Stardew Valley is a relatively family-friendly farming simulator where players get to inherit the decrepit farm of their grandfather and make it the most profitable estate in Pelican Town, a village full of weird but likable people.
In your quest to bring glory to your newly inherited farm, you will have to dabble in many other things besides farming, such as foraging, mining, and fishing.
Recommended Read: What Do Cows Eat in Stardew Valley?
All of these tasks will require different types of tools, which will become your most important items in the game.
There are around 6 tools that players consider to be the main ones, and most of them can be upgraded using the same method.
To upgrade most tools in Stardew Valley, you will need to talk to Clint at the Blacksmith and pay a set amount of money and ingots based on the upgrade level.
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How to Upgrade Tools in Stardew Valley
There are six main tools in Stardew Valley that all players will lose a lot:
- Axe
- Fishing Pole
- Hoe
- Pickaxe
- Scythe
- Watering Can
Though there are a couple more tools that you can get, these are the only ones that you get at a very low level at the start and need to upgrade to get better results.
Most of these tools will all be upgraded the same way, by talking to Clint and paying a set amount of money and ingots.
However, the Scythe and Fishing Pole can’t be upgraded this way, and they will need a bit of improvising to evolve.
How to Upgrade Tools at Clint’s Blacksmith
The Axe, Hoe, Pickaxe, and Watering Can tools can all be upgraded at the Blacksmith in Stardew Valley using gold and ingots.
All of these will start at a basic level of quality and will have 4 potential upgrades: Copper, Steel, Gold, and Iridium. The higher the quality of a tool, the better it is at its job.
To upgrade any one of these tools in Stardew Valley, you will just need to talk to Clint at the Blacksmith, in the eastern part of Pelican Town after crossing the bridge toward the Museum and select the Upgrade Tools option.
You will now see a list of all the tools you can upgrade, including the Trash Can. Here are the exact amounts of money and ingots you need for each upgrade:
- Copper Tools – 2,000 g and 5 Copper Bars
- Steel Tools – 5,000 g and 5 Iron Bars
- Gold Tools – 10,000 g and 5 Gold Bars
- Iridium Tools – 25,000 g and 5 Iridium Bars
The Trash Can can also be upgraded through all 4 upgrades but for half the amount of money per level and the same amount of ingots.
Once you pay for one of these upgrades, you will lose the tool for 2 days. This just means that you can go pick up the upgraded tool from Clint the day after tomorrow after giving it.
The best way to do this is to give the tool close to the end of the working day for him (4 PM) and pick it up first thing in the morning when it’s done.
You also won’t be able to use any of his services during this time, like opening Geodes or buying resources.
Axe Upgrades
Here are all the benefits you will get from upgrading the basic Axe tool in Stardew Valley:
- Basic Axe – 10 hits to cut a tree, 5 hits to cut a stump
- Copper Axe – 8 hits to cut a tree, 4 hits to cut a stump, Can cut Large Stumps
- Steel Axe – 6 hits to cut a tree, 3 hits to cut a stump, Can cut Large Logs
- Gold Axe – 4 hits to cut a tree, 2 hits to cut a stump
- Iridium Axe – 2 hits to cut a tree, 1 hits to cut a stump
Hoe Upgrades
Here are all the benefits you will get from upgrading the basic Hoe tool in Stardew Valley:
- Copper Hoe – Till 3 tiles in a straight line instantly
- Steel Hoe – Till 5 tiles in a straight line instantly
- Gold Hoe – Till a 3×3 area (9 tiles) instantly
- Iridium Hoe – Till a 6×3 area (18 tiles) instantly
Pickaxe Upgrades
Here are all the benefits you will get from upgrading the basic Pickaxe tool in Stardew Valley:
- Basic Pickaxe – Break rocks in 2 hits, Copper Nodes in 3 hits, Iron Nodes in 5 hits, Gold Nodes in 8 hits
- Copper Pickaxe – Break rocks in 1 hits, Copper Nodes in 2 hits, Iron Nodes in 3 hits, Gold Nodes in 5 hits
- Steel Pickaxe – Break rocks in 1 hits, Copper Nodes in 1 hits, Iron Nodes in 2 hits, Gold Nodes in 3 hits, Iridium Nodes in 6 hits, Can break Large Boulders
- Gold Pickaxe – Break rocks in 1 hits, Copper Nodes in 1 hits, Iron Nodes in 1 hits, Gold Nodes in 2 hits, Iridium Nodes in 4 hits, Can break Meteorite
- Iridium Pickaxe – Break almost everything in 1 hit
Watering Can Upgrades
Here are all the benefits you will get from upgrading the basic Watering Can tool in Stardew Valley:
- Basic Watering Can – 40 uses till refill
- Copper Watering Can – 55 uses till refill, Water 3 tiles in a straight line instantly
- Steel Watering Can – 70 uses till refill, Water 5 tiles in a straight line instantly
- Gold Watering Can – 85 uses till refill, Water a 3×3 area (9 tiles) instantly
- Iridium Watering Can – 100 uses till refill, Water a 6×3 area (18 tiles) instantly
How to Upgrade Fishing Pole
After meeting Willy for the first time, players will receive the Bamboo Pole for free to fish in Stardew Valley. This Fishing Pole is very weak, but it is the best you’ve got at the start.
All the upgraded versions of the Fishing Pole can be purchased from Willy’s Fish Shop. However, to even unlock them in his stock, you will need a few levels in Fishing.
Here is a list of all the Fishing Pole upgrades in Stardew Valley, along with their requirements to unlock, extra benefits, and purchase price:
- Training Rod (25 g) – Can only catch low-quality fish, easier to use
- Bamboo Pole (free) – Basic Fishing Pole received from Willy
- Fiberglass Rod (1,800 g) – Can use Bait, unlocked at level 2 Fishing
- Iridium Rod (7,500 g) – Can use Bait and Tackle, unlocked at level 6 Fishing
How to Upgrade Scythe
The Scythe is the last tool you receive at the start of Stardew Valley that, unfortunately, doesn’t have the simple upgrade method as the previous two.
There is only one upgrade for the Scythe in Stardew Valley and that is the Golden Scythe.
You can get the Golden Scythe by entering the Quarry Mine and picking it up from the Grim Reaper statue at the end of the dungeon.
You can unlock the Quarry Mine and the Quarry by completing the Crafts Room Bundles in the Community Center.
This is the first group of Bundles you will unlock in Stardew Valley, but it is likely one of the last ones you will complete since the Winter Foraging Bundle requires items you can only get in the Winter.
If you are part of the JojaMart community, you can just fix the bridge toward the Quarry by paying 15k gold.
The Quarry Mine is located in the northwestern part of the Quarry. It is a single-floor dungeon where you just need to walk all the way north to reach the Grim Reaper statue and interact with it.
There are a lot of Haunted Skulls, so be careful around them since they have a lot of HP.
That’s everything you need to know about how to upgrade tools in Stardew Valley!
Have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.
