Get Accustomed To The Map
Time is money, and travel and commute time can eat up valuable hours of your day. Avoid wasting time trying to find your way around town; getting lost while looking for citizens, store locations, or the best way home after a long day can reduce your overall profit.
Don’t just wander around all day; instead, become familiar with each important location. To save time going in the wrong direction or constantly bringing up the map, it’s best to make an effort to learn the map and where each building, shop, or NPC is located. When you first start out, make it a point to find and plan out the best routes to each frequently visited location to keep things running smoothly
Unlock The Minecart
One of the most valuable assets is the minecart, which can maximize the amount of work done in a typical workday. Although it is a good idea to work on all bundles at the community center, the “Boiler Room” bundle should be prioritized. (For the JojaMart route, this would cost 15,000g.)
Unlocking the minecart essentially turns the mines, bus stop, and quarry into fast-travel points around town. The route the minecarts create between the mines and the bus stop near the farm is one of the most useful features. This quick shortcut home allows for longer days fighting through mine levels and grabbing monster loot without becoming exhausted at the end of the day.
Find And Equip The Glow Ring
The glow ring and small glow ring can be obtained through special monster drops, fishing treasure chests, or breaking barrels underground in mines. It’s best to equip it as soon as you find it. The mines are a dangerous place that is often dimly lit, so the glow will come in handy.
The glow ring emits light around the player’s avatar, making it much easier to navigate the mines. The glow ring is not only a useful starter item in the mines, but it also helps when farming or walking through town at night when there are no other light sources nearby. To create a larger radius of light, stack the glow ring’s effects with another glow ring, a small glow ring, or even an iridium band.
Repair The Bus Stop
The bus stop is yet another mode of transportation in the game, but this time it is more than just a shortcut. Instead of allowing the player to quickly move from one location in town to another, repairing the bus stop means unlocking an entirely new area.
To repair the bus stop, you must purchase every vault bundle, which costs a whopping 42,500g (40,000g for the JojaMark route). Of course, this cannot be done immediately when starting the game, but it is worth saving up for as soon as possible. A bus ride will transport the player to the Calico Desert, where they will encounter an entirely new set of sights, faces, environments, and profitable produce.
Light A Path Home
Many players are taken aback at first by how dark the town can become after sunset. When you’re first starting out, navigation is nearly impossible due to a lack of familiarity with the map and a lack of light sources. A simple, yet brilliant, solution is to make one’s own light sources; however, rather than carrying a fire around all night, it’s best to make multiple lights and place them around areas that require illumination. Not only is the farmland free to decorate, but areas near or leading to the farm (such as the bus stop or the path north of the farmland) can also be illuminated with useful light sources.
While there are a plethora of fancy (and expensive) light sources that can eventually be crafted, the simple torch is the best bet for beginners because it only requires a single wood and two sap to craft. Simply make them and place them on any well-traveled path, and finding your way home at night will be a breeze.
Watch TV Every Morning
Making the transition from city to country life does not imply abandoning all hobbies. It’s not a bad idea to take a quick TV break; in fact, it’s encouraged. Make sure to watch a little TV before starting each day of hard farm work. Specific programs will assist with various aspects of the game, ranging from providing useful tips to developing new recipes. Those few extra seconds spent checking what’s on TV will be well spent in the long run.
The weather report is especially useful for determining the best day to upgrade the watering can because it will be with the blacksmith for the next few days.
Invest And Build Scarecrows
Crops are a farmer’s bread and butter, and crows can’t keep their greedy beaks away. To ensure that all crops are flourishing and ready to sell every morning, they must be protected from nearby critters.
Don’t let these pests get away with it. Invest in foraging and harvesting items right away to make a few scarecrows. This simple fix will ensure that there are no missing or ruined crops every morning, which would cost a significant amount of profit if left alone.
Check The Bulletin Board Everyday For Quests
With money being so tight in the first month of the game, it can feel a little hopeless at times. Aside from tending to the crops every morning, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the bulletin board outside Pierre’s shop. There, the player will find the occasional listing written by other town residents seeking assistance with various tasks.
These mini-quests are a great way to keep oneself entertained while waiting for crops to grow. It not only helps the player become acquainted with the locals, but it’s also a great way to earn extra coin each day.