Are you interested in being a forager or gatherer in Stardew Valley? Despite its lack of appreciation among non-farming skills, Foraging is still crucial to completing the game. And both Forester and Gatherer seem enticing, but which one is better?
When you consider both professions, the gatherer is the best forager. Despite being a Forester, Stardew Valley allows players to make more money by being Gatherers. Foresters produce more wealth in the game than any other profession due to trees’ abundance. Making high profits is one of the benefits of becoming a forester. Your profession becomes critical as you near the endgame.
What Is the Better Profession: Forester or Gatherer?
Stardew Valley is a game where you need to make good decisions based on how you plan to play it long-term. At level 5, you might wonder which path you should choose between the two professional paths between Miner and Geologist.
One of the reasons the mine is vital to the game is that it contains raw materials and gems. However, not only miners and geologists and various other professions in Stardew Valley are worth experiencing.
Among those professions that you might want to try are forester or gatherer. Stardew Valley’s Gatherer profession is the best of the two Forager professions. Gatherer will make you much more money, while Forester will yield more hardwood.
The reason why gatherer is far superior to Forester may be of particular interest to you. Comparing these two professions will help us better understand them.
Forester
Let’s start by discussing the benefits you receive from the forester. It provides you with 25% more wood from the get-go. Every time you cut down one tree, you earn wood worth 1.25 trees.
You might not find that very useful at level five. In contrast, rarer trees with a lower respawn rate will significantly benefit from this feature.
This extra wood is incredibly tempting, considering that some of the buildings in the game require a significant amount of wood. Getting different lumber is the primary advantage of being a Forester. With time, it adds up, and players can access an even more significant number of resources.
It alone makes Forester an excellent profession to obtain valuable hardwood. Still, the bonus of getting access to the Lumberjack profession makes Forester an even more attractive option.
Advantages of Forester
As trees are plentiful in the game, the profession of foresters produces more wealth and faster than any other profession. Becoming a Forester is a good choice if your goal is to make high profits.
Compared to mining, where you have to buy resources to upgrade your tools, trees can help you boost your tools, thus saving you time and resources.
In addition to being more resourceful than clay and stone, trees are also more effective in making building objects.
If you are a Forester, making money doesn’t require you to be online constantly unless you have an addiction. To earn income, you must send an ax; then, you can collect it when the time is right.
Disadvantages of Forester
If your trees die, you lose your sole source of income and steady cash flow. It takes a long time for the trees to regenerate, so the player has plenty of idle time. Getting wood can be tedious and frustrating if you’re not familiar with how the mechanics work.
Birch trees drop the most wood when cut down, so they are the best choice if you want lots of wood quickly. Despite this, they are still infrequent unless you live in an area where all three tree types grow.
Forester Specializations
As you level up in Foraging, you get two upgrade paths for Forester. You will prefer Lumberjack over both of these upgrades, but both have their advantages:
- Lumberjack: All trees drop hardwood when they die. That’s great! This resource is essential for the endgame. Instead of finding hardwood spawn points, it can be handy to have a constant supply of them. There is no better way to start learning Forester than with this path.
- Tapper: Syrup and sap make up a large part of the Foraging skill’s profits. While it might seem like a significant boost to your money, tappers usually aren’t motivated to sit around when their foragers do. Foresters cannot gain the default bonus if they don’t chop down trees.
Gatherer
As soon as you equip the gatherer, your chances of harvesting drops are doubled. The Gatherer bonus only provides a 20% chance of doubling the harvest, whereas the Forester bonus gives a 100% chance.
Thus, if comparing Gatherer stats against Forester stats, gatherer appears to lose. However, the gatherer’s most significant advantage is Forester’s weakness: Trees are everywhere.
Once you have finished clearing your farmland space, you will have enough wood to do essential project work. It’s hard to run out as long as you keep picking it up where you find it. As the game progresses, gathering specific materials becomes more difficult.
It can be very profitable for recipes and profits if there is even a tiny chance of doubling a turnip grab or finding a rare mushroom spawn. Considering how difficult Foraging can be, this is an excellent use of your time.
Advantages of Gatherer
Farming produces the highest income and the fastest profits compared to other occupations because it is easy to earn money. If your primary goal is to maximize profits, this is a great choice.
In addition to their ability to be used in building, minerals are also a lot more efficient than other raw materials like clay and stone. If you don’t understand the mechanics of the mines, mining ore can be pretty tricky.
It only takes a visible gold spot or a downward dig to get a lot of ore/material from a mine. Iron, Copper, and Coal are the only minerals that spawn in the mines, and they can all be sold for $50 each.
Disadvantages of Gatherer
Stardew Valley’s statistics indicate that a player needs to play for over ten hours before being able to purchase their first pickaxe upgrade. It takes a lot of time, maybe even weeks, if you haven’t sold anything from your farm before.
You may not find anything worthwhile on your first day in the mines, but in some cases, it may take a long time before you find anything worth looking for.
The mechanics of obtaining minerals can be pretty complex if you’re not familiar with them. The ores can be found in areas where the minerals spawn.
Gatherer Specializations
In addition, gatherer allows you to choose from two different paths. The botanist is the best option among these two specializations at level 10.
- Botanist: The materials will be of the highest quality. Adding this to your total cost is an absurd increase for Foraging profiteers. The chances of getting Gold are still increased by at least 50% when you have items of non-Iridium quality. You will get two high-quality products if you use the Gatherer buff.
- Tracker: You can locate trackable items with absolute precision. However, you can also go looking for them. A player with a good grasp of Stardew Valley and the map can ignore the tracker. You automatically get a money boost from the botanist. This considerable benefit doesn’t make the tracker worthwhile.
Conclusion
A gatherer is the best forager when both professions are taken into account. Although players can be Foresters in Stardew Valley, they can also be Gatherers.
As a result of trees’ abundance, foresters are the most affluent profession in the game. Foresters can make large profits thanks to the abundance of trees.
However, it is up to you whether you want to choose a forester or gatherer. Overall, you will enjoy playing as a forester and gatherer in the Stardew Valley.