We’re starting a new series at IGN called The Long Game, where we focus on things you can invest in early in new or popular games that will pay off in the long run. We’re starting this series with Stardew Valley, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary this year and is one of the most successful indie games of all time.
If you’ve never played Stardew Valley before, it’s a farming and life sim where you leave your job at a soulless corporation to manage a farm left to you by your deceased grandfather. The farm has seen better days, so it’s up to you to restore it to its former glory. That means clearing the land, tilling the soil, planting and watering seeds, and upgrading your home and equipment to gather items more efficiently.
As you might expect, those upgrades cost money. There are several ways to make that money, like fishing and mining, but harvesting and selling crops is the best way to keep a steady stream of income. And there are four specific plants that are the most cost-effective options at your disposal.
But before we get into those specific plants, we have some general farming tips for you to be aware of. First, you normally need to water your seeds every day for them to properly grow. But if it’s a rainy day, you can skip that step and let Mother Nature handle it for you. Check the TV in your farmhouse to see the weather report, which will tell you when rain is coming and help you plan ahead.
We also highly recommend crafting scarecrows and sprinklers as soon as you’re able to. Birds can sometimes swoop in and eat the crops you worked hard to grow, but scarecrows prevent that. And sprinklers will automatically water the area around them, allowing you to skip hand watering even when it’s not raining.
And finally, the seasons change every 28 days in Stardew Valley and almost every crop is seasonal, meaning they will wither when a new season begins. Since the game starts in spring, those are the crops we’ll be focusing on to gain wealth as early as possible and set you up for success.
This starter crop will be the foundation on which you build the rest of your farming journey. You get your first few seeds for free, and after that you can buy more for 20 gold each at Pierre’s General Store. They grow in four days, then can be sold back to Pierre for 35 gold each. Getting back nearly double what you paid for them can really add up in the long run, and it’s a good idea to keep a handful of parsnips planted throughout your first spring.
Because they have such a short growth time, if you stagger them with other crops, you’ll have consistent money coming in. But of course, this is just the start. Once you’ve made a little cash, you can incorporate the next crop into the mix.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.ign.com/articles/the-long-game-the-4-best-crops-to-invest-in-early-in-stardew-valley
