It’s no secret thatStardew Valleyis one of the best farming-based games on the market. With every update, the game becomes more expansive, with new quests, new areas to explore, and new crops to farm. It all adds up to make Stardew Valleya wholly unique gaming experience.
Story-focused quests are a bit different from objectives you might find on the Help Wanted board. While you might still receive gold as a reward, it takes a backseat to other perks. The most common reward is furthering your relationship with another villager, but you might access a new area. Here’s some of the most worthwhile quests.
8Blackberry Basket
Although the townspeople don’t give him the time of day,Linusis easily one of the most likeable characters in Stardew Valley. Linus doesn’t have much in the way of material possessions, but he’s always careful to treat what few objects he owns with care. That’s why the loss of his foraging basket feels oddly upsetting.
BlackberryBasket is one of the first friendship quests you’ll receive in the game, and it’s also very easy to solve. Just head over to the backwoods and you’ll find the basket near the tunnel entrance. Return it to Linus and you’ll be one step closer to a beautiful friendship.
7Fish Casserole
Jodiand her family aren’t the flashiest characters in Stardew Valley, butevery member (except Sam)is a compelling character in their own right. Things start becoming more interesting once Kent returns in Year 2, but you’ll still have the opportunity to get to know Jodi and her children before then.
Once you’ve caught your fish, head over to Jodi’s house on any non-festival day and enter at exactly 7PM. This quest is interesting in that it’s one of the few friendship quests to unlock a special cutscene. It’s a sweet, domestic moment where you’re allowed to sit back and relax.
6The Skull Key
Reaching the bottom of the Mines is a huge milestone in Stardew Valley. It’s the first area of the game where you’ll be expected to enter combat unless you start the game with the Wilderness Farm. By the time you reach the bottom, you’re ready to tackle new adventures. Receiving the Skull Key quest is a triumphant conclusion to the first chapter of your epic journey.
You’ll need to have access to the Desert to finish this quest. Once you have theSkull Key, enter Skull Cavern near the upper-left area of the Desert map. You’ll be prompted to use the key, finishing the quest. Just be warned: most of the creatures in Skull Cavern are much tougher than anything you might have faced in the Mines.
5Strange Note
Once you start finding Secret Notes, you’re introduced to a wealth of information about Stardew Valley. Some of these notes feature information about NPCs' likes and dislikes, while others provide more information about the game’s story and worldbuilding. Strange Note is a quest you may only find through one of these Secret Notes, which are distributed more or less at random whenever you farm or forage.
The terrible spelling means deciphering the note might take a while, but the instructions are pretty simple. Bring some maple syrupto the Secret Woods, and you’ll meet a bear who thanks you for your generosity. After a special cutscene, you’ll unlock the Bear’s Knowledge boon. This reward will greatly increase the selling price of any fresh blackberries or salmonberries you forage.
4The Mysterious Qi
This quest is a bit of a doozy, but the reward is too great to ignore. After you unlock the start of Mr. Qi’s quest chain, you’ll be asked to gather an assortment of seemingly random items and leave them in various locations around the game world. This might take multiple seasons to finish.
Your reward is access to Mr. Qi’s casino, which is a far greater prize than you’d think. In addition to the games available to play, the casino also has a small shop where you can exchange Qi Coins for prizes. The items here are some of the rarest and coolest you’ll find in the game. If you haven’t unlocked the desert, you should start working towards it.
3Goblin Problem
This isn’t a difficult quest, but it’s still pretty funny. Goblin Problem will unlock once you gain access to the witch’s swamp. The first time you enter, a goblin will stand in front of the witch’s hut, impeding your progress. You’ll need to get rid of him if you want to go further, which is easy as long as you have the right items.
As it turns out, goblins simply can’t resist the smooth, abyssal taste of Void Mayonnaise. If you have a Void Chicken, simply harvest one Void Egg and put it in your mayonnaise maker. If you don’t have a Void Chicken, Krobus sells Void Eggs in his shop. Once you have the mayonnaise in hand, head back to the swamp and offer it to the goblin.
2The Pirate’s Wife
Ginger Island is a location you can unlock late in the game that gives you access to a slew of new resources. Once you’re there, you’ll meetBirdie, who offers you this quest. The Pirate’s Wife isn’t a difficult quest by any means, but it is somewhat time-consuming. Once you finish the first step, subsequent steps will unlock automatically.
You’ll be asked to exchange items with various NPCs, although it can be difficult to figure out who to talk to nextwithout a guide. Once you’ve reached the final stage of the quest chain, Birdie will give you the recipe for Fairy Dust and five Golden Walnuts. The latter resource is harder to come by on Ginger Island than you’d think, so this quest is definitely worth your while.
1Mayor’s ‘Shorts’
This is the crown jewel of quests. We’re not sure why Mayor Lewis keeps involving the main character in his private affairs, butthe quest for his shortsis the first of a handful of adventures you’ll do for him. Lewis wants you to keep this matter private, but there’s no reason to listen to him.
Finding the shorts is easy enough: just reach four friendship hearts with Marnie and head to her bedroom. But before you return the shorts to Lewis, why not have some fun? They can be put on display during the Valley Fair or dumped into the soup during the Luau.you’re able to even wear them yourself!
