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Jun 22, 2023

Which Mining Profession To Choose In Stardew Valley

Mining is one of the most important activities in Stardew Valley. Choosing the

Mining is one of the most important activities in Stardew Valley. Choosing the right Professions can make it much easier (and more profitable).

One of the most important things to do in Stardew Valley is mining. The resources found by mining have a long list of uses, from crafting important items to constructing farm buildings. Additionally, spelunking through the Mines will reward the player with new equipment, combat experience, and much more.

RELATED: Stardew Valley: How To Enable The Dangerous Version Of The Mines

Mining is one of the five core skills in Stardew Valley, and like the rest, it will come with fantastic bonuses. As the Mining skill is leveled up, players will unlock access to crafting recipes and other helpful mechanics. Most importantly, they'll gain the ability to choose between some very helpful bonuses via the Mining Professions. These Professions are unlocked at Mining Level 5 and Mining level 10.

There are a handful to choose from, so we've outlined what they all do, as well as some pros and cons of each to help indecisive players choose.

Updated May 1, 2023 by Michael Christopher: We've refreshed this guide to make it as helpful as possible and add some more information about switching Professions as need be.

The Mining Profession is pretty straightforward. It concerns everything related to breaking rocks and nodes, smelting metal bars, and the like. Leveling up the Mining skill will grant an increase to Pickaxe proficiency. This causes the Pickaxe to consume less of the player's energy when used.

Here are the Stardew Valley Mining Professions at a glance:

Mining

Level 5

Level 10

Miner

Miner Chosen ⮫

Blacksmith

Miner Chosen ⮩

Prospector

Geologist

Geologist Chosen ⮫

Excavator

Geologist Chosen ⮩

Gemologist

At Mining Level 5, two choices are offered: Miner or Geologist. Miner and its Level 10 choices are focused on ore and metal, while the Excavator branch is more focused on gems and Geodes.

> Miner

The Miner Profession is extremely straightforward: each ore vein will contain one additional ore when broken.

> Geologist

This Profession will cause gem nodes to drop gems in pairs 50% of the time. This Profession also affects Geodes, adding a 50% chance for a double drop when Geodes are found in rocks.

Geologists will be presented with two choices at Level 10.

> Excavator

This Profession will increase the player's chances of finding Geodes.

> Gemologist

Becoming a Gemologist makes Minerals and Gems sell for 30% more gold.

Miner is concerned with ore, coal, smelting, and everything related to metals. Choosing Miner at Level 5 opens up Blacksmith and Prospector as choices when the player reaches Level 10.

> Blacksmith

The Blacksmith Profession will increase the selling price of metal bars by 50%. This includes Copper Bars, Iron Bars, Gold Bars, Iridium Bars, and Radioactive Bars. However, it does not include Refined Quartz.

> Prospector

The Prospector Profession is great for anyone who has trouble finding enough Coal for smelting and crafting. It adds a chance for any coal dropped from most sources to be doubled.

Unlike other skills, there is no clear winner when it comes to which Mining Professions to choose.

It's really up to the individual which Mining Profession they choose. The two branches will each serve a player well, though they have some advantages over each other in different situations.

Anyone in the early game might get more of a benefit from choosing Miner at Level 5 and Prospector at Level 10. This will help the player gather ore and Coal to help craft machinery, construct farm buildings, and more. The extra resources can really help save some time.

In the later game, Geologist slightly ekes out Miner at Level 5. There will come a point when the average player isn't hard-pressed for ore or Coal, but they'll still earn a hefty bit of cash for any extra gems they sell, so they should increase those profits by switching to Geologist. Then, depending on the situation, the Level 10 choice could go either way.

Players trying to finish the Museum collection should opt for Excavator to increase the number of Geodes they find. Those who have finished the Museum or aren't too concerned about it might want to choose Gemologist, as this can be a pretty profitable bonus. Crafting a bunch of Crystalariums and tossing Diamonds into them can be paired with Gemologist to make some impressive profits.

Don't forget: Professions can be swapped at any time by visiting the Statue of Uncertainty and paying a 10,000g fee. This allows the player to switch between these Mining Professions as they please, meaning, as one example, they could switch to Excavator to help with the Museum and then switch to the Gemologist bonus after to earn some extra money.

Stardew Valley is available on PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, and iOS.

MORE: Stardew Valley: Fishing Profession Guide

Michael is an editor at Game Rant and a journalist with several years of experience writing about video games, television, and social issues. He loves indie platformers, Pokémon, and Hack 'n Slashers. Currently playing: Halo Infinite, Stray, Genshin Impact