Your Stardew Valley guide starts here

On day one, use your scythe to clear weeds and your axe to chop small stumps — both drop mixed seeds and wood you need early. Collect 50 pieces of wood and craft a chest before your inventory fills up. Then visit Pierre's General Store (open until 5 pm) to buy extra Parsnip Seeds and till as much soil as you can before 2 am. A bigger first planting means a noticeably better first harvest on day five.

Farming is your long-term income engine, but fishing beats it for raw gold in the very early game because it needs no seeds or sprinklers. Mining is essential too — you need ore to upgrade your watering can and pickaxe, which multiply farming efficiency. A practical first-week split: plant whatever crops you can afford, fish in spare evening time to build gold, and start exploring the mine from Spring 5 onward so you unlock copper tools before Summer.

Strawberries bought at the Spring Egg Festival (Spring 13) and replanted across a cleared field carry Spring. Blueberries are Summer's standout — they regrow every four days and drop multiple berries per harvest. In Fall, Cranberries and Pumpkins both deliver strong returns. On top of crops, process your produce: wine kegs and preserves jars turn ordinary crops into artisan goods worth two to three times the raw value.

Buy the Bamboo Pole from Willy on Spring 2 and fish every day to raise your fishing skill — each level widens the green bar in the minigame, making catches easier. Once you hit Fishing Level 2, return to Willy's shop and purchase the Fiberglass Rod so you can attach bait (halves bite time). Fishing on rainy days is especially rewarding: Catfish appear in the river and sell for 200g each. The Training Rod (25g from Willy) is a helpful stepping stone if you find the minigame frustrating at first.