Stardew Valley: 25 Hidden Tricks The Game Doesn't Tell You

Stardew Valley is a relaxing game in which you inherit a farm and pursue an idealistic life in the country. You can plant various crops and take care of barnyard animals. There is a wide range of loveable characters to meet and befriend along the way as well.

Stardew Valley: How To Get And Use Tent Kits

Pop up a little home away from home.

Despite the game being quite laidback, running a farm can be challenging. You only have a limited amount of time and energy each day. Alongside this, there are plenty of challenges and goals to strive for. Fortunately, there are plenty of hidden tips and tricks to help make farming life all that more enjoyable.

Updated February 6, 2025, by Noura Costany: With the 1.6 update, even more surprises and secrets have been added to everyone's favorite indie farming RPG. Some are real game-changers, too! We've updated this list with new information, as well as some old ones we thought you might not know.

25 Prepare For Events In Advance

And Reuse Your Items

Many events occur yearly in Stardew Valley, from Easter egg hunts to a Halloween maze. Most of the time, you can just show up to enjoy the festivities, but a few events are worth preparing for well in advance. The main one is the Stardew Valley Fair on the Fall 16. You want to bring nine high-quality items from various categories to do well in the Grange Display.

This includes crops, flowers, animal products, and more. The tip the game doesn’t tell you is that since this competition happens each year, you could set aside a winning combination of items in a chest and have them ready to reuse again and again. Additionally, preparing a high-quality ingredient for the Luau festival on Summer 11, such as iridium or gold wines and cheeses, is one of the most useful Stardew Valley tips. This will get you the best reaction from the Governor and help with your friendships around town.

It isn't just about having the highest quality crops at the Stardew Valley Fair. You also need a wide variety. So, bring along items from different categories, such as crops, flowers, artisan goods, and gems.

24 Maintaining Friendships Isn't For Forever

Just Like In Real Life

Typically, your level of friendship with each person will deteriorate if you do not speak to them every day. Fortunately, the game's friendship mechanic does make things easier for you. Once you reach ten hearts – or eight hearts for a marriage candidate NPC, their friendship points will never go down.

So, as soon as you max out a friendship, you no longer need to worry about checking in all the time. You've got some permanent friendships for years, even if you hardly speak to them again. With this in mind, focusing on just one or two neighbors at a time can be a valuable strategy. You can focus on maxing out their hearts before moving on to someone new.

One of the best Stardew tips for raising hearts is to gift a villager their favorite gift on their birthday to earn additional friendship points.

23 You Can Decorate Almost Anywhere

So Enjoy Making Stardew In Your Image

As you progress through Stardew Valley, you eventually unlock more areas you can make the most of, from the Spa to Ginger Island. It is possible to put down objects in these different parts of town. For example, you can add artisan machines along your frequent routes out of your farm or perhaps give the quarry an additional purpose beyond a source of rocks and geodes. You can also decorate areas with paths and other trinkets to make the town fit your desired style.

Getting creative with decorating the town can be a fun way to spend the winter when you don't have to worry about your crops as much. The only thing you have to be wary of is the walk paths of NPCs. If you avoid blocking their routes, you can build almost anywhere without it being destroyed.

22 Be Prepared For The Skull Cavern

With Food And Bombs

The Skull Cavern is a difficult challenge, so you don't want to rush in. Ensure you are prepared for it by taking note of a few Stardew Valley tricks that'll help. For example, the day before you visit the cavern, you'll want the right equipment, including a decent weapon and your trusty pickaxe already in your inventory. You'll also want many bombs, food, and ladders to navigate the different levels.

The faster you can get to the lower levels, the more rewards you'll be able to find, which is the primary goal.

On the day, you'll want to maximize your limited time there. A Warp Totem: Desert will ensure you can start mining first thing in the morning. Don’t worry about passing out after 2 am, as you’ll quickly earn back the money you lose. You’ll also want to check your fortune on the television, as it's far more beneficial to go to the cavern on lucky days to gain the best loot.

21 The Mountain Lake Is One Of The Best Spots For Fishing

Wake Up And Fish

There are multiple places to go for relaxing fishing sessions in Stardew Valley, such as the river or the ocean. Each location has its benefits and will have a preferred season for you to go fishing there. O of all the options, it is best to go to the mountain lake, no matter the season. Most of the fish here can be caught between 6 am and 7 pm, giving you a pretty big timeframe to work with.

Although you won't be able to get every single type of fish at the mountain lake, you will get a nice variety throughout the seasons, with a few consistent fish to catch all year round, such as Carp and the Largemouth Bass. The main benefit of the mountain lake is that you are far less likely to pick up random trash items; this means that you are wasting less energy during your fishing trip.

The Trap Bobber is a valuable investment that helps catch the more frantic fish. This attachment slows the escape meter when not reeling a fish in.

20 Study The Map And Make Use Of Shortcuts

Map Out Your Day

This next Stardew Valley hint is all about efficiency. You only have a set amount of time each day to complete all of your chores and complete any objectives you might have. Because of this, you'll want to save as much time as possible whenever you can.

The 9 Most Hilarious Quotes In Stardew Valley

Abigail said what!?

When you start a new day, have a plan of action and try and focus on just those tasks. It's a good idea to study the map and get to grips with all the key locations. This will ensure you aren't heading in the wrong direction at any point and wasting those precious minutes. You can also complete tasks in specific orders to ensure you aren't going back and forth all day.

Once you know your way around the world, you'll want to use as many shortcuts and the fastest routes as possible. For example, if you plan to spend the day in the mine, you should head north from your farm. It is far faster than making your way all through town to reach the mine. Eventually, you can unlock the Minecart after completing the Boiler Room Bundles. This will allow you to speed to locations with ease.

After completing the Community Center/Joja Warehouse storyline and fully upgrading your farmhouse, you can purchase additional shortcuts around town from Robin.

19 Place Tappers On The Trees Near The Bus Stop

Tap That Tree

Tappers are a great way to produce maple syrup, oak resin, pine tar, and sap. You need to reach Foraging level three, and then you can craft them with wood and copper bars. Since you can place these on any tree, it is a great idea to make use of the trees away from your farm. With the Tappers out of the way, you can do whatever you want with the trees on your actual farm.

A great alternative location for your tappers is the bus stop just outside your farm. These trees are out of the way but still within easy reach for harvesting. The trees will always be there, giving you a reliable source to tap from.

18 Keep An Eye On The Community Center Icon

Bundles Upon Bundles

One of the most essential methods of progression in Stardew Valley is the rebuilding of the Community Center. To do so, you must complete all of the bundles to unlock new items and other valuable rewards. These bundles list things you need to track down and find to achieve them.

An excellent way to ensure you don't accidentally sell or discard a required item is available in the inventory screen. There is a Community Center icon to the right of your inventory that you can select to go to the bundles. Keep an eye on this icon when you are browsing through your inventory. When you hover over an item needed for a bundle, this icon will begin to glow. It is a subtle clue, so keep checking the icon to ensure you don't miss out on completing any bundles.

Avoid selling or donating anything new until you know it's not used for a bundle or quest.

17 The Star Quality Of Crops Does Not Influence Artisan Goods

Star Quality Life

Creating artisan goods is a vital Stardew Valley Strategy. Crops come in four levels of quality: regular, silver, gold, and iridium. The higher quality crops will sell for higher prices on their own and offer increased energy and health benefits. Despite this, the quality of these crops will not affect the quality of the artisan goods you produce.

10 Most Useful Items To Always Keep In Your Inventory In Stardew Valley

Discover our top picks for savvy farmers.

Almost every artisan good will sell for a multiplied total of the base price of the item used to make it. So, for example, truffle oil sells for twice the sell price (1,065 gold) of a regular-quality truffle (625 gold), while an iridium-quality truffle sells for more (1,250 gold) than the oil it can be made into.

However, this changes with the Artisan profession. With this in mind, when you put crops into the various artisan machines, such as the Cask or the Keg, you're best off first using the regular-quality items. The higher quality items are best being sold immediately since they do not guarantee a high-quality artisan product.

Unlocking your farmhouse's basement provides an excellent storage space for your Artisan equipment.

16 Mature Crops Can Still Grow Giant

Collect Them All

Every so often, you can wake up to see a giant cauliflower, melon, or pumpkin. This happens only when there is a three-by-three grid of the same type of crop. Unfortunately, the chance of this happening is slim.

Luckily, you don't have only a single chance for these big crops to spawn. Instead of rushing to harvest crops when they are fully matured, leave them (while still watering them each day). It's still possible for them to convert into a giant crop — it doesn't need to be the first day these crops mature. It is also interesting to know that giant crops do not die at the change of a season.

Be wary of leaving crops to potentially grow large so close to the end of a season. You might still lose them if they do not become big crops as the season changes.