Shortly after moving to your Stardew Valley farm, you will have the option to choose which type of item your farm cave will produce. This is a small cave at the top of your farm. Here, you will be able to choose how to fill the space.
Related: Stardew Valley: A Complete Guide To Every Crop And What It Sells For
You will either be able to grow mushrooms or populate the cave with bats, who will drop fruit. The decision can be tough, but that's why we are here to help. In this guide, we are going to take a detailed look at each cave type, as well as which one is more beneficial. First, let's look at how to unlock the farm cave.
How To Unlock The Farm Cave
To unlock the farm cave, you will need to have earned at least 25,000g. Prior to earning this money, the cave will remain empty. You will still be able to go inside, but the cave will not produce anything.
The morning after you earn 25,000g, Demetrius will visit your farm. From the front of your farmhouse, he will talk about using the cave for his research and give you the choice between mushrooms or bats.
Once you make your decision, you will not be able to reverse it. This means that you will be stuck with the cave type.
Fruit Bats In The Cave
If you chose to populate the cave with fruit bats, you can expect to see a variety of fruits on the cave floor every day.
The spawn rate of fruit depends on the amount of fruit currently inside. For example, if the cave is empty, there will be a 48% chance of new fruit spawning. This reduces to 25% if there is one fruit inside the cave, 13% if two fruits are present, and 7% if there are more than three fruits present. Overall, try to pick up fruit daily so you will have a higher chance to find more fruit.
Below, you can find all the fruit, as well as their drop chances and sell price.
| Fruit | Chance to Spawn | Sell Price (Normal Quality) |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry | 3.6% | 80g |
| Pomegranate | 3.6% | 140g |
| Peach | 3.6% | 140g |
| Apple | 2% | 100g |
| Orange | 3.6% | 100g |
| Spice Berry | 20% | 80g |
| Apricot | 3.6% | 50g |
| Wild Plum | 20% | 80g |
| Blackberry | 20% | 20g |
| Salmonberry | 20% | 5g |
All of the fruit listed above can be found during any season. Although the fruit will normally appear during specific seasons, this does not apply to the farm cave.
Additionally, the quality of the fruit can range from normal to gold. If you have the Botanist profession, then all fruit will be of iridium quality. This will boost the selling price of the fruit.
Growing Mushrooms In The Cave
Choosing mushrooms will transform the cave into a mushroom-growing area. There will be six different bins that take between one and two days to grow mushrooms.
Mushroom growth depends on the time you go to bed. If you go to bed later, then the mushrooms will grow quicker. For example, if you go to bed right at 2 am, then the mushrooms will be grown by 12:40 pm the following day.
Going to bed before 6 pm will cause the mushrooms to grow over two days. To maximize production, try going to bed later during the day. You will get more mushrooms, as well as more time in the day to explore and tend to your farm.
There are five different types of mushrooms, which you can find listed below, along with their spawn rate and price.
| Mushroom | Chance to Spawn | Sell Price (Normal Quality) |
|---|---|---|
| Common Mushroom | 69.8% | 40g |
| Red Mushroom | 12.3% | 75g |
| Purple Mushroom | 2.5% | 250g |
| Chanterelle | 7.3% | 160g |
| Morel | 8.1% | 150g |
Unlike fruit in the farm cave, all mushrooms you collect in the cave will be of normal quality.
Which One Is Better?
So, which one do you choose? First, let's look at the benefits of getting the mushroom cave.
Every mushroom (except the Chanterelle) is used in a bundle for the Community Center. A majority of these mushrooms are rare as well. With a mushroom cave, you will be able to get rare mushrooms for bundles without waiting for the season.
Additionally, every ingredient needed for the Life Elixir can be grown in the mushroom cave. The Life Elixir is a crafted item that will fully restore your health and restore 200 energy. This item is very useful while exploring caves, and has a selling price of 500g. The elixir provides a great amount of health and energy, however, compared to certain iridium quality produce, it will not be as efficient.
The mushroom cave is a good source of items needed for bundles. If you plan on doing a lot of mining and cavern exploring, then the mushroom cave will provide a good source of ingredients for the Life Elixir.
The fruit bat cave has its own benefits as well. Similar to mushrooms, all of the fruit you can find in the cave (excluding Salmonberries) are needed in bundles for the Community Center.
Fruits are a great gift for villagers as well. In general, fruit is a universally-liked gift. With a steady supply of fruit, you will be able to increase your friendship with villagers.
Selling fruit can be a decent source of money, but once you have several fruit trees on your farm, the cave may become obsolete. Instead of waiting for a chance for an orange to appear, you can just plant a few orange trees.
Which one is the best? This will depend on what you want to focus on while tending to your farm. Below, you can find which playstyle each cave type is suited for.
| Mushroom Cave | Fruit Bat Cave |
|---|---|
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Overall, you will get more use out of a mushroom cave. The mushrooms sell for more money and will grow consistently if you go to bed after 6 pm. With enough fruit trees, you will be able to compensate for not choosing the fruit bat cave.
The decision is up to you, though. Choose whichever one feels right! You will benefit from both cave options, and there is no 'right' choice.
Next: Stardew Valley: Complete Guide And Walkthrough
