Summary
Crafting is a mechanic inStardew Valleythat players will want to utilize if they intend on making a profit. As Skill Levels rise, players will unlock more crafting recipes that can make farming easier, increase the quality of animal goods, etc.
Players that are just starting theirStardew Valleycampaign may find themselves overwhelmed at everything the game has to offer. There are a handful of crafting recipes that are available at the beginning, but there are also some mechanisms that should be created as soon as they’re unlocked. Thus, players will want to be consistent in leveling the Five Skills: Farming, Mining, Foraging, Fishing, and Combat.
Required Materials
Before clearing away the debris on the brand-new farm, players will want to chop down enough trees to get 50 pieces of wood. These can then be used to craft aChest, which can store up to 36 items. Since the player character will only have one line/bar of inventory/space, they’ll need a place to deposit materials they won’t need right away.
Chests aren’tthe most exciting thing thatcan be crafted inStardew Valley, but they’re arguably one of the most useful. As such, they’re the first thing that players will want to craft There’s no limit to how many Chests can be placed on the farm or inside the farmhouse. They can even have their color changed to make it easier to organize items.
When leaving the farmhouse, sometimes there will be a crow pecking at the garden. Unfortunately, crows are the bane ofStardew Valleycrops, but they can be kept away with the help of aScarecrow. Unlike the chest, the Scarecrow recipe unlocks at Level 1 Farming. The quickest way to level up Farming is to harvest crops, which can be tricky if crows take a liking to the property.
Scarecrows cover 8 “blocks” north, south east, and west; they cover 6 “blocks” northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest. There are also Rarecrows, which are special Scarecrows that can be bought at Stardew Valley fairs. Unlike the regular Scarecrow,Rarecrows cannot be crafted. Their “rarity” doesn’t mean they cover more land, by the way. Their range is the same as the average Scarecrow, but having different types can style the garden.
Iridium Sprinkler
Sprinklers are another Farming craft that should be made as soon as they’re unlocked. Regular Sprinklers unlock at Farming Level 2, Quality Sprinklers at Farming Level 6, and Iridium Sprinklers at Farming Level 9. Each type will water the crops every morning, but the range of the Sprinklers depends on the type:
Unfortunately for those that chose the Beach Farm, they won’t be able to use Sprinklers on the sand. However, there’s a patch of land to the southwest that’s ideal for farming. The tree trunks can be removed with the Steel Axe.
Once players get their first Copper Ore, they’ll be visited by Clint, the blacksmith, the following day. This will unlock the Furnace crafting recipe. While players will need to make a Furnace for a quest, they’ll want to craft a handful once they have access to the materials. Many Artisan Equipment require materials such as an Iron Bar or a Copper Bar, so it’s important to have more than one Furnace on the farm.
A Furnace will melt x5 of any Ore (ex: Copper, Iron, Gold) with x1 Coal into x1 Bar.The type of Orewill determine how long it takes for a Bar to be made. An Iridium Bar will take 8 hours (in-game) whereas a Copper Bar will take 30 minutes (in-game).
New players will quickly realize that Stardew Valley gets very dark in the evening. If they’re running back home from the Mines, it can be hard to see. Because of this, players will want to level up their Mining to unlock the Glowstone Ring recipe. This will light up the player character’s surroundings, but it will also extend the reach for collecting items. It’s essentially a Glow Ring and a Magnet Ring put into one.
The Glowstone Ring is very useful if players like to walk around Stardew Valley at night. Its magnetism effect makes it very useful when gathering materials - especially those close to water. The Glowstone Ring can eventually be swapped out for the Iridium Ring, which hasthe same effects as the Glowstoneonly with an added 10% to attack power. However, for beginners, the Glowstone Ring is the way to go.
Coops can be made by Robin for 4000g, 300 Wood, and 100 Stone. They have a max capacity of 4, which can be expanded if players choose to upgrade it into a Big Coop and Deluxe Coop. As their name indicates, a Coop can house chickens. Once chickens mature, they’ll start laying Eggs that can be sold, cooked, or turned into mayonnaise with the Mayonnaise Machine. Mayo will sell more than a plain Egg, so if players want toget some profit out of the Coop, they’ll want to have some Mayonnaise Machines on the farm.
Mayonnaise Machines will work with any kind of Egg. While Chicken Eggs are the most common, Duck Eggs can be used to make Duck Mayonnaise, and Dino Eggs can be used to make Dinosaur Mayonnaise. In fact, Dinosaur Mayonnaise is required for the final Junimo Package. Players can increase the profit gained from mayonnaise by selecting the Tiller Profession (Level 5 Farming) and the Artisan Profession (Level 10 Farming).
Just like Coops, Barns can be placed on the farm as well. These can houselivestock such as cows, but to get goats, sheep, and pigs, they’ll need to upgrade the Barn. Cows produce Milk every day just as chickens make Eggs every day. They can be milked with the Milk Pail or Auto Grabber. It’s possible to sell Milk as it is, but it’ll sell more if it’s turned into Cheese via the Cheese Presser. Once players unlock goats (Big Barn), they can start making Goat Milk and Goat Cheese, which sells more than regular/cow Milk/Cheese.
Cheese quality will never exceed gold star on its own. To get iridium quality Cheese, players will need to completely upgrade their farmhouse. The final upgrade will open the Cellar and unlock the Cask recipe. Cheese (and Wine) can then be placed in a Cask to age all the way up to iridium quality. This is a great, albeit slower, way to make money.
Bee Houses can be frustrating to craftif players haven’t been using Tappers. A Tapper can be placed on a Maple Tree to gather Maple Syrup. It can also be used on Oak Trees to get Oak Resin and Pine Trees to get Pine Tar. Once players have the required materials for theBee House, they should craft one and place it near any flowers that they’re growing in their garden. Bees will gather Wild Honey (which is a crafting resource), but the type of Honey will change if a flower is within five tiles of the Bee House.
A good strategy to make money with the Bee Houses is toplant a Fairy Rose(available in Fall). Once the flower is in full bloom, bees will continue to gather Fairy Rose Honey, which sells for 680g or 952g (with the Artisan Profession). Craft several Bee Hives and plant them around a Fairy Rose to gather Fairy Rose Honey in large quantities. So long as the flower isn’t plucked, bees will gather [Flower] Honey.
