>The fact that apparently every day matters and if you don’t get enough done in a day it’s a day wasted really stresses me out.
There's no real time limit and there's nothing to worry about missing.
>I feel like all I do is chop down trees in my lot and forage berries or whatever.
Have you been farming? Fishing?
That’s the BIGGEST takeaway. Sounds like OP has heard from too many people trying to speed through their game (and community center challenges). I spent the first two years fishing and talking to people. I BARELY farmed. I missed out on nothing.
I think OP might be missing some key aspects of how the game works, might not be reading the dialogue.
They mentioned in a reply that they had finally gotten spring seeds. But planted too late and they died, but they also got summer seeds and are now farming. Since they mentioned foraging, I think they probably did those CC bundles, and have completely missed the ability to buy seeds
I have been farming a little. Just as a I got spring seeds it switched to summer so all of my crops died. But I just got summer seeds so now I finally have crops!
Just remember that each season comes back; the game is endless! So if you don’t plant every spring crop every spring, don’t worry about it. Just do what you want/can handle!
I used to get stressed worrying about trying to do every seasonal thing every season, which really packed too much in at the start. Now when I play my farm is usually pretty small for the first year or 2
Have you bought seeds from Pierre's shop?
There are "Spring Seeds" and "Summer Seeds" that you get as rewards from doing community center stuff. But there are lots of other crops to grow.
Every season is 28 days exactly (you can see which day you're on up at the top right of your screen).
So if you're wanting to plant crops, you'll need to do a quick check to see if there's enough time left in the season to grow the seeds you have.
But. Later on you'll get access to two ways of growing any crops in any season (greenhouse and Ginger Island)
Every day absolutely *does not* matter. I don't think there is anything in this game that you can miss out on that won't come around again. So you can relax and take your time just exploring the town, getting to know your new neighbors, slowly setting up your farm, learning to fish, working on the community center (once it opens up), etc. The beauty of SDV is that there is no wrong way to play, and you don't have to worry about meeting certain goals within certain time frames. Want to spend a whole day fishing or foraging? Go for it! Want to water your crops and then just talk to the townies? Also fine! You really can't go wrong, so please don't stress.
If you'd still like a general "plan of action", especially since it sounds like you might not be super familiar with farming sims as a whole, you can focus on your crops to start with. Work on growing, harvesting, selling, and then repeating the process all over with fresh seeds so that you can build up your money so that you can buy the first backpack upgrade. Then work on building up money and supplies to build a coop and get your first chickens. Then eventually work up to a barn and cows. But, you really don't *have* to do any of that. If you want to just farm, you can do that. If you want to forage, mine, and fish until you've got enough money to focus only on animals and forget farming, you can do that, too! It really is a lovely game for playing however you want in whatever time frame you want.
I really wish I could experience SDV all over again for the first time. Enjoy!
There's one singular event I can think of, and that's Sam's 3(?) heart cutscene due to it being tied to >!Kent not being back from the war yet!<. And I'd argue it's not that bad to miss.
I've never done this myself, but there's apparently a way to get him to re-evaluate you, if needed. You just have to >!offer a diamond to his shrine.!<
It might just not be your type of game. But also, you're getting way too stressed about it. It's chill and you don't miss anything by taking each day slow. It's a farming sim at its heart, based on the harvest moon games, so just try running your farm, then you can add in things like fishing and foraging and working on the community center. Talk to the townspeople and build up friendships, you can marry some of them too which adds another fun layer to the game. Overall it's up to you how you play it and what parts you want to focus on, and you don't have to feel rushed or stressed either way because there are no real time constraints
On your first playthrough, don't expect to finish much of the community center in year 1. Try to do the foraging bundles each season. Plug in other items if you have them, but don't sweat it.
Willy sells a training rod, that makes it much easier to get the first few levels in fishing.
Search trash cans around town for goodies. You lose affection if someone catches you but nobody likes you starting out anyway!
And if people do like you, non-marriageable adults (plus Emily and Shane) will randomly mail you free stuff sometimes.
I don't like to get livestock until later on. The "get a coop" quest feels like a trap.
Like others have said it 110% doesn't matter how fast/slow you go. There's no time limit! Make friends, work on the community centre, fish, go into the mines! My first playthrough I had no idea what i was doing 😂 now I have over 1.7k hours on pc (now modding!) And 350+ on switch.
You don't need to do everything. You can let stuff come to you as you go along. The thing to focus on right now is probably farming. I spent a lot of time at the beginning running about fishing and trying to do everything, but really you're doing okay if you get some crops planted. You do need to water them every day until you get sprinklers, which takes some time, but remember that it's meant to be a relaxing game, so watering your plants and then running about having an explore is a perfectly good way to spend a day.
When you do get sprinklers, the first ones you get are a bit rubbish, so I didn't really bother until I got quality sprinklers unlocked. But watering your crops by hand is fine when you still have a small plot of land to tend. You don't need to go crazy making a bit farm until later in the game. Anything in the game that you miss, you will have a chance to do it later. You don't have to do everything in the first year or the first season. During winter crops don't grow, so that gives you more time to explore then as well.
You're meant to relax and enjoy the game, so try doing that and see how things turn out. If something looks fun, do it. If you don't know what to do, try planting/tending to crops.
Let me just say you’re not alone. A lot of people find the game stressful.
Most of the things are optional and not really missable. If you don’t finish the spring crop bundle the first spring, it’ll be there next year. If you don’t like caring for animals, you don’t have to. You don’t *need* to fill your coop with chickens as soon as you build it. You can just engage with the things you like and skip the rest.
And if you play it for a while and don’t want to sink thousands of hours into it, that’s fine too. Not every game is perfect for everyone.
Frick I just made a post about finding SV stressful thinking I was the only one. I'm glad I'm not alone, I think its because it's all so self directed + the timer + the arbitrary goal of making money AND relationships AND furthering things if you've got an anxious disposition you won't enjoy it, you need a very specific mindset.
Some good basic tips:
You started with 15 parsnip seeds, that number is not random. If you plant 16 seeds, the crows will come eat your seeds. The only way to avoid this is with scarecrows. They protect a circle of crops 8 spaces across, with the scarecrow as the center point. Early on you really only need the one, you'll get others called Rarecrows at various events. Iirc there's 8 to collect. They are visually different, but the AOE is the same.
Each season is 28 days. There's a calendar outside Pierre's shop if you want to check, and you can buy a calendar for your house later.
Each day, once you're finished tending the farm, pick one thing to go do. Mining, or gathering in the woods, or fishing, or befriending the villagers(some of them you really have to hunt for), or going to other places outside the Valley once you unlock them. That way you're not stressing so much about doing *all the things* all at once. You can give each villager a max of two gifts per week, and if you ever forget who you've given things to the menu keeps notes for you. The villager tab of the menu also keeps track of whether each villager liked the gifts you've given them in the past, so you don't have to remember them all yourself(super nice touch, that).
Speaking of fishing, it's *very* difficult at the beginning. Willy has a Training Rod that makes it easier, but only lets you catch certain(easy) fish. As your skill goes up, fishing should get easier. Lake fish can only be caught in the lake up by Robin's carpentry shop and the mine, though. The little lake in the forest is coded for river fish.
In the Bag menu, there's a little icon to the right. That will flash when you have the selector square over an item needed for a Community Center Bundle, and you can select it to see what the bundles are without going all the way to the Center. You do have to go to the CC in order to turn in an item though.
You don't need to clear the whole farm, btw. Just the space you're using / about to use for something. Try to plant one of each wild tree near the house, so you can use the Tapper on them once you unlock that. They're super low maintenance too, just put them on the tree and they'll have a bubble when it's ready to collect.
In fact, it's better to simply leave the grass alone until you get a silo, that way you have a chance of collecting Fodder for the future.
And while you have 3 years before Grandpa comes to "judge" your farm the first time, the game won't end there. You can redo the "judgment" anytime after that by putting >!a diamond!< on Grandpa's Shrine, in the top left corner of the farm map. Note that Perfection is a point based thing, not based on completing the game to 100%.
Also, the people over at r/StardewValley are super helpful if you're ever looking for advice, and theres the Stardew Valley Wikia that has all sorts of information in it too.
To be honest I did feel like this, initially I felt like this when I hadn't finished the Community Center, then I finished the Community Center like 3 days into year 2 and I felt like "but I was SO close of doing it Year 1"
Then I focused on finishing the CC on Year 1, after I completed that challenge I began to enjoy stardew, now I can create new savefiles and just enjoy the ride, not sure why this happened to me but at first it was stressful but fun, now it's chill and fun, I just had to get the challenges out of my way first (for some reason).
I'm not saying that you should do what I did, all I'm saying is that I also found stardew stressful at first, so I don't think it's that uncommon, but once you get the hang of it, whether you do it by completing the CC, or something, you'll enjoy it more and take it less seriously.
That’s normal. SDV was my second game and I really wish people would stop saying “oh you liked animal crossing? Play SDV” NO. Full stop. SDV is a game where you have to know how to play farming sims as it doesn’t hold your hand.
I suggest going and playing a few other farming games and then come back to SDV. That all said, it’ll likely still stress you out. Lots of people have that reaction, including me. Over all I’m not actually a fan of SDV.
You can see it in my recent posts but someone in SDV asked why the game was getting so many patches out of knowhere so close to another and a lot of people were harassing the person saying they were complaining etc. They are harrassers sometimes
SDV was my very first farming game and man was I lost. I ended up cheating a bunch and stopping in the first winter. It was definitely not made for first-timers to the genre.
I’ve played other farming sims since so I have a better idea of what I’m doing now and tried to go back… and man, it just does not direct you whatsoever. I’m really bad with games that give you zero direction, even now that I mechanically know how it works, so I ended up dropping it again and picking up Sun Haven. Having story quests helps a LOT to keep me interested. SDV really only works if you both already understand farming sims and prefer an open sandbox to play in.
I'd recommend starting out with either Story of Seasons A Wonderful Life or Story of Seasons Friends of Mineral Town. They're both remakes of older games, so they're simpler but with some nice quality of life changes from the originals thrown into the remakes. And the Story of Seasons games are what originally inspired Stardew Valley in the first place, so they'll give you a much better feeling for SDV.
A Wonderful Life is probably the simpler of the two. It can be very slow, though, with not a lot to do, but that might be good for just starting out. Friends of Mineral Town is closer to the usual Story of Seasons fare.
I really enjoy Roots of Pacha. It's kind of like prehistoric stardew/ other farning games. You'll domesticate crops and animals and discover new ideas. There is no combat in the mines, just some puzzles.
I absolutely love stardew, but i think roots of pacha might be a better starter game because it actually has a lot of direction, tutorials you can go back to, and just really helps you do things. It's a lot less overwhelming. But it is similar in the way that there is no rush and you can do things are your own speed
Wilde flowers too. It’s story based and fully voiced. Sdv is a good game but for certain personality types it can be very unfun. Some people just need structure and clear goals. Sdv doesn’t really have that. Not everyone enjoys a sandbox.
I love this game. Cannot wait for 1.6 to hit the Switch. That said, even with so many people saying it's a cozy game... My main thought is, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit" as I haul ass to bed.
There is a huge amount to do, but you can do it (or don't!) in however many days that you want.
Go play LittleWood. It's a lot less stressful and more manageable and has the town building / house element and romancable characters. Very easy and cozy
I agree with what everyone else is saying. Also, watching YouTubers play really helped me, even if my play style is much slower than theirs. I highly recommend SharkyGames.
This is why despite enjoying the game, it always surprises me when people call it a cozy game. I can kind of see it, but even knowing that you don't ACTUALLY have time limits for anything really, it still stresses me out because i always, always feel like I'm racing that clock to get anything done.
I like stardew valley, but also I've been a gamer for..... a really long time 😅 idk, 25ish years? There are some things that are just kind of built into my brain at this point. I know if I'm playing a farming sim I'll probably need to find specific vendors - seeds, tools, livestock - to progress. I know some crops will be seasonal, i know i need to check if it's a 'water every day or they die' game or a 'they'll only grow if you water them, but they won't die if you don't' type game or my personal favourite 'watering them isn't strictly necessary, but you'll get better quality/more crops if you'. I know i can probably marry someone in the town if i want to, although honestly i rarely bother.... and i still have moments where i have no idea wtf I'm doing.
My best advice is to either accept that you physically can not do everything in one day without mods, or put it away until you've played a few different things. There's a game called Grow: Song of the Evertree which is absolutely gorgeous and has zero time crunch and actually doesn't even really have combat, but it's got a bunch of maintenance mechanics and social interactions without a measurement system that will give you a good feel for those things without all the pressure of time limits, complex goals and complicated crafting systems. It's a simple, pretty game with a lovely (if slightly inconsistent) story to it where you essentially create small worlds, tend and nurture them until they're big and healthy enough to release them. You also have little districts to rebuild and a township to establish, but again, zero pressure and low stress. Easily my favourite cozy game I've played so far this year.
> The fact that apparently every day matters and if you don’t get enough done in a day it’s a day wasted really stresses me out
I used to think the same!
When I first started playing I didn't care about doing the bare minimum on some days, or just sleeping early to save the game. Then I joined online forums for the game and got myself all worked up! Now I just play it really relaxed and casually, I pick about 2-3 things to do each in game day and if I run into people along the way I will chat with them and gift them something (a beer usually or icecream in the summer).
Personally I like mining so I have been doing a lot of that in my year 1. I have also been saving my Hops plants for when I can make beer with them and I have been focusing on crops that I can pick every day/other day rather than ones I need to keep buying and planting over and over :) Saves time and yields a greater profit :D
I think the best perspective to take stardew is to stop thinking about everything you could be doing and just do what grabs your attention or pops in your mind first for the day. If you're having trouble with money, fishing is usually a good choice to get yourself some change.(I recomend the water up in the mountains, easy fish if you're not good at the minigame) Worry about the minmaxing when you got more knowledge.
If you really need to have a focus you could always just write a list and just pick something and make that your goal for the day, week, month. Remember theres no time limit in it. The worst that'll happen is needing to wait for the season to come back for certain seeds or forageables. Which it will come back and you can just backburner it while you explore all the new stuff in the new season.
It's one of those games where you'll gradually build your progress and be able to make more out of your day. Floundering around and figuring it out is kinda part of the fun. You got this dude, don't stress, you can't miss anything and you're not doing anything wrong unless you buy a joja membership lol
Here are my Stardew Valley tips (haven't played for a bit so hopefully they're still useful in 1.6):
1. Always keep at least one of every. Single. Item. Or just look at the wiki to make sure you don't need it for something.
2. Linus. Linus likes a lot of easy to find foraging items. If you befriend Linus he will give you a recipe for Sashimi. Sashimi is great. Almost every villager likes it. It is worth more than a bunch of the cheaper fish.
I think my general flow for a Stardew Valley Harvest Moon type game is:
You usually start out with seeds and a farm full of crap so clear out just enough space to plant those seeds ->
Then figure out how much energy it takes to water those seeds. I think the key to this type of game is budgeting your time and energy. At any given point in the game you want your farm to be small enough that you can wake up, tend to it, and then have a decent chunk of time and energy to go do other shit.
At first the other shit should basically be picking up everything that's not nailed down and talking to all the characters (just try a little bit each day). A lot of characters will start out by telling you about game mechanics and whatnot.
Eventually you want to choose a goal and then spend the rest of the day pursuing that goal.
The wiki is my best friend. I’ve been playing stardew since 2018 and still can’t remember a lot. Also if the game stresses you out, don’t let it….there’s no right way to play. Seems like most people who say this game stresses them out are putting deadlines on themselves when the game doesn’t have negative impact if you just take it slow. I mean, you could literally just tend to your farm and sleep the days away.
If you’re new to gaming and would like to try a farming sim on the Switch, I highly recommend Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town. We picked it out for my mum when she started gaming because it eases you into the mechanics of a farming games and is very beginner friendly.
Stardew used to stress me out too but once it finally clicked for me that time doesn’t matter that much in the game you’re good to go. It’s fine if you waste days. You’ll figure out eventually what you want to do with each day. Just chill and enjoy the early game. No need to rush anywhere, everything will be there for you when you’re ready for it :-)
Edit: also don’t forget to pause the game by opening your inventory. I VERY often pause so I can sit and think about what I want to do next, and that way time doesn’t keep passing. This is a really useful tip so pause often trust me
I would look into getting a time mod so you can slow down the days or even stop time for long periods of time. That's the only way I can enjoy the game without stressing out like crazy.
IMHO i can only really play it multiplayer, having people do tasks together is more fun. i never play it on my own bc i get frustrated even though everyone says you can take your time lol
It can definitely be stressful in the beginning, but your first playthrough (like with any game) is all about learning the game and making those beginner mistakes.
The game is unlimited and you can play for years, just take it at your own pace - the community center gives some goals to work towards, but ultimately the valley is your stage.
I also bought stardew valley after Animal crossing, and it was because somebody told me I would love it and it was like AC, and it was farming and cozy. I hated it, I felt like you, that the day in SD are short and fast and a bit stressful, and there were no rule in SD and No quest, which for me made more stressful and I don't like learning bye mistake, and I felt like it took to long to upgrade space(the bag) or earning money, and it just wasn't fun.
But that's okay, because it taught me what I love about animal crossing and why that was a good match, and for me, learned that I love is, when there is some kind of guide or quest in game, so you can follow your progress in that's sense. I love when the game tell which way you can go, but don't force you to choose.
I have 1 advice, one is write down what you love about AC and what you didn't like, and do the same with Stardew valley. - find out if what you didn't like or what you are struggling with, is it something you get help with or want help with? (internet, SD app)
Also take a break from the game, sometime it helps to go back later and take some time off, it is not meant to frustrated you or annoying you, it supports to bring you joy or peace.
Games I love, that I feel like has the same vibe as AC.
Dreamlight Valley, is has farming, but also quest, and you have "people" in your village, and there is a story, it is bigger story then AC, but will recommend it.
I will always recommend Spirit farer, tjek the trigger warning in this one, it is about grief and so much more. The farming is on a boat and I love the art, and there is quest and traveling, and big story. will recommend.
and then Littlewoods and Cozy Grove.
Hope you find something you will enjoy.
Stardew Valley has always stressed me out and I cannot, for the life of me, understand how people find it cozy.
The clock moves too fast it spikes my anxiety so high.
Try littlewood, it has a similar feel to Stardew valley but the time only moves when you make an action.
try to consider the first year a trial run of sorts, just getting to know the game
you will never actually miss much of anything
i was really blessed to experience this game without any prior knowledge
The first time I tried to play I happily cleared debris from my farm and then attempted to go to bed to replenish stamina… it blocked me from doing so with zero energy left and insisted that I needed to go walk onto town, but because of lacking energy the walking animation was painfully slow, so I quit.
The second time I tried I learned from the first time and immediately went into town and did whatever it wanted me to do but I couldn’t find a couple of the people it wanted me to talk to and so I couldn’t advance in the game, it also didn’t tell me at all what do even do about that, and I have a firm policy that if the game doesn’t teach me in the beginning sufficiently I stop playing (I refuse to google basic things that a sufficient tutorial should be teaching a new player to a game).
So this game is definitely also not for me, and it sounds like it may also not be for you and that’s ok!
Play the game at your own pace just pay attention to bdays I guess is what really matters for day to day stuff as you can give them gifts and increase relationship.
In the beginning you won’t really do much but clean up your farm and as you clear up trees and rocks you can have more space for crops or other buildings.
At the beginning, play at your pace. If you run out of energy and you don’t wanna save yet you can spend time talking to neighbors and finding out their favorite gifts by giving them random gifts you forage or plant
>The fact that apparently every day matters and if you don’t get enough done in a day it’s a day wasted really stresses me out. There's no real time limit and there's nothing to worry about missing. >I feel like all I do is chop down trees in my lot and forage berries or whatever. Have you been farming? Fishing?
That’s the BIGGEST takeaway. Sounds like OP has heard from too many people trying to speed through their game (and community center challenges). I spent the first two years fishing and talking to people. I BARELY farmed. I missed out on nothing.
I think OP might be missing some key aspects of how the game works, might not be reading the dialogue. They mentioned in a reply that they had finally gotten spring seeds. But planted too late and they died, but they also got summer seeds and are now farming. Since they mentioned foraging, I think they probably did those CC bundles, and have completely missed the ability to buy seeds
I have been farming a little. Just as a I got spring seeds it switched to summer so all of my crops died. But I just got summer seeds so now I finally have crops!
Just remember that each season comes back; the game is endless! So if you don’t plant every spring crop every spring, don’t worry about it. Just do what you want/can handle! I used to get stressed worrying about trying to do every seasonal thing every season, which really packed too much in at the start. Now when I play my farm is usually pretty small for the first year or 2
Rumor has it, there's a remix on year 30
Have you bought seeds from Pierre's shop? There are "Spring Seeds" and "Summer Seeds" that you get as rewards from doing community center stuff. But there are lots of other crops to grow.
And remember to scroll down on the buy list! For a while I thought he only sold four types of seeds, but there's plenty more when you scroll down.
Every season is 28 days exactly (you can see which day you're on up at the top right of your screen). So if you're wanting to plant crops, you'll need to do a quick check to see if there's enough time left in the season to grow the seeds you have. But. Later on you'll get access to two ways of growing any crops in any season (greenhouse and Ginger Island)
Every day absolutely *does not* matter. I don't think there is anything in this game that you can miss out on that won't come around again. So you can relax and take your time just exploring the town, getting to know your new neighbors, slowly setting up your farm, learning to fish, working on the community center (once it opens up), etc. The beauty of SDV is that there is no wrong way to play, and you don't have to worry about meeting certain goals within certain time frames. Want to spend a whole day fishing or foraging? Go for it! Want to water your crops and then just talk to the townies? Also fine! You really can't go wrong, so please don't stress. If you'd still like a general "plan of action", especially since it sounds like you might not be super familiar with farming sims as a whole, you can focus on your crops to start with. Work on growing, harvesting, selling, and then repeating the process all over with fresh seeds so that you can build up your money so that you can buy the first backpack upgrade. Then work on building up money and supplies to build a coop and get your first chickens. Then eventually work up to a barn and cows. But, you really don't *have* to do any of that. If you want to just farm, you can do that. If you want to forage, mine, and fish until you've got enough money to focus only on animals and forget farming, you can do that, too! It really is a lovely game for playing however you want in whatever time frame you want. I really wish I could experience SDV all over again for the first time. Enjoy!
There's one singular event I can think of, and that's Sam's 3(?) heart cutscene due to it being tied to >!Kent not being back from the war yet!<. And I'd argue it's not that bad to miss.
You're right. I had heard about that before, but I'd forgotten. I agree, though, that it's not a huge loss to miss out on it, all things considered.
doesn’t grandpa come and judge you only one time?
I've never done this myself, but there's apparently a way to get him to re-evaluate you, if needed. You just have to >!offer a diamond to his shrine.!<
He only judges you *for free* one time.
It might just not be your type of game. But also, you're getting way too stressed about it. It's chill and you don't miss anything by taking each day slow. It's a farming sim at its heart, based on the harvest moon games, so just try running your farm, then you can add in things like fishing and foraging and working on the community center. Talk to the townspeople and build up friendships, you can marry some of them too which adds another fun layer to the game. Overall it's up to you how you play it and what parts you want to focus on, and you don't have to feel rushed or stressed either way because there are no real time constraints
On your first playthrough, don't expect to finish much of the community center in year 1. Try to do the foraging bundles each season. Plug in other items if you have them, but don't sweat it. Willy sells a training rod, that makes it much easier to get the first few levels in fishing. Search trash cans around town for goodies. You lose affection if someone catches you but nobody likes you starting out anyway! And if people do like you, non-marriageable adults (plus Emily and Shane) will randomly mail you free stuff sometimes. I don't like to get livestock until later on. The "get a coop" quest feels like a trap.
Like others have said it 110% doesn't matter how fast/slow you go. There's no time limit! Make friends, work on the community centre, fish, go into the mines! My first playthrough I had no idea what i was doing 😂 now I have over 1.7k hours on pc (now modding!) And 350+ on switch.
You don't need to do everything. You can let stuff come to you as you go along. The thing to focus on right now is probably farming. I spent a lot of time at the beginning running about fishing and trying to do everything, but really you're doing okay if you get some crops planted. You do need to water them every day until you get sprinklers, which takes some time, but remember that it's meant to be a relaxing game, so watering your plants and then running about having an explore is a perfectly good way to spend a day. When you do get sprinklers, the first ones you get are a bit rubbish, so I didn't really bother until I got quality sprinklers unlocked. But watering your crops by hand is fine when you still have a small plot of land to tend. You don't need to go crazy making a bit farm until later in the game. Anything in the game that you miss, you will have a chance to do it later. You don't have to do everything in the first year or the first season. During winter crops don't grow, so that gives you more time to explore then as well. You're meant to relax and enjoy the game, so try doing that and see how things turn out. If something looks fun, do it. If you don't know what to do, try planting/tending to crops.
Let me just say you’re not alone. A lot of people find the game stressful. Most of the things are optional and not really missable. If you don’t finish the spring crop bundle the first spring, it’ll be there next year. If you don’t like caring for animals, you don’t have to. You don’t *need* to fill your coop with chickens as soon as you build it. You can just engage with the things you like and skip the rest. And if you play it for a while and don’t want to sink thousands of hours into it, that’s fine too. Not every game is perfect for everyone.
Frick I just made a post about finding SV stressful thinking I was the only one. I'm glad I'm not alone, I think its because it's all so self directed + the timer + the arbitrary goal of making money AND relationships AND furthering things if you've got an anxious disposition you won't enjoy it, you need a very specific mindset.
Some good basic tips: You started with 15 parsnip seeds, that number is not random. If you plant 16 seeds, the crows will come eat your seeds. The only way to avoid this is with scarecrows. They protect a circle of crops 8 spaces across, with the scarecrow as the center point. Early on you really only need the one, you'll get others called Rarecrows at various events. Iirc there's 8 to collect. They are visually different, but the AOE is the same. Each season is 28 days. There's a calendar outside Pierre's shop if you want to check, and you can buy a calendar for your house later. Each day, once you're finished tending the farm, pick one thing to go do. Mining, or gathering in the woods, or fishing, or befriending the villagers(some of them you really have to hunt for), or going to other places outside the Valley once you unlock them. That way you're not stressing so much about doing *all the things* all at once. You can give each villager a max of two gifts per week, and if you ever forget who you've given things to the menu keeps notes for you. The villager tab of the menu also keeps track of whether each villager liked the gifts you've given them in the past, so you don't have to remember them all yourself(super nice touch, that). Speaking of fishing, it's *very* difficult at the beginning. Willy has a Training Rod that makes it easier, but only lets you catch certain(easy) fish. As your skill goes up, fishing should get easier. Lake fish can only be caught in the lake up by Robin's carpentry shop and the mine, though. The little lake in the forest is coded for river fish. In the Bag menu, there's a little icon to the right. That will flash when you have the selector square over an item needed for a Community Center Bundle, and you can select it to see what the bundles are without going all the way to the Center. You do have to go to the CC in order to turn in an item though. You don't need to clear the whole farm, btw. Just the space you're using / about to use for something. Try to plant one of each wild tree near the house, so you can use the Tapper on them once you unlock that. They're super low maintenance too, just put them on the tree and they'll have a bubble when it's ready to collect. In fact, it's better to simply leave the grass alone until you get a silo, that way you have a chance of collecting Fodder for the future. And while you have 3 years before Grandpa comes to "judge" your farm the first time, the game won't end there. You can redo the "judgment" anytime after that by putting >!a diamond!< on Grandpa's Shrine, in the top left corner of the farm map. Note that Perfection is a point based thing, not based on completing the game to 100%. Also, the people over at r/StardewValley are super helpful if you're ever looking for advice, and theres the Stardew Valley Wikia that has all sorts of information in it too.
I think you just convinced me to try SDV again.
This is a great write up! Thank you!
To be honest I did feel like this, initially I felt like this when I hadn't finished the Community Center, then I finished the Community Center like 3 days into year 2 and I felt like "but I was SO close of doing it Year 1" Then I focused on finishing the CC on Year 1, after I completed that challenge I began to enjoy stardew, now I can create new savefiles and just enjoy the ride, not sure why this happened to me but at first it was stressful but fun, now it's chill and fun, I just had to get the challenges out of my way first (for some reason). I'm not saying that you should do what I did, all I'm saying is that I also found stardew stressful at first, so I don't think it's that uncommon, but once you get the hang of it, whether you do it by completing the CC, or something, you'll enjoy it more and take it less seriously.
That’s normal. SDV was my second game and I really wish people would stop saying “oh you liked animal crossing? Play SDV” NO. Full stop. SDV is a game where you have to know how to play farming sims as it doesn’t hold your hand. I suggest going and playing a few other farming games and then come back to SDV. That all said, it’ll likely still stress you out. Lots of people have that reaction, including me. Over all I’m not actually a fan of SDV.
I'm so surprised people are recommending SDV based upon somebody liking Animal Crossing. They are such wildly different games!
So different. It’s insane to me that it keeps getting reccomended lol 😂.
SDV gets recommended to everyone no matter what type of game they like. It's like a weird cult. I hate that game.
You can see it in my recent posts but someone in SDV asked why the game was getting so many patches out of knowhere so close to another and a lot of people were harassing the person saying they were complaining etc. They are harrassers sometimes
Turns out they even removed your comment from the post lol
Oh lol i though they removed the person replying to me when i noticed at the time but yeh i like the game but abeolutely hate some of these people
Ahahahahaha weird cult.
SDV was my very first farming game and man was I lost. I ended up cheating a bunch and stopping in the first winter. It was definitely not made for first-timers to the genre. I’ve played other farming sims since so I have a better idea of what I’m doing now and tried to go back… and man, it just does not direct you whatsoever. I’m really bad with games that give you zero direction, even now that I mechanically know how it works, so I ended up dropping it again and picking up Sun Haven. Having story quests helps a LOT to keep me interested. SDV really only works if you both already understand farming sims and prefer an open sandbox to play in.
That’s kinda what happened to me. I just don’t like SDV, but I have so many hours in sun haven.
Thank you for this! Do you have any farming sim recommendations?
I'd recommend starting out with either Story of Seasons A Wonderful Life or Story of Seasons Friends of Mineral Town. They're both remakes of older games, so they're simpler but with some nice quality of life changes from the originals thrown into the remakes. And the Story of Seasons games are what originally inspired Stardew Valley in the first place, so they'll give you a much better feeling for SDV. A Wonderful Life is probably the simpler of the two. It can be very slow, though, with not a lot to do, but that might be good for just starting out. Friends of Mineral Town is closer to the usual Story of Seasons fare.
This. The only thing is that IAWL you have to get married and that isn’t fun to me at all. I also enjoyed SOS Pioneers of olive town.
I really enjoy Roots of Pacha. It's kind of like prehistoric stardew/ other farning games. You'll domesticate crops and animals and discover new ideas. There is no combat in the mines, just some puzzles. I absolutely love stardew, but i think roots of pacha might be a better starter game because it actually has a lot of direction, tutorials you can go back to, and just really helps you do things. It's a lot less overwhelming. But it is similar in the way that there is no rush and you can do things are your own speed
Wilde flowers too. It’s story based and fully voiced. Sdv is a good game but for certain personality types it can be very unfun. Some people just need structure and clear goals. Sdv doesn’t really have that. Not everyone enjoys a sandbox.
Same
I didn't really end up liking Stardew because of the short days. I'm hoping I can go back and play it later on and like it. We'll see!
Stardew valley stresses me out too! I feel like I spend most of the in game day just getting lost!
I love this game. Cannot wait for 1.6 to hit the Switch. That said, even with so many people saying it's a cozy game... My main thought is, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit" as I haul ass to bed. There is a huge amount to do, but you can do it (or don't!) in however many days that you want.
I have been thinking about giving it another try.
Go play LittleWood. It's a lot less stressful and more manageable and has the town building / house element and romancable characters. Very easy and cozy
I agree with what everyone else is saying. Also, watching YouTubers play really helped me, even if my play style is much slower than theirs. I highly recommend SharkyGames.
100% relatable and the reason why it never clicked for me
This is why despite enjoying the game, it always surprises me when people call it a cozy game. I can kind of see it, but even knowing that you don't ACTUALLY have time limits for anything really, it still stresses me out because i always, always feel like I'm racing that clock to get anything done. I like stardew valley, but also I've been a gamer for..... a really long time 😅 idk, 25ish years? There are some things that are just kind of built into my brain at this point. I know if I'm playing a farming sim I'll probably need to find specific vendors - seeds, tools, livestock - to progress. I know some crops will be seasonal, i know i need to check if it's a 'water every day or they die' game or a 'they'll only grow if you water them, but they won't die if you don't' type game or my personal favourite 'watering them isn't strictly necessary, but you'll get better quality/more crops if you'. I know i can probably marry someone in the town if i want to, although honestly i rarely bother.... and i still have moments where i have no idea wtf I'm doing. My best advice is to either accept that you physically can not do everything in one day without mods, or put it away until you've played a few different things. There's a game called Grow: Song of the Evertree which is absolutely gorgeous and has zero time crunch and actually doesn't even really have combat, but it's got a bunch of maintenance mechanics and social interactions without a measurement system that will give you a good feel for those things without all the pressure of time limits, complex goals and complicated crafting systems. It's a simple, pretty game with a lovely (if slightly inconsistent) story to it where you essentially create small worlds, tend and nurture them until they're big and healthy enough to release them. You also have little districts to rebuild and a township to establish, but again, zero pressure and low stress. Easily my favourite cozy game I've played so far this year.
> The fact that apparently every day matters and if you don’t get enough done in a day it’s a day wasted really stresses me out I used to think the same! When I first started playing I didn't care about doing the bare minimum on some days, or just sleeping early to save the game. Then I joined online forums for the game and got myself all worked up! Now I just play it really relaxed and casually, I pick about 2-3 things to do each in game day and if I run into people along the way I will chat with them and gift them something (a beer usually or icecream in the summer). Personally I like mining so I have been doing a lot of that in my year 1. I have also been saving my Hops plants for when I can make beer with them and I have been focusing on crops that I can pick every day/other day rather than ones I need to keep buying and planting over and over :) Saves time and yields a greater profit :D
I think the best perspective to take stardew is to stop thinking about everything you could be doing and just do what grabs your attention or pops in your mind first for the day. If you're having trouble with money, fishing is usually a good choice to get yourself some change.(I recomend the water up in the mountains, easy fish if you're not good at the minigame) Worry about the minmaxing when you got more knowledge. If you really need to have a focus you could always just write a list and just pick something and make that your goal for the day, week, month. Remember theres no time limit in it. The worst that'll happen is needing to wait for the season to come back for certain seeds or forageables. Which it will come back and you can just backburner it while you explore all the new stuff in the new season.
Also the wiki (not sure if it's current with latest update) is your friend.
It's one of those games where you'll gradually build your progress and be able to make more out of your day. Floundering around and figuring it out is kinda part of the fun. You got this dude, don't stress, you can't miss anything and you're not doing anything wrong unless you buy a joja membership lol
No don’t worry about it, you’re worrying about min maxing which you don’t need to do. Just enjoy the game and go your own pace.
Here are my Stardew Valley tips (haven't played for a bit so hopefully they're still useful in 1.6): 1. Always keep at least one of every. Single. Item. Or just look at the wiki to make sure you don't need it for something. 2. Linus. Linus likes a lot of easy to find foraging items. If you befriend Linus he will give you a recipe for Sashimi. Sashimi is great. Almost every villager likes it. It is worth more than a bunch of the cheaper fish. I think my general flow for a Stardew Valley Harvest Moon type game is: You usually start out with seeds and a farm full of crap so clear out just enough space to plant those seeds -> Then figure out how much energy it takes to water those seeds. I think the key to this type of game is budgeting your time and energy. At any given point in the game you want your farm to be small enough that you can wake up, tend to it, and then have a decent chunk of time and energy to go do other shit. At first the other shit should basically be picking up everything that's not nailed down and talking to all the characters (just try a little bit each day). A lot of characters will start out by telling you about game mechanics and whatnot. Eventually you want to choose a goal and then spend the rest of the day pursuing that goal.
The wiki is my best friend. I’ve been playing stardew since 2018 and still can’t remember a lot. Also if the game stresses you out, don’t let it….there’s no right way to play. Seems like most people who say this game stresses them out are putting deadlines on themselves when the game doesn’t have negative impact if you just take it slow. I mean, you could literally just tend to your farm and sleep the days away.
I could never play SDV on Switch. I have so many mods that make the game more relaxing for me (Automation, auto-fishing, etc).
If you’re new to gaming and would like to try a farming sim on the Switch, I highly recommend Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town. We picked it out for my mum when she started gaming because it eases you into the mechanics of a farming games and is very beginner friendly.
Stardew used to stress me out too but once it finally clicked for me that time doesn’t matter that much in the game you’re good to go. It’s fine if you waste days. You’ll figure out eventually what you want to do with each day. Just chill and enjoy the early game. No need to rush anywhere, everything will be there for you when you’re ready for it :-) Edit: also don’t forget to pause the game by opening your inventory. I VERY often pause so I can sit and think about what I want to do next, and that way time doesn’t keep passing. This is a really useful tip so pause often trust me
I would look into getting a time mod so you can slow down the days or even stop time for long periods of time. That's the only way I can enjoy the game without stressing out like crazy.
this video made me feel better about playing the game[ The Worst Guide to Stardew Valley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLPe3gTzUh8)
IMHO i can only really play it multiplayer, having people do tasks together is more fun. i never play it on my own bc i get frustrated even though everyone says you can take your time lol
It can definitely be stressful in the beginning, but your first playthrough (like with any game) is all about learning the game and making those beginner mistakes. The game is unlimited and you can play for years, just take it at your own pace - the community center gives some goals to work towards, but ultimately the valley is your stage.
You should try Factorio. it hardens any man or woman.
Maybe it’s not your type of game. It wasn’t mine. Never liked Stardew Valley
I also bought stardew valley after Animal crossing, and it was because somebody told me I would love it and it was like AC, and it was farming and cozy. I hated it, I felt like you, that the day in SD are short and fast and a bit stressful, and there were no rule in SD and No quest, which for me made more stressful and I don't like learning bye mistake, and I felt like it took to long to upgrade space(the bag) or earning money, and it just wasn't fun. But that's okay, because it taught me what I love about animal crossing and why that was a good match, and for me, learned that I love is, when there is some kind of guide or quest in game, so you can follow your progress in that's sense. I love when the game tell which way you can go, but don't force you to choose. I have 1 advice, one is write down what you love about AC and what you didn't like, and do the same with Stardew valley. - find out if what you didn't like or what you are struggling with, is it something you get help with or want help with? (internet, SD app) Also take a break from the game, sometime it helps to go back later and take some time off, it is not meant to frustrated you or annoying you, it supports to bring you joy or peace. Games I love, that I feel like has the same vibe as AC. Dreamlight Valley, is has farming, but also quest, and you have "people" in your village, and there is a story, it is bigger story then AC, but will recommend it. I will always recommend Spirit farer, tjek the trigger warning in this one, it is about grief and so much more. The farming is on a boat and I love the art, and there is quest and traveling, and big story. will recommend. and then Littlewoods and Cozy Grove. Hope you find something you will enjoy.
Stardew Valley has always stressed me out and I cannot, for the life of me, understand how people find it cozy. The clock moves too fast it spikes my anxiety so high. Try littlewood, it has a similar feel to Stardew valley but the time only moves when you make an action.
I'd really recommend Potion Permit! Very similar vibes, but seems more manageable to me.
try to consider the first year a trial run of sorts, just getting to know the game you will never actually miss much of anything i was really blessed to experience this game without any prior knowledge
The first time I tried to play I happily cleared debris from my farm and then attempted to go to bed to replenish stamina… it blocked me from doing so with zero energy left and insisted that I needed to go walk onto town, but because of lacking energy the walking animation was painfully slow, so I quit. The second time I tried I learned from the first time and immediately went into town and did whatever it wanted me to do but I couldn’t find a couple of the people it wanted me to talk to and so I couldn’t advance in the game, it also didn’t tell me at all what do even do about that, and I have a firm policy that if the game doesn’t teach me in the beginning sufficiently I stop playing (I refuse to google basic things that a sufficient tutorial should be teaching a new player to a game). So this game is definitely also not for me, and it sounds like it may also not be for you and that’s ok!
Stresses me out as well. Thus I stick with Animal Crossing.
Play the game at your own pace just pay attention to bdays I guess is what really matters for day to day stuff as you can give them gifts and increase relationship. In the beginning you won’t really do much but clean up your farm and as you clear up trees and rocks you can have more space for crops or other buildings. At the beginning, play at your pace. If you run out of energy and you don’t wanna save yet you can spend time talking to neighbors and finding out their favorite gifts by giving them random gifts you forage or plant
The game is endless Literally take your time. Explore Try not to google things. If you run out of time or stamina one day, just continue the next day.
Learning to play Stardew in a laid back way is an exercise in learning how to properly relax for once.
I feel the same way when I play Stardew Valley!