In 2026, Stardew Valley is still my comfort game, but after seeing what Reddit user _Littlestranger pulled off, I'm convinced 'cozy' is optional. They spent nearly six in-game years living as a hermit on their farm and still managed to bank almost 4 million gold. No mines. No Pierre's seed shop. No fishing. Just dirt, weeds, and a very strange amount of patience.

If you haven't heard of the Hermit challenge, the rule is simple: you never step foot outside your farm. That means no trips to the mines, no buying seeds from Pierre, and no fishing at the beach or river. Everything you use has to come from the land you started with. It sounds peaceful until you realize how much of Stardew Valley's progression is locked behind walking through your front gate.

Here's a quick look at what the run banned versus what they leaned on:

That's why I was so impressed by _Littlestranger's screenshots. The farm looked genuinely productive rather than like a scrappy survival camp. They picked the Four Corners farm, which turned out to be a clever choice. That layout includes a small quarry and a forest area with special weeds that always drop Mixed Seeds. So they could scrape together enough farming and mining experience without ever leaving home.

The catch? It took three in-game years to unlock the Seed Maker recipe. Three years of waiting, planting whatever Mixed Seeds gave them, and probably questioning their life choices. They admitted on Reddit that this phase was 'really boring.' I believe it. I once tried a no-shop run and gave up by mid-summer because I missed buying strawberry seeds too much.

Once the Seed Maker arrived, things picked up. They could finally turn crops into seeds, expand production, and work toward actual goals. By the end of year six, they had hit their gold and giant crop target. That's the kind of long-term planning I usually lack. I spend my first spring chopping trees and then realize I forgot to plant parsnips.

The social stats are even funnier. After all those years alone, they had zero hearts with absolutely nobody. The only villagers in their Friendship Tab were Robin, Lewis, Clint, Marnie, Pierre, and Kent. Why? Because those NPCs apparently stopped by the farmhouse at some point. I like to think they were doing a wellness check on the strange farming hermit to make sure they hadn't been eaten by crows or buried under a giant pumpkin.

Some of the little details made me appreciate the run even more. They got hardwood from regular trees thanks to the lumberjack profession, which is a smart workaround when you can't reach the Secret Woods. They couldn't remove stumps because they couldn't upgrade their shovel, so they just left them scattered around like a permanent reminder of their limitations. And the only fishing income they had came from their cat bringing them gifts. That's such a Stardew way to earn a few coins.

I should mention that this isn't the only self-imposed challenge players love. Long-running games like Stardew Valley naturally breed this kind of creativity. You can go for 100% completion, chase every achievement, or mass-produce one absurd item until your farm looks like a factory. Even ConcernedApe himself only recently completed every achievement, which tells you how deep the game goes. The Hermit challenge isn't the most fun way to play in my opinion, but it's definitely one of the most memorable.

By the end, _Littlestranger seemed ready to rejoin society. Their reward? A nice little fishing trip and a suggestion to talk to someone. Anyone, really. Even Pierre. That last part made me laugh because if you've spent six years alone on a farm, even Pierre's seed prices might sound like good conversation.

I'm not about to lock myself on the farm for six years. But I do love that Stardew Valley keeps giving players room to set weird goals and share the results. It's a reminder that the game isn't just about making money or marriage candidates. Sometimes it's about seeing if you can survive on weeds, tree stumps, and cat gifts long enough to make millions.