Key Takeaways
- Some players overlook useful features in Stardew Valley, like those of upgraded tools, due to lack of tutorials.
- Upgrades to tools like watering can and hoe can significantly reduce time spent on farming tasks.
- Stardew Valley has hidden mechanics, such as regaining energy by lying in bed in multiplayer mode.
A Stardew Valley player missed out on a helpful feature in the game for three in-game years. Other Stardew Valley players have shared in their commiseration, with some noting that they were oblivious to various helpful elements of the game themselves for far too long.
Stardew Valley isn’t a difficult game to learn, but mastering Stardew Valley is an entirely different matter. The game doesn’t force players through lengthy tutorials to introduce every single element of the game, so some fans can end up overlooking details and functions that could have been helpful early on.
Reddit user and Stardew Valley player midnightbake is one of those people, who shared how they didn’t know that the upgraded watering can can water more crops at once. For three of Stardew Valley‘s years, they apparently watered their crops one-by-one or relied on sprinklers, despite having upgraded the tool. While it might strike some fans as a simplistic thing to overlook, some players noted that they had also been confused when they upgraded the watering can because of its capacity. Upgrading the watering can with Clint allows farmers to use it more per refill, so it seems some players thought the improvements ended there.
Some Stardew Valley players apparently didn’t even bother upgrading some tools like the hoe, not knowing that it, too, can handle more than one square of dirt at once. This works in the same way as the watering can, as all players have to do is hold down the action key. A grid will appear on the ground, indicating where the earth will be watered or tilled, depending on the tool being used. Further upgrades expand the size of the grid, which can significantly shorten the amount of time needed to set up one’s crops at the start of a Stardew Valley season.
While realizing a helpful detail like this was overlooked for so long might embarrass some players, many of the smaller details of Stardew Valley get missed. For example, some players didn’t know about Stardew Valley‘s fishing channel, or that it’s possible to regain energy in multiplayer mode via lying one’s bed without sleeping for the night. Some fans consider using resources like the wiki or Stardew Valley guides to be a must playing the game due to the number of hidden mechanics and unspoken resources in the game.
Thankfully, Stardew Valley is a game that many fans enjoy playing for years on end, or who regularly revisit to start a new farm. While the player may have missed out on the watering can’s full capabilities during their first three years, from this point on, farming should be a lot easier for them.
