LogFAQs > #961076411

It's your first time so I wouldn't go all crazy trying to min/max each season. It's perfectly okay to go to bed at 1 PM (although there is for sure stuff to be done)

If you've played a Harvest Moon game you should get the hang of it quickly. IF you haven't then it's going to be weird.

Some basic tips:
1) While it's shown on a calendar like it's a month it isn't. There are 4 seasons of 28 days each. Each have their own crops to grow, fish to catch, foragables that are in season, etc. Side note: Nothing will grow on your farm in Winter.

2) There's two progression paths. One is the community center and you'll get a cut scene with Juminos and can look at the bundles that need turned in shortly after the beginning of the game. Community center requires some planning ahead. The other is the JoJa Mart. Joja does NOT require bundles and everything is just bought with the money you've earned. I would do the Community Center in at least 1 playthrough for the experience but frankly every playthrough since the first one I've done Joja.

3) On the first day of each season the crops you had planted will wilt and die. It's normal. It doesn't matter if they were supposed to produce fruit or not. There are a couple crops that grow between seasons but not many. Grass grows 3 of the 4 seasons.

4) If you happen to get a pre-historic egg or Prismatic Shard save the very first one, any additional can be donated. An ancient seed can be turned into the Museum when you get the first one. The Prismatic Shard can be turned in in the desert area at a puzzle and will get you one of the most powerful weapons in the game. The pre-historic egg can be put into an incubator in either your coop or barn (i forget which) and hatches a little dinosaur. Once that dinosaur lays an egg you can donate that one or put them in incubators for more dinosaurs.

5) Ore from the mine is used to upgrade tools at the shop above the Museum. When a tool is upgraded HOLD the button for most of them to see the increased range of the tools. e.g. First watering can upgrade does 3 tiles in front of you. Last watering can upgrade makes it a 6 tile by 3 tile block. You do NOT need to hold for the upgrades for the pick or axe, they are more powerful just by swinging them and lets you break bigger rocks/trees. This same shop is ALSO where you break Geodes up. The highest tier is Irridium. Irriduium is generally not found in the regular mines. It can be a rare drop depending on luck but for the most part you'll get it from The Desert Mine which is an unlock.

6) Check the TV daily. On certain days (I want to say Wednesdays and Sundays) there's a cooking show that teaches you new recipes. This is the ONLY way to gain a lot of the recipes in the game. It's also good to know your extra luck.

7) Luck does various things but the biggest one is it changes the frequency of finding a ladder/hole in the mines. This means you move from floor to floor quicker. Not as big a deal in the mountain mine but when you unlock The Desert Mine and the goal is to get down as many floors as you can for better loot it's kind of clutch. There are foods that raise your luck and one of the better ones is called "Lucky Lunch" and it's earned from the TV. (See note 6 above)

8) There are two places you can plant crops and the season doesn't matter. The crops will continue to grow daily and season changes won't effect them. These areas are the Greenhouse (unlock) and the new island from the latest major patch. These are the locations i'll plant the big money items like Strawberries or Star Fruits.

9) At 1 AM you get a warning icon on the character about being tired. I think it's just some simple ZZZs or something. At 2 AM you will collapse wherever you are and lose items (although I don't think your tools can be lost) and be charged a fee in gold. You'll also wake up the next day missing a good chunk of your energy. This missing energy can be replaced with an item from the Doctor but you should ALWAYS try to avoid passing out. This also happens when you run out of energy.

10) Max energy can be increased with hidden items called Stardrops. You'll see a vendor in the Forest that appears on certain days that will sell you a "rare seed." you grow this in the fall and it takes 24 days (SO DO NOT START IT LATE) and the fruit grown can be turned in somewhere for one of the Stardrops. You can only do the growing of the rare seed once. There are a set number of Star Drops and they are in specific locations.

That's the big ones. I'm sure there's more but off the top of my head this should get you started.