Mushrooms or Fruit bats?

[Apples]

Personally I go for the fruit cave because artisan bundle is a pain to complete early.

I know there is a lot of controversy over this but what's your opinion?

 

[Lew Zealand]

I always do Fruit because I find I can get enough Mushrooms for the Community Center while getting Hardwood in the Secret Woods once I open it.

But have I tried the Mushroom Cave yet... nope. I just don't like the Fruit Trees sitting out on the Farm producing nothing for 3 out of the 4 seasons, it feels like a waste but would necessary for completing the Fruit stuff for the CC when selecting the Mushroom Cave. I wonder what that perspective is for the Mushroom Cave people?

 

[One More Day]

I pick mushrooms unless I'm speedrunning the CC. Guaranteed early game money every day if you sell them, average is about 400g/day, which is pretty steady free cash in your first spring

IMO, the fruit is meh, and getting a bit of fruit for the Artisan bundle isn't enticing enough for me. Financially the fruit can't compete with the mushrooms

If you're doing the bundles, it's also a way to guarantee you eventually get a purple mushroom for the wizard bundle if you don't like the mines

Later in the game it doesn't matter what you chose, at least not financially, because both options are a drop in the ocean compared to what your farm will be earning each day

 

[Quirinea]

I've usually chosen mushrooms, now I intentionally tested fruit bats. My first attempts were blah. So is this. Very often nothing, and then salmonberry, blackberry, or plum, very rarely any fruit tree fruits. While mushroom cave gives a steady flow of mushrooms. I've had secret woods for some time and got to the bottom of mines and so far found not a single morel.

 

[imnvs]

I've usually chosen mushrooms, now I intentionally tested fruit bats. My first attempts were blah. So is this. Very often nothing, and then salmonberry, blackberry, or plum, very rarely any fruit tree fruits. While mushroom cave gives a steady flow of mushrooms. I've had secret woods for some time and got to the bottom of mines and so far found not a single morel.

You won't find Morels in the Mines. You won't find them in the mushroom cave on Ginger Island.

You will find them in a mushroom cave. You will find them in the Secret Woods in Spring only, and then they are still not common.

 

[LRangerR]

I prefer the shroom cave personally. I've tried fruits and was underwhelmed by it. Also, mushrooms have more value late-game if you are a certain type of player, and honestly, if you do it right, you can have plenty of fruit trees ready for harvest in year one. It'll be a bit of a crunch but it's totally possible.

I'd say that fruitbats are more casual friendly, while more experienced players will opt for the mushrooms.

 

[Quirinea]

You won't find Morels in the Mines. You won't find them in the mushroom cave on Ginger Island.

You will find them in a mushroom cave. You will find them in the Secret Woods in Spring only, and then they are still not common.

I have so far in all saves I have continued any longer had mushroom cave. So I did not pay attention to that. On this run I'm missing them.

 

[Jayamos]

I’ve tried both and am team mushroom. It’s so much easier to get rare mushrooms, they’re decent early mine food, and you can make Rasmodius very very happy. Plus fruit trees are pretty! And once they’re grown you can put grass under them for pasture.

 

[VampireCake]

I'm team fruit since I realized it's the only way to get silver and gold quality salmonberries. I still grow fruit trees anyway, I like them.

 

[450735]

Mushroom cave for me, so I can have a surefire source of morels. Fruit trees can be planted, mushrooms cannot. I'd rather not rely on luck or tight harvesting windows if I can avoid it. I prefer taking the safe route.

 

[Sigrah]

Fruit bats for me, it just helps me complete the artisan bundle that much quicker, provides some decent quality gifts in year 1, and I hardly use life elixirs anyways.

 

[Veracious]

First save I did mushrooms, then I tried bats on my niece's save she made, I was a little underwhelmed with the bats and found I struggled with finding mushrooms greatly as I didn't have much incentive to do it prior.

But late game neither are really needed but I would have to say mushrooms make me more money or save my hide when in need early game.

 

[Lenora Rose]

Morels are the key deciding factor, since you need them for life elixir and an early recipe. They really need to be available a *teensy* bit more outside the mushroom cave.

I like the concept of the fruit bat cave more, and I've used both. But mushrooms matter more early on.

(I also never rush the CC bundles since I don't remember to save cash for Friday or Sunday and/or check the merchant cart reliably enough to get the cabbage and I remixed the bundles.)

 

[FilthyGorilla]

Really depends on the playthrough, simple as that, most of the time I really don’t care and just do mushroom, if I did more cc speedrun type stuff then I’d do bats.

 

[nicodeux]

I always choose the fruit batcave.

If only Robin had a option to upgrade the fruit bats cave this way, that would settle down this discussion !

On a more serious note, I don't have a preference over the two caves, so every time I create a new farmer, I alternate between the two types of caves.

 

[MissDandy]

I've had files with both, but I think mushrooms are just more profitable. I also just try and grow fruit trees as early as possible, and once I've done that I really see no need for a fruit cave. But it is personal preference.

 

[Rhiannon]

I bet if this was a poll, it would run about 50/50. So that pretty much tells me it's a matter of preference. I have only started the game over three times. Once I chose mushrooms. Now I'm a bat cave lover. Just got some cherries for the community center. Last week, I got an apricot and pomegranate.

 

[qaija]

I have always gotten the bats only because I never had a problem getting shrooms before I needed them. When the morels spawn during my second year I am busy going to the Secret Woods every day for hardwood which is my primary need at that point for my mount, house upgrade, and Willy's ship repair; the lower level mines give me the others I need, which is also high on my priority list, for the skull cavern key. I find the fruit a bit more useful helping me to complete the Community Center asap.

 

[PoppyForPenny]

I like the fruit bats best. They do help with the artisan bundle, but more importantly, the fodder and sorcerer bundles. So I don't have to rush getting an apple and pomegranate tree the first summer.
But the main reason is star quality. Cave fruit increases in quality along with foraging level. If you choose botanist, cave fruit is always iridium quality. Also tree fruit is a true universal like, and those iridium oranges peaches and poms help build friendships with Robin Gus & Elliot very quickly.
Additionally, if you ever want to use the cave for something else, like slimes or kegs, the fruit bats don't interfere with the floor space.

 

[Elenna101]

I go fruit bats, mostly because I pretty much always try for year 1 CC and it's nice to (usually) not have to buy a pomegranate tree. Plus I don't use life elixirs much (I just save some chubs and a bunch of salmonberries and maybe eat some gold quality hops if needed - most of the time I don't even finish the salmonberry pile before blackberry season, so food isn't generally an issue). So I don't mind waiting until year 2 to pick up a few morels for Perfection.

(Also I'm just way too lazy to check the mushroom cave every day.)

EDIT: Although I am still a little salty about my first post-1.5 playthrough, where I had the extremely rare luck of getting three same-quality apples from the bat cave (they don't have to be the same quality anymore, but they did before 1.5) and of course that wasn't one of my remixed bundles.