Stardew Valley isn't just a game about farming. Players will also need to use some other skills to build a life in the valley. One of these skills is foraging, which is used when picking up items in the wild, chopping trees, and collecting syrup and sap.

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While foraging, the player will level up their Foraging skill, unlocking Professions that grant some neat bonuses. However, it can be hard to choose between the Profession options the game presents. For anyone who needs help deciding, here's an outline of what each Profession does, as well as which to choose.

Foraging Professions Summary

The Foraging skill doesn't just pertain to picking up forageables. It's also concerned with chopping trees and harvesting syrups and sap. Leveling up the Foraging skill will grant Axe proficiency, meaning it'll require less energy to use.

Here's an overview of the Profession choices:

Foraging Professions, Explained

Level 5 Choices

The two paths that branch out from Foraging Level 5 have very different uses. Forester and its Level 10 choices look to trees, while Gatherer and its Level 10 choices are concerned with more direct foraging of items out of the wilderness.

> Forester

Those players who constantly find themselves short on wood will benefit from the Forester Profession. It causes 25% more wood to drop when the player chops down trees, stumps, or big logs.

> Gatherer

Anyone who is more interested in the direct approach to foraging — picking up stuff off the ground — should choose Gatherer. It adds a 20% chance for double harvest when foraging. This means that, one-fifth of the time, a Gatherer will pick up two copies of a forageable. This can be very useful for collecting mushrooms and Spring Onions to sell for a bit of gold in the early game.

Gatherer Chosen - Level 10 Choices

Players who choose to follow the Gatherer Profession branch will be offered two new skills at Level 10, both of which are focused on the forageable items that can be found around the valley.

> Botanist

Ever notice how forageable items can come in varying qualities? With the Botanist Profession, they'll always be of their highest respective quality. This applies to Truffles found by Pigs, too, meaning they'll always be iridium-quality, and they'll come in pairs 20% of the time because of the Gatherer Profession bonus from Level 5.

> Tracker

Perhaps the most interesting Profession in the game, Tracker might not be the most useful. It creates small arrows on the edges of the player's screen that guide them toward forageables and, interestingly, artifact spots and shining spots in the water where they can pan for ore and other items (if unlocked). The arrows are kind of small, so those who play on PC might want to grab one of the mods that improve the arrows' helpfulness.

Forester Chosen - Level 10 Choices

After choosing Forester at Level 5, the game will offer more bonuses that apply to working with trees at Level 10.

> Lumberjack

Players who wish to become the next Paul Bunyan would like the Lumberjack trait for its title alone. However, its use extends beyond that to something that almost anyone could benefit from: it unlocks the ability for any type of tree to drop Hardwood. No more heading to the Secret Woods to farm Hardwood every day!

> Tapper

Anyone who's managed to build up a pretty good fleet of Tappers should consider the aptly-named Tapper Profession. With it, all types of syrup will sell for 25% more gold. This includes Maple Syrup, Oak Resin, and Pine Tar. These items have many uses and won't typically be sold in huge quantities, but the option is there for whoever could use it.

Best Foraging Professions in Stardew Valley

> Gatherer & Botanist

Hands down, the best Foraging Professions are Gatherer at Level 5 and Botanist at Level 10. This is especially true when raising Pigs. The Truffles that these Pigs find will always be iridium quality, and the player will pick up two Truffles instead of one 20% of the time. Build a couple of Oil Makers and the cash will come rolling in.

Raising just one single Pig will surpass the revenue of Tapper with ease. One jug of Maple Syrup (the most profitable syrup) with the Tapper Profession generates 250g, while the base price of Truffle Oil is 1,065g (1,491g with Artisan). Even an unprocessed Truffle sells for 625g at its base price. Additionally, Pigs will produce Truffles basically every day if they're happy and fed, whereas Maple Trees take nine days to produce syrup (down to four with a Heavy Tapper). Botanist is far and away the more profitable option.

Here's a table showing the price difference between raising Pigs with Botanist versus the Tapper Profession:

Note: There are six Hardwood stumps in the Secret Woods, all of which respawn once per day. Each drops two pieces of Hardwood, and a piece of Hardwood Fence takes one Hardwood to craft. Hardwood can be obtained in even larger quantities with the Lumberjack Profession, by selecting the Forest Farm or Four Corners layouts at the beginning of the game, and some other methods.

Anyone who has their heart set on Forester should choose Lumberjack at Level 10. Tapper is considered by many fans to be one of the worst Professions in the game, for good reason. Even using the extra Hardwood from Lumberjack to make Hardwood Fences and selling them for 10g each could add up to more than a jug of Maple Syrup quickly.

Stardew Valley is available on PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, and iOS.

MORE: Stardew Valley: Farming Profession Guide