Stardew Valley, the charming farming simulator, offers players a tranquil escape into rural life. One of the essential tools for any budding farmer is the axe. Initially, you’ll receive a basic axe, crucial for clearing debris and harvesting wood. However, as your farm expands and your ambitions grow, you’ll quickly realize the need for a more powerful axe. Upgrading your axe allows you to chop larger stumps and logs, unlocking valuable resources and clearing the way for further development. But how exactly do you acquire a metal axe in Stardew Valley? This comprehensive guide will walk you through each step, from gathering the necessary materials to understanding the upgrade process.
Understanding The Axe And Its Importance
The axe is more than just a tool; it’s a gateway to progression. It allows you to remove tree stumps, fallen logs, and even clear small trees on your farm and throughout the valley. These obstacles often block pathways, prevent the placement of buildings, and hinder your ability to maximize your farm’s layout.
Early game: The starting axe is essential for acquiring wood, a fundamental resource for crafting, building, and repairing structures on your farm. Without wood, you’ll be severely limited in your ability to progress.
Mid-game: As you explore deeper into the Mines, you’ll encounter tougher materials and need a better axe to acquire them. Upgrading your axe is essential for efficiently clearing hardwood stumps.
Late-game: Hardwood is a vital component for crafting advanced structures and items. A high-quality axe is crucial for sustainable hardwood harvesting.
Gathering The Necessary Resources
Upgrading your axe requires specific resources, primarily metal bars and coins. The type of metal bar needed will vary depending on the upgrade level you’re aiming for. Here’s a breakdown of the materials you’ll need for each axe upgrade:
Copper Axe
To upgrade to a Copper Axe, you’ll need the following:
- Copper Bars: 5
- Coins: 2,000
Copper ore can be found in the Mines, specifically on the earlier levels (1-39). Smelt five copper ores in a furnace, along with one piece of coal, to create one copper bar. Coal can be obtained by mining rocks in the Mines, from charcoal kilns, or purchased from Clint at the Blacksmith.
Steel Axe
The Steel Axe requires:
- Iron Bars: 5
- Coins: 5,000
Iron ore is also found in the Mines, generally on levels 40-79. Similar to copper, you’ll need to smelt five iron ores and one piece of coal in a furnace to produce one iron bar.
Gold Axe
For a Gold Axe, you’ll need:
- Gold Bars: 5
- Coins: 10,000
Gold ore is found deeper in the Mines, typically on levels 80+. Smelt five gold ores and one piece of coal in a furnace to create one gold bar.
Iridium Axe
The ultimate axe upgrade, the Iridium Axe, requires:
- Iridium Bars: 5
- Coins: 25,000
Iridium ore is the rarest ore in Stardew Valley. It can be found in the Skull Cavern, through fishing treasure chests, or from slaying monsters like purple slimes. Once you obtain iridium ore, smelt five iridium ores and one piece of coal in a furnace to create one iridium bar.
Tips for Resource Gathering:
- Prioritize mining: Spend time in the Mines to gather ore. Focus on deeper levels for rarer ores.
- Upgrade your pickaxe: A better pickaxe will allow you to break rocks faster and more efficiently, increasing your ore yield.
- Check the Traveling Cart: The Traveling Cart, located in Cindersap Forest every Friday and Sunday, may sell ores and bars, though prices can be inflated.
- Geodes: Break open geodes at the Blacksmith. They have a chance to contain ores.
- Luck buffs: Increase your luck by eating food with buffs before mining. This increases your chance to find rare ores.
Visiting The Blacksmith: Clint’s Role
Once you’ve gathered the necessary materials and have the required amount of gold, your next step is to visit Clint, the blacksmith, in Pelican Town. Clint’s shop is located east of the town square, easily recognizable by its anvil symbol on the map.
How to initiate the upgrade:
- Visit Clint during his open hours: Clint’s shop is usually open from 9 AM to 4 PM every day except for Fridays (he’s often in the Community Center on Fridays). Check the calendar outside his shop for his updated schedule.
- Interact with the counter: Approach the counter inside the blacksmith shop and interact with it.
- Select “Upgrade”: Choose the “Upgrade” option from the menu that appears.
- Select the axe: Click on the axe you wish to upgrade. The game will display the required materials and cost.
- Confirm the upgrade: If you have the necessary materials and coins, confirm the upgrade.
Upgrade Time:
Clint will need two in-game days to complete the upgrade. During this time, you will not have access to your axe. Plan accordingly and ensure you have alternative methods for gathering wood if needed. It is smart to upgrade during rainy days when farming activities are limited.
The Benefits Of Each Axe Upgrade
Each axe upgrade provides distinct advantages, making them well worth the investment. The primary benefit is the ability to chop larger obstacles and gather more valuable resources.
Copper Axe: Allows you to chop down small trees more quickly and efficiently. It is a good initial upgrade.
Steel Axe: Enables you to chop down large stumps, which drop hardwood. Hardwood is a crucial resource for crafting advanced items and buildings, such as the Stable and certain crafting recipes.
Gold Axe: Further increases your chopping speed and efficiency, making wood gathering even faster.
Iridium Axe: The most powerful axe in the game, allowing you to chop down large logs that block paths in the Secret Woods and on your farm. The Secret Woods are an important place to harvest hardwood trees daily.
Beyond The Axe: Enhancing Your Woodcutting
While upgrading your axe is paramount, there are other ways to improve your woodcutting efficiency in Stardew Valley.
Skills:
The Foraging skill plays a significant role in woodcutting. As you level up your Foraging skill, you’ll unlock professions that can further enhance your woodcutting abilities.
- Lumberjack Profession (Level 5 Foraging): Normal trees have a chance to drop hardwood. This is an incredibly useful profession for maximizing your hardwood income.
- Gatherer Profession (Level 5 Foraging): Grants a chance for double foraging items.
- Botanist Profession (Level 10 Foraging): Foraged items are always the highest quality.
- Tracker Profession (Level 10 Foraging): The location of foragable items will be shown.
Food Buffs:
Certain foods provide temporary buffs to your Foraging skill, which can increase your axe efficiency and the likelihood of finding additional resources.
- Survival Burger: +1 Foraging.
- Dish o’ The Sea: +3 Fishing (useful for getting treasure chests with ores inside).
- Farmer’s Lunch: +3 Farming, +50 Energy.
- Spicy Eel: +1 Luck, +1 Speed.
Other Considerations:
- Tree Fertilizer: Use tree fertilizer to accelerate the growth of trees on your farm, ensuring a consistent supply of wood.
- Tree Farming: Plant trees in a designated area of your farm for sustainable wood harvesting.
- The Forest Farm Map: This farm map starts with extra hardwood stumps already on your farm.
Mastering Wood Acquisition: A Farmer’s Path To Efficiency
Acquiring a metal axe in Stardew Valley is a significant step toward becoming a successful farmer. It unlocks access to valuable resources, allows you to clear your farm effectively, and empowers you to progress further in the game. By understanding the resource requirements, the upgrade process, and the additional ways to enhance your woodcutting abilities, you can optimize your farm layout and wood income. So, grab your pickaxe, venture into the Mines, and embark on your journey to acquire that powerful metal axe! The time invested in upgrading your axe will pay off handsomely as you continue your Stardew Valley adventure. Remember to plan ahead, gather resources efficiently, and utilize the available skills and buffs to become a master woodcutter. Happy farming!
What Are The Materials Required To Upgrade My Axe, And Where Can I Find Them?
To upgrade your axe, you’ll need specific materials based on the upgrade level you’re aiming for. Generally, you’ll need copper, iron, gold, and iridium bars, along with a certain amount of gold as payment for Clint, the blacksmith. Copper and Iron are typically found in the Mines on levels 1-39 and 40-79 respectively, while Gold is found on levels 80-119.
Iridium is the rarest and most valuable metal, found in the Skull Cavern, through meteorites, or sometimes as drops from certain monsters. The specific amount of each metal bar and gold required increases with each upgrade level. Refer to the upgrade screen at Clint’s shop for the precise requirements for your next upgrade.
How Long Does It Take For Clint To Upgrade My Axe?
Clint typically takes two in-game days to upgrade your axe. During this time, you won’t be able to use your axe. You’ll drop it off with him one day and he’ll return it to you on the third day when you visit his shop again during business hours.
Planning accordingly is important to avoid being without this crucial tool. If you’re upgrading during a season where wood is essential, you might want to stock up on wood beforehand or focus on other activities like fishing or mining while you wait.
What Benefits Do I Get From Upgrading My Axe?
Upgrading your axe provides significant benefits to your gameplay. A better axe chops trees, large stumps, and logs faster and more efficiently, saving you valuable time and energy. It also allows you to break larger obstacles you couldn’t before.
A Copper Axe can chop large stumps, while a Steel Axe can chop large logs. A Gold Axe enables you to chop down Secret Woods logs, and an Iridium Axe is the fastest and most efficient axe in the game, making wood gathering a breeze. Ultimately, upgrading your axe unlocks new areas and speeds up your progress.
Can I Downgrade My Axe After Upgrading It?
Unfortunately, there’s no way to downgrade your axe once you’ve upgraded it. Once the upgrade is complete, it’s permanent. So, make sure you have the required materials and gold and that you’re ready for the change before committing to the upgrade process at Clint’s shop.
It’s always a good idea to double-check you have enough of each material needed and that you can afford the upgrade fee before giving it to Clint. Careful planning prevents accidental upgrades that you might later regret.
Is It Worth Upgrading My Axe Early In The Game?
Absolutely! Upgrading your axe early on is highly recommended. While it might seem expensive initially, the efficiency gains far outweigh the cost. A faster axe means you can gather wood more quickly, allowing you to build structures, craft items, and clear your farm more efficiently.
Furthermore, being able to chop large stumps with the Copper Axe unlocks valuable hardwood resources, crucial for upgrading your farmhouse and crafting certain essential items. Prioritize upgrading your axe as soon as you can afford it; it will significantly speed up your early-game progress.
What Happens To Enchantments On My Axe When I Upgrade It?
Enchantments are maintained when upgrading your axe. If you’ve enchanted your axe at the Volcano Dungeon on Ginger Island, the enchantment will remain on the axe after Clint upgrades it. This is a great benefit because it means you do not lose those bonuses during the upgrade process.
Consider enchanting your axe before upgrading it if possible, so you can take advantage of the upgraded axe power combined with the extra ability. This maximizes your tool’s value and efficiency.
What Is The Best Enchantment For The Iridium Axe?
Choosing the best enchantment for your Iridium Axe largely depends on your play style and priorities. The “Efficient” enchantment is highly recommended, as it reduces energy consumption with each use. This is especially beneficial since the Iridium Axe is already fast; saving energy allows you to chop more wood for longer.
Another popular option is the “Powerful” enchantment, which increases the amount of damage dealt. This is helpful if you find yourself using your axe to clear obstacles or fighting monsters, even though other tools are better suited for these tasks. Ultimately, choose the enchantment that best aligns with your needs and how you utilize your axe in Stardew Valley.