Recommended Free Tools
Upgrade the tool that is holding up your farm: choose the Hoe for bulk field preparation, the Watering Can for large watering jobs, or the Axe and Pickaxe when clearing land or reaching resources is the main obstacle. Clint’s upgrades cost gold and five bars, take two days, and must be completed in order. For the Watering Can, schedule those two nights around your crops and the forecast.
How tool upgrades work
Clint upgrades the four main tools—the Axe, Pickaxe, Hoe, and Watering Can—at the Blacksmith. Each tool progresses through Copper, Steel, Gold, and Iridium; you cannot skip a tier. Every upgrade takes two days, during which the tool is unavailable. The Stardew Valley Wiki lists these costs and mechanics on its Blacksmith page.
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| Upgrade tier | Gold cost | Bars required |
|---|---|---|
| Copper | 2,000g | 5 Copper Bars |
| Steel | 5,000g | 5 Iron Bars |
| Gold | 10,000g | 5 Gold Bars |
| Iridium | 25,000g | 5 Iridium Bars |
For a Copper Bar, the Wiki lists a recipe of five Copper Ore and one Coal in a Furnace, with a 30-minute in-game smelting time. If you smelt all five bars needed for the first upgrade from ore, that works out to 25 Copper Ore and five Coal, plus the 2,000g fee. The ore and coal totals are arithmetic from the listed recipe, not an additional upgrade requirement.
Choose based on your farm’s bottleneck
There is no universally best upgrade order in the documented mechanics. Compare the task slowing you down with the tool’s improved reach or obstacle access, your available gold and bars, and whether you can do without that tool for two days.
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| If your main bottleneck is… | Consider upgrading… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Preparing a large field | Hoe | Higher tiers till more tiles with a powered action. |
| Watering many crops | Watering Can | Capacity rises, and powered reach covers more tiles. |
| Clearing trees, logs, or stumps | Axe | Upgrades reduce hits for trees and unlock larger obstacles at higher tiers. |
| Breaking rocks or opening routes | Pickaxe | Upgrades reduce hits for rocks and unlock larger obstacles at higher tiers. |
Upgrade the Hoe for large planting areas
A Hoe upgrade is most useful when you repeatedly prepare substantial crop plots. Its powered area grows with each tier, from a line of tiles to larger patterns. The Stardew Valley Wiki’s Hoe page lists the reach:
- Copper: up to 3 tiles in a straight line.
- Steel: up to 5 tiles in a straight line.
- Gold: a 3×3 area.
- Iridium: a 6×3 area, or 18 tiles.
Pick this when tilling is the recurring job you want to make quicker. The improvement is about covering more ground per powered use; the tier itself does not lower the Hoe’s energy cost per use.
Upgrade the Watering Can around your crop calendar
The Watering Can is often the most schedule-sensitive upgrade because crops may need daily watering while Clint has the tool. The Stardew Valley Wiki lists a base capacity of 40 charges; the upgraded capacities are 55 at Copper, 70 at Steel, 85 at Gold, and 100 at Iridium. Its powered reach also expands: Copper reaches 3 tiles in a line, Steel 5 in a line, Gold a 3×3 area, and Iridium a 6×3 area. See the Wiki’s Watering Cans page.
Pick a handoff window
- Check the weather forecast in-game. Dropping the can off before a forecast rainy day can avoid a day when crops need watering, but confirm the forecast and account for the crops you have planted.
- Consider a seasonal lull. The Wiki’s getting-started guidance suggests the 27th day of a season after watering crops that need to ripen on the 28th. This is a timing option, not a guarantee that every field or crop schedule will fit.
- Make sure the two-night absence is workable. Clint takes two days to finish the upgrade, and the can is out of your hands during that interval. Do not assume the upgrade is harmless to your schedule if crops still need watering.
More reach does not mean every powered watering action is cheaper: powered Watering Can uses cost more energy as power increases, and energy costs depend on Farming skill. The larger area can save actions, but weigh that against the energy used for each powered action. The Skills page describes the relevant energy mechanics.
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Upgrade the Axe or Pickaxe when access is the problem
Choose the Axe if trees or wood obstacles are slowing your clearing, and the Pickaxe if rocks or access through rocky obstacles are in the way. According to the Blacksmith mechanics, upgrades reduce the number of hits needed to remove trees and rocks, while higher tiers let the tools break larger obstacles such as logs, stumps, boulders, and meteorites. The Wiki page does not establish a complete tier-by-tier hit count, so the useful decision is whether the next obstacle or repeated clearing work is currently blocking you—not a promised exact number of swings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Account for energy, not just speed
At Farming skill level zero, successful Axe, Pickaxe, and Hoe uses cost 2 energy. Their upgrade tiers do not directly reduce energy per use. They can still reduce the energy spent on a particular job if fewer actions are needed, or if the Hoe covers more tiles. Watering is different: powered Can actions cost more energy as power rises, with the energy mechanics affected by Farming skill. As a result, “upgrading tools saves energy” is not a reliable blanket rule; the outcome depends on which tool and task you mean.
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