Stardew Valley Multiplayer Guide

The 1.4 patch for Stardew Valley has finally arrived, and many people are either going to be returning to the game to play with friends or starting a multiplayer game for the first time. As many as four people in total can play together in a single game of Stardew Valley, and you can go even higher on the PC version with mods. In our Stardew Valley Multiplayer Guide, we cover some tips and tricks that will help you better understand the game!

If you enjoy this guide try out some of our other articles on Stardew Valley by visiting its official game page. We also have a really interesting article about how Stardew might have effected the series that inspired it and a listicle about the best and worst characters in the game. 

Stardew Valley Multiplayer Tips - Don't Forget About the Other Players

This might seem silly, but the first thing I want to address in this Stardew Valley Multiplayer Guide: Don't forget that the other players exist.

As someone with a couple hundred hours in the game, I know that it's all about getting into a good groove. You have your daily routine, doing this or that in such a specific order every single day like clockwork. Or maybe, you're more of a free spirit who runs around doing all sorts of different things willy-nilly.

When you have up to three other people with you—more on PC, with modding—you now have a new challenge. You have multiple people, each with their own agendas, all trying to get their stuff done in the space of a day. Whether you're working alone or together, it can be a real challenge!

Stardew Valley Multiplayer Tips - Only the Host Needs to be Online

This is just a quick one, but it's worth mentioning: Only the host needs to be online to play through a multiplayer game.

I played a game with three other people when the multiplayer component originally launched. Sometimes, one or two of the other three people couldn't make it. We agreed that we would carry on minus any absentee folks. In those cases, the missing player simply doesn't make any progress on the days they miss. As long as the player hosting the game is on, as many of the other people are able to join—including none of them, if you need to go it solo.

Bear in mind, it's a perfectly fine idea to strictly wait for everyone to get together. I'm hoping to run with the same group with the release of 1.4, and this time, I think I'll try to reserve playing for when everyone can be there at the same time. If someone can't make it, we can always play something else!

Stardew Valley Multiplayer Tips - Four Times the Workforce = Four Times the Costs

Something else that may be slightly less self-evident is the costs. You see, everyone has their own tools in a multiplayer game. Consider how difficult and expensive it was to upgrade a full set of tools, and then multiply that by four.

It's challenging but possible to get a full set of Iridium Tools. Here's the cost of each upgrade level:

• Copper: 2,000G and 5 Copper bars
• Steel: 5,000G and 5 Iron bars
• Gold: 10,000G and 5 Gold bars
• Iridium: 25,000G and 5 Iridium bars

Doing some quick math, that comes up to a total of 42,000G plus five of each of the listed bars. Combine all of the tools, and that's 168,000G and 20 of each bar. And then factor in four people, and you have a grand total of 672,000 and 80 of each bar — and that leaves out the 7,000G cost (each!) of the Iridium fishing rod or any weapons, armor, or other amenities you might want to buy. And, y'know... seeds and animals.

There is one upside, though: You can lend each other tools! You don't need a hoe in the mines, so leave it in a chest and let one of your friends use it! By keeping a constant rotation (and making sure that one tool is being upgraded at all times, as there is only one blacksmith), you can make good progress on getting upgraded tools quickly.

Stardew Valley Multiplayer Tips - A Horse Needs a Stable

A horse gives you a pretty decent speed boost, letting you move across the map roughly 30%-ish faster. It's a nice investment, but it requires that you gather up 100 Hardwood (among other ingredients) to build a horse stable.

While you can certainly share horses, pretty much everyone is probably going to want their own horse. Hardwood is one of the more difficult resources to gather up quickly, so this is one of the more important tips in our Stardew Valley multiplayer guide: gather Hardwood every day!

Stardew Valley Multiplayer Tips - Split up the Work

This will surely be one of the more self-evident points in this Stardew Valley multiplayer guide, but it bears mentioning nonetheless: You can split up the work and effectively work four times faster, but at four times the cost.

In my first multiplayer game, I focused on farming. One player loved to tend to the animals, another did a little bit of everything, and the last one loved to do fishing. Most of us also popped down to the mines every now and again.

At the end of an average day, the crops would all be tended, the animals would all be fed, we'd have a bucketful of fish, and occasionally a nice chunk of ore. There's no way that one player could do all this, but a group of friends can do it!

Stardew Valley Multiplayer Tips - Work Together When It Makes Sense

While everyone doing their own thing makes sense, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the benefits of working together in this Stardew Valley multiplayer guide.

Take one of the preceding examples: You need a butt-ton of ore and cash in order to upgrade everyone's tools. You know what's a good way to get money fast? Having four people going hog wild in the Skull Cavern.

Four people mining at the same time are going to find a ladder or a hole very quickly. That means that you can get further down faster, and that is the area where the concentration of Iridium is highest. After you have some saved up for tools and other necessities, you can sell the rest of the bars and make some serious banks.

Stardew Valley Multiplayer Tips - Speedrunning the Community Center is Very Possible

I'm certainly a powergamer when it comes to stuff like Stardew Valley, but one of the things I've never attempted (and likely never will, at least anytime soon) is to speedrun the Community Center.

You see, it is quite possible to get the Community Center completed before the end of the first year. It requires a lot of hard work at full blast. While I like to go hard at Stardew Valley, I also like to keep a relaxing pace.

However, the addition of up to three other people makes this a much more possible goal. You have four times the costs, yes, but you can also do almost everything four times faster. It might be worth the effort!

The Most Important Stardew Valley Multiplayer Tip -  Have Fun!

Here's our final tip in the Stardew Valley multiplayer guide: Don't forget to have fun!

Games like this can easily lend themselves to players busting their butts trying to earn money as fast as possible. If you're pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion every day, it's less like you're playing a game and more like you're working another job.

The beauty of Stardew Valley is that it's a game that can be played at its own pace. Don't forget to lay back, relax, and have some fun!