How do you get started?

[SBcat]

I heard so many great things about this game and was looking forward to something different but great after Tears of the Kingdom but I am so frustrated. I think I may need to restart. I can’t find any in game tutorials or info other than meet people and plant a parsnip. It took forever to even figure out how to use tools. I go into town to meet people then I can never get back home. The map doesn’t help so every night I try to get home and I end up in my bed with some message about them taking money. I can’t seem to make money either. I try to fish or cut down wood but then 2 seconds in I just get super tired and am walking in super slow motion and the way the map says to get home I am blocked so boom more money gone and s scolding note from Linus. I found a bus. You cannot take this bus. Or I try to gather stuff around my farm and my pockets fill up instantly. Even if I want to sell I can’t get back home I guess. I’ve played animal crossing and cozy grove. Both those games made sense this one is just frustrating. How to get started and make it even a tiny bit fun?

 

[quick_pe0n]

When I started playing Stardew Valley I was also frustrated with many things you mentioned here. The energy problem can be solved by collecting forage-ables these can be found all over the map but I find the best spot is south of the farm, making field snacks in the crafting menu, and later on with the spa in the mountains when you receive a message when you go to sleep saying "There was an earthquake was during the night." The bus is later on in the game and is to not be worried about now. About getting lost, there is not much I can say other than familiarizing yourself with the map, but there are posts that when you interact with them will point you to locations. I wish you better luck.

 

[Njin]

Hello:) Stardew valley can be a lot of fun . You can make your farm however you want it if you just give yourself the time . Day 1 I don't even worry about meeting people although it is good to meet whoever you may run into. at first you have a very limited energy, for money I recommend you plant and water the parsnips and check the map for forage. south of the map you find spring onions they will give you a bit of energy but day 1 your energy should be used planting, watering and chopping wood for a chest If you see a indicator on your farmer you should cease work. Once you have a chest you can leave some of your tools at the farm. I like to chop all of the fiber I see day one as It requires 0 energy to use your scythe and you get mixed seeds as a bonus sell all the forage you acquire and clay and fiber (It is good to keep later but day one just sell it).. Keep wood and spring onions...you also start with 500g I recommend buying more seeds with it, potatoes are a good start. watering early on can be a pain but it is worth it sometimes it rains and you don't have to.. Check your mail day 2 and go to the beach for a fishing rod..
fishing is tough at first but there is enough fish that move slow and and be an easy catch. You level up as you get the hang of it... a good strat for fishing is to get a good pile and sell them when you level up to fishing level 5 and sell them for more. .when you are fishing It is good to have another chest nearby a good place to fish early is the lake up north you can eat chubs for energy and sell your other fish... Fishing will be your best money from day 2 till your plants come up.. best practice is to head home at 11pm you pass out at 2..as long as you make it in your door you won't incur a fee. going to sleep early will help you gain all of your energy back.. There is a lot of nuance and a lot of different strategies for the first week.. If you want great money
early on save money for the egg festival. You can buy strawberry seeds there. a good amount of strawberry seeds will net you enough cash for great upgrades... by the end of just a few short months you won't be worried at all about watering crops or fishing. .Just be making money and doing whatever else you want at your own pace.. Stardew is totally worth your time if you give it a chance you can play late game for billions or you can customize your farm any way you want. Plenty more tips on the forums here if you need them.. best of luck:)

 

[Jayamos]

I got lost often as well. My very first night I passed out on the porch because I couldn’t figure out how to open the door. I confess I went to the wiki to learn the basics… some will say avoid it the first time through because you don’t get the fun of exploring, but for me it was very helpful for getting oriented. I made learning the map an early goal and that helped.
There is so much to do in SDV that it can feel like you have to do it all at once, but that’s impossible, especially early on. Small goals like “learn how to get to the saloon and back home” or “forage enough to have energy to get my [small] field cleared” or “figure out what that blob on the map is” are enough to get started. SDV rewards patience. After a while the small goals add up, and you start working toward bigger ones. Hang in there and it’ll get much easier.
Oh, and I didn’t even try fishing until first year fall, mining and combat even later. Njin is right, fishing is a great way to make money and get food early, but if that adds to your frustration, foraging and farming are enough until you get comfortable with the game.
Don’t forget to pick salmon berries when they show up, they are a great way to get a lot of food even with a small backpack, and trying to find as many salmon berries as you can and still get home is a good way to learn the map.

 

[Njin]

fishing is a great way to make money and get food early, but if that adds to your frustration, foraging and farming are enough until you get comfortable with the game.

Exactly yes, Don't bother with fishing at first if it frustrates you.. But you certainly should take a couple practice tries on the daily.. I remember my first times fishing was somewhat of a headscratcher. It has been known to frustrate players at first. there are certainly a few fish that will make you believe that fishing is tough. but as you upgrade your rod and level up your fishing skill it gets way easier.. It's one of those things when it clicks you realize it isn't so hard:)

 

[Operator CT02]

It was hard at first, and that's normal for anyone. Try to enjoy this game the way you like. Some people prefer to focus on growing crops rather than chasing achievements or writing in a journal. It's okay to seek help from the wiki or YouTube sometimes if you're having trouble.

 

[wildandblue]

Hey @SBcat, welcome. Sorry to hear it's been frustrating for you. It almost sounds like you're trying to fit too much in a single day and your farmer is exhausted.

My advice is to go slowly on your first farm and think of it as your learning farm. Play a couple of days in a session and then take a break. It feels hard first time around, but it gets easier the more skills, locations, and what to focus on at first. After you learn the basics and have played a bit, you'll find lots of cool stuff to discover.

There's no one single way to play the game. There are lots of options and it takes time to figure your style and how you want to play. When I first started I took it so seriously, but stepped back and realized goofing off sometimes in the game and not always being goal-driven was a lot more fun.

Take your time and don't worry about doing too many things in one day. Do a little farming first thing (like watering your crops), a little foraging, talk to a villager or two, and maybe catch a fish. Or spend a whole week just farming. It's up to you. Figure out a daily routine you enjoy and just do that for a while.

If something goes really wrong on a day (like accidentally blowing up something), and before you go to bed, immediately quit the game and you'll be able to start that day over.

Definitely rely on the wiki and don't try to memorize everything. Also this forum is a good place to vent.

You don't have to complete everything on your first farm, and free to start a new farm anytime and use what you learned.

 

[MogBeoulve]

My advice is to pay a little more attention to the top right, where it tells you what time it is, and the bottom right, where a bar shows how much energy you have left. You will pass out at 2 AM or whenever you have completely exhausted all your energy. Avoiding these two circumstances should remove a lot of the frustration.

There isn't a great solution to avoid getting lost without simply learning the map, which takes time. However, there is no penalty for exploring slowly and just taking a few days to wander around and learn where everything is. Put most of your tools in a chest (I would hang onto the hoe) and just walk around, picking up any forage you see. Say hello to anyone you meet.

As for running out space in the inventory, well, that is why the backpack upgrade is one of my first major purchases.

Just try to remember that you don't have to do everything immediately. There is always tomorrow.

 

[SBcat]

Thanks for the answers. I’m starting to understand this game better. I was just used to other games that are more clear on what your next move should be.

 

[Tom]

I'm glad you are figuring it out now.

My biggest rookie mistake: Planting too many crops. Ohh, the watering! Instead, keep your fields modest and keep boosting the value/cost of your seeds.
What I wish I'd known about fishing: If you are going to try it, fish for three days straight right in front of Willy's shop with a chest under his window. That should get you over the hump and get you hooked on fun sunken treasures.
My veteran lesson (after analyzing and mastering the game to death): Do what's fun for you. For me that meant keeping everything modest forever. Small fields, small refineries, small flocks, modest income, enjoying the scarcity a little.

 

[Odyssey]

If you're still struggling with navigation, have you zoomed out as far as you can? The default settings are zoomed in quite a long way, and most of the time it's more useful to have a wider view of your surroundings. I think the default display includes the little + and - buttons 8n the top right underneath the time which can be used to change the zoom. If the buttons aren't there by default you can change the zoom (and enable the buttons) in the settings menu.

You can also take a screenshot of the area you are in that will show the entire space and your current position within it. I haven't got my game open right now, but from memory the screen shot option can be found right at the bottom of the settings menu, and you can then click a button to be taken to the destination folder to view the screenshot.

One way to get a few hints about possible things to do is to read any mail you get and to interact with the TV to watch Livin' Off the Land on Mondays and Thursdays.

 

[RainbowJunimo]

To help with navigation try to remember that at the beginning of a save (or without anything beyond the valley) the farm is pretty central, not centered but central there is a path to the south, a path to pelican town, and a path to the mountains.

Spoiler: Bus Purpose

The bus takes you to the desert (once repaired)