In Stardew Valley players get to choose from five different farm maps when they start their game. Each of these five farm types have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Each one also encourages the growth of one of the five different player skills in the game. On top of that, they each have their own unique style, which could be the appeal for some individuals.

Below are the five farm types, each with their own pages and brief summaries. To learn more about one of the five specific farm maps, click the picture or the title to see more.

Standard Farm

The Standard farm map type is the hands down best for mass producing crops and raising animals. There's more available farming space on this farm type than any of the other five maps. There are also two ponds, one large and one small. Other than that it's all farmland, once it's been cleared of rocks and logs of course. If farming is the goal of the game, then this is the right farm type to choose.

Riverland Farm

The Riverland farm map type is the best for fishing. Better fish can be found in the waters at the farm than any of the other farm types. The other advantage of this farm type is the beauty of living on a series of connected islands over a lake. There's something amazing and awesome about this farm type that can make the whole gameplay feel magical.

The severe disadvantage to this farm map is that there is very little useable land for crops and for raising animals. This map is ideal for players who don't intend to make very much money from farming and ranching. On the other hand, this farm type is a fishermans dream come true, perfect for hours upon hours of fishing.

Forest Farm

The Forest farm type is great for foraging. This is the only farm with bushes that produce the seasonal items, such as spring berries. There are also plenty of trees on this farm, as well as a renewable source of hardwood. This farm type also sports the two ponds, one large and one small. On top of all that, this farm has a decent amount of usable land compared to two of the other Stardew Valley farm types. This is pretty balanced and fun farm to pick for anyone new to the game, and even for veterans of the game.

Hill-top Farm

The Hill-top farm type is great for mining. It's the only farm that has a renewable source of copper and geodes. On top of that, it's the only farm that has a river flowing through it. While these bonuses are nice, they come with quite a few disadvantages. This farm map has the second least usable land out of the five maps. Also this map is the hardest to start off on with two of the bridges starting off blocked by large rocks or stumps which require higher level tools to break open. Other than that, it's one of the most visually interesting maps to pick from and definitely a fun map to play on.

Wilderness Farm

The wilderness farm is a very unique farm type. While somwhat similar to the standard farm, the wilderness farm has slightly less usable land, and is the only farm type to have a third, larger pond to the bottom left of the farm. Overall the wilderness farm has around the same usable land as the forest farm. The main unique feature of the wilderness farm is that monsters spawn there after dark. It's a great farm for training combat levels, but kind of frivolous because players can simply travel to the mine to fight monsters if they choose to do so.

In conclusion

The five maps to choose from in Stardew Valley each have unique advantages and disadvantages. Each map also encourages the growth of a specific player skill, or skills. Which map to choose from can be difficult to decide and depends on a multitude of factors.

When choosing one of the five starting farms, there are important things to consider. Which profession is the most enjoyable? Fishing? Foraging? Farming? Mining? Or hunting. Another important factor to consider is which farm would be the most fun and exciting to wake up to every morning and run around inside of? Lastly, which unique features that come with each farm are right for each specific person?

These questions are some of the primary questions one must ask themselves when choosing a farm. This is a decision that requires a full game restart in order to change, so it's advisable to spend at least a few minutes thinking about it before choosing on one.

Overall all five maps are very fun, and picking will ultimately depend on the playstyle of the individual. ConcernedApe did a fantastic job when creating these farm maps. Each will ultimately give players a unique experience from the others. These are some fantastic maps to start off with on any particular Stardew Valley game.