What is your most favorite part of stardew valley?

[benjellyman]

There could be many reasons why somebody would love stardew valley. Mining, decorating, fishing, farming, friends, or everything about the game itself...

 

[benjellyman]

Tbh every mechanic about the game, I love it. But the mining is my most favorite part.

 

[CryogenCrystals]

Good question!

For me it is definitely searching for and discovering things (which includes figuring out secret content) because I love a good puzzle or discovery. Now that I've done that for all the mobile content, it has shifted to foraging (even though not needed) and finding artifact spots (when still needed). Since I do these together I count them as one.

I'm sure my favorites will shift over time though, as I play new games and find new things to goof around and/or challenge myself on.

 

[PookieDoodle]

Early on, I like the farming. But then when it's automated, I enjoy the cooking. I like to challenge myself to get all the recipes to light up when I stand in front of my stove. Then after that, I love developing relationships with the NPC' by giving them loved gifts. It's a sense of pride when you can get certain Pelican Town folk to stop being nasty to you.

 

[PoppyForPenny]

My favorite is the lore. There's enough mystery within the worldbuilding to allow so much imagination.
For example: the meteor that caused the extinction of dinosaurs on earth left a layer of iridium dust in fossils all over the globe. In Stardew Valley we have meteors, iridium, and dinosaurs!
Also, the year is only 16 weeks long, so it's definitely not Earth. Everyone has birthdays but no one gets older.
And Yoba. There is a book in the library, Highlights From The Book Of Yoba. But where is the full book? Lost? There is an altar for Yoba and some villagers attend church, but they just sit silently. Krobus is devoted to Yoba. Shane doesn't believe. Eye of Yoba paved in the town square. I am fascinated with this mysterious diety!
And who is Mona? Why is her gravestone there but not grandpa's? No one ages or dies so what happened?
It's so complicated, subtle, intriguing, kust amazing. Above and beyond for a sweet little farm game.

 

[Lew Zealand]

First of all:

Yes.
__________

While I try, I really try, to enjoy the Farming aspect there's just something about it that smacks of too much effort. Probably the bit about the work and time it takes.

Drudgery.

I need to keep shady Trees planted within 10 tiles of any active spot on the farm or I may very well melt. Pro tip: avoid the Beach Farm and take frequent swims in the River Farm or walks on the Forest Farm. Farm life must be tolerable for one with the consistency of butter.

So naturally taking walks and Foraging (wait, this stuff is free? and Pierre buys it?!?) are more up my alley. And falling asleep next to a river while holding a stick um, Fishing is also a desired outcome. Mining results in shiny things and profit, as well as the love and gifts of Gunther so there is little downside to that other than the serial near escapes from death and inevitable pickpocketing of my Preciousssessss.....

But seriously.

Gunther.

He gives you *gifts*, you know the stuff you try to give to everyone else in the place hoping to get a recipe or maybe a date with a 6-pack of beer and an ocean cliff.

But Gunther gives you gifts and have you even asked him to go for a drink at the Saloon? Naw, really not fair. Gunther needs some love.

So of course the relationshipping is the real draw of this game.

Until it peters out early in Act III and you're left with...

Magic Parrots and apparently invisible Dragon Teeth. I have yet to figure out if the Dragons are invisible or just their Teeth. One good photo at a Dragon birthday party should clear that up but I can never remember the camera.

The perils of being married to Haley.

 

[hexnessie]

Crafting! I love crafting things into other things, trying to get as much things to craft them into something else, selling my crafts and gifting them... I like all parts of the game that lead to a crafting outcome, so farming, mining, planting and chopping up forests, etc.

I'm not so fond of things that can't really be crafted into anything meaningful or profitable, like fish - I mean what's the use of them, other than to put in the fishpond for farming roe? I wish there were some more profitable / useful fish recipes. Although I'm currently slightly obsessed with catching sea cucumbers and making them into lucky meals - this is great!

Also, I'm sure this is going to be a very unpopular opinion, I absolutely love TRASH. There is something absolutely, wonderfully wholesome about being able to clean up the environment, pick up all the trash, and craft it into useful things like cloth, iron, coal, stone, crystal etc. I definitely wish there were more recycling options. Mr. Qi could provide some super-recycler blueprints to turn all those artifacts into strange and amazing things like radioactive ore and hyper-gro.

 

[Rhiannon]

Just the game play itself. I play a few "hard core" games that take tactics, extreme focus, and WORK. SDV is the game I play when I need to relax. But I also have a sense of satisfaction that I'm achieving the goals I set for myself. First I wanted a fully functioning working farm that was self sufficient. I achieved that. Then I wanted a better design and I achieved that. Then I wanted a nicely decorated farm house. I achieved that. I wanted some of the new items available with 1.5 update and I've achieved most of that. I've got 857 hours in the game as of today and I'm in no rush to get 100% completion. I'll get there. Someday.

There is no shortage of new things to experience. I'm so grateful that my game designing son told me about this game and thought I might enjoy it. I own 17 games on steam and SDV is my second most played game.