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Since a lot of items can only be dropped by mobs in Stardew Valley, players will likely need to do some monster hunting if they wish to gather much of their required goods. As such, picking up a decent weapon to hack and slash many a slime would be well worth the time.
To determine which weapons are the best, players should take note of their stats. Not every weapon possesses bonus stats in addition to their base damage, but those that do are usually much more powerful and should be used over weapons that lack these additional bonuses. There are 5 main Weapon Stats in Stardew Valley that players should keep in mind when going into battle.
What The Weapon Speed Stat Does In Stardew Valley
There are 2 types of Speed in the game: Player Speed and Weapon Speed. Player Speed is how fast the player can move around, while Weapon Speed is how quickly one can attack with a weapon.
Weapons with a higher Weapon Speed stat understandably will allow players to strike foes more frequently, and, as such, is a great stat to look for on potential weapons. Keep in mind that there are weapons in the game that possess negative Weapon Speed stats, meaning that they will be slower in combat, so be sure to check each weapon carefully before bringing it into a dark and dangerous area for some mob farming.
What The Defense Stat Does In Stardew Valley
Defense is the stat that determines how much damage the player takes from incoming enemy attacks. For every 1 point of Defense, damage reduction will increase by 1 for a very easy-to-calculate damage equation. For example, if a player would take 5 damage from the attack of an enemy, one would be able to decrease the incoming damage to 4 if gamers put on a piece of equipment that grants 1 Defense.
In addition to bonus Defense appearing on a fair number of weapons in-game, there are other ways that the player can increase this vital statistic. Players can eat certain foods to increase their Defense stat temporarily or equip specific Footwear to gain a permanent buff as long as the piece of equipment is being worn.
What The Weight Stat Does In Stardew Valley
Contrary to how equipment Weight stats are usually implemented in games, the Weight statistic in Stardew Valley can only affect a player positively. The higher the Weight stat of a weapon, the farther one will be able to knock foes back with it.
This knockback mechanic is particularly important when combating multiple enemies at once, as being able to control the spacing in more complex confrontations will make clearing foes out much easier, especially in smaller areas where there isn't as much room to maneuver. In addition to Weight appearing as a stat on many weapons, there is also a ring that can increase the amount of knockback one deals to enemies by +10% called the Amethyst Ring.
What The Critical Chance Stat Does In Stardew Valley
Thanks to the straightforward naming conventions in Stardew Valley, most players will be able to glean that the Critical Chance stat determines how often a weapon will unleash a more powerful blow. Every weapon has a base percentage chance to perform a critical hit, though these odds can be increased through a couple of different means.
Players can equip the Aquamarine Ring to gain a greater chance to deal a critical hit (+10%) as well as utilize the combat profession skill Scout to raise one's Critical Chance by a massive 50%.
What The Critical Power Stat Does In Stardew Valley
Another stat that affects critical hits is the Critical Power stat, which determines how much overall damage one can deal to an enemy when the player lands a critical hit. The damage calculation is as follows:
- [base Damage stat of a weapon x (3 + Critical Power stat / 50)] - enemy Defense stat = Overall Damage
For example, a weapon that has a base Damage stat of 10 and a Critical Power of 5 attacking an enemy with 1 Defense will have the following equation:
- [10 x (3 + 5/50)] - 1 = 30
In addition to appearing as a stat on many weapons, players can increase their Critical Power stat by equipping the Jade ring, which grants +10% Critical Power.
Stardew Valley is available on Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita, iOS, and Android.
