Stardew Valley may be primarily generally known as a farming sim the place you can too romance the village locals, however there’s far more to do than simply plant crops. In reality, there’s so a lot to try this it could typically be overwhelming to plan out your days. Do you go fishing or to the mines? Do you keep at dwelling or discover a brand new island? The most effective half is that there are quite a lot of methods to play the sport, and none of them are fallacious. Some simply may be extra preferable than others.
The sim has additionally gotten a ton of updates because it first got here out in 2016, together with the current 1.6 patch; these updates have spanned throughout all areas of the sport. As well as, there have been loads of group mods and on-line instruments created, so total, there are far more sorts of Stardew Valley gamers now then there have been eight years in the past. However which one are you?
The farming homebody
![A screenshot from Stardew Valley showing a person on a farm. They’re surrounded by crops and there’s a chicken coop to the left.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zMDdQqhLQiXzw0X11KRcGuyhOTk=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22217274/Stardew_Valley_Beginner_s_guide_Polygon.jpg)
Picture: ConcernedApe by way of Polygon
You’re essentially the most commonplace type of Stardew Valley participant, and that’s not a foul factor. This can be a farming sim, in any case, so that you’re going to benefit from all you are able to do in your farm. You don’t select any of the opposite farm varieties past the default one when beginning a run, though the brand new Meadowlands Farm within the 1.6 replace may be interesting. You’d reasonably spend every in-game day at dwelling making merchandise to promote or to make use of in recipes, however sadly, you do have to depart each every now and then. Once you do go away, it’ll be for the mine, the place you may get ore and different supplies for machines, otherwise you’ll take the bus exterior Pelican City for extra potential crops. After a protracted day of farming, you’ll go to sleep at 8 p.m., cuddled up in entrance of the fireplace together with your pet or vital different. You may not also have a accomplice, although, as a result of why speak to folks when you’ll be able to speak to your crops as an alternative?
The designer
When you love spending time at dwelling, it’s not essentially since you like to develop crops. It’s since you need to make your own home look precisely the way you need it to. In your recreation, farming is extra akin to landscaping. You’ll spend quite a lot of your time laying out your farm for optimum visible enchantment, and also you’ll most likely use a layout planner to do it. The most effective updates, based on you, are those that add extra wallpaper or customization choices to your dwelling, however you may obtain a mod or two to unlock much more. Perhaps you construct out your Stardew world with themes from mods, or possibly you follow an in-game catalog. Should you ever determine you need an underwater-themed farm or a yard the place it consistently seems to be like spring, you’ll discover a approach to do it. Placing furnishings exterior? It’s extra possible than you suppose.
The fisherperson
![A Stardew Valley character fishing in the ocean, while the Night Market is in session.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EVgkVlq9uP3q-mhsfS5n64Rif70=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19606821/StardewOcean.jpg)
Picture: ConcernedApe by way of Polygon
Many people right here at Polygon are usually not large followers of Stardew Valley’s fishing. That’s not you, although. You love fishing in Stardew Valley. And good for you! We received’t choose; we’re too busy being impressed, really. You like the problem concerned in consistently clicking your mouse or the button in your controller to painstakingly reel in a record-setting fish. You realize precisely which fish will present up once you head all the way down to a physique of water, and should you by some means miss your probability, you’ve got a fishing farm to catch much more. You’re the particular person the remainder of us will name when we have to fish and simply don’t need to. Be a part of our recreation and assist us, please.
The miner
![Your character fighting slimes inside the mines by swinging your sword in Stardew Valley.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kqE39FYYkMbAKbW-ltUKrbnZvQU=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22217258/Stardew_Valley_Beginner_s_guide_Polygon___mines.jpg)
Picture: ConcernedApe
Stardew Valley is a largely passive recreation, however that every one modifications once you go deeper into the mines on the sting of city. You like to move in with a pickaxe and a weapon to battle slimes and different creatures till you run out of meals or it will get too late to remain awake. Within the meantime, you’ll smash boulders and rocks to choose up as many shiny gems and minerals as you’ll be able to carry, which you’ll then use to make your pickaxe even higher for extra mining. Certain, you don’t see a lot daylight, however you wouldn’t have it some other approach. Fortunately, you’ll be able to nonetheless get some vitamin D at your Hill-top Farm, the place you’ll be able to go to city on some rocks everytime you don’t have the time to move to the mine.
The pillar of the group
![Stardew Valley’s spring calendar, showing various birthdays and festival days](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pIDWcBRUc8nXA3_vuP2LtZmTPb4=/0x0:1280x720/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1280x720):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25344415/StardewModdingAPI_2024_03_19_11_18_03.png)
Picture: ConcernedApe by way of Polygon
Stardew Valley has quite a lot of NPCs it desires you to get to know — and also you need to know all of them. You need to improve your coronary heart score with all people, so that you spend quite a lot of time determining one of the best items for every particular person, to not point out their every day schedules (both by trying it up on-line or standing creepily exterior their dwelling ready for them to depart). You may even strive courting a number of completely different romantic companions. No matter whether or not you need to date a number of folks without delay otherwise you simply need to make Pam and Shane really feel kinship with one thing exterior of alcohol, the social points of Stardew are a very powerful half for you. You simply need to be built-in right into a small group the place all people is aware of everybody else’s birthdays.
The min-maxer
For a lot of gamers, Stardew Valley is an informal pastime; there’s no time restrict on finishing main duties (aside from jobs from the bulletin board, in fact), and you’ll take as a few years as you need to purchase each barn animal or persuade your favourite NPC to marry you. Nonetheless, should you’re all about effectivity, you may be the min-maxer. You’re the one who has the Stardew Valley wiki open in one other tab so you’ve got all people’s favourite items available and know precisely when to move out to fish. You need to full the Group Middle in yr 1, and also you solely develop starfruit and create starfruit wine in your farm to yield most revenue. You took an Excel course on-line, and now you monitor every little thing by way of spreadsheets. Stardew Valley may be a recreation, however succeeding in it’s your vocation.
The modder
![Sophia’s farm, in Stardew Valley Expanded — this new character is introduced in the mod.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9YjJhBVL0yDm0K9MCsLgfvo_vxM=/0x0:1790x1358/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1790x1358):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25087259/sophia_stardew_extended.jpg)
Picture: FlashShifter/Nexus Mods
All proper, so that you like — possibly even love — Stardew Valley, however enjoying for tons of of hours throughout six main updates nonetheless isn’t sufficient. That’s the place mods are available. You’ve perused and put in a private cocktail of the numerous, many user-created mods for this recreation, a few of which flip this farming sim into an entire new recreation. Don’t like the way in which it seems to be? You’ve acquired choices — giving all of the NPCs anime-styled portraits, for instance. Want a characteristic the sport doesn’t present? Add a tractor to your farm. Did you run out of issues to do, by some means? You don’t even fear about that — not when you’ll be able to unlock all-new love pursuits, areas, animals, and, on the time of this writing, over 200 new character occasions in Stardew Valley Expanded.
The chaos agent
Among the most enjoyable you’ll be able to have in a online game is to go towards the expectations of builders and simply do what you need. Since Stardew Valley is so large and presents a lot for gamers to do, your most well-liked approach to play is to run round like a mischief creature and, say, put Lewis’ purple shorts within the luau soup. You’re the chaos agent should you love seeing NPCs react in disgust once you dig by means of the rubbish, or if you wish to date all people on the town simply to look at all of them dump you without delay. With new dialogue and options in replace 1.6, like the flexibility to drink mayonnaise, there are much more boundaries to check.
The Stardew Stan
Perhaps not one of the above participant varieties imply something to you, and that’s all proper! Perhaps you’re not that into farming sims; possibly you’re not even that into different video video games. For you, there’s one thing particular about Stardew Valley. You similar to opening up your most up-to-date Stardew Valley save (you most likely have quite a lot of them) and attending to work, no matter that will entail. It’s good to return to Pelican City and your farm to reap crops, speak to mates each actual and digital, do in-game chores, and discover what the world has to supply this time round. You don’t care the way you play; you simply need to play. You might need a pair dozen hours or over 1,000, nevertheless it’s your favourite recreation even eight years after launch, and also you wouldn’t have it some other approach.