Pros and cons of playing Stardew Valley in Co-Op
Farm simulation Stardew Valley is a hugely popular indie game where players take over their late grandfather’s farm. When they move to Pelican Town, these new farmers can raise livestock, grow crops, make friends, and even fall in love. Stardew Valley is a long and very flexible game, giving players limitless options for how they want to structure their levels.
While many farmers go it alone, players do not have to start a new life of their own. Up to four intrepid farmers can play on a single farm, sharing the world of Pelican Town and the land on which their crops are grown. It offers a very similar experience to playing solo, still offering the same storyline, quests, items, and interactions with NPCs. However, playing in co-op will change certain aspects of the gamer experience, change Stardew Valley in some way for the better and for the worse.
Pro: Divide and Conquer
Stardew Valley is a game that requires players to build skills in fishing, farming, mining, fighting, and foraging. In a solo stage, it can take hours to max out all of these skills. One benefit of playing in a multiplayer farm is the opportunity to split the responsibilities of these missions. One player can focus on farming, which gives them access to powerful items like Iridium Sprinklers, while the other spends time fishing, unlocking max level fishing rods and Ginger Island for group. When farmers focus on only one specialized skill, they level up much faster, but can still benefit from friends’ advanced skills in other areas.
Con: Shared bank account
Fan Stardew Valley have extremely mixed feelings about the default multiplayer setting that forces players to share finances. Initially, this setting was the only option, but the ability to split finances is available in the 2019 update. This default setting can cause problems: One farmer spends more than others. remaining, forced to purchase items like backpacks up to four times, and tension between players caused by money.
Money sharing can help everyone share the load, but many players find that it causes more problems than it’s worth. Now that it’s optional, players should think carefully before starting their co-op farm – however, if they regret their decision, the setting can be changed in the Town Ledger in Mayor Lewis’s house.
Pro: Speed Mining
Entering the mines above Pelican Town was a dangerous endeavor. In addition to providing ores, stones and gems, the mines also have dangerous and aggressive mobs. Going in alone can be very risky, as some floors spawn waves of monsters that can overwhelm the player. In Stardew Valley cooperate, having strength in numbers in mines and four farmers with picks and swords means a better chance against slime and skeletons, as well as faster progress through individual floors with multiple picks ladder search.
Child: Personal mission
No matter how someone plays Stardew Valley, they will receive world quests orally, through cutscenes, or by mail. With a multiplayer farm, each player gets these requests, which can be tedious. At the start of the game, each farmer is asked to introduce himself to 30 different villagers. Some tasks are very expensive, like giving Kent a star fruit or Mayor Lewis’ truffle oil. When each task has to be done four separate times, the time and cost add up.
For gamers looking for a great local or online co-op experience, Stardew Valley is a good choice. One of the biggest limitations is the lack of cross-play functionality between consoles. However, it makes up for that somewhat with its small file size and good ability to run on macOS. It’s a sensible choice and players will have to decide for themselves whether the pros outweigh the cons.
Stardew Valley currently available on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One.
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https://gamerant.com/stardew-valley-co-op-mode-good-bad/ Pros and cons of playing Stardew Valley in Co-Op
