The first year of any Stardew Valley playthrough is about making money, and players must be careful about what they spend it on. The most profitable crops tend to be worth more in seed form, resulting in players having to carefully budget for the present and the future, ensuring they get the most out of what they can grow on their farms.
So it would be wise for Stardew Valley players to save where they can, and not spend their hard-earned money on unnecessary items. Especially if those things are available for free, with just an additional amount of patience and strategy involved.
6 Boots
While not necessary, players will need boots to make the most of mining in Stardew Valley. They provide defense and immunity buffs against the monsters lurking in there, with some being extremely valuable.
Boots can be bought at the Adventurer’s Guild, but they are commonly found in reward chests within the mines for free. There’s also a chance for them to be randomly dropped by enemies, and sometimes boots can be found in treasure chests caught while fishing. The best boots for players to get their hands on are the Space Boots and Mermaid Boots. The Space Boots are a reward for reaching the 110th floor of the mines, while the Mermaid Boots can be found in chests within the Volcano Dungeon on Ginger Island.
5 Ore & Coal
It is possible not to go in the mines during a Stardew Valley playthrough, but the dangerous levels hold a vast amount of valuable resources, including ore and coal. Both are sold by Clint at the Blacksmiths, but the price for each will increase past the second year, with Gold Ore capping out at an eye-watering 750g each.
There’s an abundance of ore in the mines as players reach deeper levels. Sure, farming coal can be a bit of a challenge, as they will have to rely on luck and whether they’ve chosen the Prospector Profession. But coal can be found on mine carts and brown miners’ bags throughout the levels. It can also be dropped by enemies like Dust Sprites, Red, Purple, and Black Slimes, in addition to Golems and Shadow Brutes.
4 Wood & Stone
Wood and stone can be bought at the Carpenter’s Shop, but players don’t get a discount by befriending Robin. Wood costs 10g to 50g each, while stone costs 20g to 100g. As both are common materials for building and crafting, there’s thankfully plenty to be found on The Farm, as well as other areas around Stardew Valley and on Ginger Island.
To keep from running out of trees on The Farm, make sure to leave some stumps, as these will spread seeds in the surrounding area that will sprout into trees over time. As for rocks, they are always in the Mine, but they do respawn on the Farm and in the Quarry daily.
3 Hardwood Fence
Players can craft a hardwood fence at Level 6 of the Farming skill. It requires one piece of hardwood to create, which can be obtained by felling Mahogany trees or chopping up large logs and stumps. These fences last for between 558 to 562 days before they degrade and need to be replaced.
Though easy to craft, the Hardwood Fence can also be bought from the Casino for 100 Qi coins, amounting to 1,000g. But seeing how easy it is to obtain hardwood thanks to the introduction of Mahogany trees in the 1.5 update, there’s no point in spending money on this fence when there are so many other cool things to save Qi coins up for.
2 Solar Essence
Once players get deep into the Mines, they’ll start to encounter stronger enemies like Ghosts, Squid Kids, Mummies, and Metal Heads. Each enemy has a chance of dropping an item known as Solar Essence, which is used to make things like Mega Bombs and Hyper Speed-Gro. Players will also need a piece of Solar Essence as part of Mr. Qui’s strange requests.
This piece of Monster Loot can be purchased from Krobus for 80g each. However, seeing as enemies regularly drop this item, it can be gathered relatively quickly and easily.
1 Void Essence
Void Essence is another piece of Monster Loot dropped by even more formidable foes within the Mine and Skull Cavern. These include Shadow Brutes, Haunted Skulls, Serpents, and Shadow Shamans. While Void Essence is only used in two recipes (Mega Bombs and the Iridium Band), the items players can create are helpful for exploration. Players can also use Void Essence to create an Arcane Shirt with the sewing machine.
Once again, Krobus sells this Monster Loot at his shop for 100g each. And like with the Solar Essence, players can quickly amass a collection of Void Essence without realizing it due to the number of monsters usually slain within the Mine or Skull Cavern.
Stardew Valley is out now on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.