Summary
Ah,Stardew Valley. A perfect game to start up and relax with. There’s no pressure to do any one thing and you can spend your time as you see fit… is what would usually be said about this game. But not when you add challenges into the mix.
Players who have spent a lot of time with the game or newer players wanting a little something more both have their reasons for wanting to add the highs and the lows of a challenge to their save file. There are many different kinds of challenges out there. This list will include both common ones to try and harder ones to take on.
10Perfection
Everyone Should Try It Once
One of the hardest in-game challenges is toachieve Perfection. This has a number of different tasks and hurdles, including buying the 10,000,000g clock and shipping one of every item.
If you’ve done this before, you can make it harder still. Try adding a time limit: all must be completed before the start of Year 3. Or try perfecting Stardew Valley Expanded, if you’re playing on a platform that allows mods.
9Complete The Community Center In One Year
It’s A Beautiful Year In The Neighborhood
As the title says, a common, but challenging way to test you and your farmer is to set out to complete the Community Center in Year 1.
If you’ve done that before, or it doesn’t sound extreme enough for you, open your settings before you start your save file and turn on remixed bundles. There will be new, and more difficult bundles that show up for you to complete.
8Anti-Capitalist
Stick It To The Men!
Do you dislike Pierre? Orthe choke hold Joja Mart hason the Valley? Protest! What does this mean in challenge form?
You vow not to buy anything from Pierre or Morris. This includes seeds and upgrades (yes, including the backpack upgrade). And, if you’d like, you can expand this to include not buying things from Robin, Marnie, or any of the other shops.
If you want to achieve Perfection while playing an Anti-Capitalist challenge, there are, unfortunately, some items you need to buy from Pierre, namely the two crafting recipes he has.
However, it’s your challenge, so you’re able to adjust the rules, especially if you’re chasing the end goal of Perfection.
7No Farming
Farmer No Farming!
Talk about fields being barren and crops that are dying. This challenge is all about refusing to grow anything that can give you farming EXP.
This includes animals. When you pick up their animal products, you get farming EXP, which is a no-no. You can decide your own end goal, whether it’s to make a certain amount of money or make it to Grandpa’s Evaluation.
6Light Every Candle For Grandpa’s Evaluation
Grandpa’s Always Watching
Speaking of Grandpa, at the start of Spring 1, Year 3,Grandpa will appear and hand down his evaluationon how well you’ve done on your inherited farm.
There are candles surrounding his shrine, and the challenge revolves around lighting every candle. You do this by completing unwritten goals he has which include money made, friendships, and more.
5The Hermit Challenge
Hopefully You Don’t See Your Shadow
This one has you placing a major hardship on yourself: you’re able to only leave your farm once a year. No visit the mines when they open. No running to Pierre’s quickly to buy more seeds. All of your efforts all year long are to prepare for the one day you can leave your farm.
You can pick your farm layout strategically. Will you be on theForest Farmfor the free forage? Or theMeadowlands Farmfor the free chickens? Every layout has its own benefits and hardships for you to consider before committing to the life of a Hermit.
4Live Like Linus
Living The Linus Life
On the complete opposite side of the Hermit Challenge, you can instead decide to live off the land like Linus. But what else does this challenge entail? You can’t utilize your farm at all.
Reject your inheritance and make use of everything around you instead. This also doubles as a No Farming challenge as you won’t be able to place any coops or barns.
In this challenge, you will either pass out at the end of the day and start in your bed on the farm or you’re able to decide to only use your home for sleeping until you unlock theTent Kit.
3Animals Only
Nothing But Feather And Fur Babies
On the complete opposite side of the No Farming challenge is the Animals Only challenge. Thanks to the Meadowlands Farm, you’ll be able to start with chickens. This will be the start of your only money-making scheme.
This challenge has you selling only animal products and artisan goods, likeMayonnaiseandGoat’s Cheese. It’s very slow to start, but by the end, you can make piles of gold. Although this really means farm animals, it’s up to you if you’d like to include fish ponds or not.
2The Hungry Man Challenge
In A Totally, Non-Gendered Way
Food is overrated. Who even likes food? Not your farmer with this challenge. You won’t be able to eat food of any kind to regain energy or health.
This severely limits what you can do within a day. It cuts runs in the Mines short; plus, you are more likely to lose all your health and wake up in Harvey’s office, owing him money. It’s certainly possible and gets easier as the game goes on, but in the early game? Woof.
1Mass Production
Now That’s A Lot Of Wine And Cheese
This isn’t, necessarily what is called min-maxing, though you certainly can use this as an opportunity to. Instead, this challenge has you making 999 of every artisan good.
But that’s not all. You can’t sell any of the goods until you have them all ready to sell in one day, making a massive payday for you. Which, if we’re being honest, should crash the economy of Stardew Valley. You’d have the money to buy Joja out of business, at least.
