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Stardew Valley is a game that offers a lot of player choice and freedom. While the game does have a set format and players will work toward an ultimate goal of automating the farm, exploring Pelican Town and its outer reaches, and doing your Grandfather proud. However, the path to success varies wildly from player to player.
While one player might enjoy mining and fishing, another player might focus on farming, foraging, or engaging with the community at large. This is the beauty of Stardew Valley, why players love the cathartic and relaxing gameplay, and why this game is so replayable.
However, one of the ways that you can definitively alter your save file to be completely different from another player is by selecting certain choices throughout the game that offer you selections where you must choose one or the other. These choices often pop up as you level up your core skills like mining, farming, fishing, and the like.
This is when you reach level five and ten, respectively. Or you can make game-altering choices before the game even begins by choosing particular farm layouts, remixing your bundles, and much more. However, one choice that many players take lightly is the choice of Mushrooms or Bats, one of the most important early game decisions of them all.
However, you may be sitting here wondering how bats or mushrooms are relevant and how they pose such an important question to Stardew valley players such as yourself. Well, we have all the answers and more. So without further delay, here is our extensive Mushrooms vs. Bats Stardew Valley guide.
Mushroom vs Bats – What Does it Mean?
So allow us to explain a little. Have you come across an empty cave on your farm at any point? If you are playing on a standard farm, this is the cave that is near the northern exit and the Greenhouse. Well, this cave will not always be an empty space with no use. For you see, when the player earns a total of 25,000g in overall revenue, this triggers a cut scene the next morning.
On the next morning, Demetrius will visit you and inform you that he would like to carry out some scientific research on your property and thinks that the cave holds lots of potential uses. So he asks the player if they would like him to research Bats or Mushrooms.Â
What this means for the player is that they will have to choose between receiving fruit on a near-daily basis or getting a supply of mushrooms daily. This can be a tough decision, especially for new players that don’t understand the value and rarity of each item category. So we have decided to break the two decisions down so that you can make an informed decision.Â
Why Choose Mushrooms?
Pros
- Useful items for community center bundles
- Items grown can be used to make Life Elixir with ease
- Decent source of profit with no need for maintenance
Cons
- All items can be found without the use of the cave without too much hassle
- Common Mushrooms grow 70% of the time
When you choose the mushroom cave, you will gain access to a steady supply of mushrooms. These will not only help players complete some aspects of the community center.
They will also be able to consistently sell these for a decent amount of profit. Players will get six mushrooms every 1-2 days. This rate of growth is based on your active playtime (the time spent not sleeping), so if you go to bed later, the chances are that the mushrooms will grow consistently on a daily basis. Here are the mushrooms that the player can get their hands on:
- Chanterelle – 160gÂ
- Common Mushroom – 40g
- Morel – 150gÂ
- Purple Mushroom – 250g
- Red Mushroom – 75g
These mushrooms each have different rarities, and some will grow more commonly than others. For example, a Common mushroom will grow about 70% of the time. Whereas a Purple Mushroom will only grow 2.5% of the time. All of these items have the same quality rating, and this cannot be improved upon.Â
The main benefits of choosing the mushroom cave are that you can consistently grow the ingredients to make a Life Elixir, an item that you would usually have to purchase for 1,000g a pop.
This item is very useful for those who like to mine and want to make sure that they don’t end up in the hospital with Harvey. Plus, you can sell this item for 500g, so if you have learned this recipe, this can be the best way to monetize this cave and its produce.Â
Also, aside from the Chanterelle, all other mushrooms on this list are used for completing bundles in the Community Centre. This is not true when referring to the remixed bundles, but Mushrooms still play a role in those bundles nonetheless.
However, Red Mushroom and Purple Mushrooms can be found in the lower levels of the mines, Chantarelle and Morel can be foraged in the Secret Forest, and the Common Mushroom is a standard Fall forage item. So when you think about it, you don’t need to choose this cave option if you want to complete the Community Centre fast.Â
Why Choose Bats?
Pros
- Allows players to acquire hard to obtain community center bundle items
- With the Botanist Profession perk and the use of Preserve Jars, this can be a good money-making method
- Nearly 50% chance of fruit daily
- Great items for giftingÂ
Cons
- Getting the items you need for the community center comes down to luck
- Raw materials are not as profitable as mushrooms
- Requires daily maintenanceÂ
Then if Mushrooms aren’t your thing, you can choose bats. Now, you might think that this would produce something like Bat Wings, but you see, these bats are Fruit Bats, and as such, they consistently drop fruit on the floor of the cave. Players will be able to grab varied fruit on a near-daily basis.
At the beginning of each day, once this cave is populated with bats, the cave will have a 48% chance of spawning a new fruit. Then if the player does not collect the fruit by the end of the day, this drops to 25%, then 13%, and so on.
This means that players should get in the routine of checking their cave daily. A farm computer which you can get after completing Demitruis’ special order, is also a great tool to stay on top of things.Â
Here is a list of all the fruit that the player can get their hands on from the Bat cave:
- Apple – 100g
- Apricot – 50g
- Blackberry – 20g
- Cherry – 80g
- Orange – 100g
- Peach – 100gÂ
- Pomegranate – 140g
- Spice Berry – 80g
- Salmonberry – 5gÂ
- Wild Plum – 80g
These fruits are spawned at random, and some are rarer than others. For example, an Apple will only appear 2% of the time. Whereas common spawns like Salmonberries, Blackberries, Spice Berries, and Wild Plums will appear 20% of the time.Â
The main benefits of choosing the bat cave are that, while selling the fruit you get as you find it isn’t all that lucrative. If you are a keen forager and have gained the Botanist Profession perk, you will always receive Iridium quality fruit. This means that all the items you find will practically double in value.
Then if you add these items to Preserve Jars to produce jams, then the value of these items rises even further. Yes, it is more of a time commitment, but overall, if you are willing to put in the work, it can be a great money maker.Â
Then outside of trying to turn a coin, the items you find in the Bat Cave are items that some of the town’s residents like and love. Meaning that if you know who likes what, you can use this cave as your own personal treasure trove, providing a steady supply of gifts for those you are trying to befriend or those you are trying to romance.
It sure beats chain-making mayonnaise for everyone, that’s or sure. Just for context for those who don’t know, everyone in the game likes mayonnaise, so it’s a reliable default gift.Â
Then, of course, the Bat Cave also offers players items that they will need for Community Centre bundles. These items that are needed are not easily come by. Most of these items require the player to buy expensive tree saplings from Pierre and grow them in the right season so that they will eventually bear fruit.
This is less of a problem for wealthy players who have already unlocked the Greenhouse, but for those beginner players, this can be an uphill battle without the Fruit Bat Cave. However, we will say that to get the fruit you need; you’ll need to cross your fingers and hope that the RNG gods smile down upon you, as there is less than a 4% chance that you will get a non-forage fruit.Â
Which is Better?
Overall, this really depends on three things, how much work you want to put in, how you want to use your cave long-term, and how important the community center is to you. If you want to finish the community center fast, then we suggest the Bat Cave.
This is because the fruit items needed for bundles are much harder to come by than mushrooms, so long as you commit a decent amount of time to the mines to collect Red and Purple Mushrooms.Â
If you are looking for a low-maintenance money-maker, then Mushrooms are the way to go, as these items grow much faster with six items in a 1-2 day time period. Which, for the most part, will always be worth more than any fruit you could receive. However, if you don’t mind putting in the work, the fruit will make you much more money in the long term.
Doubling this choice up with the Botanist Profession perk is a no-brainer, then if you add Preserve jars into the mix, you can potentially sell one raw fruit item for in excess of 500g, which is a great profit for an early-game player.Â
However, the Mushroom Cave can be a helpful long-term asset too. As those who often frequent the Skull cavern will know, taking on a Flying Serpent hoard is a nightmare. However, with all the ingredients to craft a bunch of Life Elixirs before you set off, this becomes less of an issue. So, if you are a keen miner, this is certainly a consideration to take into account.
Overall though, we would say that the Bat cave just edges it for us thanks to its money-making capabilities, its consistent supply of viable gift options, and its ability to provide hard-to-obtain Community bundle items.Â
FAQs
Question: What Is The Most Profitable Fruit?
Answer: Ancient Fruit is the most lucrative fruit item in the game. The player will be able to sell an iridium quality Ancient Fruit for 1,210g. However, if you use a cask in your cellar, provided you have the final house upgrade, you can sell iridium quality Ancient Fruit Wine for 4,620g.Â
Question: What Are Mushroom Trees?
Answer: These are trees that grow on your farm. They can be obtained at random in the Fall Season. There is an event that can occur from the second day of the season that means each tree has a 5% chance of turning into a mushroom tree.
You can keep these trees around and tap them for resources, or you can chop them down and receive up to 5-6 red mushrooms. It is also worth noting that in the late game, the player will be able to purchase mushroom Tree seeds from Mr. Qi’s Walnut Room.Â
Question: What is a Preserve Jar?
Answer: A Preserve Jar is a craftable item/machine in Stardew Valley that allows players to convert fruit and vegetables into more profitable items like Jams and pickled vegetables. To craft one, you will need to combine fifty wood, forty stone, and eight coal. Plus, you will need to raise your farming level to level four before this crafting recipe becomes available.
Stardew Valley Mushrooms or Bats: Pick The Right Cave For You!
As you can see from the information above, both of these options have their merits and in truth, neither is a bad decision. Each selection offers something that the other doesn’t, and therefore, one option will play more to a certain player’s strengths than another.
So it’s best to go into this decision with all the facts and make an informed selection. We hope that we have provided all that you need to know and as always, thank you for reading!