Skills

Overview

Skills are player attributes which are leveled up through the use of specific tools or actions. Increasing skill will increase the proficiency of certain tools, and unlock helpful and unique crafting recipes. It should be noted that any crafting recipes learned through leveling up will not be accessible until after your next save/the following day.

Introduction

Each skill has ten levels, and at level 5 and level 10 players will select from one of two Professions to specialize in. These Professions take effect immediately; for example, the Level 5 Fisher specialization will increase the selling price of fish put into the shipping box the previous night. All skills need the following experience points to increase skill level:

• Lvl 1 (Total Experience) → 100;
• Lvl 2 (Total Experience) → 380;
• Lvl 3 (Total Experience) → 770;
• Lvl 4 (Total Experience) → 1300;
• Lvl 5 (Total Experience) → 2150;
• Lvl 6 (Total Experience) → 3300;
• Lvl 7 (Total Experience) → 4800;
• Lvl 8 (Total Experience) → 6900;
• Lvl 9 (Total Experience) → 10000;
• Lvl 10 (Total Experience) → 15000.

A variety of skills can be temporarily improved by eating specific foods. These skills will appear as a buff icon next to the player clock in the user interface. Skills can be viewed in the player skill tab in the game pause menu.

Farming → Levels are gained by harvesting crops and caring for animals. Each level grants +1 hoe and watering can proficiency (see tools).

Mining → Mining skill is increased by breaking rocks (normally done with a Pickaxe). Each level grants +1 pickaxe proficiency.

Foraging → Foraging skill includes both gathered foraged goods, and wood from trees chopped with an axe tool. Each level grants +1 axe proficiency.

Fishing → Fishing is associated with successfully completing the fishing mini-game or catching fish in a Crab Pot, increasing the fishing skill. Each level grants +1 fishing rod proficiency.

Combat → Combat is a skill tied to the player’s ability to fight against monsters.

Farming

Farming Skill is gained by harvesting crops. Caring for animals also adds experience: Petting, milking, and shearing farm animals or picking up an animal product inside a barn or coop each give 5 experience points. Hoe and watering can use does not give experience by itself. Each level grants +1 proficiency to the Hoe and Watering Can.

Crafting Recipes:

Scarecrow;

Basic Fertilizer.

Crafting Recipes:

Mayonnaise Machine;

Stone Fence;

Sprinkler.

Crafting/Cooking Recipes:

Bee House;

Speed-Gro;

Farmer’s Lunch.

Crafting Recipes:

Preserves Jar;

Basic Retaining Soil;

Iron Fence.

Choose a Profession:

Rancher

Animal products worth 20% more.

Tiller

Crops worth 10% more.

Crafting Recipes:

Cheese Press;

Hardwood Fence;

Quality Sprinkler.

Crafting Recipes:

Loom;

Quality Retaining Soil.

Crafting Recipes:

Oil Maker;

Keg;

Deluxe Speed-Gro.

Crafting Recipes:

Seed Maker;

Iridium Sprinkler;

Quality Fertilizer.

Choose a Profession:

Rancher:

Coopmaster:

Befriend coop animals quicker.
Incubation time cut in half.

Shepherd

Befriend barn animals quicker.
Sheep produce wool faster.

Tiller:

Artisan

Artisan goods (wine, cheese, oil, etc.) worth 40% more.
(Note that oil does not actually benefit from the Artisan Profession).

Agriculturist

All crops grow 10% faster.

Mining

Mining skill is increased by breaking rocks. Each level adds +1 to Pickaxe proficiency. You are awarded mining skill points when rocks are destroyed — it doesn’t matter if this is done by Pickaxe, Bombs, or by the action of Monsters.

Different rock types give different numbers of experience points.

Crafting Recipes:

Cherry Bomb.

Crafting Recipes:

Staircase.

Cooking Recipes:

Miner’s Treat.

Crafting Recipes:

Transmute (Fe).

Choose a Profession:

Miner

+1 ore per vein.

Geologist

Chance for gems to appear in pairs. (50% chance per Node. Also applies to geodes spawned from breaking rocks).

Crafting Recipes:

Bomb

Crafting Recipes:

Transmute (Au).

Crafting Recipes:

Mega Bomb.

Crafting Recipes:

Crystalarium.

Miner:

Blacksmith

Metal bars worth 50% more. (Applies to Copper, Iron, Gold, & Iridium Bars).

Prospector

Chance to find coal doubled. Prospector has no effect in the Mines. Otherwise, it adds a chance to find 1 extra piece of coal before the non-Prospector code for finding coal executes. (See GameLocation::breakStone in the game code).

Geologist:

Excavator

Chance to find geodes doubled. (Applies to all 4 types of geodes).

Gemologist

Gems worth 30% more. (applies to Minerals and Gems).

Foraging

Foraging skill is increased both by gathering forage items found on the ground throughout Stardew Valley and by chopping down Trees with an Axe. Each foraging skill level adds +1 axe proficiency.

Chopping down a tree gives 12 foraging experience points (granted all at once for the last chop that causes the tree to fall), and removing Large Stumps and Large Logs gives 25 exp. Removing regular tree stumps gives 1 exp.

Picking up Forage items around town gives 7 exp each (except for Snow Yam and Winter Root, which give no exp). Picking up a Truffle on the farm gives 7 exp. Harvesting a forage crop grown on the farm from Wild Seeds also gives 7 exp. When a player has the Gatherer profession, and harvesting one plant produces two forage items, 7 exp is given for each item, 14 exp altogether.

Spring Onions that grow in Cindersap Forest south of Leah’s Cottage give 3 exp each when harvested.

Salmonberries give no foraging experience when harvested from bushes during Salmonberry Season.

Crafting/Cooking Recipes:

Wild Seeds (Spring);

Field Snack;

• Trees sometimes
  drop seeds.

Cooking Recipes:

Survival Burger.

Crafting Recipes:

Tapper.

Crafting Recipes:

Charcoal Kiln;

Wild Seeds (Summer);

• +1 Wild Berry
  harvesting.

Choose a Profession:

Forester

Wood worth 50% more. (Applies to Wood & Hardwood).

Gatherer

Chance for double harvest of foraged items. (20% chance of double harvest).

Crafting Recipes:

Lightning Rod;

Wild Seeds (Fall);

Warp Totem: Beach.

Crafting Recipes:

Wild Seeds (Winter);

Warp Totem: Mountains.

Crafting Recipes:

Warp Totem: Farm;

• +1 Wild Berry
  harvesting.

Crafting Recipes:

Rain Totem.

Forester:

Lumberjack

All trees have a chance to drop hardwood.

Tapper

Syrups worth 25% more.

Gatherer:

Botanist

Foraged items are always highest quality.

Tracker

Location of forageable items revealed.

Fishing

Fishing Skill is increased by catching Fish, Trash, Seaweed, Green Algae, or White Algae with a Fishing Rod/Pole or by harvesting Crab Pots.

Each level grants +1 Fishing Rod Proficiency, increases the minimum fish size (in/cm) and bobber bar height, and decreases the max amount of time before fish bite. Fishing skill also increases the chance to find quality (silver or gold star) fish.

Crafting Recipes:

Casting distance increased by one tile.

Crafting Recipes:

Bait;

• Fiberglass Rod & Bait unlocked in Willy’s Fish Shop.

Crafting/Cooking Recipes:

Crab Pot;

Dish o’ The Sea;

• Crab Pot unlocked in Willy’s Fish Shop.

Crafting Recipes:

Recycling Machine;

• Casting distance increased by one tile.

Choose a Profession:

Fisher

Fish worth 25% more.

Trapper

Resources required to craft crab pots reduced.

Crafting Recipes:

Spinner;

Trap Bobber;

• Iridium Rod, Lead Bobber, Spinner, & Trap Bobber unlocked in Willy’s Fish Shop.

Crafting Recipes:

Cork Bobber;

Treasure Hunter;

• Cork Bobber & Treasure Hunter unlocked in Willy’s Fish Shop.

Crafting Recipes:

Worm Bin;

Barbed Hook;

Dressed Spinner;

• Barbed Hook & Dressed Spinner unlocked in Willy’s Fish Shop;
• Casting distance increased by one tile.

Crafting Recipes:

Magnet;

• Magnet unlocked in Willy’s Fish Shop.

Fisher:

Angler

Fish worth 50% more.

Pirate

Chance to find treasure doubled.

Trapper:

Mariner

Crab pots no longer produce junk items.

Luremaster

Crab pots no longer require bait.

Combat

Combat skill is increased by fighting monsters. Some levels add to the player’s total HP (health points), as shown by an increase in the health meter.

Crafting Recipes:

Sturdy Ring.

Crafting Recipes:

Life Elixir.

Cooking Recipes:

Roots Platter.

Crafting Recipes:

Warrior Ring.

Choose a Profession:

Fighter

All attacks deal 10% more damage.
(+15 HP)

Scout

Critical strike chance increased by 50%.
(+0 HP)

Crafting Recipes:

Slime Egg-Press;

Oil of Garlic.

Crafting Recipes:

Ring of Yoba.

Crafting Recipes:

Slime Incubator;

Explosive Ammo.

Crafting Recipes:

Iridium Band.

Fighter:

Brute

Deal 15% more damage.
(+0 HP)

Defender

+25 HP.

Scout:

Acrobat

Cooldown on special moves cut in half.
(+0 HP)

Desperado

Critical strikes are deadly.
(+0 HP)

Changing Professions

The Statue Of Uncertainty in the sewers allows players to change their chosen professions. After donating 10,000g then going to sleep for the night, the level 5 “Choose a Profession” screen for the skill chosen at the statue will appear, followed by the corresponding level 10 “Choose a Profession” screen. The statue allows players to change one skill-based profession per night.

← Statue of Uncertainty.

Thanks for reading my guide!