Stardew Valley: Angler or Pirate, Which Profession Is Better?

Professions are an essential part of Stardew Valley. They allow you to achieve proficiency in certain skills and unlock useful bonuses. Fishing is no different when it comes to bonuses. As you progress and unlock levels, you will be able to choose between powerful bonuses that are more or less equally tempting due to the rewards that follow. Today, we will be focusing on the fishing profession you are able to unlock as soon as you reach level 10, Angler or Pirate. Both professions sound promising on paper and have lucrative bonuses. Between angler and pirate, which profession is better in Stardew Valley?

How does fishing work in Stardew Valley?

Fishing is an important source of money and important items in Stardew Valley. Primarily, fishing is raised by interacting with bodies of water via fishing rods, fishing poles, crab pots, or finding items in fish ponds. The more you advance through the levels, the more proficient you become, and the rewards are becoming significantly more valuable and useful.

The first important choice you get regarding your specialization in fishing happens at skill level 5. You get to choose your profession, and the choice is between becoming Fisher and Trapper. Choosing Fisher grants you a 25% increase related to money acquired when selling the fish, and Trapper allows you to spend fewer resources when you’re preparing crab pots.

If you’re reading this, you most likely chose the fisher profession at level 5, and now, at level 10, you have another important decision in front of you: to choose between becoming an angler or a pirate.

Angler vs pirate which is better in Stardew Valley?

The angler profession makes your fish worth 50% more when you’re selling them, while the pirate profession doubles your chances of finding rare artifacts.
While both professions are equally useful and balanced, there’s a huge difference in timing when it comes to choosing them. When it comes to gameplay your priorities will differ depending on whether you’re currently early-game, mid-game, or late-game, so you should plan your choices accordingly. Let’s see what are the pros and cons of both the angler and pirate professions.

Angler profession pros & cons

Choosing the angler profession at fishing level 10 is an absolute winner when it comes early to mid-game. It provides you with a lot of income, which helps you speed up important upgrades for your farm. If you spend a lot of time fishing and want to turn that into a nice income, you should definitely choose an angler as long as you still need money. That’s pretty much the only good thing about this profession – money. It offers little when it comes to overall fun and advancement through the game.

The cons, on the other hand, are much more complicated. If money is not an issue, and you’ve pretty much upgraded your farm and completed the main goal of the game, you might want to orient yourself toward pursuing other activities in the game. For example, collecting artifacts, and this is where fishing offers little to nothing.

Fishing is not an exciting profession, and once money is out of the picture, it offers nothing. Other forms of income are going to be worth much more than what your fish can provide you either way. The conclusion is that early-game definitely chooses the angler profession, and late-game, avoid the angler profession since it’s kind of useless.

Pirate profession pros & cons

If you still haven’t managed to upgrade your farm and you’re struggling with money, pirate is going to be useless to you. It generates only increased chances of finding treasure and nothing concrete in return, which means that every fishing trip can be either hit or miss.
During the late game, when you’re more comfortable with the money, you should definitely choose pirate since artifacts play a bigger role

.
Think of it this way, while there are plenty of chances and opportunities to find money late-game, there aren’t that many opportunities to find every artifact. If you didn’t choose at least one perk that increases your chances of finding them, you’re stuck with a pretty monotonous grind, so every little bit helps, and the pirate profession greatly increases your chances.

The conclusion is that early in the game, you might want to avoid the pirate profession since it’s useless. It does not generate that much money. Late-game, choose pirate since without it, you’re going to struggle to find artifacts, but you’re definitely not going to struggle to earn money.

That’s pretty much it. At the end of the day, there’s no wrong choice. Each profession is a good choice depending on your personal preferences and your preferred gameplay.

And where you are when it comes to your game plays a huge part as well. Some people like fishing and selling fish for profit, and some people like the sense of adventure they get while opening treasure chests. If you ask the community, though, the pirate is always better since it’s more fun. If you struggle with money, then what brings in more money is a better alternative.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!