Stardew Valley is an incredible video game that focuses on reviving and revitalizing the player’s grandfather’s old farm.
To do this, you need to carry out specific activities on the farm and in Stardew Valley; this will increase your foraging skill. With this skill, you can then gather wild resources, such as berries, within the game. You can also cut down trees with your ax.
XP and Leveling
Leveling the Foraging skill requires you to execute cheap and easy tasks, although the process is quite slow. To level up your Foraging skill, do the following:
- Cut down fully grown trees – This will earn you 12XP when the tree falls.
- Remove stumps – This will earn you 1XP.
- Cut down both normal and hardwood logs – This will earn you 25XP.
- Pick up forage items in Stardew Valley – Snow Yam and Winter Root will earn you nothing, Spring Onions will earn you 3XP, other forage items will earn you 7XP.
- Pick up Truffles – This will earn you 7XP, which are produced by Pigs in the barn when you let them out.
- Plant Wild Seeds – You will earn 3XP when you harvest them.
It is important to note that you can only earn XP when you take certain actions, and not when you sell your forage items.
There are forage items that do not give any XP and some that only do so under certain circumstances.
For instance, harvesting berries e.g., salmonberries and blackberries from bushes won’t earn you any XP, while gathering them from the grounds will.
If you gather mushrooms from mushroom trees and farm caves, you will not gain any XP. Forage items collected from killing monsters will also not give you any XP.
Stardew Valley Foraging Skill Levels
When you level up your Foraging skill, you will unlock items that will enable you to efficiently carry out foraging activities and make more money.
Level 1 – Wild Seeds (Spring) and Field Snack
Foraging skill level one provides wild seeds that contain spring plants, which you can use on your farm to supplement low forage days. This level also gives field snack, although it is not as effective as the wild seeds.
When you start clearing your farm, endeavor to be careful. This is because if you are careless, you run the risk of clearing tree seeds, especially maple trees seeds. And you would want to save these seeds because they will come in handy for a tapper farm you will encounter at a later level.
Level 2 – Survival Burger
The survival burger is a very useful tool, especially during the berry seasons, as it gives your foraging skill a buff of +3 when you consume it. This buff lasts about 335 seconds, and it increases your chance of foraging items of improved quality.
When you consume this item, you will get an extra berry, although temporarily, when you harvest from bushes.
Level 3 – Tapper
The tapper is an item you can use to collect a variety of products from trees. To use this tool, all you have to do is place the tap on a tree. After this, it will collect any of the following: maple syrup, pine tar, or oak resin after a few days.
With this tool, you can build yourself a maple syrup farm and start it selling to make money.
Level 4 – Wild Seeds (Summer) and Charcoal Kiln
Having the charcoal kiln means that you’ll make less trips to the mine. You also get wide seeds of plants that are appropriate for the summer season.
Level 5 – Forester or Gatherer
When you get to this level, you will have to choose between two professions – Forester or Gatherer. And your choice should be determined by the path you intend to take.
Before you decide, consider the benefit either option provides.
Forester
If you choose the Forester profession, you should cover a huge part of Stardew in Tappers so as to make lots of money on syrup. Also, Forester provides a substantial buff to the price of wood; that is, every wood you sell will be valued at 50% more than the original price.
However, some consider this profession a little useless as you can’t sell wood early on in the game. This is why most players who choose Forester do so as a means to choosing the Tapper profession in Level 10
Gatherer
Choosing the Gatherer profession gives you a 20% chance of doubling the forage items you harvest. That is, you can obtain two items from a single harvest. Unfortunately, this benefit does not extend to the items you plant on your farm.
Level 6 – Lightning Rod, Wild Seeds (Fall), and Warp Totem: Beach
Level 6 provides you with the warp totem, which will allow you warp to a good foraging spot. You’ll also get the lightning rod which prevents items from getting destroyed by violent and sudden electrostatic discharge under 1 billion volts. Finally, you’ll get wild seeds of plants that are appropriate for the fall season.
Level 7 – Wild Seeds (Winter) and Warp Totem: Mountains
Wild Seeds are the only seeds of plants that can be grown during wintertime. Hence, you can plant some of these seeds to keep your farm going in situations where you don’t have other plants’ seeds.
Level 8 – Warp Totem: Farm
This level provides you with the Wild Totem: Farm with which you can harvest more wild berries.
Level 9 – Rain Totem
The Rain Totem helps you to save energy you would normally use to water your seeds. Also, it renders having a friend who is highly skilled in farming unnecessary.
Level 10 – Lumberjack or Tapper? Botanist or Tracker?
At this level, you will be required to make more decisions regarding your profession. If you chose Forester in Level 5, you will be faced with two options: Lumberjack and Tapper. On the other hand, if you selected Gatherer, you will have to choose between Botanist and Tracker.
Forester: Lumberjack or Tapper
Lumberjack
Lumberjack isn’t an efficient way to make money with trees in Stardew Valley. However, it enables you to locate hardwood and gather them for buildings late in the game.
Tapper
With the tapper profession, you will be able to make money with trees, even if little. This profession makes it possible for you to sell your syrups for 25% more than their original worth.
Gatherer: Botanist or Tracker
Botanist
The Botanist is, perhaps, the best profession you can choose if you have the Foraging skill. It ensures that all of your foraged items, apart from Sap and Cave Carrot, are of the highest quality possible. That is, they will either be of gold or iridium quality.
The following are the categories of forage items the Botanist profession will ensure are of the highest quality:
- Every item that is tagged “Forage” in-game, apart from Sap and Cave Carrot.
- Fruits, flowers, and vegetables found as forage, including blackberries and salmonberries you collect from bushes.
- Every item foraged from the beach.
- Every crop you grow from Wild Seeds.
Tracker
The Tracker profession will boost your chances of finding forageable items by revealing their locations.
What Should You Choose?
With the numerous options available, which of these professions should you choose?
The answer to this is that there is no right answer.
The ideal profession for you might not be one for another person. This is because what you choose should depend on what you want from the game. If we were to make recommendations, however, we would go for the Gatherer and Botanist profession.
The reason is simple: The Gatherer profession boosts your harvest by double, while the Botanist enables you to get top quality items. Another excellent choice you can make is Forester and Lumberjack as they enable you to obtain scarce hardwood.
In conclusion, determine what you intend to achieve and choose the profession that will help you achieve it.
