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Realistically, Stardew Valley players should choose to complete the Community Center to appease the home-grown and small-town life. But, it gives a choice for free thinking. Here we will outline both options, and the pros and cons of each as well as anything else that should be taken into consideration. Note that starting either the Community Center or JojaMart’s completion will mean that the other cannot be chosen or worked on from that point. Choose wisely!

Community Center

First up is the Community Center. Players are introduced to it early in the game - upon entering Pelican Town, a cutscene will start with Mayor Lewis unlocking the door and showing the player in, and then asking them to fix the apparent ‘rat problem’. Hint: it isn’t rats, it is mystical, round creatures called Junimo. The player will receive an invitation letter from the Wizard, where they will be shown how to read the strange writing inside the Community Center. Then, all signs inside the Center can be understood, and the true quest begins…finish all the bundles inside!

Now onto the pros and cons of choosing to complete the Community Center.

Pros

The Community Center will take a while to complete - but this means there is gameplay across the entire year (and beyond) due to seasonal crops and fish. Avoiding JojaMart is a win for small businesses, and keeps Pierre, and Pelican Town, going. By completing the bundles in the Community Center, the player gets rewards as well as the big town-fixing events. Each bundle will give something - be it a stack of seeds, a Heater for the barn, or farm items like a Keg. After completing the Center, Pierre’s General Store will be open seven days a week!

Cons

Gathering all the items for the bundles can be annoying. For instance, all farm animals are needed, and most crops. This also means a lot of crops to get enough Gold Star vegetables for the Quality Bundle. Don’t get us started on fishing, either - that mini-game is divisive in the community. Similarly, the Construction Bundle can be quite expensive in terms of materials, especially in the first year when players will be hoarding resources to build up their farm.

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Other Considerations

“Sadly,” if the Community Center is chosen and completed, there will be no more JojaMart in the game. In its place, the abandoned building can be made into a Movie Theater! Depending on your preferred playstyle, the heavy gathering element of the Bundles may not be to every player’s taste. Opening up the Center can change some NPCs schedules; Clint the Blacksmith will close his business on Fridays as that day he spends in the Center.

JojaMart

What is Joja? In short, it is a giant mega-corporation that is trying to muscle in on Pelican Town and cement its business. It is actually the very thing that the player’s character ran away from - leaving a corporate job working for Joja in the city and moving to the farm to start anew. Choosing to purchase the rewards through JojaMart instead of the Community Center has some pros and cons, but overall is a little unfulfilling.

Pros

Choosing Joja would be better for a second, third, or further playthrough, where players want to get the rewards unlocked earlier. Completing the JojaMart rewards will gain you. . . a Vending Machine! This produces one singular can of Joja Cola every day. As the repairs require money, players can choose which to unlock first, instead of relying on which bundle they complete. The Auto-Petter item will become available for purchase after the Mart is completed.

Cons

JojaMart does not require items for the rewards - only money. The total cost is an eye-watering 135,000g. This is a huge amount, especially in the first year of the game where money is needed for upgrades and seeds. There are no small rewards or perks - only the fixes to the town’s issues (Bus Repair, etc).

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Other Considerations

The individual costs are as follows: Bus repair - 40,000 Gold, Bridge repair - 25,000 Gold, Glitter Boulder removal - 20,000 Gold, Minecart repair - 5,000 Gold, Greenhouse repair - 35,000 Gold. The Community building turns into a JojaMart warehouse when the bundles are all bought. Be warned: as soon as the Joja Membership is purchased at the counter, the Community Center cannot be added to or completed.

Which One Should You Choose?

Really, it depends on the player - and what kind of experience they want. Or even what knowledge they have; it can be trial and error on the behalf of the players’ morals to decide which to choose. But let’s be honest…the Community Center is better for any green-thumbed person!

Stardew Valley is available now on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Mobile.

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