Professions are an essential part of Stardew Valley. They allow you to achieve proficiency in certain skills and unlock useful bonuses. Even though Stardew Valley’s combat is simplistic and not really the point of the game, it allows you to face various monsters around the world and collect valuable resources. As soon as you reach level 5 in combat skills, you will get to choose between two professions, a fighter, and a scout. The choice between those two professions will affect all further choices you’re going to make, so let’s see, between fighter and scour, which profession is better in Stardew Valley?
The fighter is definitely a better choice for a level 5 combat profession than the scout. It’s mostly because it gives you a flat damage increase and +15 health points. Scout gives you a critical strike chance increase, but considering the fact that the base chance for a critical strike is awfully small, this is not such a large increase at all. All in all, the best early game choice for a combat profession is definitely a fighter.
Now that you know which profession is better, it’s time to analyze each in a bit more detail. There are instances when the scout profession might be better. If you’re interested in why stay with us and keep reading!
What is the fighter profession in Stardew Valley?
As soon as you reach level 5 in combat skill, you get to choose between the professions that will further affect the choice you will get when you reach level 10. Fighter profession gives you two bonuses, it makes all your attacks deal 10 % more damage, and it gives you 15 additional health points. If you choose the fighter profession at level 5, you will get to choose between brute and defender later on. It is obviously a more “warrior” oriented profession. This is as close to class as you will get.
The fighter bonus is nothing complicated. It gives you a flat damage rate you will deal to your enemies. Combat professions are really not done all that well. Both of the professions as level 5 choices are nothing great, and the bonuses are average at best. Still, if you like a reliable flat bonus, then fighter has what you’re looking for.
What is the scout profession in Stardew Valley?
This is the second choice you get as soon as you reach level 5 in combat. Scout profession is a “stealth” choice you get. But it’s not really stealth-oriented. It’s critical chance oriented.
If you choose the scout profession, your critical strike chance will be increased by 50%. Sounds awesome, right? It’s not. It’s a multiplicative bonus, not an additive. It means that it gives your 50% bonus to whatever your chance to crit was before. And keep in mind that the chance to crit is laughably low, so this is not really an increase.
Plus, this profession depends too much on luck, and you can’t depend on a flat rate and constant bonus, as is the case with the fighter. If you choose scout at level 5, as soon as you reach combat skill level 10, you get to choose between acrobat and desperado professions, and this is where it gets interesting.
Fighter or scout, which profession is better?
The answer to this question depends on whether you level your combat skill early game or late game. Early game, the fighter is by far the better profession of the two. It gives you a flat damage rate, a constant, reliable bonus, plus a small amount of health. You don’t have to depend on RNG or luck. You don’t have to calculate and take into account your crit chance. It’s a safe choice for people who are not really good at combat and mostly rely on simply clicking instead of strategizing and getting top-notch equipment.
But now we’re getting to the late game. Fighter professions when you reach level 10 are laughably bad, and scout has an overall better choice.
You choose between acrobat and desperado, with desperado being the better choice because it makes your crit attacks deadlier by dealing 2x critical damage to your opponent. This wouldn’t be a good choice if your critical chance remained low. However, if you have something additional that increases your critical chance additionally, it’s a good investment since it’s going to help your kill monsters faster. You can practically instakill some of the pesty mobs with a desperado bonus.
But the downside is this is only viable late-game when survivability is not such an issue. It also relies on RNG too much, and once again, if you’re not prepared to take risks, the fighter is still better. It’s just that it stops being good as soon as you reach level 10.
Nevertheless, whichever profession you choose, keep in mind that you can always change it. The Statue Of Uncertainty in The Sewers allows you to change level 5 and level 10 professions if you “donate” 10 000 gold to it. The next time you go to sleep, a “choose a profession” window will appear. You will have the choice to change level 5 and level 10 professions. You will, however, lose all bonuses that you’ve received with your first profession, and you will not enjoy any benefits from it.
Now that you’re aware that you can change your profession, there’s really no risk involved. You can always pay and choose something else. In that case, it might be a viable strategy to choose a fighter first and then the late game. If you have good enough gear, you change your profession to scout, followed by desperado.
Ultimately it’s your choice, and you pick whatever suits you best. Some players prefer luck and chance, and some prefer stable and constant bonuses. It’s up to you.
