Do you want to know the pros and cons of every profession within the game? Are you a perk enthusiast and looking forward to having its benefits? This list will talk about 30 professions in Stardew Valley and their difference so you can pick the best for you!
Scaling your gameplay in Stardew Valley is extremely important. It makes you wealthier, have a better farm, and commit significant contributions inside Pelican Town. As you progress in the farming hustle, you’ll level up, unlock recipes, and discover professions.
So, what exactly is a profession, and why does it matter in the game?
We’ll simplify everything on this guide and clarify the misconceptions surrounding it so you can pick the best that fits.
What is a Profession in Stardew Valley?
Skill development is a crucial component to progress in the game. Farming, mining, fishing, foraging, and combat are the different fields to enhance your talent as you perform tasks. Every time you reach levels 5 and 10, you’re entitled to a selection of professions.
Different professions have different advantages and disadvantages. For example, if you get a critical strike bonus, you’ll get the permanent buff that stacks with the enchantments. However, you’ll miss other perks on a specific skill as you can only choose two.
Nonetheless, here is what the professions tree in Stardew Valley looks like:
Farming
This field includes tilling soil, sowing, and watering seeds until they grow to full maturity for harvesting. Tending to farm animals is also on the list, giving you the necessary ingredients for various consumables and artisan goods in the game.
There are two professions to choose from after reaching level 5 in farming: Rancher and Tiller. Each splits into two more paths to select once your character reaches level 10.
1. Rancher
Milk, eggs, rabbit’s foot, and other animal products sell 20% more with the Rancher profession. For example, if you sell a regular white egg, you’ll get 60g instead of 50g. Having a coop and chickens early game can make an extra profit to sustain the farm.
1.1. Coopmaster
Hatch eggs and befriend coop animals faster with the Coopmaster perk. Whether it’s the exotic void chicken or ostrich, you’ll get a profit boost and a better relationship with them.
1.2. Shepherd
Being a shepherd gives the rancher a solid opportunity to quickly get closer to Cows, Sheep, and Pigs. Wool production is also faster for crafting more pieces of cloth you can ship.
2. Tiller
Opposite to the Rancher profession, the Tiller makes every crop sell 10% more. You’ll get the following choices once you choose this path:
2.1. Artisan
This profession is one of the player favorites because of the benefit: 40% income boost with artisan goods. If you have Ancient Fruit Wine and Truffle Oil, selling them can be lucrative, thanks to the Artisan profession.
2.2. Agriculturist
Why bother with expensive Hyper-Gro fertilizers when you can grow plants 10% quicker than average? It’s a small value, but saving time for planting more is enough help so you won’t run out of crops once the season switches.
Mining
Ores and stones are some of the most indispensable resources in Stardew Valley. You can build anything and craft many items essential for the late game. The 5th mining skill level introduces several professions we’ll explain:
3. Miner
Choosing the Miner profession makes every node drop an extra ore. Since players tend to smelt more bars for crafting purposes, more metal bars mean more items for a greater farming efficiency.
3.1. Blacksmith
A Radioactive Bar typically sells for 3000g, but having this profession will add another 50% sell price. Sure, finding ores of this rare metal bar is hard and grindy, yet the profit is not bad for a day of mining.
3.2. Prospector
You can find coal by breaking stones, emptying mine carts, zipping off random backpacks in Skull Cavern, and more. With Prospector, you have better odds of finding more coals for smelting metals.
4. Geologist
Some gemstones are hard to find in Stardew Valley, especially if you’re just starting. The Geologist profession increases your chance of gathering gems in pairs instead of one.
4.1. Excavator
Similar to Geologist, the Excavator profession doubles your chance of finding geodes. Geodes are valuable in completing museum collections as they contain minerals that you can’t mine or forage in the caves. However, this buff is most useful only when you want to expand your mineral collections and share some with Gunther.
4.2. Gemologist
Switching to Gemologist after you cracked open enough geodes with the Excavator perk is a smart move. However, most players will craft dozens of Crystalariums, place Diamonds to copy, and sell them. Gemologist gives a 30% boost for the original 700g you can get by selling the shiny, blue gem.
Fishing
Early game fishing experience gives you a tiny amount of gold, but enough to buy new seeds. It isn’t the highest-selling expertise (except crab potting), but it’s enjoyable for collectors and easter egg hunters. Fishing is a great hobby to kill time in Stardew Valley but offers the following professions as you progress:
5. Fisher
The Fisher profession is the most popular choice among every player in the field. With the 25% value boost from every catch, it’s a game-changer even in your first year.
5.1. Angler
As an excellent complement to Fisher, selecting the Angler perk gives 50% more value to every fish you sell. Adding up both values gives us 75%, which is a great boost if you take fishing seriously.
5.2. Pirate
Treasure chests are invaluable for two reasons: rare items and resources. Although gathering basic resources is doable with other professions, it’s the rare catch we want. The Pirate perk doubles your chance of finding treasures. Add the Treasure Hunter tackle, and you’ll get even more loot.
6. Trapper
A crab pot is a mid-game item where you get everything in the waters aside from crabs. The Trapper perk significantly decreases the iron bars and pieces of wood you’ll need to craft one.
6.1. Mariner
Are you tired of getting garbage from your crab pots? Sure, you can use them in the Recycling Machine to turn into something valuable, but there’s little profit. With the Mariner profession, you’ll get pure fishes, no junks.
6.2. Luremaster
Crab pots need regular bait if you want to trap lobster or crayfish. Although you can harvest bug meats in the cave and convert them to regular baits, it might take you a while. Remove that part with the Luremaster, and you’ll only have to worry about making crab pots and collecting the catch every morning.
Foraging
Foraged goods such as Fiddlehead Fern and Hazelnuts are food items you can’t grow on a farm. It also comes with Artifact Spots and rare resources for unlocking collections and crafting recipes.
Level 5 Foraging unlocks the following professions:
7. Forester
If you choose this perk and start cutting trees, you’ll get 25% more drops than usual. Forester may not be for a long-term purpose, but it’s a situational profession if you need extra pieces of wood.
7.1. Lumberjack
When Mahogany trees and seeds are unavailable in the early versions, Secret Woods is the only reliable source of hardwood. However, the drops aren’t enough that players would rely on the Lumberjack profession, so every regular tree yields hardwood when chopped down.
7.2. Tapper
Syrups are the most profitable among the three artisan goods you can get by tapping trees. This perk gives 25% more value to every syrup you sell. If you don’t know how to get one, feel free to check this easy guide.
8. Gatherer
There are items in Stardew Valley that you can only find in nature in a specific season. You can’t regrow them once you pick them up unless you craft them into Seasonal Seeds. With the help of Gatherer, you have a higher chance of getting two quantities in one picking.
8.1. Botanist
Every time you forage in the wild, this perk makes them the highest quality – which sells for more!
8.2. Tracker
Finding wild plants, artifact spots, and panning spots are tricky – but not with the Tracker profession. It comes with yellow and green arrows that you can follow, making foraging more convenient.
Combat
The final skill on the list features fighting monsters while venturing deeper into the mines. Combat is inseparable from mining since you’ll meet a variety of hostile creatures while digging for valuables. Survival is a must, and there are pretty good professions you can try:
9. Fighter
As the early game weapon does soft damage, the Fighter profession can make a big difference. Regardless of your weapon – be it a gavel, dagger, or sword – you’ll deal 10% more damage to enemies.
9.1. Brute
This profession is the upgraded Fighter profession, but with another 15% damage which sums up 35% overall.
9.2. Defender
Add another 25 HP from your existing health to become tankier – it works perfectly with high defense.
10. Scout
With the Scout perk, your chance of hitting critical strikes is increased. This buff works best with Infinity Sword with critical strike and higher crit chance by enchanting it with gemstones.
10.1. Acrobat
Blocking with a sword, slamming hammers, and spamming a dagger’s attack speed are the special moves in Stardew Valley. Acrobat is one of the handy professions in combat as it reduces the cooldown by half when performing these actions.
10.2. Desperado
Can’t get enough about critical strikes and seeking that one hit kill? The Desperado buff makes you crit deadlier, so you’ll never have to deal with the annoying monsters.
In a nutshell, here is every profession in Stardew Valley with its corresponding benefits:
| Professions | Buffs/Perks |
| Rancher | •20% more selling price for all animal products |
| Coopmaster | •Halved incubation time. •Faster befriending of coop animals. |
| Shepherd | •Faster wool production from sheep •Faster befriending of barn animals |
| Tiller | •10% more selling price for all crops. |
| Artisan | •40% more selling price for all artisan goods |
| Agriculturist | •10% growth speed for all crops. |
| Miner | •Extra ore for every node. |
| Blacksmith | •50% more selling price for all metal bars. |
| Prospector | •Doubled chance of finding coal. |
| Geologist | •Gems may appear in pairs. |
| Excavator | •Doubled chance of finding geodes. |
| Gemologist | •30% more selling for every gem. |
| Forester | •25% more wood by chopping trees |
| Lumberjack | •Chance to get hardwood by cutting down regular trees. |
| Tapper | •25% more profit from Syrups. |
| Gatherer | •Foraged items may appear in pairs. |
| Botanist | •Highest quality for every foraged good. |
| Tracker | •Forageable items’ location revealed. |
| Fisher | •25% more profit by selling any fish. |
| Angler | •50% more profit by selling any fish. |
| Pirate | •Doubled chance of finding treasure. |
| Trapper | •Ingredients for making crab pots reduced. |
| Mariner | •No more junk items from crab pots. |
| Luremaster | •Baits are not needed to make a crab pot function. |
| Fighter | •10% more damage to monsters. |
| Brute | •15% more damage to monsters. |
| Defender | •25 HP more to your existing health. |
| Scout | •50% more chances of hitting a critical strike. |
| Acrobat | •Halved cooldown for special moves. |
| Desperado | •Deadlier critical strikes. |
Changing Professions
You’ve tried a specific skill tree and progressed more with it, but you want to experience the other way. So, is changing professions a thing in Stardew Valley? Thanks to the 1.3.27 update, it’s possible, although it may cost you some fortune.
To change a profession, go below the sewers, interact with the Statue of Uncertainty, and offer 10,000g. After that, pick a skill, hit the bed, and before you load in the following day, you can freely choose a profession.
There are different paths to try and benefits to experience in the game. It takes a little bit of curiosity, enthusiasm, and gold to set you up. Don’t worry. Earning your money back is easy once you have a hyper-efficient farm with all these professions.
