Stardew Valley caters to a wide range of preferences and playstyles at nearly every point in the game. There are multiple methods to achieving rewards, many different marriage candidates, and a whole slew of different activities to pass the days in Pelican Town with. Whether the player wants to spend all day watering plants by hand or rush off to the Skull Cavern for a chance at valuable loot, Stardew Valley has so much to offer.
One of the most important decisions to make takes place immediately; when the player picks out what farm layout to play on. Each one offers its own perks and detriments, allowing the player to further tweak the game to suit their playstyle.
10 Beach Is Best: A Little Bit Of Everything
One of the best things about the beach farm is that it offers a little bit of everything, but in a way that is less blocky than that of Four Corners. Technically it doesn't have regenerating mining space like that of the Hill Farm or Four Corners, but there is still a ton of stone that will regenerate each season like on every farm.
The Beach Farm has a massive amount of farmable space, even if they can't have sprinklers on all of it. There's also a foraging space on top of its own unique foraging that happens nowhere else.
9 Default Is Best: The Most Farmable Tiles
Once upon a time there was only the default farm. It is one massive space of farmable land that, when cleared, can be bent towards any farming preferences. Out of every farm layout, the default farm has the most farmable tiles and therefore, more opportunity for profit.
It is so open that the ability to grow huge crops is far more likely, as plots can be clumped together much easier than on some other maps. Every space will take any structure or building that can be placed outside, so get an automated farm running and never again be late for the party.
8 Beach Is Best: Focusing On Foraging
One of the main perks of the Beach Farm is that it also has foraging abilities, just like the Forest Farm. However, in addition to the mushrooms and seasonal forageables tucked away in the corner, there is also the same forageables that are found on the beach by Elliott and Willy.
Additionally, this layout also boasts its own unique foraging item: the Supply Crate. Hitting one of these will grant the player a variety of items ranging from a couple Joja Colas or some fertilizers all the way to a handful of Mega Bombs. They tend to show up along the coast after it rains, giving a reason to actually walk around sometimes.
7 Default Is Best: Best Customizability Right Here
Since the Default Farm is basically a tall, open rectangle, there is so much more room for customizing the layout to be exactly the way the player wants it. There are no immovable tiles outside of the border, nothing that is there strictly for aesthetic purposes, nothing.
This just means that a player can get extremely creative with how it all looks and have fun making the most beautiful farm they can. Different buildings and objects can be clumped together however the player sees fit without the need to account for the map's extra bits.
6 Beach Is Best: Go Fish!
The Beach Farm allows for the same fishing opportunities as the Ocean does, meaning that the players can avoid that ridiculously long walk to the beach to get those good fish. That also means that putting Crab Pots in the water will actually give the player more than garbage.
The River Farm is the only other farm where fishing is actually worth it, even if all of the farms have been updated to allow at least a little. The difference is that the Beach Farm isn't focused solely on fishing and therefore gets more use.
5 Default Is Best: Can Go Fully Automatic
The unfortunate part of the Beach Farm is that sprinklers cannot be placed on sand. While a fully automatic farm is possible with the clever use of a greenhouse and fruit trees, it isn't quite the same as what the Default can do.
Grid out those sprinklers, put out some Junimo huts, and the only thing the player has to do is go pick up the fruits of the Junimo's labor. It maximizes profit for sure, while also giving the player time to do other things.
4 Beach Is Best: More Visual Interest
It might take away some of the farmable space, but the Beach Farm is naturally so pretty. It has more trees than just what the player can just find elsewhere, the edges aren't basically just a rectangle, and there's a lot of different kinds of turf around.
The farm essentially forces the player to walk around it after storms anyway in order to look for Supply Crates, so it's a good thing that it makes itself out to be such an aesthetic farm.
3 Default Is Best: Nothing Extra To Take Up Space
Early game it's exciting to have a lot of extra berry bushes and food sources that are right there on the farm without any effort from the player. Late game? They generally get in the way. By then, there's no reason for salmonberries or blackberries when blueberries and ancient fruits rule the land.
It's not like the only place these forageables can be found is on the farm either, so it's not like the plater is missing out on anything by not really having them about.
2 Beach Is Best: A More Intimate Farming Experience
The temptation to fully automate a farm on other layouts can be extremely tempting. However, that really cannot happen on the Beach Farm due to it's restriction against sprinklers on the sand.
What this means is that the player can continue a more intimate farming experience well into the later stages of the game if they so choose. Gives a reason to actually use those tools that were upgraded, doesn't it?
1 Default Is Best: Old Files Still Work
Farm layouts have been out for awhile now, but there are still some old files hanging out there. It's not like the original farms were thrown out when the update happened, and therefore long standing games are still just as valid as their flashier, newer counterparts.
So if there is still an ancient save file that has been collecting dust or years worth of effort, they are still there just fine. Or a player can reproduce their old farms but in a more efficient manner. The possibilities really are endless.