How to Get a Pig in Stardew Valley: A Comprehensive Guide
Preparing the Pig Pen: Upgrading Your Barn
Stardew Valley, the charming farming simulator, offers a plethora of activities to engage in, from cultivating crops and befriending villagers to exploring mysterious mines. Amongst the various animal husbandry options available, raising pigs stands out as a lucrative way to earn a substantial income. These adorable truffle-hunting companions can significantly boost your farm’s profitability, but acquiring and caring for them requires some planning and effort. This guide will delve into the complete process of obtaining pigs in Stardew Valley, ensuring you can maximize your truffle harvest and reap the financial rewards. We’ll cover everything from upgrading your barn to perfecting your truffle-finding techniques, equipping you with the knowledge to become a successful pig farmer in the valley.
Before you can even consider welcoming a pig to your farm, you’ll need to ensure they have a suitable home. Pigs require the Deluxe Barn, the final upgrade available for your barn structure. This upgraded barn provides ample space for your porcine companions, along with essential features that simplify their care. To embark on this upgrade journey, you’ll first need to upgrade your starting barn into a Big Barn.
The upgrade to a Deluxe Barn isn’t free, however. Robin, the local carpenter, will happily undertake the project for you, but you’ll need to provide her with the necessary resources and payment. You’ll need a substantial amount of wood, stone, and gold bars to complete the upgrade. Specifically, you’ll need a large amount of wood, stone and some gold bars.
The process is straightforward: simply visit Robin at her Carpenter’s Shop, located north of Pelican Town. The shop is typically open most days of the week, excluding some holidays and days when Robin is unavailable. Interact with her, select the “Construct Farm Buildings” option, and then choose the Deluxe Barn upgrade. As long as you have the required resources and money, Robin will begin the construction, which typically takes a couple of days to complete. Patience is key during this phase; once complete, you’ll be one step closer to owning your very own pigs.
Bringing Home the Bacon: Purchasing Your Pig
Once you have a Deluxe Barn, the next step is to acquire your pig. Pigs are exclusively sold at Marnie’s Ranch, a delightful animal shop located in the southwest corner of the map. Marnie’s Ranch is typically open most days, but she does take some days off, so it’s always a good idea to check her schedule before heading over.
Each pig comes with a price tag. These truffle-sniffing dynamos cost a good sum of gold. When you arrive at Marnie’s Ranch, interact with Marnie and select the “Purchase Animals” option. You’ll then see a list of available animals, including the pig. Choose the pig, name your new companion, and Marnie will deliver it to your Deluxe Barn the following morning.
Keep in mind that pigs are not available during the town’s festivals. On these days, Marnie won’t be at her shop or available to serve you.
Piggy Care: Keeping Your Pig Healthy and Happy
Owning a pig is more than just a financial investment; it’s a commitment to their well-being. Proper care is crucial for ensuring your pigs are happy and productive. This boils down to consistent feeding and attention, as well as making sure they have space to roam and forage.
Feeding Your Pig
Similar to other barn animals, pigs require a daily supply of hay to remain healthy. Hay can be obtained in two primary ways: by purchasing it directly from Marnie at her ranch or by harvesting grass from your farm using a scythe and storing it in a Silo. The Silo is a vital structure for efficient animal management, as it automatically dispenses hay to the feeding bench inside the barn. The Deluxe Barn features an auto-feed system, which simplifies the feeding process. As long as you have hay stored in your Silo, the system will automatically distribute it to the feeding bench. Regardless of the auto-feed system, ensuring a consistent supply of hay is critical for your pigs’ health and happiness.
Maintaining Happiness
Happy pigs are productive pigs. There are a few ways to keep your pigs content. Petting your pig daily is the most effective method to boost their happiness. Interacting with them each day shows them you care, leading to increased truffle production. Letting your pigs roam outside is another key factor. Pigs thrive in the open air, and allowing them to graze on the farm contributes significantly to their overall well-being. A pig that isn’t let outside or left without hay will not be a happy pig and will not produce any truffles.
Winter is Coming
When winter arrives, the landscape transforms, and the rules of truffle hunting change. The ground freezes over, preventing pigs from foraging for truffles outdoors. Even if you open the barn door and let them wander outside, they won’t be able to dig up any truffles during the winter months. Consequently, it’s imperative to stockpile a substantial amount of hay before winter arrives to ensure your pigs have an adequate food supply throughout the season. Without a sufficient hay supply, your pigs will suffer, and their happiness will plummet, impacting their productivity once spring returns.
Truffle Treasure: Maximizing Truffle Output
The main draw to pig farming in Stardew Valley is the potential for a substantial income from truffles. These valuable fungi are unearthed by your pigs when they roam outside. The more time they spend outside, the greater the chance they have of finding truffles. There are a few ways to boost your truffle-sniffing profits.
Profession of Choice
The most effective and lucrative way to earn money with truffles is by picking the Botanist profession. This profession, achieved at foraging level ten, increases the quality of all forage items. This ensures that all truffles will be Iridium quality, which sells for a high price. There is also an alternative profession which allows the animal products to be sold for a higher price, however, this profession is not worth it compared to the Botanist skill, as the Iridium quality truffles will be worth far more.
Farm Layout is Important
Strategically place fences around your farm. Well-placed fences keep pigs contained within a specific area, preventing them from wandering too far and potentially getting lost or trapped. This allows you to maximize the area where your pigs can forage for truffles, increasing the chances of finding more of these valuable items. Ensure the area is free of rocks, weeds, and debris. These obstacles can hinder your pigs’ ability to dig for truffles. By clearing the area, you create a smoother, more accessible foraging ground, optimizing truffle production.
The Oil Maker
An Oil Maker can be crafted from ingredients found around the farm. Once crafted, this machine can be used to produce truffle oil, which sells for an even higher profit margin than the normal truffles. Truffle oil is a great way to earn more money to boost your farms value.
Piggy Pro Tips: Advanced Pig Farming Tactics
There are a few advanced tips and tricks to consider, such as, what happens when a pig meets a Slime Hutch.
Slime Hutch
Once slimes are inside a pig, they will explode after a short time. This will result in truffles around your pigs.
Gate and Pen
You can keep pigs contained by placing them in a fenced in area near the barn and putting a gate to stop them from wandering too far. This makes them easy to keep track of and can help their happiness and feeding.
Conclusion: Embrace Pig Farming
Raising pigs in Stardew Valley is a rewarding and profitable endeavor. By upgrading your barn, purchasing your pigs, and providing them with proper care, you’ll be well on your way to maximizing your truffle harvest and reaping the financial rewards. So embrace the world of pig farming, and watch your farm flourish with the help of these truffle-loving companions. Share your own pig farming strategies in the comments below, and let’s continue to learn and grow together in the delightful world of Stardew Valley.
