Stardew Valley 1.6 Update Guide - Festivals, Perks and Other Changes

 

Stardew Valley is a farming simulator with nice cartoon graphics that can be considered a reimagining of the classic Harvest Moon. You are invited to plant and care for plants, raise livestock, mine minerals, trade and gradually expand your plot. The players liked the simple concept - the project received excellent reviews, and its sales exceeded 30 million copies. In March 2024, Stardew Valley received a major update 1.6. We will tell you about all the innovations of this patch in our guide.

Note. Although Stardew Valley was released on current consoles and mobile devices, update 1.6 is currently only available for the PC version of the game.

New festivals

The three-day Spring Desert Festival will take place in the spring, on the 15th, 16th and 17th. To participate in the event you need a repaired bus. Arrive at the stop at 10 am and go to the desert, to the Oasis. Calico eggs are used as currency here. They can be exchanged at the merchant for valuable resources. After the end of the holiday, all unspent eggs will be burned.

At the festival itself you will find the following activities:

• Horse racing. You can place bets. If you win, you will receive 20 calico eggs. If you want to increase your chance of winning, approach the Suspicious Person who can be found near the Oasis and indicate which race participant should lose. For his services he will ask for one egg.
• Fishing. Willie gives orders to catch specific fish. For each of them he will give you calico eggs.
• Conversations with a scientist. The professor will ask the players questions. If they answer each one correctly, they will receive a reward of 50 calico eggs.

List of questions and answers for conversations with the professor.

• Question: Where are we?
• Answer: Calico Desert.
• Question: Who runs the general store in Pelican Town?
• Answer: Pierre.
• Question: What day is Pierre's store closed?
• Answer: Wednesday.
• Question: How much does a pig cost?
• Answer: 16,000 coins.
• Question: How many trash cans are there in Pelican Town?
• Answer: 8.
• Question: What time of year does the artichoke grow?
• Answer: Autumn.
• Question: What time of year can you catch squid?
• Answer: Winter.

In addition, the event has shops with clothing and resources that accept calico eggs, a medical station where you can restore health, and a car. The car is used as a teleport to your farm.

The Trout Derby takes place in the summer, on the 20th and 21st, from 6:10 a.m. to 2 a.m. The desired location is located on the banks of the river in the Sindersap forest, next to Marnie's ranch. Fishing participants will be able to catch rainbow trout. Together with it, you will have a chance to catch a gold tag, which can be exchanged at a local store for valuable resources. There is a small chance that you will come across them along with the trout itself or in a chest with fishing supplies. To increase your chance of catching fish, we recommend making a bait-making device in advance.

Squidfest is held in winter, on the 12th and 13th. Depending on the number of animals you catch, you can get copper, iron, iridium and gold. They should be exchanged in the shop for prizes. To increase the likelihood of successful fishing, it is advisable to make a device for making bait.

New type of farm: Meadow

Before patch 1.6, Stardew Valley had seven types of farms, each with their own advantages and limitations. With the March update, the Meadow Farm will be added to the game. If you choose it, the chewing grass that livestock loves will grow next to you. In addition, from the very start you will have a chicken coop and two birds. An excellent choice for those who plan to rely on livestock farming.

New perks and valuable items

To unlock new perks, you need to perform a number of non-obvious actions. First you need to upgrade all basic skills to the maximum tenth level.

Then head to the southern part of the forest. Use our map.

There you will find an inconspicuous door in the rock.

You can open it only if your skills are pumped to the limit. Inside the room you will find five totems that correspond to your skills. In the right corner you can see a letter from grandfather. But you don't have to read it.

Return to the open world and open the skill menu. You will notice a bar called "Mastery".

It needs to be filled to the limit. To do this, do your usual activities - fishing, cattle breeding and other activities.

When you reach 10,000 points, return to the cave and select the skill that interests you. As a prize, you can receive either a unique perk or a valuable item that is associated with this skill.

Other innovations

• Multiplayer for up to eight people is available on PC;
• Now you can have several pets, including turtles. But before you adopt a second pet, it's important to maximize your relationship with your first. Cats and dogs can now wear hats on their heads. New breeds have appeared for them. And in the carpentry workshop you can make bowls for pets;
• Animals will be happier if you close the barn or chicken coop door at night;
• More possible interactions with the horse;
• Additional dialogues with NPCs. They relate to reactions to your gifts, invitations to dance, and much more;
• NPCs now have warm clothes that they will wear in winter;
• Twice a season there will be a salesman who sells books;
• Improved map. It now reflects the player's actual display. In addition, a map for Ginger Island has been added. Her appearance will change depending on the season;
• Joja the parrot appeared. With its help you can find golden nuts on Ginger Island;
• In Lewis's house you will find a slot machine. Thanks to it, you can get tickets for completing quests, completing orders and participating in events;
• Added new seeds for planting - melon, carrots, zucchini and broccoli. They are purchased in the store;
• It is now possible to increase the size of the house by adding an attic, dining room, closet and corner room;
• Lots of new items: furniture, clothes, chests, mannequins and even a blessing statue that can give a random skill increase for one day;
• The farm computer is no longer limited to your plot, but provides information about the entire location;
• If you completed the quest “First acquaintance” with Emily, then the girl with a certain probability may give you a new task;
• If you go to the Skull Cave after completing Mister Key's quest, you will find a new statue there. With its help, you can switch to a more difficult game mode;
• Waterfalls appeared in the open world;
• Now you are allowed to eat pickled cucumbers, drink jelly and mayonnaise.