While the majority of maps in Stardew Valley are designed to boost farming and livestock rearing, the Hilltop Farm is a miner’s paradise, offering early access to important ore used for a variety of crafting recipes.
The Hilltop Farm in Stardew Valley is an odd combination of river waterways, small farming spaces, and a large area rich with ore and gemstone nodes. However, because ore spawns at random, players will be gambling on what they have access to at any particular moment. Those who choose this map will want to weigh their options carefully, as a boost in rocks could be a drop in crops.
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Full Hilltop Farm Map in Stardew Valley
The Hilltop Farm in Stardew Valley is broken diagonally by a river that runs from the top left corner of the map to the bottom right. Steppes of farmable land further upset the map, creating broken spaces where players can put down their crops and farm buildings. In the middle of the left portion of the map, a raised platform covered in dirt spawns random ores and gemstones. There are 1648 tiles of farmable land, and a fairly decent chance of pulling up Forest River fish instead of trash while fishing, but the map is fairly unforgiving when it comes to customization of buildings.
All Hilltop Farm Map Pros
- Increased Forest River fish
- Increased opportunity to find ore of all types from an early point in the game
- Increased chance of quickly acquiring different types of Gemstones
- Less farmable space to care for and organize
- Compact map that is easy to navigate.
All Hilltop Farm Map Cons
- Much less area for farming
- Very little space for livestock operations
- The stepped spaces on the map make organization a pain
- Ore drops aren’t consistent and become irrelevant as players access other minable spaces
- Only River Fish spawn, making for poor fish diversity
When To Pick The Hilltop Farm in Stardew Valley
Of all the map options in Stardew Valley, this may be the least exciting and helpful location to select. While the ore can be helpful in the first year, the low spawn rates aren’t in later years and the area is made irrelevant by the mining that can be done in other areas. Because of this, players are stuck with a small, difficult-to-customize map that offers few benefits.
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Picking this map over others should be done with the understanding that late-game farming will be difficult. It may be a good option for those focusing on other aspects of the game, like mining in Skull Cavern or visiting Ginger Island.
Tips For The Hilltop Farm in Stardew Valley
Farmers looking to set up on the Hilltop Farm in Stardew Valley will need to carefully consider space when building out their homestead. Below are some tips for players thinking about picking the rocky steppes as their home.
- Plan ahead when it comes to placement. There is very little space for buildings and fields, so think about where things might go before they are built.
- Use every bit of space, even if it doesn’t look pretty.
- Don’t waste time fishing on this map.
- Get into the mines as soon as possible to supplement income with extra gemstones.
- Level the Pickaxe early to access the ore on the farm map easily.
