Kitchen or Coop first?

[TruePurple]

Should I save up for a kitchen or build a coop first? One problem with kitchen first is there isn't much I can cook yet.I got recipes that require eggs or milk. survival burger requires eggplant which I can't grow till fall.

Radish salad which requires vinegar, which seems to be something one can't produce and buying it costs more than any recipe made with it sells for. So I guess for the moment stir-fry, but that would require me buying up alot of kale seeds and quickly growing before the season ends. I already got alot of crops out that take a long time to water. And I want to spend my money on a copper axe so I can get some stumps out of the way of my farming and get some hardwood.

So, coop first and make mayonnaise? (after copper axe?)

 

[imnvs]

I say get the coop first. Save up ingredients as you go, and that way, when you're at the point where you say, "Yeah, I need to start cooking," you'll have plenty to cook with. Usually, to be honest, I'll have a big coop and big barn (upgraded versions of those) both before I get me a kitchen. That way I have eggs and milk, and maybe even mayo and cheese to cook with already ready to go when I start cranking out the meals.

Also, protip: Watch Queen of the Sauce on your TV to learn more recipes. It plays a new episode every Sunday for the first 2 years. Then it repeats. Wednesdays it plays a rerun which will teach you a recipe you could have learned from it but missed.

 

[Uzzlegorf]

I usually get coop first. It makes more money than kitchen :)

 

[LRangerR]

And always remember that Pepper Poppers are your friend. You get the recipe after you become good enough friends with Shane.

 

[TruePurple]

I already got pepper poppers recipes, but that needs cows (coops only hold chickens I think?) and a kitchen as well. Do I need to build a coop before I build a barn?

Should I upgrade both axe and watering can to copper before building coop? Or maybe just axe? Because with regular watering can you can hold it down and water spaces one after another, you can't do that with copper, right?

Also, should I wait to chop logs with copper axe for lucky days for more hardwood from cutting? Wiki says luck increases wood from trees, but does it increase hardwood from trees?

Is it true you can make things into big crops by 3x3 block and watering just the center? And the only way to water the grown crops is to select the watering can and press c if your cursor isn't over it?

 

[LRangerR]

A lot of the things are asking is part of the game that you should be figuring out yourself. There's no "wrong way to play" Stardew Valley, and so you should just feel free to explore it at your own pace. There's literally no penalty for going to slow in this game,

Spoiler

aside from maybe a Diamond to get regraded, but that's a drop in the ocean.[/ispoiler]

Have you been to Robin to see which buildings you can build already? If so then you might have a guess that you can build either the coop or barn first depending on what you feel like doing.

What happens with the regular watering can is it allows you to water multiple spaces at the same time.

As far as chopping wood goes, do you have Level 10 foraging?

For big crops, only certain crops grow into big versions (have you seen it yourself yet?). I believe it's only melon, pumpkin and cauliflower. I don't know if it's just by watering the center one or if it's by watering one of the corners, but It doesn't really matter because I always water ALL of the crops. (Also, you can use mouse clicks to water things, you don't need to use the keyboard only. Just fyi, i know everyone has a preferred way of playing.) In short, I don't really understand the point of your question about big crops.

 

[imnvs]

You do not need a coop before getting a barn.

You should upgrade everything as quickly as possible, but pickaxe is usually first for me because it helps me get ore faster for upgrading the others. After that... watering can usually gets upgrade when it is raining the next day. (Water plants today, get can upgrading, next day rains, next day if no rain still picking up can to water everything at home.) If I'm ready to upgrade and it isn't going to rain? Axe. (For watering cans and hoes, upgrading means being able to charge up and affect more spaces with one go, saving time and energy.)

Luck does not have an effect on how much hardwood you get from large stumps or large logs.

Large crops need a fully grown crop surrounded by 8 others of that crop, which need not be fully grown. Watering has nothing to do with it. What you might be thinking of is how some will try for a large crop by planting a 3x3 plot and after day 1 only water the center crop... and then when it matures they'll leave it sit there. Every night it sits there with a mature plant in the center surrounded by more of same the check will be made for a large crop. (I think it's a waste of time and space, and furthermore it isn't guaranteed to get you a large crop.)

 

[TruePurple]

Time wise, it doesn't take much time to simply do nothing with it but water the centers.
Any tips for watering a grown plant without picking it?
Money wise, early on when your low on cash letting things sit longer so you can get more money without having to invest anything more, absolutely worth it.
Space, not an issue for me right now.

Should I get a barn before a coop so I can make cheese?

 

[LRangerR]

Any tips for watering a grown plant without picking it?

Use an upgraded can.

Should I get a barn before a coop so I can make cheese?

That's really up to you buddy. Do you want cheese/milk more than you want eggs/mayo?
Also, are you going the CC route or Joja? Because if you're going to complete the Community Center (CC) then you'll need both a fully upgraded Barn and Coop by the end of all that anyways.

 

[PoppyForPenny]

In choosing what to do first/next, I let the game guide me. The thing you can (almost) afford is probably the thing you need. That mechanic is very similar to many tower defense or tycoon games. Each upgrade or building, starting with the cheapest, advances progress and profit for the next.

 

[BringsTheSnow]

If I am going CC, I base my next upgrade off of what will help complete the most number of bundles. L Goats milk, goat cheese, wool, duck feathers, rabbits foot, etc. Barn with goats and pigs is high profit so I usually go with those investments first.

Chickens and ducks are much cheaper to buy from Marnie though so it depends on how early you are in game and what your goals are.

Don't sweat the small stuff and have fun! A good way to review past choices is to go through your shipped items list at the end of the day and see what made you the most money. Then, try and do more of that or get that process set up earlier the next time you play.

 

[ISSsloth]

Make sure to have a silo before getting chickens, otherwise rainy days and winter will harm your chickens' friendships.

 

[TruePurple]

Silo before barn too? Between the cost of the silo, the cost of the chickens or cow and the cost of the coop or barn, a house upgrade would probably become available sooner.

 

[LRangerR]

The silo is extremely cheap. It shouldn't really factor into any major calculations, assuming you're calculating. Like i said dude, just play the game, make mistakes, and have fun with it. The game is nothing serious. Next time you play a game you'll know better about what you want to do once you reach this same junction. There's no penalty for making mistakes.

 

[PoppyForPenny]

The silo makes/stores hay when you cut grass. I usually fill it before building my coop but you don't have to. There are other ways to get hay. You can buy it, or collect it while harvesting wheat, which grows summer and fall. So you can make money off your animals while saving up for a silo, if you want.
There really is no right or wrong, win or lose. You don't even have to get animals if it doesn't sound fun! And you can always change your mind later.

 

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Silo before barn too? Between the cost of the silo, the cost of the chickens or cow and the cost of the coop or barn, a house upgrade would probably become available sooner.

Silo first, then whatever animal buildings you care to build. It does you no good to have animals if you cannot feed them, and Marnie charges some pretty steep prices for hay.

Coop is cheaper, you can set up a couple of mayo machines and make some decent income. Barn is more expensive, but cheese is both more profitable and useful as a food for mine diving once the salmonberries run out. I generally end up with one barn and one coop, because I typically try for the Year One CC Completion thing.

 

[Mici]

I misread this as chicken or coop first I'd go for coop but make sure to have enough hay and not buy too many chickens and run out of hay like I did once (had to sell all the chickens)

 

[Ghostlymostly96]

I always get a coop before a house upgrade. Selling eggs and mayonnaise can help you raise money for your future upgrade.