind seemingly worthless activities. Explore the possibilities and find your own favorite money-making methods in Stardew Valley.