Stardew Valley: Complete Guide

A season-by-season plan for your first years in Pelican Town, plus crops, money-making, skills, the Community Center, the Mines, and the 1.6 late-game content.

Researched September 2026 — current as of version 1.6.15 on PC (released December 2024; consoles and mobile have their own 1.6.x patch numbers). ConcernedApe has said another update is in development, but no release date is announced. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

There is no fail state. Play at your own pace. But energy and time are your real currencies, so plan each day.
Go to bed by midnight. Staying up past 2:00 AM makes you pass out and lose some gold, and you wake with less energy.
Check the TV every morning. The weather forecast tells you if you can skip watering, the Fortune Teller shows your luck (good days for the Mines), and The Queen of Sauce (Sundays, rerun Wednesdays) teaches recipes.
Plant parsnips on Day 1, then clear some debris and forage. Don't clear the whole farm at once.
Get the fishing rod from Willy on Day 2 (he sends a letter). Fishing is excellent early money and XP.
Pierre's shop is closed on Wednesdays (until the Community Center is restored). Buy seeds the day before.
Buy the Large Pack (2,000g) from Pierre early. Inventory space saves enormous time.
Crops don't carry across seasons (except multi-season crops like Corn and Wheat, or anything in the Greenhouse or on Ginger Island). Anything still growing on day 1 of the next season dies.
Start the Community Center bundles early Enter town on a sunny morning after Spring 5 to trigger the Community Center cutscene, then follow Lewis's and the Wizard's letters so you can read the Junimo bundle scrolls.
Upgrade tools on rainy days or when you're not using them. Clint keeps the tool for two days.

The Calendar

Each season is 28 days. Festivals replace most of the day, so plan farm chores around them.

Season	Festival	Date	Why it matters
Spring	Egg Festival	13	Only place to buy Strawberry seeds in Year 1
Spring	Desert Festival	15–17	Added in 1.6; needs the bus repaired
Spring	Flower Dance	24	Dance with a partner at 4+ hearts
Summer	Luau	11	Add an item to the soup for friendship
Summer	Trout Derby	20–21	1.6 fishing festival; tagged fish give Golden Tags for prizes
Summer	Dance of the Moonlight Jellies	28	Pure ambience
Fall	Stardew Valley Fair	16	Grange display for Star Tokens; buy the Stardrop
Fall	Spirit's Eve	27	Maze with a Golden Pumpkin
Winter	Festival of Ice	8	Ice fishing contest
Winter	SquidFest	12–13	1.6 squid fishing festival
Winter	Night Market	15–17	Submarine fishing, rare items
Winter	Feast of the Winter Star	25	Secret gift exchange

Crops by Season

Season	Best early money	Best mid/late money	Notes
Spring	Potatoes, Kale	Strawberries (from Egg Festival), Cauliflower	Parsnips give quick early farming XP
Summer	Blueberries, Hops	Melons, Starfruit (seeds from the Oasis in the Calico Desert)	Blueberries and Hops regrow; great for kegs
Fall	Cranberries	Pumpkins, Grapes (wild), Sweet Gem Berry (Rare Seed)	Cranberries regrow constantly
Winter	None outdoors (except Winter Seeds forage)	Greenhouse / Ginger Island	Great time for Mines, fishing, and relationships

Ancient Fruit is the endgame greenhouse king: it regrows forever and makes excellent wine. Get your first Ancient Seeds by donating the Ancient Seed artifact to the Museum (Gunther gives you a packet and the crafting recipe), then multiply them with a Seed Maker.

Money-Making Progression

Early Spring: fishing, parsnips/potatoes, foraging (salmonberries late Spring, spring onions).
Summer: Blueberries, Melons, and fishing. Put some money aside for sprinklers.
Year 1 Fall onward: artisan goods. Kegs (wine/juice/beer/pale ale) and Preserves Jars turn crops into much more gold. Pick the Tiller -> Artisan profession path for a big boost to artisan goods.
Year 2: Greenhouse full of Ancient Fruit or Starfruit, kegs everywhere, and animals turned into cheese, mayo and cloth.
Late game: Ginger Island (Island Farm, Qi quests), Iridium mining in Skull Cavern, crystalariums copying Diamonds, legendary fish ponds.

Sprinklers are the biggest quality-of-life upgrade. Basic Sprinkler (Farming 2), Quality Sprinkler (Farming 6), Iridium Sprinkler (Farming 9). Quality Sprinklers need iron and gold bars plus refined quartz, so the Mines feed your farm.

Skills and Professions

Each skill hits level 10. At levels 5 and 10 you pick a profession.

Skill	Level 5	Level 10 (best picks)
Farming	Tiller (crops +10% value) or Rancher	Artisan (after Tiller) for kegs/jars; Agriculturist for faster growth
Fishing	Fisher (+25% value) or Trapper	Angler (after Fisher)
Foraging	Forester or Gatherer	Botanist (iridium-quality forage) or Tracker
Mining	Miner (extra ore) or Geologist	Blacksmith (bars worth more) or Prospector
Combat	Fighter or Scout	Brute/Defender, or Acrobat/Desperado

You can reset professions at the Statue of Uncertainty in the Sewers (costs gold per change).

Mastery (1.6): once all five skills are level 10, you can enter the Mastery Cave. Skill XP you earn after that fills Mastery levels, which you spend at the cave's pedestals to unlock a perk and new items for each skill:

Mastery	Rewards	Perk
Farming	Iridium Scythe, Statue of Blessings	Golden Animal Crackers (double animal produce)
Fishing	Advanced Iridium Rod, Challenge Bait	Golden fishing treasure chests
Foraging	Mystic Tree Seed, Treasure Totem	Golden Mystery Boxes
Mining	Statue of The Dwarf King, Heavy Furnace	Gem rocks drop double gems
Combat	Anvil, Mini-Forge	Extra trinket slot

The Community Center vs. Joja

The Community Center route has you fill bundles (seasonal crops, fish, forage, artisan goods, money) to restore rooms. Each room unlocks something big:

Crafts Room: bridge to the quarry.
Pantry: Greenhouse.
Fish Tank: Glittering Boulder removed (copper ore).
Boiler Room: Minecarts.
Bulletin Board: friendship boost.
Vault: bus repair (Calico Desert access).

Tips: check the bundle list at the start of each season. Keep one of every crop, forage item, and fish you catch until the bundle that needs it is done. Some items are only available in one season, and the Fish Tank needs weather- and time-specific fish.

The Joja route (buying a membership and paying for the upgrades) gets the same unlocks faster with gold but skips the bundle rewards and the town's storyline. For a first playthrough, the Community Center is recommended.

The Mines and Skull Cavern

The Mines have 120 floors. Every 5th floor has an elevator checkpoint. Floors 1–39 have copper, 40–79 iron (the ice levels), 80–119 gold (the lava levels).
Reach floor 120 for the Skull Key, which opens Skull Cavern in the Calico Desert.
Skull Cavern has no checkpoints, but has Iridium Ore. Bring bombs, staircases, and food, and go on lucky days. Descend as fast as possible.
Weapons: open the fixed treasure chests on certain floors for weapons and boots. Join the Adventurer's Guild (Marlon) to buy better weapons and slingshots.
Food: eat for energy and health. Salads, cheese, and cooked dishes give more than raw crops.

Ginger Island

Once the Community Center or Joja route is complete, Willy's boat can be repaired (it needs hardwood, iridium bars and battery packs). Ginger Island has:

Island Farm with year-round crop tiles.
Golden Walnuts that unlock the island's upgrades.
Volcano Dungeon with its own forge.
Qi's Walnut Room with late-game challenge quests paid in Qi Gems.

Relationships and Marriage

Give two gifts per week per villager (plus one on their birthday, which counts 8x). Talk to them daily for small gains.
Bouquets (from Pierre after 8 hearts) let you date a marriage candidate. A Mermaid's Pendant from the Old Mariner (on the beach on rainy days, after 10 hearts and a house upgrade) proposes.
Universal loves include Prismatic Shards and Rabbit's Feet. Most villagers love a specific cooked dish or crop; check their wiki page.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Planting too much before you have sprinklers. Watering eats your energy and the whole day.
Selling everything raw. Kegs and jars multiply value.
Missing the Egg Festival. Strawberries are only sold there in Year 1.
Selling one-off Community Center items before the bundle is complete.
Leaving crops in the ground at the season change.
Upgrading tools right before a busy stretch. Plan around rain.
Ignoring the Traveling Cart (Fridays and Sundays in Cindersap Forest), which can sell rare seeds and bundle items.

Advanced Tips

Speed up crops with Speed-Gro fertilizer and the Agriculturist profession to squeeze an extra harvest into a season.
Crystalariums duplicating Diamonds are an easy passive income.
Fish ponds with valuable fish like Sturgeon (roe for Caviar); 1.6 also lets legendary fish go in ponds.
Bee houses near flowers make valuable flower-specific honey (Fairy Rose is a top pick).
Pierre's Missing Stocklist (50 Qi Gems in Qi's Walnut Room) lets you buy out-of-season seeds from Pierre.
In multiplayer (up to 8 players in 1.6), split roles: one farmer, one miner, one fisher, one rancher.

FAQ

What's the latest version of Stardew Valley? 1.6.15 on PC (December 2024); consoles and mobile track their own 1.6.x patch numbers. The 1.6 update added the Meadowlands Farm, Mastery, new festivals, 8-player co-op, and more.

Is there a Stardew Valley 1.7? Not as of September 2026. ConcernedApe mentioned in the February 2026 ten-year anniversary post that a new update is in development, with Haunted Chocolatier to follow.

Which farm type is best? Standard Farm has the most space. Meadowlands (1.6) starts you with chickens and a coop. Beach Farm is beautiful but can't use sprinklers on sand. Pick whatever looks fun.

How do I get the Greenhouse? Complete the Pantry bundles in the Community Center, or buy it through the Joja route.

What's the best way to make money in Year 1? Fishing early, then Strawberries/Blueberries/Cranberries, then kegs for wine or jars for jelly as soon as you can afford them.

How do I get to Skull Cavern? Reach floor 120 of the Mines for the Skull Key, then take the repaired bus to the Calico Desert.

How do I unlock Mastery? Reach level 10 in all five skills, then enter the Mastery Cave and keep earning skill XP.