Stardew Valley Beginner Guide: Your First Week to Success

Starting your life in Stardew Valley can be both exciting and a little overwhelming. With so much to do and discover, knowing where to begin is key. This guide will walk you through your first few days, ensuring you get a strong start on your farming adventure. Focus on these early steps to set yourself up for long-term success in Stardew Valley. The most crucial early goal? Upgrading your backpack at Pierre’s General Store for 2,000g – aim to achieve this as quickly as possible.

Day 1: Planting Your Roots

You’ll begin your Stardew journey with 500 gold and 15 Parsnip Seeds. Your immediate task is to cultivate your land.

1. Plant Parsnips: Hoe 15 squares of tilled soil and plant all 15 Parsnip Seeds. These will be your first crops and your initial step towards building your farm.

2. Gather Wood & Craft a Chest: Chop down a few trees until you have at least 50 wood. Open your crafting menu and create a chest. Place this chest near your farmhouse, ideally not on tillable land to maximize your farming space. This chest will be essential for storing items, especially with your limited starting inventory.

3. Consider Extra Seeds (Optional but Recommended): Think about buying 3 additional Parsnip Seeds from Pierre’s General Store. Early in the game, crows can be a nuisance, and losing crops to them before you can craft a scarecrow can be a setback, costing you valuable early progress. Planting a few extra seeds provides a small buffer. Focus on Parsnip Seeds only at this stage to efficiently reach Farming Level 1.

4. Energy Management & Farm Exploration (If Time Allows): If you still have energy after planting and crafting, clear pathways to the north and south exits of your farm. If you selected the Hill-top Farm map, clear a path to the mining area on the mid-left side. Note that on the Hill-top Farm, vertical bridges are initially unusable, but horizontal bridges are accessible.

5. Further Activities (If Energy Remains): If you still have energy left, continue chopping trees for more wood. On the Hill-top Farm, you could also start mining the copper and geodes in your farm’s mining area for a head start on resources.

Days 2-3: Beach Trip and Fishing

Around day 2 or 3, expect to receive mail from Willy inviting you to the beach.

1. Water Your Parsnips First: Before heading to the beach, remember to water your newly planted parsnips. Consistent watering is crucial for timely harvests.

2. Visit Willy at the Beach: Head to the beach before 5 PM to trigger a cutscene where Willy will gift you a Bamboo Rod – your first fishing pole! This unlocks fishing, a valuable source of income and food in Stardew Valley.

3. Start Fishing: Spend the remainder of the day fishing at the beach. Fish until you are low on energy (9 PM or later in-game time), your inventory is full, or Willy’s shop closes for the day if you plan to sell immediately.

4. Sardine for Later: If you catch Sardines while fishing at the beach, keep at least one in your chest back at your farmhouse. You might need it later for quests or crafting.

5. Selling Fish: Sell the rest of your caught fish to Willy at his Fish Shop or use the Shipping Crate near your farmhouse for overnight sales.

6. If Willy’s Mail is Delayed: If Willy’s invitation doesn’t arrive on Day 2, spend the day chopping wood, foraging in the forest south of your farm, or exploring near Robin’s Carpenter’s Shop for foragable items.

Day 4: River Fishing and Resource Gathering

Dedicate Day 4 to further fishing, especially if it’s raining. Rain significantly increases your chances of catching valuable fish.

1. Water Parsnips Again: Begin your day by watering your Parsnips.

2. River Fishing Spot: Head to the river south of Jodi’s house (the house on the far southwest of town). Walk south from her door and then west until you reach a ‘step’ in the riverbank. Cast your fishing line south from this spot. This is a convenient and productive early-game river fishing location, close to your farm.

3. Fish to Keep: If it is not raining and you catch a Sunfish, keep one. If it rains and you catch a Catfish and/or a Shad, keep one of each. These specific fish may be needed for future bundles or quests.

4. Sell Excess Fish: Sell the rest of the fish you catch to Willy or ship them.

Days 5-6: Harvest, Mining, and Deeper Exploration

By Day 5, your Parsnips should be ready for harvest!

1. Harvest Parsnips and Replant: Harvest your Parsnips. Aim to have harvested at least 15 Parsnips to ensure Farming Level 1 and unlock the Scarecrow recipe. If you have fewer than 15, consider restarting the day to optimize your early progress.

2. Buy New Seeds: Visit Pierre’s General Store. Purchase another 10-20 Parsnip Seeds to replant. Also, buy one Green Bean Starter and one Potato Seed for crop variety and to test out different growth times.

3. Mine is Open: You should receive mail from the Joja Corporation announcing the debris is cleared from the Mines. Head to the Mines east of town to explore this new area.

4. Mining Introduction: Enter the Mine and meet Marlon at the entrance. He will give you a Rusted Sword to defend yourself against monsters in the mine. Marlon will then leave, allowing you to explore the Mines.

5. Early Mining Strategy: If you have already managed to buy the upgraded backpack, now is a good time to venture into the Mines. Aim to reach Floor 5 to unlock the elevator. This will allow you to start future mining trips directly from Floor 5.

6. Mine in Increments: In the early game, limit your mine explorations to around 5 floors at a time, unless you find a significantly better weapon in a fishing treasure chest, which can sometimes happen.

7. Bait and Slime Management: Craft all Bug Meat you collect in the Mines into Bait. Even though you can’t use bait with the Bamboo Rod yet, store it in a chest for future use. Similarly, stash any Slime you collect for potential crafting or selling later.

8. Day 6 Mining Goals: If it didn’t rain on Day 5 and you reached Floor 5, aim to reach Floor 10 on Day 6, again, unless it rains. If it rained on Day 5 and you fished, spend Day 6 exploring the first 5 floors of the Mines (unless it rains again, in which case, prioritize river fishing).

9. Hill-top Farm Well (Hill-top Farm Specific): If you chose the Hill-top Farm, prioritize gathering enough stone to build a Well near your house. A Well significantly simplifies watering crops on this map, making your farm management more efficient.

By following these steps in your first week, you’ll establish a solid foundation in farming, fishing, and mining, setting you well on your way to a successful and enjoyable Stardew Valley experience. Remember to continuously aim for that backpack upgrade to ease your farming and foraging tasks!