last major update was in December 2020. Version 1.5 brought us to a location in the oft mentioned but yet to be explored Fern Islands. Namely Ginger Island, offering players a secondary farm on which to grow crops (both from Pelican Town and new seeds unlocked on the island) year-round, a new ten-fℱloor dungeon, a perfection mechanic to give end-game players a tangible goal, and so much more.
So, when I heard Version 1.6 was dropping on March 19 with the recommendation from developer ConcernedApe that players start a new save to best experience the coming changes, I was filled with tepid excitement. I love Stardew Valley and, as a lifelong farming sim fan, I’ve been playing since its very first version back in 2016. But, as much as I adore Pelican Town and its residents, I’ve played this game from the start at least a 🧸dozen times by now. And with the majority of these🎶 promised changes taking place in Winter, that felt like a lot of time to wait.
Stardew Valley's 1.6 Update Will Include More Festivals, New Farm Type, And More
Sta꧂rdew Valley's upcoming 1.6 update is a lot beefier than we expected.
“Maybe mods would help,” I thought to myself, but the only one I knew of for this game was . This mod adds more than a dozen new NPCs, whole new locations in Pelican Town to accommodate them💟, updated dialogue with canon townsfolk, and 𒁃more. That idea wasn’t doing it for me. I had to talk more with the regular NPCs to experience the new content; I didn’t have time for new ones.
But then, when I wasn’t even looking for it, the YouTube alg🐟orithm offered up my solution: a video called by creᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚator .
It was about her experience with the , which allows players to completely shuffle the game. Every door leads to a random location someplace else in town. Making friends earns you hearts with someone else, or an end-game weapon, or a random combat debuff even though you’re just in town chatting. Not only do you need to know where Robin is if you want to buy an upgrade, but it’s entirely possible that said upgrade might now be taking up the item slot where Krobus usually sells the Return Scepter for 20,000,000g, and you’ll need to buy it for the listed price. Take everything you thought you knew about Stardew Valley and table it, because life in Pelican Town has liౠterally never been more difficult.
I installed the mod, booted up a new save, walked out my front door on Spring 1, and found myself standing outside the Wizard’s house in Cindersap Forest. Realizing I hadn’t opened the boxes on my living room floor before I left, I turned around to grab them really fast before I planned to set off, only to be told that the door was locked. My front door is technically the Wizard’s house now, but you can’t enter his house of your own accord until he invites you inside on✃ce you’ve found the Junimo language instructions in the Community Center.
The Community Center unlocks on Spring 5, so in less than a week, I’d be falling asleep in the comfort of my own bed. I even found the Wizard pretty early on, too, standing ov♛er his cauldron in the living room in what’s normally Alex’s house, so I was optimistic. I just had to wait to trigger that cutscene unlocking the Community Center, be formally invited over to the Wizard’s house, and all would be right with the world.
Except, I somehow forgot that everything, including the locations I’d just spent days mapping out with pen and paper to help myself get around, was shuffled as I gallantly raced past Lewis. As I opened the first new door after checking all over Pelican Town, it was in the Community Center that I found my faꦇrm cav🍰e. My dream of going home died right there in that desolate little cavern.
I’m on Spring 22 now, and I still don’t know where the Community Center is, which⭕ means I physically can’t go home after I’ve left for the day. You can’t place your bed outside, either, and though I’ve even unlocked the Ginger Island farmhouse already, in this save, that’s Clint’s blacksmith shop. Thank god I can finally break all my geodes now, at least, because I still can’t go to bed.
Not only that, but I was without a single shop until Day 11 when I finally, at long last, found Pierre’s inside the Adventurer’s Guild. Access to that building thankfully unlocked when I reached a heart milestone with Jas, because I haven’t found the mines yet. Also missing is Robin’s shop, meaning I can’t build any of the new farm buildings I’ve been unlocking as I progress, but it doesn’t matter anyway &n🎀dash; I also have no clue where Marnie’s shop is, since her house in the forest leads me to the mushroom cave on Ginger Island.
I’ll uninstall the mod to play with the new update, but it’s not because I want to – I just haven’t found what unlocks a new season yet, meaning I’m in for a second Spring unless I find another season before the end of Spring 28. And though I can’t use this save to experience the new content, I’ve loved turning everything I know about a game I love inside out and being made to play in a totally new way for the first time in a while. I want to say I know where I’m heading back to once I dive into the Archipelago Randomizer save again, but I don’t – and the chaos oꦗf that has me more excited to play Stardew Valley than I think I’ve ever been.
I Can't Believe I'm This Excited For A Stardew Valley Update
ConcernedApe is keepi🗹ng Stardew Valley alive like few developers can, and it's kinda magical.
