Stardew Valley's 1.6 update has finally dropped and features a lot more new and revised content than what has been previously announced and teased.
The game's developer, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, has been regularly teasing new features and other changes leading up to the new update. These include a new festival, new dialogue, and some minor technical changes.
Stardew Valley 1.6 Update
(Photo : ConcernedApe, Eric Barone / Screenshot taken from official website)
But with the release of the full patch notes, players now have a chance to take a look at everything that will be included in the farming role-playing game. ConcernedApe previously said that there would be a single "major" festival being added to the game.
This was later found to be the three-day Desert Festival that will become available in the spring after players finish fixing the bus. However, this was not the only festival that would be included in the 1.6 update. The others are two smaller fishing festivals, the Trout Derby and the SquidFest, as well as one more "environmental 'event' in summer," according to Kotaku.
All of the festivals, excluding the night market and Desert Festival, will also be given map and dialogue changes after every second year in the game. The game's developer also rounded off the 1.6 content tease by announcing a significant new feature.
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This is the meadowlands farm type that would come with "chewy blue grass." This beginner-friendly farm type gives players a coop and two chickens to start with and will be available at the start of the game.
The new update also brings a new "mastery system" that can be accessed by an entirely new area, which adds to the growing list of unexpected additions in the 1.6 patch. One of the updates that the game's developer provided last week was that players will be able to phase through their loving pets, who usually block their paths, much quicker.
A Load of New Features
Other additions in the new update are a Big Chest, which gives players more storage to keep their resources and farming-related equipment, a new quest with new neighbors, a prize machine that gives out rewards, four home renovations, new cat and dog breeds, and eight new achievements to grind for, said Polygon.
In the patch notes, ConcernedApe also noted that somewhere in the world of Stardew Valley, various new secrets and Easter eggs have been added. The game will also now allow players to host up to eight players for multiplayer on PC.
The game's 1.6 update is considered to be its most anticipated so far and the hype following the release is proof. Throughout ConcernedApe's teasing of bits and pieces of the new content and features, he shared some fascinating and hilarious additions.
While the game is available for players on mobile devices as well as PlayStation, the Nintendo Switch, and Xbox, the latest 1.6 update is not yet available for these platforms. Additionally, ConcernedApe has not yet revealed a release date for the new patch for these platforms.
The release of the new update caused player count for Stardew Valley on Steam to spike, surpassing 130,000 and easily beating the previous record of 94,879 that was set in January 2021, according to IGN.
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