What these guides cover
Each guide answers one question that players actually search for. The first box gives the answer; steps and edge cases follow for anyone who needs more detail. Every number comes from version 1.0, and unconfirmed information has been left out.
Guides and lookup tools do different jobs. The guide explains the mechanic and the order to do things in; a specific sell price or a villager's taste is faster to find in the item database or the gift finder.
Which one to read first
Three things stall almost every first year: not knowing which tool to upgrade first, a letter that stops arriving, and a pile of essence you are afraid to spend. The list is ordered roughly the way players hit those walls.
Read the hay guide before buying animals so grass and feed are ready first. Hearts and production figures are on the ranch animals page, while season-by-season crop profits are on the crops page.
How this ties into progress
Most of the game opens through town restoration and your renown rank rather than through time passing. The mines, shop stock and building upgrades all hang off that thread, so when you are stuck, checking your renown and your active quest usually beats mining more material.
Which floor each mine biome starts on, and what ore drops there, is on the mines page; festival and birthday dates are on the calendar.