Alright, so I’ve played quite a lot of Stardew on my time and I’m going to try my best to explain every farm type and the advantages/disadvantages.
Standard Farm
Standard Farm: This farm by far has the most available space, so if you plan on doing a mega crop, it’s a go to. Even besides that, there isn’t much pressure to clear out a ton of land that you’re simply not using it. My first farm barely used the bottom half so I just let it get all overgrown.
It’s definitely the best if you want to control the look of your farm, as the other farms have perks that either add to your vision or get in the way depending on how you look at it. There’s a tiny pond in the upper right corner, which is a good place to plant your crops so you don’t need a well.
There’s nothing wrong with this farm, but it doesn’t really have any added perks compared to the others. Crab pots can be placed at the pond towards the bottom, I wouldn’t recommend placing them in the small one to the right. This was the farm that I, and I think most people, started on. I’m not a huge fan of it, although I see why people like it.
Riverland Farm
Riverland Farm: This is probably the most difficult farm to use. There’s not very much land, and it can be difficult to navigate your way back to your farmhouse. That being said, I actually do kinda like it for organization purposes. You can lay out your farm in very interesting ways and very easily separate areas.
In theory you could load it with crab pots, but it’s really not worth the time and materials to do so. I lay a couple just in front of my house. If you’re into fishing, this farm allows your to catch river fish. For aesthetic purposes, it’s really cool. For practical purposes, definitely not ideal.
Forest Farm
Forest Farm: I personally think that this farm is objectively the best one in the game. There’s renewable hardwood stumps, forage items, and unique types of weeds that always drop mixed seeds, and bushes. There is a lack of farming space, however, the green space can very much still be utilized. I use it to place my structures, such as the artisan equipment, on.
Only downside is that it has the least amount of farming space, even less than the Riverland farm. For me it tends to feel smaller as well. I consider it more practical than the Riverland farm simple because you can still use the green tiles, and it has a crazy amount of resources available right on your farm. I would actually recommend this farm to new players the most, as well as players who either don’t like or forget to go to the secret forest for hardwood.
Hill-top Farm
Hill-top Farm: This farm, like the Riverland farm, allows you to catch river fish. It doesn’t take up nearly as much space either, which is a plus. I like to put seen crab pots near the bridge by the quarry just to take advantage of the river. The raised land can be kinda confusing and strange to navigate at first, but it’s over all not a huge concern.
I don’t like how a lot of the land is distributed, but that’s just a personal preference. The quarry is somewhat useful, as it spawns stone, ore, and geode nodes but the things that spawn correlate to you mining skill, so I don’t find it particularly useful until your mining level is higher up. Can still be cool if you don’t have time to hit the mines but want to get some extra stone, coal, and ore.
Wilderness Farm
Wilderness Farm: This farm may scare new players away with the fact that monsters spawn at night, but they really aren’t much of a concern. They don’t mess with anything on your farm, but they will attack you and are scaled to your combat level. Sometimes I actually wait for monsters to spawn so I can get some extra slime and bat wings.
I actually like the layout due to my own organization preferences, and the giant pond in the center means I’ve never needed to build a well. I like to put a couple of crab pots in there too. It’s like the standard farm is every other way, though. Doesn’t have any perks besides the monsters, so it’s not particularly interesting or exciting.
I tried to keep this unbiased and present facts based on my own personal experiences and also just me looking at the layouts of the maps. Believe it or not my favorite farm is actually the wilderness farm.
I like getting extra monster loot without being overwhelmed, and the layout of the farm allows me to organize things in a way that I personally really like, which for me beats the practicality and perks of the other farms. My second favorite is the forest farm, followed by the standard farm, then the Riverland farm, then the hill-top farm.
Let me know if I missed anything and also feel free to comment about your farms or layouts.
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