How comprehensive is the official Stardew Valley guidebook?

Hey everyone, sorry if this has been asked before! I've pre-ordered the new, 2018 version of the guidebook from Fangamer as a late birthday present and I'm super stoked for it to arrive soon!

I'm just curious to hear from people who already own the previous version; in your experience, how does it compare to the Stardew Valley wiki, in terms of how much information is included, multiplayer 1.3 update aside? Please would it be possible for someone to show me the index and contents page? I'm just so excited to see what this book has in store for me! The illustrations are gorgeous, they would have sold me on shelling out the $40 alone.

I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant with my daughter (1st child) so inevitably I'll have much, much less time to play SDV soon, but it'll be lovely to have the book to pour through when/if I get some quiet moments.

Thanks a lot! ... And yes, my little one will be introduced to this wonderful game as soon as she's old enough, haha.

 

Congrats on your first child! =) If you haven't already, you might think about babywearing. When you daughter is still tiny, you might get some SDV in while she naps in her sling or wrap.

Also, totally jealous about the book! It is gorgeous, isn't it?! I hope you'll post back about it after it arrives.

 

Thanks, Honoria321! Will definitely post back when the book arrives. Thanks for the suggestion too, we actually do have a sling! I play on the PS4 so I can imagine how easy it could be to sit back on the sofa with her in her sling and my hands free to play... If I'm not as exhausted as I anticipate being, haha.

 

Between the wiki, this forum, the steam forum, and all the other fan advice sites and YouTube videos, I have never thought the resources to be so limited as to require that I spend actual, real money for a guide. There is just so much free stuff out there.

My advice is to cancel that preorder if you can and start your googling.

 

Really?? But owning any official merch to do with the games I adore makes me so happy! I think I'll keep my pre-order.

 

"Looks at cute junimo plushie he has" adorable! And worth the money!!

No idea on the guidebook, but I do have a lot of strategy guides for other games and definitely use them - a lot. Physical guides may not be anywhere near as popular as they used to, but I really do enjoy mine!

 

Haha, I was looking at the plushies, and at the colouring book.

Yeah, I enjoy strategy guides too. I don't buy them as much anymore, but when I was younger I did. Every time a new Final Fantasy game was released on PS1, I'd always get the guide to go with it. Fond memories! I still have them all now, and flick through them occasionally.

 

I totally understand that. Years ago I bought the strategy guide for Zelda: Ocarina of Time before I had even bought the nintendo 64 console. Of course after reading the book I ran out and bought the console with the game. Remember when they used to bundle games with consoles back in the day? I have never regretted getting any guide for the games I love. Even after I've finished the games it's so nice to just look through them and remember how I did something a bit different than the guide but got the same result.
You enjoy your new guide and congratulations on the upcoming birth of your daughter. Have you picked any names for her yet, just being nosy, you don't need to say.

 

Oh yes! I remember buying my PlayStation 1 and having Casper bundled with it, haha. There wasn't a guide for that, unfortunately... I wish there had been, I found the game really difficult and didn't stick with it for very long.

Thanks for the kind wishes! We're calling her Scarlett.

 

Is your avatar the ultrasound of your baby? If so, that's a first on a gaming forum! =)

 

I think one of my favorite strategy guides is the original official Wilds Arms for PS1. He doesn't say a word about how to fight (and for a RPG there was a ton of fights) but focused entirely on "go to point A to point B" and what to expect for some of the tougher fights, but it was "fight however you want" and I appreciated it! Hoping the guide to SV is like that - explains what everything is and who likes what, but avoids the "this is what you need to do". Kind of hard for a sandbox game like Stardew Valley anyway, but I know there was guides for the Sims series that said "you need to do X and Y"...

And my blue junimo plushie says hi!

 

The wiki is unusually thorough, if you compare it to a large number of developer- and user-maintained game wikis out there. While there are a few errors, the amount of information and its overwhelming accuracy makes it an excellenit resource.

That said, if you want the guidebook, why not buy it? That's your choice, and given your statements above, probably something you'll greatly enjoy.

 

I notice in the photos of the guide it lists the Stone Golem as being in the ice levels(40-79) when it's actual in the earth levels(1-39; more specifically 31-39) There might be wrong information on the wiki, but by it's very nature the wiki evolves and self-corrects. I like the book's artwork, but would feel kind of cheated if the information isn't correct.

 

Personally, I would not buy the guide book for the information, as the wiki and forum and other resources provide a more comprehensive and dynamic information source with a higher degree of accuracy (not the least of which because it can be changed when information is found to be incorrect). For this reason, to directly answer your question about the comprehensiveness and correctness of the data contained within the book, I'd have to score it 'lower than the wiki'.

However, the artwork in the guide book is so cute and adorable that it is an endearing coffee table piece, regardless of the actual utility of the material contained therein. So, if you are just wanting to financially support CA and Chucklefish and the others who were part making this game possible and wanting some cute artwok for that donation, then the guide book is absolutely a good buy.

 

Pretty much what I did. I picked one up shortly after buying the game about a year and a half ago. Just love the thing! I'll admit I generally have a browser open on my second screen at the SDV Wiki page to reference, but sometimes I use the book. It's just a gorgeous thing. Being hardcover with a book cover over it is pretty outstanding in this day and age where everything is softcover to save money.

I may not use it that much, but I think it's totally worth it since it supports CA and it totally scratches my collector itch.

 

Haha, yeah, that's her at 20 weeks. One proud mama over here! Maybe I could photoshop a farmer's hat on her head so she looks more the part.

Thanks for the replies! Sorry for the delay in writing back; my OH and I have just been out and bought an Nintendo Switch!! Yep, SDV has been downloaded too. Even more excited for the multiplayer update now.

I'm hoping my guidebook pre-order gets shipped soon, I've had it on order for a while. I take on-board the comments about the Wiki having more accurate and thorough information in some aspects, but I honestly don't mind that at all. I more asked out of curiosity, really. I see it as having the best of both worlds, and the book will still be getting a lot of use; I totally see myself picking it up during my quiet times when the baby is sleeping and enjoying it for what it is; a beautiful book. As others have said, it's also another good way for me to support CA and thank him for all of his fantastic work! I'd have happily paid more than £14.99 for the game if I could.

 

I feel like I'm going to be refreshing my inbox for a "dispatched" e-mail a lot this week. Late April is on its way out of the door, and I noticed the Fangamer page doesn't list the guidebook as a pre-order anymore! Ooo...

Honestly, I feel a bit antsy for it to be shipped. I've never used Fangamer before, and I'm an international customer. Has anyone here used Fangamer before?

 

I...don't remember who it was that I got my junimo plushie from, but I do remember it was an international order because it was coming from Europe. It didn't take terribly long once shipped - heck an Amazon order that I did at the same time took a little longer - and they made SURE the packing was good, I'd imagine Fangamer would treat it the same way, maybe more so because it's a preorder.

EDIT: and thanks to you mentioning Fangamer, I looked at it and decided to get a book myself! "This be book bad translations, video games"!

 

Not sure where it's coming from... I can't remember, but I'm in Canada, so everything is technically 'International' for me, even from the US. However, I can tell you it was amazingly well packed. If I remember correctly, mine was bubble wrapped, inside a small box that was bubble wrapped inside the shipping box. Simply amazing. I wouldn't worry too much.
Just dooooo eeetttttttttt......

 

Thanks, both! Hope you enjoy your copy, musical74.

Haha, I already did, back in Feb! Just anxiously waiting for confirmation that it's been shipped now!