Though Stardew Valley presents itself as a charming farming simulator, it actually contains a pretty robust combat system. Part of this is the Combat skill itself, which is leveled up by defeating monsters in the various mines.
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When a player reaches Level 5 in the Combat skill, they'll be offered a choice between two Profession branches. Both of these branches will lead to an additional two choices each at Combat Level 10. It can be a difficult choice, so we're here to help. This guide will outline all of the Profession choices, as well as which ones are the best.
Updated May 9, 2023 by Michael Christopher: We've refreshed this guide to keep it clear, helpful, and up-to-date. We've also further explained the HP bonuses offered in the branches to give more information to players trying to decide which Combat Profession they'd like.
Stardew Valley Combat Professions Summary
The Combat skill comes into play any time the player kills monsters. It affects health, attack stats, and weapons. No tool proficiency is earned by leveling up the Combat skill, but each level comes with a small bump to max health of +5 points.
The Professions are summarized here:
Combat | ||
|---|---|---|
Level 5 | Level 10 | |
Fighter
| Fighter Chosen ⮫ | Brute
|
Fighter Chosen ⮩ | Defender
| |
Scout
| Scout Chosen ⮫ | Acrobat
|
Scout Chosen ⮩ | Desperado
| |
Stardew Valley Combat Professions, Explained
When players reach Combat Level 5, they'll be prompted with two choices, each offering different boons to their combat experience.
Level 5 Choices
As with every skill, Combat offers two Profession branches at Level 5, called Fighter and Scout.
> Fighter
This branch offers abilities that are a bit more direct. Choosing this Level 5 Profession will grant the player a nice little HP bonus of 15 points, while also increasing attack damage by 10%. Since +5 HP is added at levels 1 through 4, this adds up to +35 HP points by level 5 if Fighter is chosen.
> Scout
The Scout branch is concerned with special moves and critical strikes, making it a bit less straightforward. Scout itself offers an increased chance of critical strikes occurring when fighting enemies.
Fighter Chosen - Level 10 Choices
At Level 10, the Fighter branch offers more attack damage or more HP. The two Level 10 choices on this branch can be seen as a choice between offense or defense.
> Brute
The offense-oriented side of this branch is the Brute Profession. This ability increases the player's attack damage by an additional 15%. Unlike the Fisher and Angler Professions in the Fishing skill, Fighter and Brute do stack, meaning a total 25% increase in total.
> Defender
This is the more defensive side of this branch. By choosing Defender, the player's max HP will be increased by an additional 25 points. This also stacks with the HP bonus from Fighter. Therefore, players who choose Fighter and then Defender will see a 40 HP increase on top of the HP bump given at each Combat level.
HP Increase Total - Brute vs Defender
For those looking at the HP increases offered across the Combat skill tree, here's a table showing how many will be earned depending on the choices made. There are +5 HP points added at each level from 1 to 4 and level 6 to 9, meaning an inherent +40 HP without Professions (8 levels x 5 HP each = 40 HP). Fighter grants +15 HP, Brute offers none, and Defenders offers +25 HP.
Base HP | 100 |
+20 for levels 1 to 4 | 120 |
Fighter chosen at Level 5 (+15) | 135 |
+20 for levels 6 to 9 | 155 |
Brute chosen at Level 10 (+0) | 155 |
Defender chosen at Level 10 (+25) | 180 |
It's worth noting that a special late-game quest from Mr. Qi will, if completed, grant an additional +25 HP. Check here for the guide to finding the note to unlock the quest, and click here for tips for completing it. If Fighter is chosen at Level 5, Defender is chosen at Level 10, and this item is found, the player's max HP will be the highest possible at 205 HP.
Scout Chosen - Level 10 Choices
Those who choose Scout at Level 5 will be given two Profession options that are a bit more specialized.
> Acrobat
The Acrobat Profession is good for anyone who uses their special moves. It'll cut the cooldown time for these moves in half.
> Desperado
Live the life of an old west outlaw by choosing the Desperado Profession. This causes critical strikes to do more damage. The formula to calculate this increase is somewhat complex, but the official Stardew Valley wiki offers a good breakdown.
The Scout branch does not offer HP increases for its Professions, and instead only grants the standard +5 HP bonus for levelling up. This means that the max HP total if Scout is chosen is 140 HP (100 base HP + 40 for level-ups) without completing the Mr. Qi quest (165 HP after completing it).
Best Combat Professions in Stardew Valley
Generally speaking, the Fighter branch has more overall utility than the Scout branch. Which Profession is chosen at Level 10 depends on player preference.
> Fighter & Brute or Defender
Choosing the flat damage and HP increase offered by the Fighter branch is more generally useful across a wider range of situations than the increased-but-not-guaranteed chances offered by the Scout branch. As for the Level 10 options, it's up to you. There are rings, meals, clothing options, and all types of methods for increasing attack power and restoring or increasing health, so you can fill in the other choice that you don't select fairly easily.
For those who do decide to go down the Scout route, it is, again, a toss-up which Level 10 skill is better. Many will probably find the increased critical strike damage to be better, but being able to use a special move more often is also nice, if that's a mechanic you actually use. Many weapons are just fine without their special moves.
Whereas with other skills, there are often clear-cut "best" choices, it's less so with Combat. It's really up to the player's choice and both have their pros and cons.
Don't forget: The Professions you choose for each skill aren't permanent. You can change them any time you like, provided you have access to the Sewers and 10,000g. The Statue of Uncertainty, found here, allows the player to switch Professions at will by paying this fee.
Stardew Valley is available on PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, and iOS.
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