Challenge Run Ideas

So a lot of us are getting to the point where we're running out of things to do in our main save files. I thought I'd share a few ideas I had for challenge runs, and you all can give feedback or post your own ideas

My ideas more or less all revolve around restricting methods of making money.

End Goal

So these are challenge runs, so you need an end goal, right? Here are some ideas for your goals:

• Medium: Earn 1,000,000 gold total! (courtesy of Moofinseeker)
• Hard: Have 1,000,000 gold on hand! (courtesy of Moofinseeker)
  
  
• Fisherman: Catch all legendary fish. (courtesy of SmaugBaggins)

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So here we go:

Farming Only

• You can ONLY make money through farming - selling crops, animal products, and artisan goods. No quests that reward money, either!
• You cannot mine, fish, or foraging at all.
• You can only use crafting materials gained from your farmland. Everything else must be purchased from a vendor (note: the forester track of foraging gives you a chance for hardwood when chopping down a tree, and you have a chance for iridium from geodes).
• You are a Joja loyalist! So you can use the community improvement projects through Joja, but you cannot purchase from Pierre (except for the backpack upgrades).

Variations suggested in the thread:

• You can only farm one crop per season (courtesy of SmaugBaggins)
• You can only upgrade your axe and pickaxe to the minimum required to break big stones and logs on your farm. You cannot upgrade any other tools. (courtesy of Lanx12)
• You're limited to 5 sprinklers and 2 kegs and preservation jars. (courtesy of Lanx12)
• You're only allowed one seed maker and one furnace. (courtesy of Lanx12)
• Specialize! You can only earn money through a specific business, like a winery, slime farm, orchard, etc. This requires you to obtain the funds first, so this challenge starts on year 2-3. (courtesy of Trifoilum)

Fisherman

• Your goal is to make 1mil gold OR to catch all fish.
• You can ONLY make money through fishing (including crab pots). Basically, only sell things marked as 'fish.'
• You cannot farm, raise animals, mine, or forage at all.
• You can only use crafting materials gained from your farmland. Everything else must be purchased from a vendor (note: the forester track of foraging gives you a chance for hardwood when chopping down a tree, and you have a chance for iridium from geodes).
• You are a Joja loyalist! So you can use the community improvement projects through Joja, but you cannot purchase from Pierre (except for the backpack upgrades).

Variations suggested in the thread:

• You can only upgrade your axe and pickaxe to the minimum required to break big stones and logs on your farm. You cannot upgrade any other tools. (courtesy of Lanx12)
• You're only allowed one furnace. (courtesy of Lanx12)
  
• You can only use a basic rod OR you can only upgrade to the Fiberglass Rod. (courtesy of SmaugBaggins)
• You must catch the legendary fish with the bamboo rod. (courtesy of Trifoilum)

Lumberjack

• You can only make money through selling wood and foraging. You can chop wood and forage off of your farm as well.
• You cannot farm, raise animals, mine, or fish at all.
• You can only use crafting materials gained from your farmland (except wood and foraged goods). Everything else must be purchased from a vendor (note: the forester track of foraging gives you a chance for hardwood when chopping down a tree, and you have a chance for iridium from geodes).
• You are a Joja loyalist! So you can use the community improvement projects through Joja, but you cannot purchase from Pierre (except for the backpack upgrades).

Variations suggested in the thread:

• You can only upgrade your axe and pickaxe to the minimum required to break big stones and logs on your farm. You cannot upgrade any other tools. (courtesy of Lanx12)
• You're only allowed one furnace. (courtesy of Lanx12)

Prospector

• You can only make money through selling rocks, gems, and metal ores/bars. You can also sell the results of geodes.
• You cannot farm, raise animals, forage, or mine at all.
• You can only use crafting materials gained from your farmland or the mines. Everything else must be purchased from a vendor (note: the forester track of foraging gives you a chance for hardwood when chopping down a tree, and you have a chance for iridium from geodes).
• You are a Joja loyalist! So you can use the community improvement projects through Joja, but you cannot purchase from Pierre (except for the backpack upgrades).

Variations suggested in the thread:

• You can only upgrade your axe and pickaxe to the minimum required to break big stones and logs on your farm. You cannot upgrade any other tools. (courtesy of Lanx12)
• You're only allowed one furnace. (courtesy of Lanx12)
• You have to reach the Skull Cave with the Rusty Sword. (courtesy of Trifoilum)
  
• Once you obtain the crafting recipe OR once you hit lvl 10 mining, you can only mine with bombs. (courtesy of SmaugBaggins)

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The One Year Challenge (courtesy of hkcream)

• Complete the community center and get married within the first year.
• Optional hard mode: Also complete Mr. Qi's quest and unlock the sewer in the first year.

Miser Mode (courtesy of Morgath) (original thread)

• You can only make one purchase per season.
• Original thread here.

Misc Ideas from the Thread

• You have to buy everything from the travelling merchant each week (courtesy of Trifoilum)
• No updating backpacks! (courtesy of Trifoilum)

Please do share your own ideas, if you have any! I'll add any ideas to the first post, with credit of course

 

These are all cool and all, but I feel like they wouldn't be fun for me unless there was an end goal in mind. What would you say are the targets?

 

How about Grandpa's evaluation? Your success is based on his rating of the farm.

 

I guess...But half of the points are based on stuff that would be impossible to do for most challenges. Maybe a monetary goal like the "Earn 1 million" achievement as fast as possible?

 

That works as well! Probably better.

Do you think 1m total, or 1m on hand is a better goal?

 

Ooh that's a good question...I'm not sure! On one hand, the 1million total would be a steady increase and easy to track, but the 1mil in hand is a more challenging endeavour! Why not both with the latter as a "hardmode" challenge?

 

Only allowed to Farm one crop per season would be another thing i would add to the farming only. Alot of good ideas tho

 

Thanks, added your suggestion

 

Hmmm I got a suggestion to make some of these challenges really hard. you can only upgrade your axe and pickaxe to the minium level needed to break big stones and logs. you can not upgrade any of your tools

Also your limited to 5 sprinklers and 2 kegs and persvation jars for farming.

Also your only allowed one seed maker and one furnace for smelting needs.

 

Thanks! Added to the post

 

For fishers can only use Basic Rod or for a slightly easier run the Fiberglass Rod
Not allowed to use Tackle
End Goal For fisher should be all legends

 

also on a side note i think you should put the variations in there own spoiler and credit the person with the idea rather then quotes it looks kinda messy with quotes

 

Added!

 

Like how I did the end goals? That'd probably look better, yeah.

 

Yea like with the end goals

 

Switched it over, and yeah, that definitely looks better

 

Make a specific business. Like, winery, or pickling business, or slime farm, or a cow ranch, or an orchard.
(Of course this requires the player to find enough funds before-- so probably this is more like year 2-3 challenge?)

Or...

You have to buy everything from the Gypsy every week?

Or...

You have to reach Skull Cave with Rusty Sword?

Get Legendary Fishes with Bamboo Rod?

 

That looks a lot better and i like the Rusty Sword idea @Trifoilum

 

Can only Mine With Bombs once you obtain the crafting recipe or hit level 10 in mining

 

First post updated!

Added the specializing to farming, rusty sword to prospecting, and bamboo rod to fishing. I put the buying from the travelling merchant in an extra section at the end of the thread, since it didn't fit specifically fit in any of the other challenges

Added!