Stardew Valley Challenges

Recent computer troubles have kept me away from City of Heroes so I’ve been playing Stardew Valley instead. Yes, I’ve gone from fire farms to farming turnips and I have to say, I’ve been having a lot of fun! But, after a while Stardew Valley can start feeling very grindy, one day is just like the next. But then I remembered what The Sims community did when they started growing tired of their game…they made challenges! So I went off in search of Stardew Valley challenges only to discover there isn’t really one place to find them all, and there aren’t very many to begin with. So I’ve gathered some of the best Stardew Valley challenges together in one spot and added a few of my own creation. I hope you enjoy them. If you do let me know in the comments!

Boycott Pierre Challenge

The truth is, Pierre’s a bit of a jerk. His obsession with his business has taken over his life. He never has time for his family and even when he does make the time to be with them at festivals his mind is always on making more money. His wife seems to be deeply unsatisfied with her life, though Pierre is completely blind to it. Because of his behavior you’ve opted not to shop in Pierre’s store or at his stands during festivals. The rules for this challenge are as follows:

No Shopping from Pierre for Anything
Shop at JojaMart if you can bring yourself to do so, otherwise, you may only purchase items from the traveling merchant and the night market
(Optional) You may purchase backpack upgrades from Pierre
(Optional) Never complete the Community Center as that would encourage Pierre to further neglect his family

Vegan Challenge

Perhaps one of the most well known Stardew Valley challenges, the Vegan Challenge is exactly what it sounds like, though there are some very interesting variations you can choose to adopt. The rules for this challenge are as follows:

No keeping animals or bees
No Fishing
No wearing leather
Any gifts containing animal products, including eggs and milk must be returned to the NPC who gifted it immediately. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
No horseback riding
Fill your pet’s water bowl every day
No Killing
No Slime Hutch
Fishing at the Stardew Valley Fair is allowed as it is a game with toy fish
No participating in the ice fishing at the Festival of Ice
No participating in the Egg Hunt during the Egg Festival (just stand there and let the timer run out)

There are a few variations on this challenge, depending on who you talk to.

Bees are allowed because bees require excellent care to produce honey.
Slimes aren’t animals and so ok to kill/keep.
Community Center items can be bought from the traveling merchant.
Truffles are allowed, thus keeping pigs is allowed.
Keeping animals is allowed so long as you don’t collect their product

Personally, I think the only ones I would do for a true Vegan challenge is keeping bees and buying items for the community center, but these other options exist for people to decide for themselves.

Florist Challenge

Move to Stardew Valley and become a flower enthusiast. The rules for this challenge are as follows:

You may only grow flowers
You may only forage flowers
No fishing
No mining
No keeping animals
Everything you need that isn’t flowers must be bought

Miner Challenge

Farming isn’t for everyone, and that’s ok! After all the work it took to clear your Grandfather’s farm you decide that the farm life just isn’t for you, but that mine up the mountain looks mighty tempting. Yes, in fact, it is possible to make a living just from mining. But can you still get 12 points at Grandpa’s evaluation? The clock is ticking.

Money can only be earned from mining
No growing
No fishing outside of the mines
No keeping animals
Everything you need that isn’t from a mine or cave must be bought

Pacifist Challenge

Give peace a chance.

No Combat
No Fishing

Realism Challenge

Try playing Stardew Valley in a way that is a little bit more true to real life.

Must have 1 food and 1 drink every day
Must give pet water every day
Stepping on plants or riding over them on your horse kills them. Destroy the plants.
All plants must be fertilized
No magic. This means no totems, no obelisks, no Return Scepter, No buying anything from Krobus, No Junimo Huts, No Gold Clock, No Slime Hutch
No explosives in caves or mines. That’s how you get cave-ins and die.
(Optional) 3 Meals a Day and 2 Drink Minimum

Indiana Jones Challenge

It belongs in a museum.

Finish the Museum before the end of your second year
Max combat before the end of your second year

Scrooge Challenge

How are you supposed to swim in your vault full of gold if you keep spending it on frivolous things?

Never spend your money except to improve your house, create buildings, trees or buy the catalogue or furniture catalogue.
Trees can only be bought from Pierre
Buildings must be immediately upgraded to their highest level after creation so only build when you have enough supplies and gold to do the full upgrades.
Everything must be sold for the maximum value of that item. Example: Coffee beans must be turned into Triple Shot Espresso before being sold.

Fifth Candle Challenge

This challenge was created by Youtuber Waffelbro, check out his video about it, which I’ve embedded below.

Get all 21 points from Grandpa’s Evaluation before the end of year 3.

Fisher(wo)man Challenge

It’s just fish.

Only earn money from fishing, fish ponds, and crab pots
Mining is allowed to level 100 to unlock Lava Eel. However, you may not sell gems, stone, or anything else you obtain from the mine that isn’t a fish
No growing plants or raising animals
No foraging or chopping down trees. Logs, branches, and stumps can be chopped for wood

Karen Challenge

Become the ultimate Karen and the talk of the town.

Name your character Karen and give her a Karen haircut
Get a JojaMart membership ASAP and only shop there
Buy any item that will make your life easier, even if you don’t need it
Upgrade your home as quickly as possible.
Upgrade your barns, coops, and sheds as quickly as possible
Lavishly decorate your home and sheds
You must have a large flower garden near your house
As head of the PTA (even if you don’t have kids) you must host a monthly bake sale using all your resources to make as many baked goods as possible
Ignore any Help Wanted posts that require anything more than going to your storage boxes to get the requested item
Prioritize friendships with mothers and other female guardians
Marry and divorce all of the bachelors, starting with Harvey, the Doctor and ending with eye candy Alex. Experiment with a woman once in the middle. Bonus points if it is Penny, Maru, or Abby.

Pizza Challenge

Gus has a nice little business but what Stardew Valley really needs is a pizza parlor and you’re just the person to make it happen.

Build a shed and turn it into a pizza parlor
Plant only foods that go on a pizza. Wheat for dough, Tomatoes for sauce, Garlic, Kale, Potato (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! Potato on pizza is surprisingly nice), Corn, Hot Pepper
Forage only foods that go on a pizza. Leek, Spring Onion, Mushrooms
Must pick the mushroom cave from Demetrius
Fishing is allowed but you may only keep Anchovy, Sardine, Squid, Tilapia, Lobster, Crayfish, Crab, Mussel, Shrimp
Fish Ponds are allowed but only approved fish listed above.
All Coop animals allowed
All Barn animals allowed
No Slime Hutch allowed
Every season 1 of each animal type must be sold to account for the meat on your pizzas
The first year in-game should be spent getting the business set up. Raising the animals, getting the quality of plants up, getting the quality of fish up.
Pizza bought from Gus plus one topping should be the weekly gifts for all NPCs who Like or Love pizza for the first year. After the first year, the pizza should be made by you.
For NPCs who don’t like pizza give them the best item you can that you have for your cooking business. Examples: Goat Cheese or Mushrooms for Leah.
Items may only be sold as part of a pizza. 4 toppings for every pizza. In the first year, pizzas should be bought from Gus.
Everything that isn’t related to your pizza business, like wood or finishing the community center should be done by purchasing the items
Your grange display should include a pizza in the middle and your finest toppings surrounding it
If your Grandpa Evaluation gets 4 candles open a second pizza parlor near the bottom of your farm, your business is thriving!
(Optional) Once your business is thriving you can expand to include making your own alcoholic beverages. This begins Year 3 at the earliest.

999 Challenge

The idea behind this challenge is quite straightforward, sell 999 of each Artisan Food Goods all in one go.

999 Coffee
999 Wine
999 Cheese
999 Jelly
999 Pickles
999 Oils (Truffle, Sunflower, Corn)
999 Beers (Beer, Mead, Pale Ale)
999 Mayo
999 Tea
999 Juice
999 Roe (Age Roe and Caviar)

Lumberjack Challenge

Plants are picky little things and animals need constant care. But trees, trees are easy.

Fill your farm with trees then chop them down and sell them
Fill the quarry for an additional tree farm
You may only make money from wood and hardwood
Everything that isn’t wood must be purchased.
Fishing is allowed on the weekends. But your energy level must not dip below half. It is supposed to be relaxing, not taxing on your body.
Must go to the Saloon on Friday night. Other nights are optional.

Animal Farm Challenge

This challenge was inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Profit primarily comes from Animal goods including fish and artisan products as well
Profiting off the suffering of creatures is also allowed. Feel free to murder mindlessly in the mine.
No money can be received as a gift or a reward.
Any foraged items or gifts must be trashed.
No growing crops
The only gifts you can give come from animals

Bobinator’s Challenge

This challenge was put forth by Reddit user Bobinator and since it has remained nameless I have decided to name it after him.

Use the Riverland Map
No buying anything from Pierre or JojaMart expect a bouquet
No buying ore or coal from Clint. He is to be used for Upgrading tools and Opening Geodes only
No entering the mines until the community center is done
Buy anything you want from the Traveling Cart, Krobus, and Dwarf
No animals until the greenhouse is unlocked

Winery Challenge

The long bus ride into Stardew Valley gave you a lot of time to consider your future. You’re an office worker, what do you know about farming? Nothing really. But you do remember that trip to Napa you took last year. They were some fancy, rich looking places. It will take a lot of work, but could you turn Stardew Valley into the next Napa Valley?

Profit can only come from selling wine
Casks are allowed to improve the quality of your wine
You may only gift wine
For NPCs who hate wine you may give fruit you’ve grown for the wine
Once your vineyard is up and running create a wine tasting lounge in a shed

Simple California Challenge

What I have dubbed the Simple California Challenge was first put forward by Clairviore on Reddit and is actually what has served as inspiration for this entire article. As a Californian myself, I saw the opportunity to expand on the idea which I have presented below as the Advanced California Challenge.

No Sprinklers Allowed
Use of Greenhouse is Forbidden
Watering Can can only be filled on rainy days
3 Fish catches allowed per day
4 Crab Pots allowed total
During every thunderstorm, the oldest animal in each building must be sold

Advanced California Challenge

The Advanced California Challenge is my own creation based on the simple California Challenge and then expanded to be even more Californian.

Crops:

All Crops Must Be Watered by Hand, No Sprinklers Allowed (Except in Greenhouse)
Watering Cans Can Only Be Filled on Rainy Days

Animals:

Barns and Coops are Only Allowed to be filled to 2/3rds Capacity
Fish Ponds are Not Allowed

Fishing:

You may only catch 5 fish a day
Fish must be at least 12 inches in length to be kept, Ice Pip are the one exception.
Fishing off Beaches is forbidden to allow those enjoying the beach to do so in peace.

Mining:

In an attempt to repair previous damage done to the mountain the quarry must be filled with grass and trees when it has been unlocked.
The creatures in the mines and caves are endangered species and thus protected by law, except when a villager requests they are removed in a Help Wanted quest. Failure to comply results in a ban from the mine for the rest of the season.
Explosives are banned from use inside any mines and caverns for safety reasons.

Foraging:

The trees in the forest and mountain are protected from logging by law, no chopping down trees in these areas.
The trees around the Bus Stop are home to the Acorn Woodpecker, as a result, these trees are protected and cannot be chopped down or tapped. Berries and nuts found in this area must be left for the Woodpecker.
Every tree you chop down must be replanted x2

Selling:

All Items Must be Sold to Merchants. Use of the Shipping Box is Forbidden
All Trash Items Must be Recycled