I Grinded 75 Hours Into Stardew Valley: Here's What I Learned
content warning: may contain spoilers
Stardew Valley was originally released on February 26th of 2016. The game was only available for PC and quickly became one of the most popular games to exist. Although this game was only released back in 2016, it manages to evoke a feeling of deep nostalgia; wanting to continue going back to a place where you feel most comforted- that you’ve never been to before. While getting over an infection, I managed to grind out 75 hours into this game. Here’s everything I’ve learned over this time, and some cool achievements I’ve unlocked.
The starting farm is BUSTED
‘Stardew Valley’ gameplay, gamertag: Vahaemyx
Upon arriving to the virtual farm, I suddenly became overwhelmed by the amount of overgrown brush, wood, and rocks. Thankfully these are all useful resources for a beginner player like me. I started out growing and selling crops to earn some basic cash. This didn’t yield much money, so I decided to add a chicken coop. Robin began working overtime, when I was reading through the Stardew Valley subreddit. I learned that the mayonnaise and cheese business is where the real money resides. I quickly added two chicken coops and then a barn. I added 5, 10, 15, and then 20 mayonnaise machines and 10-12 cheese makers. I also began upgrading both the coops and the barn one after another, until they were maxed out. The automated feeding system is such a time saver, as the first 2 years in game, I was manually feeding all three houses full of animals. I still continued to grow fruits and vegetables, but for a few seasons, most of my focus was on the mayonnaise and cheese, which really paid off. I developed my system to where I would collect all the materials which I intended to ship off in one of the chests in the shed, and then ship everything on Sunday night. I started off making about 20-30k per week and by year three, I finally hit 116k for the week!
The Community Center vs Joja Inc. Debate
‘Stardew Valley’ gameplay, gamertag: Vahaemyx
Once you progress a little into the town’s storyline, you learn about the “good and evil”, as well as a lot of secrets throughout the town. The game presents you with the option of either restoring the community center or buying a membership with Joja Inc. Joja seems like an almost exact depiction of the megacorporation Amazon. The game does seem to want to make this decision based on the player’s moral compass. Although the community center is beautiful on the outside, there aren’t any benefits or events that take place after its restored; other than Mayor Lewis being happy (?). I’m personally not a fan of Mayor Lewis or Joja to be transparent. I did attempt to restore the community center by grabbing each item and manually delivering it, but it became very tedious and interfered with my farm hustle. After accumulating my first 500k in the game, I decided to buy a membership from Joja Inc. and see what fate had in store for me. Turns out, nothing bad happens. The community center is replaced by a large warehouse that is quite an eyesore, but the community center was also pretty torn and worn down. I realized that I did want to restore the community as a whole, but not in such a time-consuming way. I opted to join Joja so that I could just pay for the upgrades in cash, rather than go on a wild goose chase for seasonal items. I may try the community center route again if I do another playthrough, but so far, I don’t mind paying for the upgrades; they cost about the same as the ones for my farm do, if not less!
Dating in Stardew Valley is Intense; Marriage is Scarier
This game offers a lot of different paths to take and many different opportunities to socialize with everyone in the community. I was immediately drawn to Sebastian, a dark-haired, troubled bachelor living in his mother’s basement as a computer programmer (?). Sebastian kept to himself and the only way I was able to visit and give gifts, was finding him in his room working. I downloaded the SDV guide app, which lets you know everyone in the town’s favorites and likes, because I didn’t have time to waste. This game allows you to give 2 gifts to each person in the town per week, and you have to make them count! Sebastian’s favorites were very complicated and hard to find, just like Sebastian.
‘Stardew Valley’ gameplay, gamertag: Vahaemyx
When not at the farmhouse, I spent a lot of time in the mines trying to find frozen tears and obsidian. In the beginning, I was wary of Linus as he was wary of me, so I did not have the sashimi recipe until about 50 hours into gameplay. Befriending Sebastian was very fun, as he reminded me of Severus Snape in a lot of ways. In one of the heart scenes, he’s playing with his best friend Sam and invites me to play D&D with them. The scene is pretty long and it’s interactive. We ended the D&D session with a ‘C’ rating, but this had to be one of the coolest cutscenes yet. Sebastian also drives a motorcycle which is pretty awesome! In one of the scenes, you come across him working on the motorcycle and he offers to take you on a dive. I did not expect a follow through cutscene, but there was! Finally tying the knot with Sebastian had to be the hardest part of the game. It was winter of year 2, and I began wondering if Sebastian was really the right choice. Elliot seemed very intellectual but was also completely full of himself. I didn’t have the patience to crack Shane’s “hard exterior”, but I would be interested in working towards a friendship. Leah was adorable and is like my artsy big sister. As for the other bachelors, I wasn’t really interested at all. I eventually decided to go through with the dating to engagement to marriage process as quickly as possible, before I changed my mind. We were married on a Sunday in the spring of year 3 and he moved in right after. He has some pretty cool dialog once he moves in, he helps around the farm, and even makes me a coffee in the morning (it increases your speed)! The game does seem to push having children a bit, but I still have a lot of work to do for the farm and I have declined when asked. We did however adopt an injured frog named Torro and began an injured frog sanctuary in our home.
Linus is a Great Friend
Linus is a character that is a wise older man living up by in the wilderness. Linus isn’t technically homeless but does reside in a small tent with very few amenities. The first interaction with Linus we have is finding him rummaging through people’s trash around town. It’s odd for a first encounter and I didn’t think much of it at first. Linus is very mistrusting of outsiders, so it wasn’t a surprise that he didn’t trust me. Going to visit Robin or Sebastian made it easier to visit Linus and sneak him a chocolate cake or something else I’d cooked. Eventually Linus apologizes for being mistrusting and gives me a couple much-needed recipes. Linus will occasionally send me rare fish, which is very useful for making Sashimi, which is Sebastian’s favorite meal. One of my main gripes with the game currently, is that I have the option to build Pam a house but not Linus, when the man is living in a tent!
‘Stardew Valley’ gameplay, gamertag: Vahaemyx
‘Stardew Valley’ gameplay, gamertag: Vahaemyx
The gifts are a very sweet sentiment, and I didn’t expect Linus to grow on me. Besides Sebastian, Linus is one of my best friends in the game. I’ve decided to join the “book club” at the library and hang with Leah and Elliot sometimes during the week. I was so focused on the farm, that I didn’t socialize or get to know anyone in the town for the first year. I most recently found the rusty key, which unlocks the sewers. I discovered the enigmatic Krobus, and he is most adorable! I like to bring him little gifts throughout the week, especially on Mondays when he’s selling slime for cheap. The funniest interaction I’ve had with Krobus so far, was when I gifted him one of his favorite items on a Friday… I’m terrible I know.
The Calico Desert is Insane
‘Stardew Valley’ gameplay, gamertag: Vahaemyx
Around year 2, I decided to repair the bus and head to Calico Desert. I had read a lot about how difficult this part of the map is, but I wasn’t ready for the amount of treasure I’d find in the Skeleton Cavern. The hardest thing about the Cavern is that there is no elevator or way to go back once you exit, unlike the mines. Qi challenged me to get to level 25, and the furthest I’ve ever gotten is level 45. I’m still trying to calculate how I would be able to meet Qi at level 100, without having to forfeit profits on my farm for a day. The bus doesn’t start rides until 10:10 (thanks, Pam). I could use a travel totem, but would that really make it easier? I plan to do a little research on discord and reddit, because there has to be a much easier way.
One of the more exciting moments, is obtaining the Galaxy Sword. It’s said to be the most powerful sword in the game, although it cannot slay shield-plated enemies. Obtaining the sword is fairly easy, is requires one prismatic shard, and I’ve only ever received one so far in the game. I’ve cracked open hundreds of omni geodes to no avail. I’m hopeful that I will come across more, as I’ve opened up a slime hutch and have come across quite a few slime eggs. Stardew Valley is definitely one of my favorites, as far as gameplay goes, and it was a great time-killer while I was feeling under the weather. I do hope to continue playing, and possibly having another gaming update within the next few months or so!
‘Stardew Valley’ gameplay, gamertag: Vahaemyx
