Stardew Valley: Grandpa's Score

Finishing the Game and the Ending Evaluation

Stardew Valley does not abruptly end like some Harvest Moon games, where you are forced to try again if you want a better ending (and lose all your progress in some games). Thankfully, you can keep playing after the 'end' of Stardew Valley and even retry for a better 'score'. Your performance in a variety of areas are evaluated after completing year two (start of year 3) and the score you get determines if you obtain a special reward from Grandpa's Grave, who left you his farm at the beginning of the game.

Grandpa's Ghost Evaluation

Since you left home to escape the hustle-bustle of the city, and restore grandpa's farm, it's entirely logical that grandpa's ghost judges you at the start of year three, hoping you will put his spirit to rest. Nothing weird about that at all! His words during this evaluation change based upon how well you scored, so some players will certainly want to try over to get a better ending the first time this happens. It's not necessary, however, as you can repeat the review when you've improved the farm and your character some more. Grandpa will score you in various categories, with the spirit candles on Grandpa's Shrine (the grave in the top left corner of the farm) as the marker indicating how well you've done.

If you did poorly, only one of the four candles on Grandpa's Shrine will light. Two may be considered average for a first attempt, three is above average, and four candles lit is as good as it gets. Your goal in Stardew Valley from the character's perspective is to start a new life and restore the farm, so making money, making friends, and succeeding in improving the town around you are the main markers of progress. If you get a perfect score, you'll get a special reward. The four tiers of points are:

• One Candle - 1-3 Points
• Two Candles - 4-7 Points
• Three Candles - 8-11 Points
• Four Candles - 12+ Points

And now, how you get those points!

Earnings: Up to 7 Points

You gain points based upon total earnings (not cash on hand, so safe to spend). The points are cumulative, so each threshold you meet will add an additional point. The break points are:
50,000G: +1 Point
100,000G: +1 Point
200,000G: +1 Point
300,000G: +1 Point
500,000G: +1 Point
1,000,000G: +2 Points

So if you got 300,000G in total earnings you would get a total of 4 points toward the evaluation and light two candles on grandpa's shrine based upon that alone.

Relationships

Like Harvest Moon, building relationships is part of the game (see gifts for friendships). The following each add 1 additional point. You can get the friendship points multiple times if you meet both criteria:
Have 8 heart relationship with five villagers: 1 Point
Have 8 heart relationship with ten villagers: 1 Point
Have a friendship with your Pet (they love you): 1 Point
Have a spouse with a fully upgraded house: 1 Point

Skill Levels

Reaching a total of 30 skill levels (average 6) results in 1 Point as does having 50 levels in skills (all maxed). You can get +2 Points for this.

Unlocks

Finishing the Community Center Bundles: 3 Points
Unlock the Skull Cavern (Skull Key): 1 Point
Unlock the Sewer (Rusty Key): 1 Point

Miscellaneous

Finishing off the Museum (find all artifacts): 1 Point
Catch every fish: 1 Point
Ship one of every item: 1 Point

Example Score

If you only made 500,000G, had the friendships, and completed shipping one of every item, but were not married you'd get a total of 5+2+1 = 9 points. Finishing up and reaching the 1,000,000G threshold and finding a spouse, you could pick up 3 more points for 12, allowing you to finish the game and proceed to build up your farm uninterrupted.

Try Again: Repeat Evaluation with Grandpa's Grave

You do not have to start over in order to score better on the evaluation. Simply take a Diamond to Grandpa's Shrine and use it there. The following morning, Grandpa will repeat the evaluation process and give you a new score. Anything you've achieved that you had not before will be counted, and you can make it to 12 points. Just keep track of the various factors and don't bother watching the cutscene and wasting a diamond unless you're sure you're ready.

The Reward: Statue of Perfection

Completing the evaluation with 4 candles lit will result in you being eligible to take the Statue of Perfection from Grandpa's Shrine. Simply click it like you would any other object to get this. It spits out several Iridium Ore each day, enough for one Iridium Bar (and sometimes more). It's a nice reward when you'd like to build up your dream farm with nothing but Iridium Sprinklers to tend to your plants for you!