Games / Stardew Valley / Rain Totem
1 Why the Rain Totem is a Farm-Changing Tool
The Rain Totem is one of the most powerful consumable tools in Stardew Valley. When used, it forces the next day's weather to be rain — regardless of season, current forecast, or RNG. This single-use item has massive implications for farm planning, fishing, foraging, and even social strategy. A Rain Totem on a Summer day means you can catch rare ocean fish like the Legend without waiting weeks for a lucky storm.
The crafting recipe unlocks at Foraging Level 9 — one of the highest foraging skill gates in the game. The materials required are deceptively expensive: 1 Hardwood (rare wood from secret sources), 1 Truffle Oil (requires pigs and an Oil Maker — a massive investment), and 1 Pine Tar (from tapped pine trees, easy but slow). This guide covers every material source, the fastest path to Foraging Level 9, and how to use Rain Totems strategically for maximum benefit.
With a stockpile of Rain Totems, you control the weather. Want to catch the Legend (the rarest fish, only available in Spring rain near the mountain lake)? Use a Rain Totem. Need your Lightning Rods to generate Battery Packs? Rain Totem in Summer. Want to skip watering crops? Rain Totem saves you an hour every morning. The strategic value is enormous — this is weather manipulation on demand.
Best Uses for Rain Totem
| Use Case | Season | Benefit | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catch Legendary Fish | Spring / Summer | Force rain for Legend, Crimsonfish | 5,000g+ per catch |
| Battery Pack farming | Spring-Fall | Lightning Rods activate in storms | 300g+ each, recipe fuel |
| Skip watering | Any | No need to water crops | Saves 30-60 min daily |
| Secret Woods foraging | Any | Morels, Fiddlehead Ferns in rain | Quest + cooking mats |
| Rare fish collection | Any | Catfish, Walleye, etc. | Community Center bundles |
| Museum completion | Any | Rain-only artifacts | Rewards from Gunther |
| Ghost Fish spawns | Any | Mines Floors 20-60 in rain | Special fish bundle |
2 Crafting Recipe
Final Craft
Complete Materials List
| Material | Qty | Source | Season / Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood | 1 | Large Stumps / Logs, Secret Woods | Secret Woods (daily), farm stumps | Requires Steel Axe upgrade |
| Truffle Oil | 1 | Put Truffle in Oil Maker | Fall / Winter (Pigs find Truffles) | Pigs cost 16,000g, need Deluxe Barn |
| Pine Tar | 1 | Tapped Pine Tree | Any season, 5-6 days per tap | Requires Tree Tapper recipe |
Skill Requirement
Foraging Level 9 — This is one of the highest foraging skill requirements in the game. You gain Foraging XP by chopping trees, picking up forageable items (wild plants, beach items, mushrooms), and breaking stumps. Expect to reach Level 9 around mid-to-late Year 1 if you forage daily, or early Year 2 at a casual pace. The gap from Level 8 to 9 requires 5,000 XP (15,000 XP total for Level 9).
Raw Material Breakdown
| Raw Material | Total Qty | Source | Farming Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood | 1 | Secret Woods (6 stumps, respawn daily) | Visit Secret Woods every day |
| Truffle | 1 | Pigs (find outdoors in non-rain, non-winter) | Buy pig from Marnie, let outside |
| Oil Maker | 1 machine | Crafting: 50 Slime + 20 Hardwood + 1 Gold Bar | Farming Level 8 required |
| Pine Tar | 1 | Tapped Pine Tree (5-6 days) | Place Tapper on any Pine Tree |
3 Materials & Sources
Each material listed with exact source, season, location, and farming tips.
🪵 Hardwood
Season: Any — available year-round
Location: Secret Woods (northwest of Cindersap Forest, blocked by a Large Log — requires Steel Axe or better to chop). The Secret Woods contains 6 Large Stumps that respawn every single day, each giving 2 Hardwood. This is the most reliable source in the game, yielding 12 Hardwood per day.
Other Sources:
• Farm Large Stumps — Forest Farm and Riverland Farm spawn Large Stumps that can be chopped for 2 Hardwood each (Steel Axe required). Four Corners Farm has a small hardwood quadrant.
• Large Logs — Farm randomly spawns Large Logs that require Steel+ Axe. Each gives 8 Hardwood but does not respawn.
• Mines — Breaking wooden barrels and crates in the mines sometimes drops 1 Hardwood.
• Wood Skip — A fish caught in the Secret Woods pond (20% chance) that gives 2 Hardwood when placed in a Recycling Machine.
• Tree Stumps — All farm maps have random stumps that give 2 Hardwood each when chopped with a Copper+ Axe.
Total Needed: 1 Hardwood directly + 20 Hardwood for Oil Maker = 21 Hardwood total for first Rain Totem
Tip: Make visiting the Secret Woods a daily habit. Enter through the northwest Cindersap Forest entrance (Steel Axe required to break the blocking log), chop all 6 stumps, and leave. With 12 Hardwood per day, you'll have enough for multiple Rain Totems within a week. Bring a chest near the entrance to store Hardwood so you don't waste inventory space.
🐷 Truffle Oil
Season: Fall primarily — Pigs find Truffles when let outside on non-rain days. Pigs do NOT find Truffles in Winter (even with Heater, they stay indoors). Spring and Summer also work if you have pigs.
Location: Your farm — Pigs must be let outside the barn to find Truffles. Each pig has a chance to find 1 Truffle per day (multiple pigs = multiple Truffles). The truffle appears randomly on tillable ground near the pig.
Getting Pigs:
1. Build a Coop (not needed for pigs, but good for early farming)
2. Build a Barn (6,000g + 350 Wood + 150 Stone from Robin)
3. Upgrade to Big Barn (12,000g + 450 Wood + 200 Stone) — unlocks goats
4. Upgrade to Deluxe Barn (25,000g + 550 Wood + 300 Stone) — unlocks pigs and auto-feed
5. Buy a Pig from Marnie for 16,000g
Total Barn Investment: 43,000g + 1,350 Wood + 450 Stone + 16,000g pig = 59,000g minimum
Oil Maker: Unlocked at Farming Level 8. Recipe: 50 Slime + 20 Hardwood + 1 Gold Bar. Produces Truffle Oil from 1 Truffle in approximately 6 hours. Truffle Oil sells for 1,065g (base) — more than the raw Truffle (625g base).
Important: Truffles are NOT found in Winter or on rainy days. Plan your Rain Totem crafting for Fall when pig production is highest.
Tip: Build multiple Oil Makers (3-5) so you can process Truffles in bulk. One Oil Maker per pig is ideal. Keep Oil Makers inside a Shed or barn so they work year-round.
🌲 Pine Tar
Season: Any — Pine Trees produce Pine Tar in all seasons
Location: Any Pine Tree on your farm or in Cindersap Forest. Pine Trees have a distinctive triangular needle shape and darker bark compared to Oak and Maple.
Tapper Recipe: Unlocked at Foraging Level 3. Recipe: 40 Wood + 2 Copper Bars. Place on tree, wait 5-6 in-game days, collect.
Tree Identification:
• Pine Tree — Dark green needles, rough dark bark → produces Pine Tar
• Oak Tree — Round leaf canopy, smooth bark → produces Oak Resin
• Maple Tree — Orange/yellow leaf canopy → produces Maple Syrup
Alternative Sources:
• Tiger Trout Fish Pond — At 6+ population, produces 5 Pine Tar every 3-4 days
• Mines — Wooden barrels sometimes drop Pine Tar
Tip: Plant a dedicated Pine Tree farm (20-30 Pine Trees in a grid) and place Tappers on all of them. This gives you a steady supply of Pine Tar for Rain Totems, Warp Totems, and other recipes. Pine Trees grow from Pine Cones (random drops when chopping trees or tilling soil).
🌿 Foraging XP — Reaching Level 9
• Picking up a forageable item (wild plant on ground): +3 XP each
• Chopping down a tree with an axe: +12 XP
• Removing a tree stump (after chopping tree): +1 XP
• Picking up a mushroom from the farm cave (if mushroom cave chosen): +3 XP each
• Collecting from tapped trees: +0 XP (does not give XP)
XP Requirements by Level:
• Level 1: 0 XP | Level 2: 100 | Level 3: 380 | Level 4: 770
• Level 5: 1,300 (choose profession) | Level 6: 2,150 | Level 7: 3,300
• Level 8: 4,800 | Level 9: 7,000 | Level 10: 10,000
Level 9 requires 7,000 XP total. That's approximately 580 forageable items, or 230 forageables + 150 trees chopped, or about 60-80 days of active foraging + tree chopping.
Fastest Method: In Spring Year 1, pick up every single forageable you see (Salmonberry bushes on Spring 15-18 give 4 berries per bush — massive XP boost). Chop every non-fruit tree on your farm. Visit the Secret Woods daily. By Fall Year 1, you should be Level 7-8. Grind the remaining XP in Winter by chopping trees in the Railroad area and Cindersap Forest.
Profession at Level 5: Choose "Gatherer" (20% chance of double harvest) — this helps with resource collection for the rest of the game. At Level 10, "Botanist" makes all foraged items highest quality.
Tip: The Spring Onion in Cindersap Forest (south of the lake) respawns daily and gives +3 XP each. There are 6-8 per day — an easy 20+ XP daily just from this spot alone.
⚡ Oil Maker (Prerequisite Machine)
Recipe: 50 Slime + 20 Hardwood + 1 Gold Bar
Season: Any — craft as soon as you hit Farming Level 8
Location: Craft anywhere from your inventory
Slime Source: Kill Slimes in the Mines (Floors 5-40). Each Slime drops 1-2 Slime. The Slime Hutch (purchased from Robin for 10,000g + 500 Stone + 10 Refined Quartz + 1 Iridium Bar) lets you farm Slime passively. With 20 Slimes inside, they produce Slime Balls daily that yield 10-20 Slime each.
Hardwood: 20 Hardwood for the Oil Maker — 2 days of Secret Woods farming (12 per day).
Gold Bar: Smelt 5 Gold Ore + 1 Coal in a Furnace. Gold Ore is abundant in Mines 80-120.
Tip: Build the Oil Maker before you get pigs. You can also use it for Sunflower Seeds (makes cooking oil) and Corn (makes oil). Having it ready means you can process your first Truffle immediately.
4 Optimal Collection Route
Follow this order to minimize backtracking and maximize efficiency. This route assumes a standard Year 1 playthrough.
① Spring Year 1 — Foraging Grind + Axe Upgrades
Pick up every forageable item you see. Chop every non-fruit tree on your farm (clears space + gives Wood + Foraging XP). Upgrade your Axe to Copper (2,000g + 5 Copper Bars) by Spring 10, then Steel (5,000g + 5 Iron Bars) by Spring 20. The Steel Axe is required to break the Large Log blocking the Secret Woods entrance. On Spring 15-18, shake every Salmonberry bush — each berry gives +3 Foraging XP and you'll collect 50-100 berries.
② Spring-Summer Year 1 — Secret Woods Daily + Barn Construction
With your Steel Axe, break the Large Log blocking the Secret Woods (northwest Cindersap Forest). Chop all 6 Large Stumps daily for 12 Hardwood. Start building your Barn (6,000g + 350 Wood + 150 Stone). Upgrade to Big Barn (12,000g + 450 Wood + 200 Stone), then Deluxe Barn (25,000g + 550 Wood + 300 Stone). This takes 3 days per build from Robin. Place Tappers on Pine Trees as soon as you reach Foraging Level 3 (380 XP — very early). You need 1 Pine Tar per Rain Totem.
③ Fall Year 1 — Pigs + Oil Maker
Buy your first Pig from Marnie for 16,000g (requires Deluxe Barn). Build the Oil Maker (50 Slime + 20 Hardwood + 1 Gold Bar — requires Farming Level 8). Let pigs outside every non-rain day. Collect Truffles and process them into Truffle Oil. One Truffle in the Oil Maker produces 1 Truffle Oil in ~6 hours. By Fall 14, you should have your first Truffle Oil.
④ Grind Foraging to Level 9
If you haven't reached Foraging Level 9 by Winter, focus on chopping trees. The Railroad area (unlocked after Earthquake in Summer Year 1 or via Community Center) and Cindersap Forest have dozens of trees that respawn. Each tree gives +12 XP. Chop 50 trees and you're at Level 9. Also pick up all Winter forageables (Crystal Fruit, Holly, Snow Yam, Crocus) for +3 XP each.
⑤ Final Assembly
With all materials gathered and Foraging Level 9 reached: Open crafting menu → RAIN TOTEM. The recipe produces one single-use totem. Use it strategically — it forces rain the next day, overriding the weather forecast completely.
5 ⚠ Gotcha Tips — Don't Waste Your Time
These mistakes will waste hours. Read this before you start.
Pigs will NOT produce Truffles in Winter (they stay indoors even with a Heater) or on rainy days (they stay inside the barn). This means you have approximately 56 usable pig days in Fall (Fall has 28 days, minus ~8 rainy days = ~20 good days). With one pig, expect 15-20 Truffles in Fall. Plan accordingly — you cannot craft Rain Totems in Winter unless you stockpiled Truffle Oil in Fall.
Getting pigs requires 59,000g total investment (Barn 6,000g + Big Barn 12,000g + Deluxe Barn 25,000g + Pig 16,000g). This is one of the most expensive animal progression paths in the game. Prioritize this only after you have stable crop income (Kegs with Ancient Fruit or Starfruit). Don't rush pigs if you're still struggling with daily farm expenses.
Many players reach Foraging Level 7-8 and stagnate because they stop picking up forageables. The gap from Level 8 (4,800 XP) to Level 9 (7,000 XP) requires 2,200 additional XP — equivalent to picking up ~730 forageables OR chopping ~180 trees. Make foraging part of your daily route: check the Bus Stop, Railroad, Secret Woods, and Beach every morning.
Using a Rain Totem the day before a Festival (e.g., Egg Festival on Spring 13, Luau on Summer 11) will NOT produce rain on the festival day. The game overrides the weather for festivals. Check the calendar before using your precious totem.
The Large Log blocking the Secret Woods entrance requires a Steel Axe or better. A Copper Axe won't cut it (literally). Upgrade at Clint's Blacksmith (5,000g + 5 Iron Bars, takes 2 days). Without the Secret Woods, your Hardwood supply is extremely limited — you'll be stuck waiting for random farm stump spawns.
Don't sell raw Truffles! A base-quality Truffle sells for 625g, but Truffle Oil sells for 1,065g. With the Artisan profession (Farming Level 10), Truffle Oil sells for 1,491g. Always process Truffles into Oil before selling. Only use Truffle Oil for crafting Rain Totems if you have a surplus — selling it is extremely profitable.
Hardwood is a bottleneck material. You need it for: Cheese Press (10), Oil Maker (20), Hardwood Fence (1 each), Stump Brazier (10), Warp Totem: Farm (1), and Cork Bobber (10). With only 12 Hardwood per day from Secret Woods, plan your crafting priorities carefully. Check out our Warp Totem: Farm guide for another Hardwood-hungry recipe.
6 🎁 Free Benefits — What You Get Along the Way
While gathering Rain Totem materials, you'll accumulate wealth, XP, and resources that benefit your entire farm. Don't leave these on the table.
Visiting the Secret Woods every day gives you 12 Hardwood, plus forageables (Morels in Spring, Fiddlehead Ferns in Summer, Chanterelles in Fall, Holly in Winter). These are used in cooking recipes (Strange Bun, Fried Mushroom, Fiddlehead Risotto) and Community Center bundles. The Secret Woods pond also has unique fish (Woodskip, Green Algae).
Pigs are the highest-value animal in Stardew Valley. A single pig produces Truffles worth 1,491g each (as Truffle Oil with Artisan). With 12 pigs, that's 15,000-20,000g per day in Fall. The Rain Totem is a side benefit of an already-profitable pig operation. You're building an animal empire, not just crafting a totem.
At Foraging Level 10, the "Botanist" profession (if you chose Gatherer at Level 5) makes all foraged items highest quality (Iridium). This doubles the value of everything you pick up off the ground. The "Tracker" profession (if you chose Forester) shows the location of all forageables on screen — incredibly useful for completing the foraging collection.
While waiting for Pine Tar, your Oak and Maple Tappers are producing Oak Resin (needed for Kegs — see our Keg guide) and Maple Syrup (needed for Bee Houses and cooking). A full tapper farm of 30+ trees generates hundreds of gold per day passively. Tappers are a "set and forget" income source.
Building a Deluxe Barn doesn't just unlock pigs — it unlocks sheep and goats too. Goats produce Goat Milk (worth more than Cow Milk), and sheep produce Wool (can be processed into Cloth in a Loom). The auto-feed system in the Deluxe Barn also saves you time every morning.
Once built, the Oil Maker can process Sunflower Seeds into cooking oil (for recipes like Fried Calamari and Hashbrowns) and Corn into oil. It's also essential for the Warp Totem: Farm (see our Warp Totem: Farm guide) which requires Honey instead of Truffle Oil. Multiple Oil Makers = multiple crafting paths.