Special orders appear on the board outside lewis' house starting fall 2 of your first year, and they work quite differently from regular quests. Every monday you'll see two new orders posted - initially you can only take one per week but later you're able to juggle multiple active orders which is pretty helpful for optimizing your time. The real trick with these is timing since they run anywhere from 7 to 28 days, and most resources need to be gathered fresh after accepting the order.

What makes these particularly interesting is how they differ from basic help wanted tasks. While regular quests are usually simple "grab this bring that" deals, special orders involve complex gathering chains and specific requirements. You'll need to carefully track completion windows, especially for things requiring seasonal items since greenhouse and island farming won't count. A nice fail-safe though - if you mess up the timing any items go to the lost & found chest in lewis' house instead of disappearing forever.

The rewards are where these really shine compared to regular quests. Instead of just gold and friendship points, you can unlock permanent upgrades like solar panels, mini-shipping bins, and specialized crafting recipes that seriously boost your farm's capabilities. Just remember that most orders want newly collected materials after acceptance, except for specific container deposit tasks where existing items work fine. For optimal timing, try picking orders that align with your current farming focus and seasonal availability.