What is the best farm types, also known as farm maps, in Stardew Valley? This question comes across every Stardew player’s mind when creating a new farm as it’s quite an important decision. With Seven maps to choose from it can be hard to decide which is best for you so today we plan on helping you pick your next map. Please keep in mind that these are simply opinions and in no way is this article meant to be taken as pure fact.
What are The different Farm Types?
Farm maps in Stardew Valley are options for what your farm will look like when you start the game. By default, the farm map is a large farmable area however by selecting certain farm types you can cover your farm in rivers, and forests, or even turn your farm into a beach! Each of the seven Farm maps in Stardew has its own strengths and weaknesses which make them better for certain aspects of the game and worse for others. Overall your choice of Farm Map is down to personal preference, hopefully, this list will help you decide which map is right for you.
Standard Farm (Farming)
The Standard Farm map is the basic starting farm in Stardew, it features a large amount of farmable land which makes it ideal for beginners or those that want the original Stardew experience. This map features a total of 3,427 tillable spaces and only 235 spaces which players can’t till, however, they can still build or place items on them. This makes the Standard Farm a great choice for those that want to focus on farming as their main source of income as they can build a good amount of farm buildings while still having land to farm crops and animals on. Although this land does have two ponds they are not for fishing as all you can catch is trash. They are best used to refill watering cans or to place Crab Pots as they will catch freshwater creatures like crawfish and snails.
Riverland Farm (Fishing)
The Riverland Farm offers players a unique way to play the game as its land is sparse and covered in winding rivers making this farm ideal for those who just want to fish and harvest crab pots. This map only contains 1,578 tillable spaces and has 516 spaces that are not tillable. While the farming area is extremely small compared to other farms, it allows players to catch both river fish and forest fish without having to leave the farm. While fishing on the farm players will have a 70% chance to catch river fish and a 30% chance to catch forest fish. The Riverland Farm map is an amazing challenge if you feel like you are bored with the basic farm layout in Stardew.
Forest Farm (Foraging)
The Forest Farm gives players a well-balanced experience in the game as it does not change the map too much, however, it makes gameplay just slightly different. This map transforms your farm into the secret woods, giving you 8 harvestable Hardwood Stumps a day and allowing forageable items to spawn in the grass on your farm. Foragables will spawn depending on the season allowing for; Dandelions, Leeks, Morels, and Horseradish in the Spring, Common Mushrooms, Grapes, Spice Berries, and Sweet Peas in the Summer, and Chanterelles, Common Mushrooms, Purple Mushrooms, and Red Mushrooms in the Fall. While this map has fewer tillable spaces than non-tillable spaces, 1,413 vs 1,490, it’s still a great choice for anyone who loves the aesthetic of the secret woods or who just enjoys foraging around the map. This map is also great for harvesting Hardwood in the early game, you can learn more about Hardwood here.
Hill-top Farm (Mining)
The Hill-top map may just be one of the most interesting maps in the game as it features one large river flowing through the center of the farm at an angle and has a large quarry on top of one of the three hills. This map’s focus is aimed primarily at mining, this can be seen quite easily in the quarry as it respawns ore and geode nodes every 4 days. Although it appears that the river on this farm promotes fishing it only allows players to catch fish 50% of the time and trash the other 50% making it more efficient to just go to other parts of town to collect fish. This Farm Map contains 1,648 tillable spaces and 930 non-tillable spaces making it great for both farming crops and animals. Overall this farm lets players level their mining up early on and has minimal cons making it a great choice for anyone who wants a change of scenery from the other maps.
Wilderness Farm (Combat)
The Wilderness map is an amazingly scary map that will have you fighting for your life. Fighting what you may ask? Well, the Wilderness Farm spawns monsters at night that will start attacking the player when they are spotted. This farm is great for those of you brave enough to fight off these creepy creatures in the darkness of the night. The Wilderness Farm features 2,131 tillable spaces and 444 non-tillable spaces and has two large ponds located in the center of the map and the bottom left of it. These ponds are not the best for fishing as they only let players catch fish 35% of the time and trash the other 65%. Overall the Wilderness Farm is a fun departure from the other maps, however, you can also just enable monster spawns in the settings of the other maps making the big gimmick for this map seem a little overrated.
Four Corners Farm (Multiplayer)
The Four Corners Map is one of the most diverse in terms of things to do. This map is split up into four quadrants which allows for a great multiplayer experience allowing players to live in each of the corners in order to feel like they have their own personal farming areas. There are cliffs that divide the farm into sections with each having its own pros and cons. For instance, the top left has an area that looks like the Forest Farm with a single Large Stump in the corner that respawns daily. The top right looks like the Standard Farm containing the most clear, farmable land. The Bottom left contains a large pond that lets players catch fish from Cindersap Forest and the bottom right has a small quarry that allows for early-game mining. Even though this map is divided up it is anything but small coming in with 2,952 tillable spaces total meaning you can still have a pretty big crop yield while playing online. While each of the quadrants is slightly different they all provide players with great advantages making this map an amazing choice when playing with friends.
Beach Farm (Foraging & Fishing)
The Beach Farm is by far the hardest to play when you are a new player and is really only recommended for veteran Stardew Valley Players. This map features sandy soil which makes sprinklers unusable meaning you have to water any crops by hand. Never fear however as this map contains a small patch of land (202 Spaces) where sprinklers will work on crops. Other than that this farm has the ability to spawn both forest and beach forageables. Similarly, Supply Crates are able to wash up on shore dropping anything from Mixed Seeds to a Mega Bomb depending on the type of crate that spawns. This map is great for fishing as you will catch ocean fish about 52% of the time and trash about 27% of the time, 15% of the time you will catch either Seaweed and the last 6% you can catch Oysters, Coral, or Cockles. Overall this farm gives players a great new experience in the game and is fun to play on. However, remember that this is the most difficult farm to live on and is really only intended for longtime players of the game who know exactly what they are doing.
So Which is The Best Farm Map in Stardew?
Well, that answer is up to you, Stardew is a game full of choices and there is no “best” way to do anything. Your farm map and gameplay style are completely up to you and the type of experience you decide to have while playing. Choose whichever map you want based on your taste, if you want to play on the Forest Farm or the Riverland Farm really does not matter so long as you have fun playing this amazing game!
