Update 1.6 for "Stardew Valley" brings new festivals and an additional starter farm
A major update is being released for the eight-year-old indie game "Stardew Valley". It will include many new features that affect almost all areas of the game.
Developer Eric Barone actually announced in 2022 that "Stardew Valley", which was released in 2016, would no longer receive any major updates. However, Barone seems to be very attached to his game and announced a lot of new content for the free patch 1.6. They are now live - more than three years after the last major update.
These are the big changes in update 1.6
The three-day desert festival, which takes place in spring, and two smaller fishing festivals have been added. There will now be a new environmental event in summer. For players in the endgame, there are new incentives to continue playing: With the help of a mastery system, you can improve your skills and unlock new attribute points.
Although it is not necessary to create a new savegame for the update, Barone recommends doing just that on X (formerly Twitter). The patch brings so many changes that only a new savegame allows you to experience them "in context". The new farm type "Meadowlands" could also be an incentive for this: At the start of the game, you decide which of the now eight farm maps you want to play on. On the Meadowlands farm, you receive 15 hay bales, two chickens and a small barn at the start.
There is also good news for multiplayer: Up to eight players can now play together on the PC. Previously, this was only possible with four players.
New features in almost all areas of the game
In addition to these major changes, there are many small innovations and improvements. According to patch notes on Steam, they will affect "almost all areas of the game". In addition to bug fixes, this also includes:
- New items and design styles for the farm
- New crops
- more than 100 new lines of dialogue for the NPCs, some of which refer to events in the world
- The option to keep multiple pets
- optimisations to the map displays
- New graphical details in the game world
- New items that you can interact with in the world
The indie phenomenon "Stardew Valley"
"Stardew Valley" is the one-man project of US-American Eric Barone. You take over an old farm, which you will renovate over the course of the game. You can also explore the game world, make friends with NPCs and even get married.
On Steam, 98 per cent of the 562,000 Steam reviews recommend the game with its quaint pixelated look. In total, "Stardew Valley" has sold more than 20 million copies. <p
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.