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Jul 15, 2023

A Guide To Stardew Valley Farm Simulation RPG Video Game Co

Stardew Valley's co-op mode puts a satisfying multiplayer twist on an already stellar experience where players explore a world and run a farm together ConcernedApe's Stardew Valley has been out for

Stardew Valley's co-op mode puts a satisfying multiplayer twist on an already stellar experience where players explore a world and run a farm together

ConcernedApe's Stardew Valley has been out for over seven years but it still dominates the market and is considered one of the greatest farm simulation RPGs of all time. While it began as a single-player game, just two years after its initial release, it received a multiplayer co-op mode where players can run a farm and experience life together in Pelican Town.

Stardew Valley is already incredibly fun to play solo, but there are plenty of reasons for players to opt for a co-op experience instead. Aside from the simple pleasure of running a farm with friends, Stardew Valley co-op increases the rate the farm grows and flourishes and the money it brings in. Thankfully, starting and maintaining a co-op game in Stardew Valley is a simple process.

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While Stardew Valley allows for co-op on any platform, the process for hosting or joining a world varies between platforms like PCs and mobile devices. Unfortunately, console players hoping to play Stardew Valley with their friends will need a subscription to their console's online service. PC players, however, can join their friends at no extra cost. Additionally, all platforms allow for split-screen play, although Nintendo Switch only lets up to two players play together, as opposed to the four other platforms offer.

To host a co-op farm on PC, Steam players simply need to click "Co-op" on the main menu screen, then the "Host" tab, then "Host New Farm." At that point, any multiplayer farm hosted by Steam players will appear on their Steam friends' co-op "Join" tab. However, players who aren't on Steam can still play with others on PC via an invite code provided by the host, which can then be entered on the co-op "Join" tab.

To play co-op on console, all PS4 players will require a PlayStation Plus subscription, all Xbox One players will require an Xbox Live Gold Subscription, and all Nintendo Switch players will require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. PS4 and Xbox One players can join their friend's game just as they would any other game, and Nintendo Switch players can join their friend's game from the co-op "Join" tab.

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Players will need to make a few more decisions than they normally would if they're creating farm for a co-op game in Stardew Valley. These decisions are all made in the left-most panel on the farm creation screen, and all deal with specific multiplayer aspects of the game.

First, the host will need to decide whether they will include starting cabins for those joining their game, and they can choose to have anywhere from no cabins at all to three cabins. If the host elects to have starting cabins, they will need to choose between two layout styles: nearby or separate. A "nearby" layout places all pre-existing cabins near the farmhouse, while a "separate" layout spreads the cabins further apart to allow for more independence.

If the host decides against including pre-existing cabins, they can still have Robin the Carpenter build up to three cabins at any time for 100g each, with three cabins being the maximum amount allowed on the farm. In this case, each cabin is owned and managed by its farmhand, so the host cannot make any changes or updates to them. However, they can be demolished and rebuilt by the host as many times as necessary.

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Next, the host will need to choose the game's profit margin. They can either choose to leave the profit margin at its default of 100% or increase the challenge of the game by decreasing the profit margin in increments of 25% down to 25%. Players may want a lower profit margin since it is much easier to make money in co-op mode, thanks to increased productivity from multiple players, so leaving it at 100% may make the whole experience a bit too painless for some.

Third, hosts will be required to choose Stardew Valley's money style. This money style can be either shared or separate, with shared meaning all players share the same money pool and separate meaning each player has their own individual pool of money. The money style will be set to "shared" by default, but players may still wish to change it.

Finally, host players will want to choose a farm type if they want something other than Stardew Valley's traditional farm. Players should note that the developers created the Four Corners Farm with multiplayer in mind, and with its four separate parcels available to players, it is ideal for co-op. However, every farm in Stardew Valley has its perks.

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The co-op mechanics of Stardew Valley are quite a bit different than solo play, but they are generally easy to follow once players get a good understanding of the process. Essentially, co-op in Stardew Valley functions as though multiple individuals are playing their own game in the same world, with their own experience, skills, relationships, and even quests. Oddly, the main things that players truly collaborate on in co-op are when to sleep, when to start a festival, and whether to finish rebuilding the Community Center or purchase a Joja membership.

Earning experience in Stardew Valley co-op is fairly intuitive. In most cases, whoever performs the action gains experience. In farming, for instance, whoever harvests a crop is granted experience for harvesting it, regardless of who planted it or kept it watered. Also, in combat, whoever gets the final blow on a monster gains experience for killing it—that experience is not shared.

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The biggest difference in relationships in Stardew Valley co-op comes from the fact that players can marry each other and have children. However, looking at the game's eligible characters, each NPC can only be married by one player at a time, so if more than one player wants to marry the same NPC, it will ultimately come down to who proposes first.

Some of Stardew Valley's progress is shared in co-op, like the museum and mine, but progress and Stardew Valley quests are generally tied to individuals. For example, tools must be upgraded individually but players can still share tools with each other at any time. Similarly, cooking and crafting recipes are all acquired by individual players.

Stardew Valley's co-op mode isn't all that different from its single-player experience. However, getting to share a farm and work together makes a big difference for a lot of players, and simple activities like mining and killing slimes together can make a big difference for players who like to work together. For any players who haven't tried it out yet, Stardew Valley's co-op mode is always worth exploring.

Josh Cotts is a Gaming Features and Lists Writer at CBR. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Arizona State University in 2019 with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Media Studies. Currently residing in Oklahoma, Josh is also an Elementary Music teacher, a singer/songwriter, and he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter. When he's not spending time with his family, he can appreciate and find fun in almost any game, but he primarily enjoys playing Destiny 2 in his downtime. When writing, he takes pride in doing his own research, and often designing his own images using his skills in Photoshop.