Soft (easy) challenge runs

[Giant Octopodes]

I really enjoyed my "flower power" run (only flowers and flower byproducts), going the Joja route it was very chill and easy but fun and thematic.

"Self Found Only" (no purchasing items from shops, upgrades are ok but no items) is significantly harder but still not too bad in the grand scheme of things. It really does force you to look at things very differently. As with most challenge runs I find completing the Joja route to be a good metric for completion. Please let us know what you decide on, and best of luck!

 

[Colleen&Potato]

I’ve seen people do things like making a new profile and trying to complete the community center in one year. I don’t know if that’s something you’ve already done or something you’d even want to do, but it could be fun. After I get perfection (it will happen one day!!), I might get rid of everything I own (stuff in the chests, furniture, buildings, animals, crops, etc.) and spend all of my money so that I have nothing and try and build it all back up again. I could ruin my life or it could be fun and challenging, who knows? Preferably it doesn’t end in me crying on the floor because I made a huge mistake.

 

[FilthyGorilla]

I’ve seen people do things like making a new profile and trying to complete the community center in one year. I don’t know if that’s something you’ve already done or something you’d even want to do, but it could be fun. After I get perfection (it will happen one day!!), I might get rid of everything I own (stuff in the chests, furniture, buildings, animals, crops, etc.) and spend all of my money so that I have nothing and try and build it all back up again. I could ruin my life or it could be fun and challenging, who knows? Preferably it doesn’t end in me crying on the floor because I made a huge mistake.

I would reccomend a backup :P.
Good luck.

 

[Elenna101]

What I call the Asshole Challenge: Get 4 candles from Grandpa without gaining a single point of friendship with any NPC or animal. You decide if you're allowed to have a stable, or beehives, since technically those don't involve friendship with the animals in question. Either reject the pet or just don't ever pet/water it. (I basically made this up to make getting the Joja achievement more fun for me, although you don't technically need to do Joja to do it, you just can't do the bulletin board in the community center.)

This requires 1 million total gold earned, level 10 in every skill, the Master Angler (catch every fish), the Skull Key from the bottom of the mines, and the Rusty Key from donating 60 items to the museum. Alternately, you can complete the whole museum and get rid of either Master Angler, Skull Key, or some of the skills. That seems more tedious to me, but if you don't like fishing, you have the option to finish the museum instead of doing Master Angler. For extra challenge you could set a time limit - this can be done by winter of year 1, although of course you can't actually get the 4 candles till end of year 2.

 

[LRangerR]

What I call the Asshole Challenge:.................

You're a monster D;

 

[hexnessie]

Either reject the pet or just don't ever pet/water it.

::

Impossible!

I'd rather chew off my own foot! I'd rather put myself through a Mayo machine!

 

[450735]

My current run is a combination of heartbreaker (and no, I'm not carrying a rabbit's foot in my pocket. Now all the girls hate me but it was worth the cutsecene), remixed CC bundles, no brewing alcohol at all (except for quests), restricted coffee (can brew, sell and gift, but not drink) and full no-wiki, so I have to rely on memory, trial and error and in-game clues.

Not super hard since I have a good memory and clues are plentiful, but some quests are tricky when you do not remember what to do. I also do not restrict my forum browsing; if I stumble upon a more strategy-oriented topic like the tea sapling one, fine by me.

 

[LRangerR]

Oooooo, a no-wiki run might be interesting, actually

 

[Sophie]

I'm also thinking vaguely of a "Shops open only on the last day of season" challenge

I am presently doing a Oneness challenge - buying only one seed of each type per season from any shop. Haven't got to the animals yet, but planning on only one white chicken and cow, one brown chicken and cow, one sheep, etc etc. Only one shed, one fish pond.

Did a Critter-free challenge - no barn/coop animals. If you are using remixed bundles, one potential bundle is undoable for this challenge though...

 

[FarmerJoJo]

I’m gearing up for a anti-Pierre, anti-Joja run. No buying anything from Joja and you can only buy the backpack upgrades, bouquet and catalog from Pierre. But, the traveling merchant, the Oasis, Krobus and the night market shops are fine. This would mean not completing the community center until year 2 unless you get really lucky with the traveling cart.

This is on my list as well, but I was thinking of extending it to a broader 'buy only experiences' run. So no bait from Willy, only fishing rods. Buildings from Robin, but no wood. And limit the seed purchases to those necessary for the Community Center.

 

[Giant Octopodes]

This is on my list as well, but I was thinking of extending it to a broader 'buy only experiences' run. So no bait from Willy, only fishing rods. Buildings from Robin, but no wood. And limit the seed purchases to those necessary for the Community Center.

No seeds needed if you go the Joja route ;-). Nor then do you need animals, hay, heaters, milk pails, or any other items. There’s lots of negative to say about the Joja route but not forcing you to purchase anything or engage in any specific activities to complete it is definitely one of the positives.

 

[LRangerR]

No seeds needed if you go the Joja route ...

How dare. But if you're doing a themed run i understand it.

 

[Elenna101]

You're a monster D;

Lol, yeah, maybe. The whole point was that if Steam was going to make me do Joja for an achievement, I was going to lean into it. :D

 

[LRangerR]

Lol, yeah, maybe. The whole point was that if Steam was going to make me do Joja for an achievement, I was going to lean into it. :D

Now you just need a fish tank full of lobsters and no decor next to the kitchen for when you make your bisque. I'm trying to think of little things now that would make your farm worse. Arguably fish ponds would be considered "making friends" with them, unless you never do the pond's fetch quests. It's viable for some fish but not all, given how they reproduce. Maybe fill every possible space you can with crab pots across all maps and get the no-bait perk. That would look terrible.

 

[Giant Octopodes]

Now you just need a fish tank full of lobsters and no decor next to the kitchen for when you make your bisque. I'm trying to think of little things now that would make your farm worse. Arguably fish ponds would be considered "making friends" with them, unless you never do the pond's fetch quests. It's viable for some fish but not all, given how they reproduce. Maybe fill every possible space you can with crab pots across all maps and get the no-bait perk. That would look terrible.

You can specifically pull out any fish and just leave the trash until it's all trash, too.

 

[LRangerR]

You can specifically pull out any fish and just leave the trash until it's all trash, too.

I laughed way too hard at this.

Maybe repave all of pellican town with ugly dirt roads or something.

 

[Elenna101]

Now you just need a fish tank full of lobsters and no decor next to the kitchen for when you make your bisque. I'm trying to think of little things now that would make your farm worse. Arguably fish ponds would be considered "making friends" with them, unless you never do the pond's fetch quests. It's viable for some fish but not all, given how they reproduce. Maybe fill every possible space you can with crab pots across all maps and get the no-bait perk. That would look terrible.

I did that challenge before fish ponds existed, but yeah, I probably would have considered that "making friends". I like the "cover everything with trash-filled crab pots" idea, though, although I'm not playing on that file anymore.
Also, I named that character A. S. Shole. :D