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Choose Hill-top Farm when you want recurring mining nodes on your property and are willing to give up some open land for crops and animals. The choice is permanent for that save: you cannot switch farm maps later for the same character. Its southwest quarry can spawn different stones, ore, and geode nodes as your Mining level rises, but it does not replace the Mines or guarantee a useful ore every day.
Is Hill-top Farm a good choice?
It is a good fit if you like a varied layout and want mining resources to spawn on your farm. It is less suitable if your main goal is maximizing crop fields or animal space: cliffs and a stream break up the land, and the Stardew Valley Wiki lists 1,648 tillable tiles for Hill-top. The Wiki describes Standard Farm as the map with the most space for crops and animals. Neither map is universally better; the choice depends on whether you value the quarry or open farming space more.
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Farm-map selection happens when you start a save. The Stardew Valley Wiki’s Getting Started page explains the initial choice; you cannot change that character’s map later.
What does the Hill-top quarry provide?
The quarry is in the southwest portion of the farm. It can spawn stones, ore nodes, geode nodes, and artifact spots. Which nodes are possible—and their relative chances—depends on your Mining level. Nodes do not appear on a fixed daily schedule: an occupied tile can block a selected spawn location, and a failed spawn attempt ends that day’s sequence.
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- Create the farm of your dreams: build your farm from the ground up on 1 of 5 map layouts suited to your play style!
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- settle down and start a family: share life on the farm with 1 of 12 characters you can date and marry, and even have children with!.explore vast, mysterious caves! Encounter dangerous monsters and valuable treasures!.spend a relaxing afternoon at one of the local fishing spots: the waters are teeming with seasonal varieties of delicious fish. Craft bait, bobbers, and crab pots to help you in your journey toward catching every fish and becoming a local Legend!.
The Wiki reports an average of 2.4 nodes per day in a cleared quarry. That is an average of nodes, not 2.4 useful ore nodes guaranteed each day. Stone, geode, or artifact-spot results can account for spawns, and individual days can differ. The probabilities below are the Wiki’s reported results for a spawn attempt at each Mining level, not the chance that you will receive at least one node of that type every day.
| Mining level | Stone | Artifact spot | Geode | Frozen geode | Magma geode | Copper | Iron | Gold | Iridium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | 60.44% | 15% | 6.72% | 0% | 0% | 17.85% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 4 | 51.37% | 15% | 5.71% | 0% | 0% | 15.17% | 12.75% | 0% | 0% |
| 5–6 | 51.37% | 15% | 2.85% | 2.85% | 0% | 15.17% | 12.75% | 0% | 0% |
| 7 | 46.23% | 15% | 2.57% | 2.57% | 0% | 13.66% | 11.48% | 8.5% | 0% |
| 8–9 | 46.23% | 15% | 1.71% | 1.71% | 1.71% | 13.66% | 11.48% | 8.5% | 0% |
| 10+ | 45.77% | 15% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 13.52% | 11.36% | 8.42% | 0.85% |
Percentages are from the Stardew Valley Wiki’s Farm Maps quarry-spawn table, which covers Hill-top and Four Corners. They describe the result of an individual spawn attempt; they are not daily drop rates.
When can iron, gold, and iridium appear?
- Iron: Becomes possible at Mining level 4. The Wiki lists a 12.75% chance of iron on a level-4 spawn attempt.
- Gold: Becomes possible at Mining level 7. The listed chance is 8.5% per spawn attempt at level 7 and levels 8–9.
- Iridium: Becomes possible at Mining level 10. The listed chance is 0.85% per spawn attempt at level 10 or higher.
These thresholds add the resources to the possible spawn pool; reaching a level does not guarantee that resource will appear on the farm that day. The Mining page covers the skill, while the Farm Maps table provides the quarry probabilities.
How do you reach the quarry?
On some saves, a Large Stump, Large Log, or Boulder may obstruct the quarry entrance. The Farm Maps reference identifies a steel Axe or Pickaxe as necessary for breaking these obstacles. The entrance state is not identical in every save, so treat this as a possible progression gate rather than a guaranteed starting obstruction.
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How should you decide between Hill-top and Standard?
| Priority | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Regular on-farm access to mining nodes | Hill-top | Its southwest quarry adds recurring stone, ore, and geode spawns whose pool expands with Mining level. |
| Maximum room for crop fields and animals | Standard | The Wiki identifies Standard as the map with the most crop and animal space; Hill-top’s cliffs and stream reduce its usable area. |
| A distinctive, varied farm layout | Hill-top | The terrain and quarry give the farm a different shape and resource focus. |
Hill-top’s 1,648 tillable tiles and Standard’s relative space advantage are listed in the Stardew Valley Wiki’s Farm Maps and The Farm pages. Consider how much land you want to devote to buildings, paths, and other uses as well as tilled crops.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you change your farm map later?
No. The map is selected when you create the save, and there is no in-game option to convert that character’s farm to another layout later. If the quarry-versus-open-space tradeoff matters to you, settle it before starting the save.
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