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One of the five skills in Stardew Valley is Foraging. This skill applies (more obviously) to picking up foraged items around the Valley, but it's also the skill you use when chopping down trees.
There are a few ways to level up your Foraging skill (both permanently and temporarily), as well as the typical Professions you can choose from like with any skill. Here's everything you'll need to know about this oft-overlooked skill.
Updated July 15, 2022 by Jacqueline Zalace: There is a lot of information to know about Foraging, so we've updated this guide with additional tips and easy-to-read formatting to help you become a pro in no time.
Foraging Basics
At its most basic, foraging is just collecting resources from around the Valley. This includes the berries, flowers, and other things you see on the ground, like Wild Horseradish and Daffodils. Simply walk up to them and press the action button to pick them up.
However, what isn't as obvious is that foraging also includes chopping down trees, specifically with an axe — bombing them doesn't grant XP. Both of these activities will level up your Foraging skill, which can be seen in the skills menu.
In the early days of the game, foraging for snacks like berries is often one of the best ways to ensure you can restore your energy, as well as giving you an opportunity for a bit of cash on the side.
Most forageables don't sell for any stellar amount of money, but since they're free to pick up, you'd might as well.
Experience Points
As with the other four skills, Foraging has ten total levels. There are a few different ways to earn XP toward this skill, with each level requiring more XP than the previous level. Level 1 requires 100 total XP, while the jump from level 9 to 10 requires 5,000, meaning a total of 15,000 XP from the start to level 10.
Here's the XP gain for each foraging action.
|
Action |
Experience Gain |
|---|---|
|
Picking up a forageable off the ground |
7 XP |
|
Chopping a tree down all the way (you get the XP when the tree falls) |
12 XP |
|
Removing the stump from a felled tree |
1 XP |
|
Chopping down large stumps and logs |
25 XP |
|
Foraging Spring Onions from the forest |
3 XP |
Certain things will not grant Foraging XP, including the following:
- Forageables picked from bushes
- Trees felled with bombs instead of an axe
- Grapes grown as crops from Grape Starters
- Wild Seed-producing forageables grown in Garden Pots
- Harvesting Ginger
- Items found from Artifact Spots
- Mushrooms harvested from the Farm Cave and by tapping Mushroom Trees
- Foraged minerals like Quartz and Earth Crystals
- Forageables dropped by monsters
Tips For Leveling Up Foraging
If you are looking to quickly level up your Foraging skill, we recommend chopping down trees and logs that are on your farm at the start of the game. Cleaning up your farm is a bit of a task, since it's filled with weeds, trees, and rocks. As you clear a section for your farm, you will gain experience for Foraging, as well as Mining.
Once you've cleared the trees on your farm, we recommend picking up every forageable item that you see off the ground. If your inventory gets a bit full, you can always eat your haul, as well as sell it to make some money.
Overall, focus on collecting items and chopping wood; you will level up your Foraging skill in no time!
Skill Level Rewards
As with every Stardew Valley skill, you'll earn certain rewards at each Foraging level, including some proficiency in using tools and crafting recipes.
At each level, you'll earn +1 proficiency for your axe, meaning it'll use less energy with every swing. Below, you can check out the rest of the rewards for each level.
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Level |
Reward(s) |
|---|---|
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1 |
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2 |
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3 |
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4 |
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5 |
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6 |
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7 |
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8 |
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9 |
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10 |
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Professions
Like any other skill, you'll be given a choice between two professions at Foraging level five; Forester or Gatherer. Below, you can see what each of these level five options includes.
|
Profession |
Bonuses |
|---|---|
|
Forester |
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Gatherer |
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At level ten, there are another four choices, two if you chose Forester and two if you chose Gatherer. Which skill you choose will depend on your own personal preference, but here are the details of each.
|
Level 5 Choice |
Choices at Level 10 |
Bonuses |
|---|---|---|
Forester |
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↳ |
Lumberjack |
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↳ |
Tapper |
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Gatherer |
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↳ |
Botanist |
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↳ |
Tracker |
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Any profession can be changed for any skill, though, if you aren't happy with your choice or its usefulness runs out for you. Just head to the Statue of Uncertainty in the Sewers. For 10,000g, you can remove your professions for a certain skill, and you'll be prompted to pick new ones when you go to sleep that night.
Buffs to Foraging
There are certain food items that will grant you a temporary buff to certain skills. Foraging has a few, essentially adding additional levels for a short time. This means that you can increase your Foraging level up to 14.
At Foraging Level 12 and 13, you'll harvest a maximum of four berries from bushes.
These are the food items that will buff your Foraging as well as restore some energy and health.
|
Dish |
Buffs |
Duration |
Ingredients |
Health Restored |
Energy Restored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Autumn's Bounty |
|
7 minutes, 41 seconds |
|
99 |
220 |
|
Pancakes |
|
11 minutes, 11 seconds |
|
40 |
90 |
|
Survival Burger |
|
5 minutes, 35 seconds |
|
56 |
125 |
|
Tropical Curry |
|
5 minutes, 1 second |
|
67 |
150 |
Seasonal Foraged Items
Each season comes with different forageables, as do different areas. Below, you can find the items unique to each season, as well as a general location.
Many forageables can be found on the Forest Farm, if you choose that particular layout.
|
Season |
Forageable Items |
|---|---|
|
Spring |
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Summer |
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Fall |
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Winter |
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Other Foraged Items
There are some forageables that are found in specific places but are not season-locked. You can take a look at these items below, as where to find them.
|
Location |
Items |
|---|---|
|
Beach |
|
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Mines |
|
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Calico Desert |
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Ginger Island |
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Truffles and Sap
Lastly, we have truffles and sap. Sap is not really put into one of the former categories easily, but is considered a foraged item. It drops from trees when they are chopped down.
Chances are, you will acquire large amounts of sap while chopping down trees. You can save this for later, but you won't be at a loss if you decide to sell or toss it.
Truffles are a bit of a strange and special case. They're kind of an animal product, as they're dug up by pigs on your farm when they're well-fed and happy (except in Winter). However, the game classifies them as mushrooms and grants foraging bonuses for them, meaning they'll grant XP when picked up, and they will always be iridium-quality if you have the Botanist profession and may be granted double harvest by the Gatherer profession.