Stardew Valley: Which Farm Type Is Best?

In Stardew Valley, a player’s farm is the place where they’ll be building, farming, and raising animals throughout the course of their game. Players will have the option to choose from a number of farms, from the Beach Farm to the Wilderness Farm. Each offers players a different set of features to help them get ahead, and each emphasizes a different aspect of the game.

Choosing a farm will impact players throughout their Stardew Valley playthrough. It’s an important choice, and currently, it’s not one that can be changed during a playthrough. Players may want to consider which type of farm is the best before they decide on which one to go with.

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Updated on April 23, 2024, by Anastasia Maillot: Stardew Valley’s newest update, 1.6, adds a brand-new farm map for players to discover. The Meadowlands Farm is a unique type that starts players off right away with a coop and chickens, but they receive no seeds as their starting gift. While the other farm maps remain mostly the same, given all the changes the game has received, it was high time to revisit the different farm types and see which one of them is truly the best. Each map will be introduced individually, with pros and cons so that players can more easily make the right choice for them when starting a new game. For a full-on ranking of the farm types, check out this list.

Different Types of Farms in Stardew Valley

There are seven types of farms for Stardew Valley players to choose from:

• The Standard Farm is the default style of farm. It features mostly farmland, with a pond and a small lake.
• The Beach Farm features a sandy shoreline that’s ideal for fishing and foraging.
• The Forest Farm has lots of trees, large stumps, and weeds that drop unique seeds. Seasonal forage items will spawn on this farm.
• The Hilltop Farm sits atop a set of cliffs. Divided by a stream, it has a quarry where minerals may spawn.
• The Riverland Farm is made up of small interconnected islands. It offers plenty of opportunities to go fishing.
• The Wilderness Farm: Monsters have the ability to spawn here.
• The Four-Corners Farm is split into four corners by a set of cliffs. This farm has features from other types of farms.
• The Meadowlands Farm has patches of blue grass and comes with a coop right out of the gates with two chickens to start with.

The Standard Farm

The Best Choice For Beginners & Newcomers

Considered the default map, the Standard Farm is an excellent choice for those who aren’t sure what to go for, or who might be new to the game. While it doesn’t have some of the more unique benefits of other farm types and is mostly great for a ton of crop farming and animals, it provides the most freedom when it comes to designing the farm itself. There are no space or terrain limitations—only the sky is the limit here, figuratively.

The Beach Farm

A Challenging Map With Great Foraging

A beach-side farm sounds like a pleasant idea, but beginners should stay away from this map type if they want a relatively straightforward start with growing crops. The sand is the main challenge here, as sprinklers are useless in it, which means crops need to be placed strategically (or the Greenhouse should be unlocked ASAP).

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That being said, players can make good money early on by picking up and selling foraged items, and Supply Crates can contain some really powerful drops like coffee or cherry bombs. As the house is upgraded, so is the loot from the crates.

The Forest Farm

A Treasure Trove For Foraging Enthusiasts, And Plenty Of Hardwood

The Forest farm has some excellent features that make it worth considering for those who aren’t too fussed about space. For one, the foraging on this map is great. Players won’t have to wander too far away from home to find all their seasonal goodies and berries. Plus, the renewable Hardwood stumps are fantastic given how rare Hardwood is by default in Stardew Valley. The space is somewhat limited for farming crops, but even so, there’s still a decent number of tiles to till. The fishing is a nice bonus, too.

The Hilltop Farm

A Good Option For Miners

Hill-top’s main specialty is the private quarry that players will have on their farm, making it a bit easier to get various ores or geodes that would usually force the player to hit the Mines early on in the game. Moreover, the quarry does renew itself regularly, so it’s like having an infinite source of stone and ores at all times. That being said, there are some spatial limitations imposed by this farm type due to the river that flows through it, as well as the various cliffs. Aesthetically, some might prefer it over the others.

The Riverland Farm

Great For Fishing Aficionados

Visually, this farm type looks amazing. It breaks up the boring look that the default farm has, but it does come with some limitations in terms of where players are able to place buildings. Farming crops is also much more limited here.

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On the other hand, it’s perfect for players who enjoy fishing in Stardew Valley and want to base their farm’s main business around that. Better yet, they can start smoking fish right away with the Fish Smoker, instead of having to buy the crafting recipe from it or win it from the Prize Machine.

The Meadowlands Farm

Perfect For Players Who Want A Coop ASAP

Meadowlands is the farm type introduced in 1.6, which fills in the gap of a farm specializing in animal keeping and artisan goods from animal products. Previously, all the other farms were sort of specialized into one skill or theme, and there wasn’t one that was specifically meant for animals. This is where Meadowlands comes in, as players can start off with a coop and two chickens right away, which is very nice considering how long it can take for casual players to unlock these features. Moreover, with blue grass growing on the farm, reaching the highest friendship with farm animals won’t be a problem at all. The only major downside is that players won’t have free seeds to plant on the first day.

The Wilderness Farm

A Tough Farm Type That Encourages Combat

Easily the one type of farm that players might not want to go for is the Wilderness Farm. Unless players are eager to get some extra monster loot, it feels like a niche farm-type pick for a challenge. It doesn’t provide any intrinsic benefits to fishing, foraging, farming, or mining, which makes it less than ideal. Wilderness Golems make an appearance here, and while they have a chance to sometimes drop some good loot, everything the Wilderness farm type gives can be just as easily acquired by hitting the Mines and later on Skull Cavern.

Four Corners Farm

The Best Farm Type By Far In Stardew Valley

For seasoned players and those who are just starting out, the choice is clear. The Four Corners Farm is the best farm available in Stardew Valley. Divided into four sections, this farm type offers Stardew Valley players a variety of landscapes and resources. Each section of the Four Corners Farm is modeled after another farm available in-game, with all the best features from the game’s Standard, Hilltop, and Forest Farms, as well as a corner with a large pond.

Players who select the Four Corners Farm for their game will have access to a farming area, a pond, a quarry, and a small forest. This is ideal for players who want to make the most of their game’s farm throughout the game. And with 2,952 tiles available for planting, the Four Corners Farm also offers Stardew Valley players plenty of space for farming. Only the game’s Standard Farm type has more tillable tiles, with 3,247.

The Four Corners Farm is also ideal for co-op mode. Although all farm types are able to accommodate multiple players, the Four Corners Farm is specifically designed with co-op games in mind. The farm’s four sections are divided from one another by a set of cliffs, ensuring that while Stardew Valley players will still have the option to visit their friend’s section of the farm, they’ll also be able to have some space for themselves.

Stardew Valley

Released

February 26, 2016

Developer(s)

ConcernedApe

Genre(s)

RPG , Simulation