View source for Getting Started

Welcome to StepHarvest! This page covers the basics: how steps work, what your first days look like, and the choices that shape your farm.

== Steps are energy ==
Your phone's pedometer counts your steps all day, and the game banks them for you. Every in game action spends banked steps:

{| class="wikitable"
! Action !! Base cost
|-
| Watering a crop || {{Steps|50}}
|-
| Planting a crop || varies by crop, see each crop page
|-
| One mining run || {{Steps|200}}, rising with depth
|-
| One fishing cast || {{Steps|200}}
|-
| One foraging trip || {{Steps|200}}
|}

Costs go down as you progress: [[Mastery]] levels, [[Guilds and Social|guild perks]], and your farm type all reduce step costs. Balance values are tuned live, so always treat the game itself as the source of truth for current numbers.

== Your first day ==
# Pick your farm type (see below).
# Complete the tutorial set of [[Quests|quests]]. They walk you through all the main activities and teach you the basic mechanics, so it is the best way to start.
# Walk! Your steps bank automatically, whether or not the app is open.
# Come back whenever you like to complete quests, water and harvest your crops, and try [[Fishing]], [[Foraging]], or [[Mining]].

There is no single right way to play. Once the tutorial quests have shown you the ropes, you can absolutely play however you want, whether that is tending a tidy farm, chasing rare fish, or digging deep in the mines.

== No punishment, ever ==
StepHarvest never punishes you. Crops do not die if you skip a day of watering, they simply pause. There are no timers to miss and no penalties to avoid. The game waits for you.

== Picking a farm type ==
Your farm type gives you a permanent set of perks. All four are viable, so pick the activity you enjoy most.

{| class="wikitable"
! Farm type !! Focus
|-
| Riverside || [[Fishing]] bonuses
|-
| Hilltop || [[Mining]] bonuses
|-
| Meadow || Cheaper watering and grid unlocks for [[Farming]]
|-
| Forest || [[Foraging]] bonuses
|}

== Quality and rarity ==
Harvested and gathered items roll one of four quality tiers: {{Quality|regular}} {{Quality|silver}} {{Quality|gold}} {{Quality|pristine}}. Higher tiers sell for more gold.

Fish have their own rarity tiers: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Legendary. See [[Fishing]] for details.

== Seasons ==
The in game calendar moves through {{Season|spring}} {{Season|summer}} {{Season|fall}} {{Season|winter}}, with one in game day passing per real day. Crops, fish, and forageables are season gated, so the world keeps changing as you play. See [[Seasons]].

[[Category:Getting started| ]]