Stardew Valley – How to craft and become a Craft Master in 1.5

Introduction

Have you just gotten the game that never seems to go out of style and do you really like achievements? Or did you simply wake up today and just decided to go for that extra star? 
I‘m here to help you with that noble ambition! 
 
Now, for those of you who remember the far-off days of last november, when crafting the Iridium Ring was about the coolest thing you could do: with SV 1.5, crafting all craftable items has become much more difficult. On the bright side, it has also become much more interesting. 
 
By the way, as of today, I am playing the 1.5.4 version (cause it‘s the latest) on my computer, I do not use mods (although I would love to ride a unicorn), there will be spoilers (part of crafting is late-game stuff and there is nothing I can do about it, but I will try to go light on the details) and I am not a native english speaker, so I will make silly mistakes. Maybe I already have. Oh, well. 
 
 
 

For the newcomers

For those of you who hardly know the game, a quick intro: 
Contrary to many other games, you do not need a specific crafting station (here, it’s called a Workbench) in Stardew Valley, although Robin sells one at her shop that is quite handy because it will allow you to craft things without having to fill your pockets first if you position it right. It‘s not necessary, though. 
In order to craft items, you need: first, a recipe. You have some right from the start under the crafting tab in your menu, and any recipes you acquire later will automatically appear there, too. And second, the materials. Ingredients? Stuff to craft with, anyway. 
In order to craft anything, simply open the crafting tab in your menu (press E on the keybord and look for the little hammer): 
 
Voilà for all the recipes you know. If you have the materials that you need in your pockets, the item will be fully coloured, you can click on it and the object will appear in your pockets with a whooshing sound (as long as there is an empty space). If you don‘t have the ingredients, the item will be ghostly pale. Hover your mouse pointer over it and it will tell you in red letters what material is missing. If you own it somewhere, you‘ll need to, yes, put it in your pockets and then you can craft the item. Simple. 
 
How do you get recipes and crafting materials? 
Many recipes will just make their way to your crafting tab without any special invitation, simply because you play the game and make progress. For instance, whether she likes you or not, Emily will gift you the recipe for the Garden Pot the day after you get your greenhouse restored, and as soon as you ascend to Combat Level 9, you will know how to craft that Iridium Ring. 
Other recipes have to be bought for gold, special currency or exchanged for items. Still others will be gifted to you if you fulfill a particular „special order“ from a specific person or if somebody likes you enough. And some of those recipes will be available to you all the time, while others can only be bought starting the day after you bought another recipe from the same shop, or after you got access to the shop and learned the language of the merchant, and a few chosen ones can only be snagged on one day every year, or through side-quests. 
With the materials, it‘s pretty much the same thing. Some stuff you will have lying around in abundance (like Stone), some are hard to get (like Irium Ore), other stuff will be limited to a season (like Spice Berry and Poppy Seeds) or will only chance to pop up once in a while from a specific source (like Marble from Ice Geodes) or in a specific late-game quest (like Radioactive Ore). 
 
That is why I thought a guide on this might be a nifty thing to have. 
 
 
 

Getting serious about crafting

Now, if you are totally new to this game and are still here, I suggest you put aside this guide for a while. Don‘t stress yourself out with it, at least for the first two in-game years. Plant those Parsnips, get those upgrades for your tools, have that stable built, cook that Roots Platter, pull those legendary fishes out of the water (you can do it!), make that Ancient Fruit wine, slay those serpents, restore that Community Center, make love to the pixel person of your choice, take that legendary first trip to Ginger Island and say a final good-bye to your grandfather . 
If you are not completely new at this game, are easily bored or if you want that first walkthrough to be as perfect as can be, I still recommend not to seriously start bying crafting recipes for that achievement from day 1. 
Why? Because it takes a long time to get them all, anyway, and in the beginning, there are better things to do with your money than buy five different recipes for a stone path. 
 
 
Just chose one, and go ahead with whatever else you want to do. 
 
The things you can (and should) do early on, though, are being nice to Linus, Gus and Caroline (say hi, give presents) and extra-nice to Robin (she is the town carpenter, after all), crafting and using those Preserve Jars, Lightning Rods, Kegs and that Recycling Machine as soon as possible and dropping off any mineral sample or odd curiosity at Gunther‘s museum as soon as you can afford it. 
 
Of course, if a recipe should appear before your curious eyes that looks useful and is affordable for you, go ahead and buy it. For instance, I would recommend stone paths for your farm so that the grass, trees and weeds don‘t encroach on your fields, and because they speed up your walking. 
And grab that Ancient Fruit Seed Recipe with both hands as soon as you can (tiny little dried seed popping up somewhere? Run straight to the museum and drop it on the counter!),  
plant that seed anytime before, say, the 22nd day of summer, and store (not sell!) the fruit. Then you‘ll need the Seed Maker in order to make more Ancient Fruit seeds, but don’t plant them outside, just wait for the greenhouse… 
 
But that would be about the money, not about the crafting. 
Back to my focus. 
 
By winter of the first year, you may start to get serious about The Craft of Crafting. 
 
So the first thing you should do, then, is to check the little box besides „Show Advanced Crafting Information“ in your options menu (tab on the far right). Very useful! If you open your crafting menu now and hover over the recipes, it will now tell you which items you have already crafted (and how often, but who cares) and which recipes are unused. Unlike with the cooking, it will still not show you which crafting recipes exist in the game that you have not yet acquired. 
 
Again, that is why I am writing this guide. 
 
Go ahead and craft whatever you have not crafted before at least once in order to use the recipes you already have; not all of the things you make will be useful, in my opinion, but they are part of the game (Just store them somewhere…). 
Then, go look for more recipes (see next chapter) and your missing materials (see further below what you‘ll need, all in all). If you meet Krobus (shifty fellow, but nice) and find out where he lives, make sure to go and see him, too, from time to time, say hi, hand him a horseradish, you know… 
 
 
 

Where do you get all the recipes?

Besides the ones that the game drops in your lap automatically as long as you play the game and make progress in farming, foraging et cetera and that I do not wish to spoil but if you absolutely have to know, here’s the short and comprehensive version: You will get your last recipes from leveling your skills at: Farming Level 9, Foraging Level 9, Mining Level 9, Fishing Level 9, Combat Level 9 
these are your sources for crafting recipes: 
 
a) You buy them for gold… 
1. at Robin‘s carpenter shop – and note that in order to get them all, you have to go back there several times (six, was it?) until you have them all. If you got the recipe for the Marble Brazier, that‘s it, you‘ve got the last one. 
2. at Pierre‘s General Store: that‘s just the Grass Starter. 
3. at Pierre‘s stand at the Flower Dance (Don‘t miss out on that one! It asks for materials specific to two seasons… and pick up the curly-haired scarecrow while you‘re there!) 
4. at Pierre‘s stand at Spirit‘s Eve (Don‘t miss out on this one either, or you‘ll have to wait an entire year for it to reappear! And buy the green-skinned scarecrow, too, while you‘re there…) 
5. at the Dwarf‘s cavern in the Mines (you need to tear down the wall in the mines blocking the way and gift all four scrolls to the Museum so that Gunther will give you the dictionary that allows you to understand him, first). 
6. at Krobus‘s Shop (you need to contribute enough items for the museum‘s collection to Gunther so that he gifts you the Rusty Key which allows you access to the sewers. This will take a while.) 
7. at the Dwarf’s Shop in the fifth room of the Volcano Mines on Ginger Island. 
 
b) Through side-quests: 
 
Collect all those scarecrows! There are two that are rewards from the museum; the others have to be bought when they are sold on festive days, and at the Dwarf‘s and at the itinerant merchant in the forest. Or if all else fails, you can get some of them on the merchant boat docking next to Willy‘s at the Winter Market. 
Plus, you need to gain entrance to the Casino in the desert (another side-quest) and make enough of the local currency to get the Alien scarecrow from there (Let it be a lucky day!). Once you have acquired the last one, there will be an instructive letter in the mail… 
 
c) You get given them as a present, just because they like you so much, or as a surprise reward (consult the newly erected Special Orders Board every monday, paying particular attention to who posted the order) from… 
 
1. Gunther: Help him generously with his museum collection, at least until you get the Rusty Key, and make sure you retrieve the two scarecrows from among the library rewards and put them on your farm somewhere. He also has a recipe in store for you if you step in to fulfil his special order. 
2. Robin: Be nice to her and she will eventually show you how to craft the Flute Block and the Drum Block. Furthermore, she will give you the recipe for the Casks once you have upgraded your house to the final stage (cellar) and in exchange for the resource rush on wood or stone (special order), you will receive the recipe for the Stone Chest (so smooth!) 
3. Linus: Be nice to him and he will show you how to craft a special kind of bait! Moreover, if you pick up the trash like he asks you to (special order; my tip: go fishing at level 100 and you‘ll be done quite quickly. If it so happens, you might also catch another Lava Eel), he will also gift you a second recipe. 
4. Caroline: If you have her at two hearts, visit her in her beautiful greenhouse some sunny day and politely sip her tea, so that she will send you the recipe for the Tea Saplings. Later on, she will want 100 of something tropical (special order). Afterwards, another recipe will come your way. 
5. Demetrius: Catch those fishes he asks for (special order) and another recipe will be yours. 
6. Willy: Slay those grubs, flies and bugs (special order), dump that squishy Bug Meat next to his cabin and he will send you another bait recipe! 
7. Krobus: If he likes you enough, he‘ll teach you how to craft another kind of sign. 
8. the Wizard: Get him both the Ectoplasm and the Prismatic Jelly he asks for on the Special Orders Board and he will send you two very useful recipes (one at a time, of course). 
9. Clint: Another special order. Slay some monsters, get the money and (surprise!) a recipe, too. 
10. Professor Snail: You will rescue him on the island, eventually, and scour the place for him. Once he has everything he desires, he will gift you a recipe. 
 
d) You can get them in exchange for other items: 
1. at the Desert Trader. And boy, it‘s expensive! 
2. at the Island Trader. No spoilers. 
 
e) You can buy them for an alternative currency: 
At Qi‘s exclusive Golden Walnut Room on Ginger Island. This is late-game stuff. Lots of hardcore/ resource intensive quests await! 
 
 
 

What exactly will you need for crafting?

I‘ll give you the absolute minimum numbers to go with everything you need to craft so that you can see what you are about. Of course, you will want more than one Wooden Chest, but that‘s up to you. 
By the way, if you‘re just that organized, you might consider dedicating a separate chest to store your more exotic crafting materials! 
 
a) Not a Workbench (see above). Unless you want one. See if I care. 
 
b) Everyday items (an arbitrary selection, but seriously, you will end up having those things anyway): 
76. Wood, 755 Stone, 279 Fiber, 96 Coal, 81 Sap as well as 28 Copper Ore, 4 Iron Ore and 4 Gold Ore and 18 Copper Bars, 49 Irons Bars and 30 Gold Bars, 9 Clay, 1 Mixed Seeds and 7 Refined Quartz, 1 Maple Seed, 1 Pine Cone, 1 Acorn 
 
 
c) From the Farm: 
21. Hardwood (plant those Mahogany Seeds. I mean it!), all three types of tree sap (1 Maple Syrup, 6 Pine Tar, 2 Oak Resin), 10 Garlic, 1 Oil, 1 Honey, 7 Battery Packs, 1 Cloth, 1 Truffle Oil, 
1 Pumpkin, 1 Fairy Flower 
 
d) From the Mines: 
22. Slime, 44 Bug Meat, 1 Torch, 128 Bone Fragments, 1 Earth Stone, 74 Solar Essence, 51 Void Essence, 1 Dwarf Gadget, 1 Marble, 40 Bat Wings, 2 Diamond, 1 Ancient Seed (might be a buried artifact, too), 1 Frozen Tear, 1 Aquamarine, 1 Fire Quartz, 1 Prismatic Shard (only in Multiplayer) 
 
e) From the woods/ town/ beach: 
Make sure you forage around in every season in order to craft all four Wild Seed types at least once. You will need 2 Wild Seeds for the Tea Sapling, too. 
In spring and summer, buy the following flower seeds: 1 Blue Jazz, 1 Poppy, 1 Tulip, 1 Summer Spangle, but concentrate hard on not planting them (as I did, at first…) 
You‘ll also need those mushrooms: 1 Red, 1 Purple, 1 Morel, 1 Chanterelle. 
Chop more Hardwood in the Secret Forest – you‘ll need it for the Casks, anyway. 
Collect 3 Corals and 1 Clam on the beach. Catch 1 fish – any fish. Even a Snail or Periwinkle will do. 
 
f) From the Desert/ Skull Cavern: 
1 Coconut, 5 Iridium Ore and 12 (17 in multiplayer) Iridium Bars – not counting the 10 Iridium Bars it will cost you to get the recipe from the Desert Trader. 
By the way, you can also get Iridium Ore by fishing treasure, panning, cracking open Lava and Omni Geodes, nightly killing high-level monsters on your farm and by having luck with your completely filled Super Cucumber Fish Pond, but before the second year is out, mining and slaying in the Skull Cavern are the surest ways to get iridium. 
 
g) From Ginger Island: 
1 Dragon Tooth, 1 Ginger, 20 Cinder Shards (plus 50 Cinder Shards to get that recipe from the Island Trader) 
 
h) From a special late-game quest given out in Qi’s Golden Walnut Room on Ginger Island, but ultimately, in the Mines: 
2 Radioactive Ores and 2 Radioactive Bars 
Now, to be frank, I haven‘t gotten that far yet and I was bored with harvesting Pineapples and waiting for the next quest at the Walnut Room to come along, so I decided to write this guide instead, sneaking a peek into the wiki in order to supply the last bits of missing information. 
I fully intend to update my guide as soon as I find out that I gave my trusting audience some wrong information here. If, in the meantime, any power-gamers out there want to chime in with helpful criticism about this penultimate paragraph, it is appreciated. 
 
 
 

More or less famous Last Words

Well, folks, that‘s all I can tell you about crafting, and how to become a Craft Master nowadays. 
I hope my not-so-little guide is helpful for some, or at least a decent read. 
 
You can, of course, find a complete list of all the recipes on the wiki, but personally, I’d rather not know everything I can find in a game beforehand. That’s why I didn’t tell you what the quests and recipes would be (most of the time) and why I didn’t post a picture of the complete list of recipes under my own crafting tab: 
Go on, discover them for yourself! 
If my capital letters were off sometimes, I make my apologies, but that‘s just an aspect of english spelling I find hard to grasp. So much easier in german… By the way, should any german speakers out there need help with crafting in german, don’t hesitate to ask. 
 
Have fun with crafting in Stardew Valley! 
 

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