With dozens upon dozens of craftable tools, structures, and equipment, the developer of Stardew Valley offers players innumerable ways to build and customize the farm of their dreams. This level of personalization and narrative freedom gives the game significant replay value, and the chance to explore new friendships, crafts, and designs with each playthrough.
However, with so many different craftable items, it can sometimes be difficult to know where to obtain the resources needed to craft these items, and what tools will need to be prepared to harvest the resources. Demystifying what these resources are and where to obtain them will go a long way in helping players get the most out of Stardew Valley.
12 Fiber
Likely the first resource players will encounter when starting a new game, fiber can be gathered using a scythe from the numerous weeds scattered around the player's farm.
Additionally, if the player selects the "Wilderness Farm" in the character creation tab, they can encounter "Wilderness Golems," which have a high chance of dropping fiber when defeated. If this approach is taken, any damage-dealing tool will suffice, but a sword or better is recommended.
11 Wood
One of the more abundant resources in Stardew Valley, wood can be gathered through any number of means. Early in the game, wood can be found scattered on the ground near trees and stumps.
Additionally, wood can be obtained by chopping down trees using an ax or purchased from the Carpenter's Shop between 9 AM and 5 PM for 10 gold apiece.
10 Hardwood
Once players have upgraded their ax beyond the entry-level ax, rarer crafting materials will become available to them. A prime example of this is hardwood, a crafting material that can only be obtained once the player has obtained a copper or steel ax.
Using these upgraded tools on Tree Stumps or Old Logs will yield anywhere between two and eight hardwood, respectively. Hardwood can also be obtained (though rarely) in chests and barrels found in the mine.
9 Coal
Of all the numerous crafting materials available to the player, coal holds the unique distinction of having the most possible ways of being obtained. For starters, breaking rocks with a pickaxe has a small chance of yielding coal, as well as being a possible drop from an extracted geode.
Coal can also be purchased from the Blacksmith for 100 gold per lump or obtained through recycling. For a more hands-off approach, players can simply find coal washed up on the shores of the beach during Fall, or through burning 10 pieces of wood in a Charcoal Kiln.
8 Clay
Clay is one of a few resources with numerous different ways to obtain it. The first one players are likely to encounter is when they begin tilling the ground for the first time, with every space of regular ground having a chance to yield clay.
Additionally, using a hoe on the ground with worms or twigs can double (or even triple) clay yields on that space. Clay can also be discovered by smashing geodes at the Blacksmith's shop and smashing rocks with a regular pickaxe or better.
7 Stone
Perhaps the most straightforward of all Stardew Valley crafting materials, stone can be found very early on in-game by smashing rocks with a pickaxe. These can be found on the player's farm, in the cave, and in great abundance in the mine.
Additionally, stone can be purchased from the Carpenter's Shop for 20 gold per stone for those flush with cash.
6 Copper Ore
In a similar vein to coal, copper ore has a random chance to be obtained from any rocks smashed with a pickaxe. If players are attempting to maximize their copper ore production, stick to the first 39 levels of the mine, as copper ore is most commonly found in rocks at these depths.
They can also be obtained by smashing geodes at the Blacksmith's shop.
5 Iron Ore
Located in rocks in the mine at levels 40 and below, iron ore is an abundant metal resource that requires no special mining equipment to obtain (other than the base level pickaxe).
Additionally, there is a smaller chance that players will receive iron ore when smashing frozen geodes at the Blacksmith's shop (or any higher level geode).
4 Gold Ore
Gold ore is likely the most difficult to obtain of the basic ores. Located in rocks at levels 80-199, players will have to spend a significant amount of time exploring the mine before they encounter gold.
However, once these depths have been reached, gold ore can be mined with a base level pickaxe, and no additional equipment will be required. Gold can also be obtained by paying Clint to smash Omni geodes at his workshop in town.
3 Quartz
Quartz is an unusual resource, as it is one of the few that is discovered in the mine but cannot be mined using the pickaxe. It can be discovered in any of the mine's levels but is seemingly more commonly found in the mine's upper levels.
Quartz can be combined with coal in a furnace to create refined quartz, an important crafting material for those attempting to build a sprinkler system on their farm.
2 Iridium Ore
Obtaining this ore requires the player to have spelunked the mines thoroughly. Available almost exclusively between levels 110 and 119, iridium ore can be obtained by smashing rocks with purple veins.
Additionally, the ore can be found by taking molten geodes (found between levels 81-120) to the blacksmith in town. Be sure to bring the required 100 gold to crack the geode.
1 Battery Pack
The battery pack may be the most RNG dependant crafting material, as it can only be obtained after the player constructs a Lightning Rod on his/her farm. However, the Lightning Rod itself can't accomplish much until a thunderstorm rolls through Pelican Town, and lighting strikes the Rod.
If the player doesn't have the level six crafting skill required to assemble the Rod, it can still be obtained as a reward from the Fishing Tackle 10,000 bundle.