What Is the Fastest Way to Progress in Stardew Valley?

Wanting to get better at your favorite activity or at the hobby you spend most of your free time on is as normal as a wish can get. It is natural and it makes perfect sense. Striving to become better than you were at something and pushing yourself is good for so many reasons other than the obvious chance to do something you love on a higher level. It motivates you to do everything else with a more careful and determined approach and can help you in school, at work, and in life. And it does not have to be a big thing that takes months or years to finesse.

Starting slow is all it takes before this becomes your new mindset. For example, you can start with a video game you like but want to progress faster in.

Right here and now, we talk about progressing better and further at one of the most popular video games at the moment, Stardew Valley. For as long as the gaming industry has been a thing, people have wanted to learn more about their favorite titles. There is nothing wrong with wanting to find everything in the game, complete all the main and side quests, and to progress as far as possible. However, things were not that simple back in the day before the internet became so big and diverse. It is easier now no matter which game you play. If you like Stardew Valley, you came to the right place as in the article ahead we talk what the fastest way to progress in it is.

What is the Game?

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Before talking progress, we have to talk about the game itself for a bit. It always makes sense to learn stuff about the thing you like before trying to get better at it. Stardew Valley is a role-playing simulation game developed and published by ConcernedApe, aka Eric Barone. He made the game all by his lonesome for four years. It is available for Windows, maxOS, Linux, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita, Android, and iOS. The game was initially released on February 26, 2016, and has managed to remain relevant to this day.

By 2024, more than 15 million copies of the game were sold and it was praised by the critics for many features including the character design, music, and the feeling of relaxation it gives to players.

Stardew Valley is an open-ended game that allows the players to do many fun activities that may be familiar from other similar games. The most important things to do when it comes to gameplay include growing crops, raising farm animals, mining, foraging, selling the things you grow, make, or find, and socializing with the townsfolk. It is also possible to have find love, marry, and have children in the game.

The best way to play it is online and the game allows up to three people to play together. The game enjoyed numerous positive reviews and a ton of great feedback, being nominated for many prizes. Barone made more than $30 million from the game in the first year after the release.

Investing in Crops ASAP

As soon as you start playing, plant the 15 turnip seeds you get as the starter farming pack. Water them with the can so that they grow. After doing this, invest in more seeds which you should buy from Pierre’s shop. Initially, it is best to buy three cauliflower seeds for 80. Buy more turnip and potatoes. Potatoes sell for a lot more than their seed price of 80 and the same goes for turnips and cauliflower. They also grow quickly.

Mind the Season and Crop Combinations

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Just like in real life, farming is tricky because you have to pay attention to what you grow during which time of the year. For example, the cauliflower is great in spring but something else may be better in other seasons. In spring, you should mainly focus on parsnips, potatoes, cauliflowers, green beans, kale, and strawberries.

In summer, it is hops, blueberries, hot peppers, radishes, wheat, melons, corn, and tomatoes. Finally, in autumn, make sure to grow cranberries, pumpkins, grapes, artichokes, bok choy, eggplants, yam, amaranth, and rare seeds. You can buy seeds for most of these at Pierre’s General Store in town, except strawberries (Egg Festival on Spring 13) and Rare Seeds (Gypsy Wagon).

Focus on Animals Later

If you want to progress as quickly as possible and make the most money, ignoring the livestock for a bit is what you will have to do. You will need a lot of gold to make use of animals, which means it is a mistake to invest in them right at the start. It is expensive to feed them and buy more of them, especially in winter when grass is in short supply and hay at 50 gold. Until you have enough gold to spare, you will have to resist the strong urge to fill your farm with farm animals.

Timber is Crucial

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Prioritizing wood right from the start, or rather when you have planted and watered your initial batch of crops, is what you should focus most of your energy on. Chopping down trees gives you wood and stockpiling on it is very important. It is the key resource for unlocking new types of buildings and other items on your land.

Do not sell it without reason and only do so if you desperately need some quick cash to cover losses or emergencies. Wood allows you to craft very useful stuff so always keep a bunch of it around. When you have nothing to do, chop down more.

Building Bridges

When you accumulate 300 wood for the first time, the thing you should do immediately is complete the bridge on the left side of the beach. Doing this is important because then you can go to the Tidal Pools where you can find sea urchins, coral, and many other valuable items that you can collect daily. Sell them to Willy the fisherman and you will give you a lot of gold in return.

Mine as Much as Possible – Do not give up until you have mined them for everything they have.

Fishing is Lucrative from the Start–Do as much fishing as you can, especially at the start with.

Plant Cauliflowers, Melons, and Pumpkins in 3 x 3 Squares – There is a chance for a giant crop.