This article or section is a - This page is currently very subjective and contains player-written advice on how to play the game. Please take said advice with a grain of salt and play the game as desired.
Petals are the main currency in Staxel and are imperative to standard gameplay, so earning enough money to do things the player desires is a large priority. Money is quite scarce at the beginning and relying on farming only will be a slow start, so we will examine here ways of speeding things up.
Petals can be used to purchase:
- Some tools that the tutorial doesn't give
- Crafting stations
- Building materials that can't be crafted (because they're not available yet or the blueprints are just still too expensive)
- Seeds to grow crops
Essentially, a steady income is needed if the player wishes to expand the town and have all the villagers move in, then have all the shops.
As of version 1.4, please be aware that there is no pressure to complete goals by a certain time limit or responsibilities to fulfill. There is no rent to pay, no debt to reimburse, no deadline to meet but what you set for yourself. You can take it easy with no immediate consequence.
Staxel is mainly about farming and building, the former funding the latter. Farming and cooking are the main money makers, but with the very limited funds at the start of the game, there will be very limited access to seeds. Your daily routine should be about tending your crops efficiently, since missing a watering is a setback that leads to wilted or dead crops, then making some additional income.
Farming[]
Besides the few seeds Farm Fan will give you, your best investment will probably be cucumbers. This plant is persistent, meaning it will continue bearing crops without needing to plant it again, and can grow in Spring and Summer. It takes 9 days for it to mature but then will yield again every 3 days, making it possible to have 8 harvest during your first two seasons. Only downside, this plant is very tall and thick, so you need to be fairly careful when watering so you don't miss a spot. At the start it's not a major matter though, you can very well space your crops for easier watering/harvesting.
As you accumulate some money, you can consider buying more cucumber seeds, or wait for Summer 1st to invest in eggplants. Like cucumbers, this plant is persistent and lasts through summer and autumn, and is easier to manage too (quite smaller and less thick). It also takes 9 days to grow but 4 days to yield again (though for a higher selling price), so you can get 6 harvests from your seeds.
Before buying seeds, you should make sure you own a Hoe and Watering Can as you cannot farm without those. Next is the Scythe, that can allow you to harvest more easily. You should consider the Shovel next, as it will not only let you dig through dirt, but also get back freshly planted seeds. Then, the Axe, Pickaxe and Hammer too, as your farm is quite in disarray at the start and will need a good cleaning-up (plenty of rocks, tree branches, stuff like that). All those tools are quite cheap and you will get a few of them from Farm Fan during the introduction.
Getting mixed seeds[]
One of the first side jobs you should consider is finding mixed seeds. For that, you will need a scythe, cheaply acquired from Leif's store. This will allow you to cut down grass and flowers with a chance they will drop mixed seeds. They literally drop on the ground, contrary to flower petals that go directly to your inventory (and that you can sell for a measly 1
each, but it's the start of your career and every little bit helps).
These seeds can be planted in tilled soil and will transform into a random seasonal crop. If you have a shovel, and you probably should, you can then grab the seeds back and order them. While you have to water the crops yourself with the watering can, you should consider making this chore as easy as possible. It also helps with the harvest, as you can charge your scythe to harvest down an area of maximum 5x3 tiles in front of you.
I would strongly advise setting a field of coffee, should you come across some seeds in your mixed ones. Coffee is an awesome plant that grows all year long and persists, so each new seed you get is another 43every 4 days once it has grown. But more on coffee later.
The barn[]
Very early, Maximilian will instruct you to build a simple barn. It takes 700to build, or you can use scavenged/looted materials, but he will reward you with two Cows, so it's one of the few profitable quests out there. If you can shell the money, you can then decide either to spawn them and feed them for a daily milk and splat production (2x140 and 2x6, minus 50 for food), or just sell the crates for a massive 9000 each.
Exploring[]
When you have all the basic tools, you can consider exploring the town's surroundings. There are quite a few things to do out there that can net you some additional income and grab quest stuff.
Looting[]
There are a couple of locations you should be on the lookout for while wandering in the woods. You can come across Abandoned Shacks, remnants of a small house fallen into heavy disrepair, that you can tear down to acquire some building blocks. More interesting is the Abandoned Mine, which is a network of underground tunnels with a vast opening on the surface, containing a large number of furniture including Crates (66), empty crates (120), several mineral carts (60each), torches (6) and planks (12). You could even have a go at the many support beams made of wood blocks.
Tree cutting[]
If you have an axe, you can simply cut down a few trees for raw wood. Staxel's forests are dense and cover the vast majority of the island, so getting a few thousands of raw wood wouldn't make a massive dent in them. Like all constructions in Staxel, you just have to cut off the base of the tree. Once all ground level tree blocks have been cut off, the upper ones will crumble in a shower of raw wood and possibly bugs, if any was hanging in. You should probably take the time to cut out the tree's roots (they sometimes have some) and fill the holes with fresh dirt to avoid turning the landscape into Swiss cheese. Fresh saplings can be crafted to reforest, but this is not accessible right away.
For extra profit, you could consider using the saw in Aliza's shop to process 2 wood into lumber, or even 2 lumber into fine lumber. The saw can work automatically and go through a stack of wood while you wander elsewhere. Raw wood goes for 3, lumber for 7and fine lumber for 16.
Beach combing[]
if you travel straight in one direction, you will reach the island's beach and notice there are a number of items to be picked on the ground. These require no tool, just "harvesting" them. Though not majorly profitable (each piece being worth 18except seaweed at 30), the beach offers a very clear view and makes foraging these very easy. You'll want to make sure you save a sample or two of each. Shells do not respawn.
Bug Catching[]
After purchasing a Bug Net from the General Store, you can go explore the wilderness for bugs. These are mainly collectibles that you can sell for a small amount of cash. Spending a couple days a week collecting all the bugs you find can be profitable. Be on the lookout for two of them, namely the rhino beetle, of which you will need two to build the fishing spot for Riah, and the mysterious butterfly, which will introduce Vorlen to the island.
Fishing[]
If you come across 2 rhino beetles fairly quickly, you can consider building the fishing spot for Riah, a way to obtain a fishing pole other than buying it at Leif's. More info can be found in the Fishing section.
Other ways to save money[]
The player can hammer down their pet's house, given during the tutorial. Feeding a pet at the very start may be too much of a burden, detracting from funds for seeds and vital equipment.