I always love hearing about no-brainer tips that are easily overlooked. They're small advice tidbits, yet they're impactful over time and make you do a double-take for failing to notice them. For my fellow Stardew Valley fans who ??enjoy caring for animals, this one goe??s out to you.

Caring for animals, at least in Stardew, is simple. Despite this, it can be overwhelming for new players who just want to farm fruits and vegetables forever. Fortunately, we have a one-st??op shop for all the animal care info you'll ever need.

Where to buy animals in Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley offers multiple ways for you to unlock pets and farm animals. Below is every animal you can ?purchase or obtain throughout your playthrough:

• Dog, cat, and turtles
• Horses
• Chicken
• Duck
• Rabbit
• Cows
• Goat
• Sheep
• Pig
• Ostrich
• Dinosaurs
• Slimes

After earning at least 1,000 gold in your playthrough, Marnie will approach your farm, asking if you want to adopt a dog or cat. For the most part, your choice is final unless you buy Butterfly Powder from Krobus. From Year Two onward, you can buy a pet license from Marnie at her ranch, allowing you?? to unlock turtles or buy more cats and dogs.

Speaking of Marnie?'s Ranch, her shop is the key to unlocking other animals. After building a barn or coop on your farm through Robin's Carpenter, head to Marnie's Ranch south of th??e farm to buy some animals. Below is every animal option and their prices:

The exception to this is dinosaurs, ostriches, and golden chickens. Ostriches require you to get Ostrich Eggs from solving Ginger Island's tenth journal scrap or opening Volcano Dungeon chests, making them one of the rarest animals in Stardew Valley. Dinosaur Eggs are slightly easier to find, as they spawn in artifact spots around the mountain, fishing treasure chests, and from Pepper Rex drops. Lastly, Golden Chickens are a Perfection reward, requiring you to 100 percent Stardew Valley to unlock.

Ano?ther exception is slimes. As you explore the mines and defeat slimes, there's a small chance you'll pick up their eggs. Although these eggs alone sell for quite a bit, you can also build a Slime Hutch to incubate them, allowing you to have your own slime family. Just watch out; they'll inflict damage if you walk into them without a Slime Charmer ring on.

How to build Coops and Barns

If you haven't built a coop or barn yet, Robin's Carpenter Shop up in the mountains is your first stop. Head up here and interact with h??er shop to find various building options, with coops and barns being among your choices.

Here's every farm a??nimal-related building and their material costs:

Once?? you build a coop or barn, you can walk in and place items like the auto-collector or heater to make the space more comforting for your animals. You'll also find a feeding area at the back to place hay. If you have a silo, it'll automatically dispense hay here as long as you have it full.

How to pet animals in Stardew Valley

Petting your farm animals and pets is one of the best ways to raise your friendship, as it'll gradually increase your friendship, barring any issues that signific??antly decrease it. You can pet your animals by right-clicking, tapping, or pressing A on each animal, depending on your platform. When in doubt, press your interact button.

You know how you need to greet/pet your farmyard animals each day to get a little heart and grow your bond so they produce the highest-quality goods? Well, for many of us �especially those of us with more goats, chickens, cows, and pigs than we probably need �the morning ritual can be fussy. Stardew ??animals can get? all bunched up in close quarters, and it's a little pesky to greet them once so that you don't accidentally bring up their friendship rating menu when you tend to them.

Although you can go up to each animal and pet them, you can take things a step further by holding the pet/interact button and running up to them �it'll work perfectly. You'll get friendship points with every animal, and you won?'t have to? pull up the dreaded menu.

Here's a demonstration of the trick on PC from Reddit user Boiled_potato8:

It'll save you ti??me in the long run, making it relatively easy to raise your friendships as you gain more farm animals.

Alternatively, you can purchase the Auto-Petter from JojaMart for 50,000g or pick it up in Skull Cavern chests. It also can appear in mines during Danger In The Deep and with the Shrine of Challenge active. Having a?n Auto-Petter in either a coop or barn lets you pet your?? animals automatically without you ever having to interact with them.

The only downside is that your animals will receive half the friendship points they'd get from you doing it manually. The mo?ral of the story? Human-animal interaction is more important than having a machine do it for you.

How to raise animal friendship in Stardew Valley

Alongside petting your animals, you can also increase their friendship by milking and shearing those that live in your barn. Although keeping them fed with hay will prevent them from losing friendship, letting them outside to eat grass will raise it, with blue grass doubling the effect.

The real challenge comes from preventing your animals from getting upset. Not feeding them and leaving them outside overnight will decrease their friendship significantly, with t?he latter having a small chance of wild animals coming by and making a mess of things. Not petting or talking to your animals will also lower their friendship.

In short, paying attention to your animals and feeding them will naturally raise their relationship with you over time. Interacting wi??th them twice shows a profile detailing their age, mood, and hearts toward you. The maxim??um you can earn per animal is five hearts or 1000 friendship points.

Once y??ou reach Farming level five, you can unlock the Rancher or Tiller professions. Choosing Rancher raises the value of animal products, allowing you to make more money later. Mor?e importantly, though, you'll unlock Coopmaster and Shepherd at level ten, letting you befriend animals quickly. If you want to create a massive farm full of animals, picking Rancher and Coopmaster or Shepherd is a solid call.

What does max animal friendship do?

The higher your friendship is with an animal, the higher?? their odds of producing higher-quality items. Their daily mood also determines this, which can fl??uctuate depending on how well you cared for them the day before. For example, a happy five-star rabbit has significantly higher odds of producing a rabbit foot than an unhappy zero-star one.

All animal produce types in Stardew Valley

Ev?ery animal has their own products you can sell, cook with, or turn into artisan goods. While som?e are more valuable than others, they're all useful in their own way. Below is every animal and their product list.

Like with most Stardew Valley items, quality and professions matter. Similarly, while Coopmaster and Shepherd help you befriend animals quicker, Artisan ??in the Tiller branch raises Artisan good value by 40 percent, making it extremely useful if you sell a lot of cheese or wine.

Do animal hearts decay in Stardew Valley?

Yes, they do decay, albeit very slowly. Much like with villagers, you won't notice much animal heart decay unless you go weeks or entire seasons without feeding or petting them. If you just forget to pet them occasiona??lly or go a day or two without refilling their food, they'll express annoyance but won't rapidly drop their hearts. Generally speaking, raising their friendship is much easier than decreasing it.

Can animals die in Stardew Valley?

Although morbid, the answer is yes: your Stardew Valley animals can technic?ally die. Although it's impossible for them to die from starvation, temperature, or low friendship, leaving them outside overnight can cause wild animals to wreak havoc on your farm. Thankfully, you won't see the wild animals in action, but you will hear it happen.

What's the solution,?? then? Make sure you keep your animals fenced in and repair any broken ones that degrade over time. You'll also want to either leave them in their barns and coops or only have them out during the day before herding them ??back inside and repeating the process.

What if you can't find an animal but haven't seen the wild animal cutscene? More often than not, your animals will roam around your farm, especially if you have broken (or no) fences. I've seen my animals appear in the corners of my map, stranded for days until I finally noticed their disappearance. I'm lucky I didn't get the cutscene. Your best bet is clearing out any obstacles that can mess up animal pathing or be?? very proactive in building fences.

The post Stardew Valley Animal Guide – How to raise animals and slow heart decay appeared first on Destructoid.

If there’s anything that you’re looking for in Stardew Valley, there’s a h??igh likelihood that you’ll find it at the Traveling Cart. The vendor here sells almost everything you could imagine from basic?? resources to furniture and clothing items. 

The Traveling Cart comes to Stardew Valley every Friday and Sunday, and can be found in the northern corner of the Cindersap Forest, close to the entrance to the Secret Woods and is open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. 

The Traveling Cart also shows up at both the Night Market (Winter 15-17) between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. and the Desert Festival (Spring 15-17) between 12 p.m. and 2 a.m. The stock available at either f??estival is t??he same. 

Stock ??rotates, so different things will be available to purchase every time you visit. Prices are often high, but there are some items?? that can’t be purchased anywhere else, so it’s always worth checking what’s in stock whenever the Traveling Cart is around. 

Of course, some items are more worthy of your Gold than others, but what are the best items to purchase from the Traveling Cart? After years of visiting the vendor to check her stock, I’ve learned a thing or two, so I can give some tips abou??t what to look out for. 

Special Stock at the Traveling Cart

There are a select few items that are only available to purchase from the Traveling Cart? or are otherwis??e difficult to get, so if they’re on the stock list during any visit, it’s worth buying them to avoid missing out on having them. 

Unlike other i??tems purchased through the Traveling Cart, prices of Special Stock items are fixed, so you’ll always pa?y the same for them, regardless of when they come up:

Spouse Portraits at the Traveling Cart

Spouse Portraits were added in the 1.6 update and will become available at the Traveling Cart after you get married, or Krobus becomes your roommate. You can only purchase the Portrait of your spouse (or Krobus) as long as you have 14 hearts with them, but you get to keep it even if you p??art ways. Each portrait costs 30,000 Gold. 

Specific items worth buying at the Traveling Cart

The Traveling Cart has a truly huge number of items that rotate for purchase, so there’s always a chance that you’ll find something you need. However, there are certain items that are more worthw?hile than o?thers, so here are a few that stand out from the long list of available items:

Red Cabbage Seeds

If you’re looking to speed-run the Community Center Bundles, you’ll need to keep an eye out for Red Cabbage Seeds at the Traveling Cart during your first year. While they’re available from other sources from the beginning of year two, there’s a chance that they can appear at the Traveling Cart? before that point. 

You can help with this and guarantee that they show up at least once in the first year by select?ing “Guarantee Year 1 Comple??tableâ€?in advanced options when starting a new game. 

Quality Sprinkler

Usually, making Quality Sprinklers calls for 1 Iron Bar, 1 Gold Bar, and 1 Refined Quartz. Although this isn’t too much of a tall order, collecting the necessary resources can prove problematic or tiresome. Quality Sprinklers sometimes come up for purchase at the Traveling Cart, and they’re always worth purchasing if you ha??ve crops that need watering. 

Meals with additional buffs

There are a couple of meals that could possibly show up at ??the Traveling Cart, both of which have unique perks when consumed. 

Triple Shot Espresso will inc?rease your movement speed for four minutes and 12 seconds, and also applies to your horse if you? have one. Although you can buy the recipe from the Stardrop Saloon for 5,000 Gold and then make it using 3 Coffee, Triple Shot Espresso is something that’s always worth hoarding if you see it for sale.

Seafoam Pudding is incredibly useful, especially if you’re planning on going after any Legendary Fish or wanting to reel in the Iridium Krobus Statue in the Cindersap Forest, as it increases your fishing level by 4, even if you’re already level 10. Although y?ou do get the recipe for Seafoam Pudding when you reach level 9 Fishing, the ingredients can be difficult to get. 

The post Best items ?to buy from the Traveling Cart in Stardew Val??ley appeared first on Destructoid.

The Meadowlands Farm was added to Stardew Valley as pa??rt of the 1.6 update that has just finally arrived on consoles and mobile. It’s incredibly useful, increasing the speed at which animals gain hearts, but the supply is limited. 

When you first start a new game using the Meadowlands Farm, you’ll have a lot of Blue Grass around for your animals to munch on. ??However, it rapidly disappears as the animals get to eat, and you’ll eventually end up with not much left, or ??worse, none at all. 

There are some techniques to preserve Blue Grass, such as placing a fence post on top of a patch to prevent your animals from getting to it, but growth can be frustratingly slow. This is worsened in the winter, as Blue Grass doesn’t grow or spread during the season. ??;

How to get the Blue Grass Starter recipe in Stardew Valley

Unfortunately, you’ll need to work through a lot of content before you can unlock the recipe for Blue Grass Starters. You canâ€?™t buy them outright from any of the vendors, and the only way to get them is t?o make them yourself. 

The recipe for Blue Grass Starters is only available from Qi’s Walnut Room for 40 Qi Gems.?? That means you’ll need to?? complete all of the following steps before you get access to the recipe:

• Complete all of the Community Center Bundles
• Fix Willy’s Boat and make your way to Ginger Island
• Find and collect 100 Golden Walnuts to unlock Qi’s Walnut Room
• Stock up on Qi Gems using the following methods:

  • Complete Qi’s Special Orders
  • Activate the Shrine of Challenge
  • Exchange Golden Walnuts

How to make Blue Grass Starters in Stardew Valley

When you’ve worked your way through all of the tasks listed above and purchased the Blue Grass ?Starter recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients to make it. Each craft will produce 1 Blue Grass Starter.

25 Fiber

Fiber is a resource that can be found in a variety of ways. Each weed has a 50% chance to dro??p Fiber when harvested, which is the only free way to get Fiber.

There are also a couple of ways to get Fiber in exchange for other items. At the Desert Festival, if Vincent has a stall, he will exchang??e 1 Calico Egg for 10 Fiber. The Desert Trader will also exchange 5 S?tone for 1 Fiber on Tuesdays.

If you're willing to put some work in, yo?u can learn the recipe for Fiber Seeds by completing Linus' "Community Cleanup" Special Or?der. It requires the following resources, and makes 4 Fiber Seeds per craft:

• 1 Mixed Seeds
• 5 Sap
• 1 Clay

10 Moss

Moss can be harvested in Spring, Summer, and Fall from any tree that has green growth on the trunk. You?? can harvest it with any tool, weapon, or bomb. Each tree drops either one or two Moss.

On Green Rain Days, which occur dur??ing Summer, the amount of Moss ?will significantly increase and can be hoarded away for future use.

1 Mystic Syrup

Mystic Syrup is likely to give you the biggest challenge of the three ingredients needed to make Blue Grass Starters, as it is only obtainable after you've obtained your Foraging Mastery and unlocked th?e ??Mystic Tree Seed recipe, which needs the following resources to make:

• 5 Acorn
• 5 Maple Seed
• 5 Pine Cone
• 5 Mahogany Seed

After planting, a Mystic Tree can take anywhere between five and 26 days to reach maturity, depending on luck and whether you've used fertilize??rs. Then, when a Tapper ?is placed on a fully grown Mystic Tree, it will produce Mystic Syrup once every seven days.

The post How to get Blue Grass Starters in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

As part of the release of the 1.6 update for Stardew Valley on console and mobile platforms, ConcernedApe has included a hidden extra fo?r those playing on mobile devices â€?Multiplayer. 

Multiplayer? is something that players on PC and console have been able to enjoy since the 1.3.27 update way back in 2018, but it’s something very new and exciting for mobile players. However, it’s also experimental and not without issue, with?? ConcernedApe giving the following warnings about the feature:

• You can only connect to farms via an IP
• Connecting to a farm or trying to host a farm on a cell phone network will likely result in issues such as lack of connection, disturbed gameplay, and crashes 

Ape also notes that as this is a very new and experim?ental feature, bugs and ??issues may still be present. To avoid frustration, try to go into this process without the expectation of a flawless experience. 

How to unlock mobile multiplayer in Stardew Valley

Even unlocking the ability to play with frien??ds is a bit of a process, and it involves at least the first part of the much-loved Konami Code. In case you have no idea what the Konami Code is, it’s as follows:

• Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start

You can disregard the “B, A, Startâ€?part of this, but you’ll need to remember th??e rest in order to unlock Multiplaye??r on mobile devices. 

When you first open up Stardew Valley on a phone or tablet, ??you’ll get the same old menu screen with the logo, and options to start a new game or load a game at the bottom. Take a closer look at the logo, and take note of the four sets of leaves. Each set of leaves corresponds to a direction, as shown below:

You’ll need to touch ??the leaves in order of the Konami Code, so:

• Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right

Bear in mind that the press only counts if you hear the leaves rustle when you touc??h them. Then press the â€?â€?button in the bottom right corner of the screen, exit the window that pops up, and you should now have the “Co-opâ€?button available to press on the home screen menu. 

How to host or join a game in mobile Multiplayer in Stardew Valley

Sadly, the mobile Multiplayer does not allow? for farm “discovery� meaning you’ll need to either hand out your IP address if you’re looking to host a game, or know the hosts IP address if you’re wanting to join a game.&nb?sp;

According to ConcernedApe, the way to get the best experience out of mobile Multiplayer is to connect to a PC-hosted farm from a high-end mobile device? on a local network, such as Wi-Fi. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t try to set up a game or connect via cell phone data, but you may need to set up a mobile wi-fi hotspot in order for things to run as smoothly as possible. 

This does mean that mobile Multiplayer is more intended for players who are in the same location, rather than those who are playing together from a distance. As well as this, all players must be playing the same software version of Stardew Valley in order to connect with each other.

If you’re looking to host a game, you’ll need to set up the farm and make sure there are cabins available for anyone who will eventually join. Then, anyone who trying to join will need to enter the IP Addr??ess of whoever is hosting. To avoid ??disconnection issues, the host should find out their IP Address before setting up their farm, and can do so in either of the following ways:

• For iOS users: Settings > Wi-Fi > Click the “iâ€?next to your Wi-Fi name > Look up IP Address
• For Android users: Settings > Network & Internet > Internet > Click the cog next to your Wi-Fi name > Look for IP Address

The post How to play Stardew Valley multiplayer on mobile appeared first on Destructoid.

After what felt like a lifetime, console and mobile players finally received the long-awaited Stardew Valley 1.6 update a couple of days ago. Well, technically ?it's version 1.6.9 to account for the latest patch, but it comes with everything that came before it and that PC fans have been enjoying for months now.

However, there appears to be a small issue when it comes to performance. According to a recent post on X from developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, there is a solution to those playing the latest version of Stardew Valley.

Until a more permanent fix can be sent out, Barone suggests anyone experiencing performance problems should "remove all hats from pets." No, this is apparently not a joke. Our own Paula kindly confirmed this to be a genuine piece of ad?vice to the ?issue.

For real

If you're new to Stardew Valley and not sure what the advice entails, you're advised to "try putting a different hat on your pet," which will then "remove the original hat first." When pressed for further details in an excuse me, what? kind of way, the developer had this to say:

There's rumors of a stra??nge rash affecting pets' ears in Zuzu City and we just want to make sure those ears can breath [sic] for a few days.

The 1.6.9 update went live a couple of days ago, bringing with it new features and changes. According to the patch notes, the game now gives you the ability to "place beds and sleep inside any con??structed buildings that allow furniture," adds in new Easter eggs, balances some aspects, and...you know what, there's too much to list here. Best to read the changelog itself.

The mobile port of Stardew Valley also now comes loaded with a hidden and experimental multiplayer feature. Instructions on how you can access it can be found here.

The post Having performance issues on Stardew Valley? R??emove hats from pets, dev says appeared first on Destructoid.

The Stardew Valley 1.6 update has finally hit consoles a long nine months after it originally hit PC, and with it, the? 1.6.9 update has arrived on all platforms. There wasn’t a lot of new content added, but there is one ??thing that’s really helpful. 

If you’ve ever managed to get your hands on a once-in-a-game item and then somehow gone on to lose it, whether by accidentally discarding it or thr?ough a horrible accident, there’s now a way to get those items back â€?the Lost Item Shop. 

How to find the Lost Item Shop in Stardew Valley

The Lost Item Shop in Stardew Valley isn’t actually a sho?p, but rather a newly added woodland critter NPC who appears in a specific spot. Judging from this NPCs proclivity for collecting and holding on to shiny trinkets, I think it’s safe to assume that it is supposed to be a crow, although it’s a little hard to tell. 

To find this NPC, you’ll need to head to the Secret Woods and make your way to the left (all the way). It’s standing behind the top-most horizontal fallen pillar near the statue of Old Master Cannoli. You don’t need to get around this pillar in order to interact with the crow, and can si??mply do your business over the pillar itself. 

There’s no conversation involved when it comes to getting your items back, which is a little creepy and would be even more so in real life, but interacting with the crow will bring up a list of lost items that you can now get back.&nbsp??;

Items retrieved from the Lost Item Shop in Stardew Valley

Each? item that you want to retrieve will cost 10,000 Gold, so it’s not cheap, but it is preferable to permanently losing these unique, one-of-a-kind items. This is especially important for items that have a specific use, such as the Statue of True ?Perfection. 

It’s wo??rth noting that in a multiplayer game, any player can retrieve items from the Lost Item Shop, regardless of which player lost or ??discarded that item in the first place. 

Here’s a full list of items that are available for re-purchase at the Lost Item Shop, along with how you got them originally?:

The post How to find and us?e the Lost Item Shop in St??ardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

Stardew Valley is available on a lot of different platforms, probably all of the ones you could imagine, including Android. While? modded games might feel like someth?ing that’s reserved for PC players, there are actually a lot of mods that work on Android. 

It’s worth remembering that while there are mods that will work on the Android version of Stardew Valley, they can be a little unstable, as they’re often designed specifically for the PC version. The best way to tell if a mod is compatible with the Android version of Stardew Valley is by heading to the “Files�tab on NexusMods and looking for a file spe?cifically ??labeled for Android. 

How to install Stardew Valley mods on Android

Before you can install any mods for Stardew Valley, you’ll need to download SMAPI. This is the program through which most Stardew Valley mods are implem?ented, including all of those I’ll list in just a little bit. 

?To install SMAPI on your Android device, follow t??hese steps:

1. Go to the Android SMAPI page on GitHub and download the APK file
2. Locate the APK file in your device’s “Downloads�folder
3. Tap on the file to run it, confirm permissions, and select “Install�/li>

4. When installation is complete, select “Update�and finalize the installation of the latest version.

Once you’ve got SMAPI up and running, you’ll now be able to search for mods that yo?u want to install. Here’s how:

1. Open up SMAPI and navigate to the “Help�tab
2. Select “Nexus�to be taken directly to NexusMods in your device’s browser
3. Find the mod you want to install and select “Manage Download�/li>

4. Find the correct file (preferably one specifically for Android) and download it
5. When downloaded, locate the file in your downloads and transfer the zipped file to the Mod folder, which can be found at the following location:

   1. Internal Storage > Stardew Valley > Mods

6. Restart SMAPI and make sure that the downloaded mod is available in the “Config�tab to confirm installation.

If you’ve followed these steps and downloaded a mod compatible with Stardew Valley on Android, you should have successfully install??ed your first mod! 

Now that we’ve figured that out, let’s look at the 14 best Android-friendly mods for Stardew Valley.

Helpful Spouses

Look, I’m not saying that you should marry a villager and then immediately put them to work, but they ??are living on the farm rent-free, so they should probably contribute just a little bit, you know?

The Helpful Spouses mod by LeFauxMatt enables you to choose which chores your chosen spouse will do for you each day, and you can opt to have them help out with one or more of t??he following tasks:

• Providing the perfect gift for any villagers who have a birthday that day
• Feeding or petting the animals in Barns or Coops
• Making breakfast for you each morning
• Repairing any damaged fences
• Watering the crops
• Filling up water troughs in Slime Hutches

Better Ranching

It can be a little hard to figure out which farmyard animals you’ve already interacted with on any given day, especially when you start to really build up the number of animals you have. The Better Ranching mod by Urbanyeti negates this issue by giving all farm animals bubbles above their head that show whethe??r t??hey have produce to be gathered or whether they’ve been petted. 

Automatic Gates

I know it’s a relatively small thing, but nothing is more annoying than getting into your groove and then a single misclick halting you in your step because you failed to open a gate in time. The Automatic Gates mod by ScheKaa fixes this particular pet peeve. Now, every time you approach a gate, it will automatically open and then close behind you, allowing you to reall??y get into the groove. 

Configurable Luck

Luck is responsible for a surprising amount of things in Stardew Valley, from how quickly you find ladders in the Mines or Skull Valley to whether or not a tree nearby will get struck by lightning. The Configurable Luck mod by SophieSalacia gives you full control ove??r your level of luck, so you’ll be flying down the Mines and getting bountiful rewards in no time. 

DaisyNiko's Earthy Recolour

Stardew Valley definitely has its charm, but even at the best of times, the sheer amount of color on screen can be a little overwhelming. DaisyNiko’s Earthy Recolour mod desaturates the colors, lowers the brightness, and makes everything look just a little bit more classy. If you want the insides of your buildings to match the outside, you can also download DaisyNiko’s Earthy Interiors mod. 

Elle’s Town Buildings

One of the best things about modding your game of Stardew Valley is the ability to change how things look to suit your taste. Junimods has a long list of incredible recolor and redesign mods available to download, all of which are Android-friendly, so I urge you to check them all out. Elle’s Town Buildings is just one, but?? it’s a fantastic example, giving all of the b?uildings in town a subtle yet impactful makeover. 

Skull Cavern Elevator

Skull Cavern is ripe with rewards and it’s a great place to spend rainy days, but this experience can be somewhat hampered by the lack of progression saving. The Skull Cavern Elevator mod by Bifibi do??es just what you’d think �it adds an elevator to Skull Cavern that wor?ks just like the one in the normal Mines, updating every five floors and allowing instant access to lower floors. 

Easy Prairie King

For a cozy game, Stardew Valley has its fair share of frustrating elements, and none is more frustrating than The Prairie King in the Stardrop Saloon. The Easy Prairie King mod by spineshank3042 allows you to tweak the difficulty?? of the arcade game to the point that you can change how long each stage lasts, give yourself a shotgun, or slow enemies down. If you’re going for the Fector’s Challenge achievement, don’t worry; you can still get it with this mod enabled. 

Shop Anywhere

The Shop Anywhere mod by SorryLate is a godsend whether you’re bad at balancing your time or if you just don’t want to put effort into physically going to one of the many vendors for one specific item. All of the shops are included, from the General Store to the Hat Mouse, and you don’t even need to leave your farm to spend y?our Gold. Bliss. 

CJB Cheats Menu

The CJB Cheats Menu ??mod by Pathoschild is jam-packed with cheats that can help you get ahead in the game, and all of it is accessed through a single in-game men??u. Instantly increase the number of hearts you have with a selected villager, increase your skill level, change how time works, instantly warp to a selected location, and a long, long list of other cheats are included. 

NPC Map Locations

You know the drill: you’re looking for a specific villager, and you haven’t quite managed to memorize their entire year's worth of routine, so you go online and look it up, which costs you valuable gaming time. Well, the NPC Map Locations mod by Bouhm makes this a thing of the past by showing the villagers on the map in real-time. It’s such a small quality of life improvement, bu??t it makes a world of difference. 

Instant Tool Upgrades

I don’t think I need to explain this one too much, but the Instant Tool Upgrades mod by Binarynova will prevent you from ever having to go two days without your Hoe or Watering Can ever again. Instead, Clint will immediately hand over your? upgraded tool, and you can go about your day. Again, it is a small change, but definitely worthwhile. 

Automate

The Automate mod by Pathoschild can just make your life so mu?ch easier, especially when it comes to the grind of refining resources in farm machinery. This mod allows you to place a chest next to any machine, and the machine will automatically grab the required resources from the chest while putting finished produce back in. It works with all vanilla machines, so the possibilities are endless. 

Carry Chest

There’s nothing worse than going to rearrange your house or farm and realizing that you have a full chest that you need to move. Usually, you’d need to empty out the chest and then destroy it so that you can pick it up and place it down elsewhere, but the Carry Chest mod by Spacechase0 puts an end to that hassle. Now, even if a chest is filled to the brim with resources, you can pick it up and move it to a ne?w location.

The post 14 Best Stardew Valley mods for Android appeared first on Destructoid.

The ??Steam Deck has been someth??ing of a revelation for PC gaming. This powerful device allows you to play your PC games on a portable screen, allowing for an experience more akin to something like the Nintendo Switch.

This is all well and good, but some PC games require the pinpoint precision of mouse-and-keyboard input. That's why we're taking a look at the 15 best Steam Deck games, so you know which titles are worth playing on your po?rtable PC device. All of the following games are marked ??"Steam Deck Verified," meaning you can guarantee a solid experience with these selections.

15. Phasmophobia

Hunting ghosts with friends, what could be more fun? Despite still technically being in Early Access, Phasmophobia is arguably the best game in its genre. You're placed on a map, which can be as small as?? a suburban house or as large as an entire p?rison, haunted by a ghost.

There are 24 different ghost types, each offering up three types of evidence to help you and your friends decipher what they are. You find this evidence using various types of ghost-hunting equipment, from spirit boxes to EMF readers. It's not entirely that simple, as these ghosts will drain your sanity before hunting and killing you. Phasmophobia is a bla?st, and we recommend playing with friends.

14. Diablo 4

Blizzard's long-awaited follow-up in its iconic ARPG series was worth the wait. Diablo 4 follows the same general gameplay loop as previous iterations??, defeating powerful enemies throughout dungeons while collecting hordes of loot to upgrade your build.

While technically an RPG, Diablo 4's quests and storyline play second fiddle to the game's unique brand of chaotic action. There's nothing quite like melting swarms of demons while finding a rare item that takes the havoc up a notch. Some might recommend a mouse and keyboard for Diablo 4, but you can definitely do ju??st fine on a Steam Deck.

13. Balatro

Balatro isn't your standard card game. There's almost too much complexity to sum up in a few s?entences, but the gi?st of it is this: it's a roguelike deck-builder where you must score points by playing poker hands against blinds. With these points, you can upgrade your deck and buy joker cards, which affect the game in various ways. It's absurdly addictive and puts an impressive spin on a classic card game.

Given the nature of Balatro's controls, it really doesn't matter whether you play on a regular PC or on a Steam Deck. It plays very well on Valve's portable devices, so if you're looking for a more laid-back Balatro, Steam Deck is the way to go.

12. Portal 2

Portal 2 might be well over a decade old at this point, but it can still kick it with any modern release on the market. With sharp humor, challenging puzzles, and an endlessly replayable co-op mode, Portal 2 remains one of the best video games ever made.

Valve gets so much mileage out of one simple concept: you have a portal gun that you can use to open portals around the game world. You must use these portals to solv??e puzzles throughout each level, most of which are physics-based. Luckily, th??ese puzzles don't require pinpoint mouse precision, which is why this is perfect for chilled-out Steam Deck play.

11. Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 had its troubles upon its 2020 release, disappointing almost everyone. In the years since, CD Projekt Red has remained committed to making it the best game it can be via countless patches and the sublime 2023 expansion, Phantom Liberty.

At long last, Cyberpunk 2077 is (almost) everything it was hyped up to be, and it runs great on the Steam Deck. With engaging characters, powerful RPG choices, and the staggeringly beautiful open world of Night City, Cyberpunk 2077 is a?? game you can rea?lly sink your teeth into nowadays.

10. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

If The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth isn't the best roguelike ever, then I don't know what is. Straight from the brain of Super Meat Boy developer Edmund McMillen, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth sees you fight through procedurally-generated dungeons aga??inst some of t?he most terrifyingly-designed monsters you'll ever see in a video game.

As you progress, you collect items on each floor. This contributes to your build, but not every item complements one another. This means you're constantly making important choices ?about what to pick up and what to leave behind. Each run is permadeath, resetting you right to the start if you die while progressing through the floors. Because of the randomized floors and items, it might be one of the most replayable games ever made.

9. Dave the Diver

How many games do you know that can blend the action-adventure and restaurant simulator genres seamlessly? There's not many, let me tell you that much. Dave the Diver is one such title, a?nd it's undoubtedly one of the best games on the Steam Deck.

Dave the Diver is split into two gameplay sections. During the day?, you dive into the sea, collecting ingredients from the ocean floor while fighting sealife with your harpoon gun. Later in the evening, you use these ingredients to run a sushi restaurant, improving its reputation through good food and service. All of this is complemented by a gorgeous pixel art?? style, resulting in a game unlike anything you'll have played before.

8. Resident Evil 4

2023's Resident Evil 4 might be the best remake in the series to date, a??nd that's a high bar to clear. The game sees the return of Leon Kennedy, who is tasked with rescuing ??the president's daughter, Ashley. You're faced with hordes of the undead throughout your adventure, which tops the 2005 original in just about every way.

Its graphics? Stunning. Its controls? Modern. The story? It has a tighter pacing this time around. And that's before we even get to the atmosphere, which is the real star of the show in the Resident Evil 4 remake. It's absolute??ly dripping with tension, which carries over even on the small screen of t?he Steam Deck.

7. Skyrim

13 years after its launch, and there's still nothing that quite evokes the same feelings as Skyrim. It's a classic RPG in every sense of the word, with one of the most detailed open worlds you'l?l ever explore, even after all this time. Interesting questlines and memorable characters are the tip of the iceberg in Bethesda'?s magnum opus.

On PC, Skyrim modding takes things to another level. Nexus Mods has almost 100,000 mods to download for the game, so the question is: can you mod Skyrim on Steam Deck? Yes! It's a bit more hassle, but it's certainly possible, meaning you can bring Skyrim up to modern standards on your handheld device.

6. RimWorld

Ludeon Studios' RimWorld is a far deeper game than it seems on the surface. At first glance, it appears to be just another construction and management simulator. Simply put, it isn't. RimWorld gives you numerous starting scenarios, where you? must attempt ??to survive and escape from a procedurally generated planet.

To make every playthrough unique, it employs the use of an AI storyteller, which can make decisions on the fly to affect proceedings. You can choose from various storytellers, each of which will change its behavior based on various parameters. Want something intense? Go with Randy Random. Want a more traditional narrative? Cassandra Classic will make that happen. The third is Phoebe Chillax, which offers a more laid-back experience. It's this storyteller feature alone that elevates RimWorld above every other game in the genre.

5. God of War

2018's God of War finally arrived on PC in 2022, breaking Santa Monica Studio's masterpiece free from its PS4 restraints. The game tells a powerful story between Kratos and his young son, Atreus,?? and their journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye, at the highest peak in Jötunheim.

Its hack-and-slash gameplay is similar to previous God of War games, yet the combat still manages to feel distinctly modern. That's an achievement in itself. Just everything, from the impeccable score from Bear McCreary to the awesome world design, comes together as a full package to make God of War one of the best Steam Deck games.

4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

How will CD Projekt Red ever top The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? The culmination of an epic trilogy, this title is an extraordinary RPG, with impactful choices to be made even in the smallest of moments. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features some of the most well-written side-quests you'll ever see, as well as two fantastic expansions in Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.

For a 2015 release, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt holds up extremely well from both a visual and gameplay perspective. The combat still feels very fluid, which is why it remains one of the best Steam Deck gam??es you can play after almost a decade.

3. Stardew Valley

There's a reason life-simulation fans are still returning to Stardew Valley almost nine years after its release. ConcernedApe's game strips the formula back to?? basics but does everything it attempts just about perfectly.

There's farming, fishing, building, mining, socializing, romancing, and even combat - it's a pretty simple life in Stardew Valley. If you enjoy life-simulators, there's a good chance you've already played this game. If you haven't, there's a good chance Stardew Valley will convert you to the genre.

2. Elden Ring

Elden Ring is not for the impatient gamers out there. This open-world RPG by FromSoftware will test the limits of your patience, punishing you with sweet, sweet death over and over again. It's a classic Souls-like, defined by nigh-impossible bosses and frustratingly infrequent checkpoints, but with a bigger scale than anything the studio has ever attempted before. The satisfaction from victory in Elden Ring will have you jumping for joy.

Given that many would recommend Elden Ring with a controller anyway, I feel safe saying the game works great with the Steam Deck joysticks. Go forth and ??explore the Lands Between from the comfort of your own couch.

1. Baldur's Gate 3

Top spot was only ever going to Baldur's Gate 3. Larian's 2023 CRPG is an instant classic. With deep customization, fun combat, brilliant companions, and a gripping narrative, Baldur's Gate 3 is a game we'll all be playing for many years to come. I could wax further lyrical about its epic world, engagin??g quests, and a staggering level of freedom, b??ut I reckon you get the picture.

Baldur's Gate 3 feels made for the Steam Deck in many ways. The turn-based combat lends itself well to the joystick controls?, and the slow-paced?? gameplay in general makes it perfect for kicking back on the couch and playing at your own pace.

The post 15 Best Steam Deck Games appeared first on Destructoid.

In Stardew Valley, there is a long list of random events that can possibly occur overnight at any point, such as the Witch who drops off a Void Egg, or an explosion being heard in the night. 

If you get the “An explosion was heard in the nightâ€?notification at the beginning of a new day, you may be wondering what this means, but don’t worry I’ve got all the detail??s you need. 

What exploded in Stardew Valley?

Unlike some other random overnight events that open up a new area of Pelican Town and the surrounding area to explore, an explosion is a more targeted event. When you hear an explosion, it means that a Meteorite has fallen somewhere on your farm and now you need to go out and find it. 

Most of the time, Meteorite will fall somewhere that’s very?? obvious at first glance. If you’re unlucky,? one of two things can happen:

• The Meteorite will fall directly into your crops or decorations, destroying them
• The Meteorite will fall into a bush and be hidden from view

Regardless of where it falls, and how much damage it does to the space around it, you can get some useful? items from a Meteorite.

What do Meteorites drop in Stardew Valley?

Meteorites can fall at any time, i??ncluding during the first year, which makes at least one of the items they drop particul??arly useful. However, in order to get these items, you will need to have a Pickaxe that is either Golden or Iridium quality. This can take a while, especially given the resources needed and the cost involved.

If the drops aren’t particularly valuable to you, you could always choose to keep the? Meteorite as a decoration and repair the space around it in order to turn it into a centerpiece. Meteorites are quite rare, so it can be a bragging piece if you happen to get one.

The items ?Meteorites drop are mostly always the same, and you’re guara??nteed to get the first three items listed below if you destroy a Meteorite:

• 10 Iridium Ore
• 2 Omni Geodes
• 8 Stone
• 25% chance of dropping a Prismatic Shard

The post What does ‘an explosion was heard in the night’ mean in Stardew Valley? appeared first on Destructoid.

There are a lot of statues in Stardew Valley, and some of them are obtained in strange ways. The Statu??e of Endless Fortune is available from pretty early in a playthrough, but you might have ??to wait a while and save up some funds.

The Statue of Endless Fortune is an incredibly useful statue to have on your Farm in Stardew Valley. Not only does it give a daily, high-worth item, but it also provides loved gifts for each villager on? their birthday. 

How to get the Statue of Endless Fortune in Stardew Valley

Before you can purc?hase the Statue of Endless Fortune, you’ll? need to do a couple of things:

• Complete the Vault Bundles at the Community Center in order to unlock the Bus and Desert
• Unlock the Casino in the Desert by completing the ‘Mysterious Mr. Qiâ€?quest

When you’ve done both of these things, you’ll be ab?le to talk to the Vendor inside the Casino. He’s a shady-looking man locate??d in the back right corner of the main space in the Casino, and he will offer you a Statue of Fortune every time you talk to him.

A word of forewarning, the Statue of Endless Fortune is one of the most expensive items available for purchase anywhere in Stardew Valley. You’ll need 1,000,000 Gold in order to purchase one. There’s no limit to the number of statues you can own, so if youâ€??™re ever in a position where you have too much Gold and nothing to spend it on, these are a good choice. 

What does the Statue of Endless Fortune do in Stardew Valley?

Like I said above, the Statue of Endless Fortune gives you a sought-after item each day. On?? days when there are no villager birthdays, you’ll get one of the following four items:

• Diamond
• Iridium Bar
• Omni Geode
• Gold Bar

The Statue of Endless Fortune comes in part??icularly handy when it comes to building or maintaining ??relationships with villagers, though. On each villager's birthday, the Statue of Endless Fortune will drop one of their loved gifts, making things really easy for you:

The post How to get a Statue of Endless Fortune in St?arde??w Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

Once you’ve completed the â€?a? href="//jbsgame.com/how-to-complete-a-winter-mystery-in-stardew-valley??/">A Winter Mysteryâ€?quest in Stardew Valley and unlocked the Magnifying Glass, you can begin the process of collecting Secret Notes. These can be extrem??ely helpful, and some will eve?n guide you to secrets that are unlikely to be found without them. 

Secret Notes are obtained through undertaking various activities in Stardew Valley. If you find one, you’ll need to use it in the same way as eating?? something, and then it can be? found in the Secret Notes tab of the Collections menu. 

All Secret Notes in Stardew Valley

There are a total of 27 secret notes to be found. Let’s go through all of them and see what secrets are waiting to be disc?overed.

Secret Note #1

The words that I've underlined in the image above are some of Abigail's loved gifts.

Secret Note #2

Sam's holiday list gives aw?ay some loved gifts for the mentioned villagers, w??ith "Mom" referring to Jodi and "Dad" referring to Kent.

Secret Note #3

As with Secret No?te #1, this one gives away some of the writer's?? loved gifts. This time it's Leah, and I've underlined the parts you need to remember.

Secret Note #4

This is just a list of some of Ma?ru's loved gifts.

Secret Note #5

Similar to Sam's holiday list in Secret Note #2, this is a list that Penny h??as written up, giving away some loved? gifts for the mentioned villagers. Here, "Mom" refers to Pam, and "Mr. Mullner" and "Granny Mullner" refer to George and Evelyn respectively.

Secret Note #6

Another one gives away loved gifts for the mentioned villagers, and is the first Secret Note to span two pages. Don't worry about the added detail, I'm assumin?g these are just Gus trying to go above and beyond for his patrons.

Secret Note #7

This one gives away some loved gifts for a few of Pelican Town's bachelors, and is another Secret Note that spans two pa??ges:

• Harvey (Coffee and Pickles)
• Elliott (Crab Cakes and Pomegranates)
• Shane (Beer, Pizza, and Pepper Poppers)

Secret Note #8

This lo??ving note from the girls' parents gives away a couple of loved gifts for each of them. Emily loves rece??iving pretty much any Gemstone as a gift.

Secret Note #9

The meals mentioned in this note are two of Alex's loved gifts.

Secret Note #10

This sligh?tly ominous note only becomes available to find after you've completed the "Qi's Challenge" quest, which will be unlocked after you enter Skull Cavern for the first time. You just need to get down to floor 100 of Skull Cavern, where Mr. Qi will greet you and give you Iridium Snake Milk. When consumed, this will permanently increase your maximum health by 25.

Secret Note #11

This one doesn't mean anythin??g or lead to any cool secrets, but it is a very cute photo of Marnie and Jas, so there's that.

Secret Note #12

This note is just a tip to guide you into rummaging through the g??arbage cans in town. Be warned, if anyone other than Linus sees you rifling through the trash, you'll lose some friendship points.

Secret Note #13

If you follow the instructions in this note, you'll find an oversized Junimo plush!

Secret Note #14

Another slightly ominous note from an unknown writer, but?? it leads to a Stone Junimo? Statue, so is worth paying attention to.

To find the statue, head to the back of the Community Center ??from the left and then continue walking right as far as you can. Then, equip your Hoe or Pickaxe and click to the right of where you are to collect the statue.

Secret Note #15

If you've not been through the Night Market yet, this one won't make much sense, but it's the solution to the Mermaid Show button puzzle there. There are five butt??ons, and you'll need to press them in the order set out in the note in order to g?et a free Pearl.

Secret Note #16

X marks the spot! To find this ??location, head up to the area which has the Spa and Train Station, then head all the way to the left. Use your Hoe to dig a hole, and you'll be rewarded with a Treasure Chest.

Secret Note #17

To find this location, head to the river bank north of the JojaMart. Use your Hoe on the area marked to get a Strange Doll (Green). Make su??re you stand close enough to where you're digging, or you may lose the doll in the river when it pops out.

Secret Note #18

Another map leads you to a Strange Doll, this time the yellow versio??n. This location is in the Calico Desert, and you'll need to dig to the southwest of ??the bench in the southeast of the map.

Secret Note #19

To solve this puzzle, head to Jodi's house and stand directly outside the front door??. Then you need to follow the directions shown, only changing direction when you can no longer m?ove in the previous direction. This path will take you through town, eventually leading you to a Sold Gold Lewis statue that's hidden behind Mayor Lewis' house.

If you place this statue anywhere in town, you'll get a letter through the mail the next morning from a very upset Mayor Lewis, along with 7?50 Gold. The statue will have been replaced with a rotten plant, and the statue will now be in either Lewis' or Marnie's bedroom.

Secret Note #20

Another follows the directions puzzle, but with this one, you need to start in the center of the town square. The path will lead you to the truck beside JojaMart (you can go directly there if you don't want to follow the directions), and you'll be able to talk to the driver. He'll request a Rabbit's F?oot, and if you have one to give him, he'll give you a Special Charm that permanently increases your daily luck.

Secret Note #21

Of all the Secret Notes, this is possibly my favorite. To solve it, you'll need to head in?to town and m??ake sure to be at the shown bush at exactly 12:40 a.m.

If you interact with the bush, Marnie and Lewis will jump out and run away in?? shame. I don't know what they're doing in there, but the Anything Goes Party Bush from The Sims 4 com?es to mind.

Secret Note #22

If you've? never met Mr. Qi before finding this note, you'd be forgiven for thinking he was going to attack you at some point, but this is actually a really useful note.

To solve it, take a Battery Pack into the tunnel to the left of the Bus Stop and place it in the box on the back wall. This will begin the 'The Mysterious Qi' quest, and eventually unlock the Casino in the Desert.

Secret Note #23

Don't judge the English skills of the writer of this note, because he's a Bear,? and he is a very useful friend.

Findi?ng this note will?? add the 'Strange Note' quest to your Journal. To complete the quest, grab some Maple Syrup and head to the Secret Woods between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., and after the cutscene which plays, the selling price of Blackberries and Salmonberries will be permanently increased by 300%.

Secret Note #24

Another two page note that explains that it's possible to dye Juni??mos by placing the following items ??inside a Junimo Hut:

• Foraged mineral
• Gem
• Geode Mineral

The Junimos in the hut will usually reflect the color of the item given. If given a Prismatic Shard, Junimos wi?ll constantly change colors.

Secret Note #25

If you go fishing in the water outside the Spa during Spring, Summer, or Fall, you have a chance to find an Ornate Necklace. Once you've found it, you've g?ot two choices:

• Take it to Caroline to get 50 Friendship points with her
• Take it to Abigail to get 100 Friendship points with her

Secret Note #26

This note is hinting that you should feed Junimos on your farm some Raisins. When given Raisins, J?unimos will have a chance to harvest twice the amount of crops.

Eac?h bag of Raisins will increase productivit??y in the Junimos for one week, and a small sign will be placed outside the hut to let you know that they're working extra hard.

Secret Note #27

The final note was added with the 1.6 update, and points you towards the Mastery Cave in the southern part of the Cindersap Forest. You can access this cave once you??'ve reached level 10 in all skills, and you can unlock some fun perks and additional items by purchasing a skills Mastery.

The post All Secret Notes in?? Stardew Valley and how to solve them appeared first on Destructoid.

Most quests in Stardew Valley only appear in your Journal when you’ve accepted them, but some will appear after cutscenes??. ‘A Winter Mysteryâ€?is one of these quests, and the steps to complete it aren’t exactly clear. 

How to begin ‘A Winter Mystery�nbsp; in Stardew Valley

Unlike some other quests that ?require you to build relationships or complete certain objectives, A Winter Mystery is a quest that is easy to unlock. All you need to do is leave your farm during the Winter and head to the Bus Stop between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.

If you do, you may encounter a shadowy figure. He’s known, at this point, as ‘The Shadow Guy� and he’ll ru?n away as soon as you see him. Now you need to find him, but Pelican Town is a pretty big place to sear??ch. Thankfully, there’s a trail of footprints to follow.

How to complete ‘A Winter Mystery�in Stardew Valley

To complete ‘A Winter Myste??ryâ€? head into town and up to where the Community Center is. Here, you’ll see the f??ootprints leading into the bush shown above. 

Interacting with this bush will cause the Shadow Guy to jump out and apologize fo?r stealing, because it turns out he's?? quite the little thief. He’ll go on to give you the Magnifying Glass, which is a very useful tool, and the ‘A Winter Mysteryâ€?quest will be complete. 

How to use the Magnifying Glass in Stardew Valley

You don’t actually use the Magnifying Glass in Stardew Valley, but now that you have it, you’ll be able to gather Secret Notes. These Notes can drop while undertaking different activities, and provide useful information, or ??can lead to secret items or rare interactions.

Secret Notes have a specific drop ra??t??e from different activities:

Once you’ve found a note, you’ll need to equip it in your hotbar and then use it in the same way that you consume food, wh?ich will reveal the secrets within. You can check any previously opened notes in the Secret Notes tab of the Co??llections menu. 

Most of the Secret Notes contain information which will help you figure out t??he loved gifts for each villager, although some of them contain maps guiding you to secret items such as a Junimo Plush.

The post How to complete A Winter Mystery in Stardew? Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

Diamonds are one of the rarest and most resources in Stardew Valley, and they can be quite hard to find. If you want to build a? stockpile of Diamonds, or start using the resource, you've got several options.

There are a few different ways to get Diamonds in Stardew Valley, but most of them are far from guaranteed. Whether you?? want to get a do-over with Grandpa’s Evaluation, or a gift that’s sure to score Friendship points, here’s how to get Diamonds and how to use them. 

From mining to festivals, here's where to find Diamonds in Stardew Valley

Diamonds may be hard to find, ??but there are plenty of opportunities that may give you some.?? Some of these are far more guaranteed than others, and others will only be available in the later stages of a playthrough.

Nodes, Festivals, and Fishing resources for Diamonds

How to use Diamonds in Stardew Valley

Diamonds can be sold for 750 Gold each, or 974 Gold if you have the Gemologist profession. They are the most expensive gem available, so if you have a Crystalarium, you can make an easy profit by duplicating Diamonds. Diamonds are also a loved or liked gift for every villager, so you’re guarant??eed to get a positive response if you give the gem as a gift. 

Grandpa’s Shrine

You can use a Diamond in Grandpa’s Shrine to have him re-eva??luate you if you didn’t manage to get four candles lit on the shrine the first time around. Once you get four candles, you’ll get a Statue of Perfection. 

Bundles and Quests

You can use one Diamond as part of ??the Treasure Hunter’s Bundle in the Boiler Room (Remixed). 

In terms of quests, after you’ve reached floor 40 of the Mines, a Diamond can be requested at any time at the Help Wanted Board. The reward for completing this quest is 2,250 Gold and 15??0 F??riendship points. One can also be requested by the Raccoon as part of the fifth request or any made after.

Crafting

Diamonds can be used in the following recipes:

Tailoring

A Diamond can be used in the spool of a Sewing Machine to create a dyeable Pendant Shirt. It’s also classe?d as a white dye when used in the spool of a Sewing Machine. 

Trading

Diamonds can also be exchanged with a couple of NPCs to get some items. The Desert Trader gives you one Triple Shot Espresso in exchange for one Diamond, while the Volcano Dwarf on Ginger Island sells you the ‘The Diamond Hunter�book for 10 Di??amonds.

The post How to get Diamonds in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

If you’re a Stardew Valley player on console or mobile, the long-awaited good news about?? the 1.6 update has arrived, and it's set to release on November 4. 

Like a baby that’s grown in the womb and is ready to be born, the release will come very close to nine months after it arrived on PC.&?nbsp;

This is great news, as now all players will be able to experience everything new that was added in the 1.6 update, and some of you can finally stop avoiding any and all spoilers. I tip my hat to any of you who have been avoiding any Stardew Valley guides because I’m n?ot sure how you’ve managed it. 

This does pose a specific problem for some players who have been making the most of the Tea prices. You’ve got six weeks from the time of wri??ting to get all of those Tea?? Saplings sold, or you’re going to half your profits thanks to a lovely price nerf introduced in 1.6. 

It is a shame that it has taken this long for the update to come to players on anything other than PC, and as yet there is no word from ConcernedApe as to the specific reasoning. ??Perhaps there never will be, and players in the comments of Ape’s tweet are simply overjoyed that they’re finally going to experience the update. 

The good news is two-fold. Firstly, thanks to the delay, there’s a guide available for everything you could possibly get ????stuck in with 1.6. Second, this means that ConcernedApe will be able to refocus his efforts on his next title, Haunted Chocolatier. He’s previously stated that he’s been unable to put any work on his next title due to the extra effort involved with porting Stardew to consoles and mobile. 

The post Stardew Valley 1.6 is ?coming to c??onsoles and mobile on November 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Some fish in Stardew Valley can be caught?? in a variety of places, while others are more specific with where they spawn. Sandfish have a very par??ticular habitat; in fact, it’s how they got their name. 

Before you can go looking for Sandfish, you’ll need to unlock the Desert. To do this, you’ll need to complete the Vault Bundle at the community center (this is just a collection of monetary donations), or purchase the “Bus Repair�on the Joja Community Development Form for 40,000 Gold. It all depends on whether you’ve made the morally correct ch??oice or sold your soul to Joja.

Where to find Sandfish in Stardew Valley

Once you’ve unlocked the Desert, finding Sandfish is easy, as i?t’s one of only two fish that spawn in the pond located in the top right corner of the Desert. Sandfish (and the other fish, Scorpion Carp), can be fished from these waters during any season between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.

When you catch a Sandfish, you may find that the bobber in the fishing mini-game d??arts around the line. Sandfish are pretty pesky and can get away from you if you’re not ?careful. To negate the sudden movements, it’s worth using a Cork Bobber or a Trapper Bobber to increase your chances. 

How to use Sandfish in Stardew Valley

One Sandfish is needed for the Speciality Fish Bundle at the Community Center,? and they’re also on Penny’s loved gifts list. Outside of these specific uses, there are a few other things that can be done with Sandfish. 

Recipes

Sandfish ca??n be used in any recipe that calls for ‘any fishâ€?

Tailoring

Sandfish can be used in the spool of a Sewing Machine to ??create the dyeable Fish Shirt. It can also be used as a yellow dye in the dye pots in Emily and Haley’s house. 

Fish pond

Yo??u can place Sandfi??sh into a Fish Pond, and they’ll produce Roe. If there are 10 Sandfish in a Fish Pond, you could possibly get Cactus Seeds.

The post How to catch a Sandfish in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

I think it’s plain to see that cozy games are something of a soft spot for me. There’s nothing I love more than rela??xing with friends, rea??l or in-game, to escape the pressures of the real world and the stress I encounter every day. 

What better way to unwind than relaxing in bed, or in the bath, or simply away from the computer?, with a Switch in hand. Cozy isn’t restricted to big consoles and PCs, you can take the entire experience on th?e go. 

I’ve played a lot of games which could be considered ‘cozy�in my time, and here’s 10 of the best that I’ve found. The good new??s? All of them can be purchased throug??h the Nintendo eShop, so there’s nothing stopping you from starting a play through right now.

A Little to the Left

The concept of A Little to the Left is simple; organise household items into small spaces in order to make them fit, with the occasional interruption of a chaos causing cat. If you get a kick out of a good spring clean, or enjoy organizing the space around you, then you’ll love A Little to the Left. Some of the puzzles can be a little challenging at first, but there's a huge sense of satisfaction wh??en you figure o?ut where everything goes.

Unpacking

If you want a deeper look at Unpacking, check out our in-depth look at it, but here’s the TLDR:

Unpacking is about, as you might expect, unpacking. You’ve got to unpack boxes and place items in a variety of rooms in a wa?y which makes sense. What might surprise you is the depth of the story, and the strong connection that you’ll end up having with the person whose belongings have been entrusted to you. Although you never meet them, you get to know them and their story through their household items. 

Donut County

I think it’s safe to say that I’m a fan of Raccoons, so I might be a little biassed here. However, Donut County is a hole.io style game with added stories and characters to fall in love with. Although? the gameplay is pretty linear, t??here’s a weird sense of satisfaction that comes from swallowing the items of the world in a big dark hole, and that leads to replayability. 

Stardew Valley

I think this one goes without saying, but Stardew Valley is definitely a cozy game that you n?eed on the Switch. Wherever you are, you can take the farm with you and progres??s your story. Farm on the go, or connect to the TV and form connections with the villagers in Pelican Town on the big screen. 

New Pokémon Snap

There are no battles in New Pokémon Snap, which already puts this right up there on my own personal list of cozy Switch tit?les. It’s essentially a Pokémon where you take photos of the Pokémon in order to document them, and get to the bottom of weird phenomena in the area. You don’t even have to move, as you move along a sort of track that takes you where you need to go, so you can just get snap happy.

Dorfromantik

Dorfromantik is like a puzzle wit??h no pre-determined result. All you need to do is place down individual hexagonal pieces in order to create a landscape. Connecting similar tiles together will cross off goals and unlock new tiles, allowing you to create endlessly changing worlds. This one is really good for getting mildly creative and allowing yourself to for??get about the real world.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing is one of the OG cozy games, and you’re never going to be short of things to do if you start a new game. Meeting new villagers is only part of the fun, and creating and designing?? your island is endlessly satisfying. There’s a whole community of people willing to share their items, open their island for visits, and even allow you to come shopping. 

Tavern Talk

Tavern Talk is wha?t happens when a game makes you the NPC. As the bartender of a fantasy tavern, you don’t move or go anywhere, but you still get to see the world change around you through t?he people who come to drink at the bar. Your tasks are simple - make drinks and create quests for patrons to complete, then listen to their stories. 

Spirittea

Spirittea is adorable, and although it can be hard to get to grips with the enormous map to begin with, the characters you meet in your new count?ryside life are fun and memorable. You leave the city and begin a new life in the countryside, but things aren’t all as they seem and there are spirits in the town, which often scare the residents. 

Things get more complicated as you progress, and eventually you'll need to run your own bath house for the spirits. Spirittea is like Spirited Away if it were a pixel ??sim, ?and it's one of my favorites.

Disney Dreamlight Valley

Imagine taking Animal Crossing and replacing all of the villagers with beloved Disney characters, and you’ll end up with Dreamlight Valley. To begin with, the Valley is fairly empty and overtaken by darkness. You unlock new characters as you progress, unlock new biomes, place their homes, and become closer to them to get rewards. Fishing, mining, and farming still play their role in Dreamlight Valley, and you’ll never run out of things to do.

The post 10 Best Cozy Switch Games appeared first on Destructoid.

Some resources in Stardew Valley are harde??r to find than others, and Refined Quartz is perhaps one of the most difficult to source in the wilds of Pelican Town. However, there are some shortcuts to getting your hands on this precious item. 

If you want to get Refined Quartz, you’ll need to first go mining. Although you’re unlikely to find any Refined Quartz?? in the Mines, the resources you need to ?create it can be found there.

How to get Refined Ore in Stardew Valley

There are a few different ways t??o get Refined Quartz:

Furnace

The first reliable method is through t??he use of a Furnace, and there are two recipes that will give Refined Quartz:

• 1 Quartz + 1 Coal = 1 Refined Quartz
• 1 Fire Quartz + 1 Coal = 3 Refined Quartz

Either combination takes 1.5 in-game hours to produce the result, but with Fire Quartz giving three Refined Quartz every 1.5 hours, it’s a much more lucrati??ve option. Quartz? can be found on any floor of the Mines, and Fire Quartz can be found on any floor of the Mines lower than 80. 

Recycling Machine

Creating Refined Quartz with a Recycling Machine is arguably?? easier than creating it in a Furnace. There are two trash items that can be found in Garbage Cans or fished up from any w?ater that can then be used to create Refined Quartz:

• Broken CD
• Broken Glasses

Other ways to get Refined Quartz

Outside of these two main ways, there are a few other ways to get Refined Quartz, although these are much ?less guar?anteed:

• Can very rarely be found in the Mines when breaking large crystals
• Occasionally found in Garbage Cans after receiving the Furnace blueprints from Clint
• Can be produced by Ghostfish Fish Ponds when the population reaches 9
• A rare drop from the following Monsters in the Mines:

  • Ghosts
  • Carbon Ghosts

How to use Refined Quartz in Stardew Valley

Bundles and quests

Refined Quartz is a necessary donation for the Engineer’s Bundle in t?he Boiler Room (Remixed) inside the Community Center. 

In terms of quests, Refined Quartz can be requested at the Help Wanted board after you get the Furnace bluep??rint. Th??e reward for completing this quest is 150 Gold and 150 Friendship points with the villager who requested the help. 

Crafting

Refined Quar?tz is used to build the Slime ??Hutch, which can be purchased for 10,000 Gold at the Carpenter’s Shop and needs the following resources to make:

• 500 Stone
• 10 Refined Quartz
• 1 Iridium Bar

It’s also used in the following crafting recipes:

Tailoring

Refined Quartz can be used in the spool of a? Sewing Machine to create a dyeable Necklace Shirt. It can also be used in the dye pots at Emily and Haley’s house and it counts as a purple dye.

The post How to get Refined Quartz in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

Trying to keep track of all the fish in Stardew Valley can be a headache. You not only have to think about their habitat, but weather and time restrictions, and even their behavior?? as well. Walleye is a fairly common fish, and thank??fully, there are ways to catch one. 

How to catch a Walleye in Stardew Valley

Walleyes can be fished up from various locations around Pelican Town and the map surrounding it. Regardless of which location y??ou choose to fish in, Walleye can only be caught between 12 p.m. and 2 a.m. on rainy days during the Fall:

• The River in Pelican Town or Cindersap Forest 
• The Mountain Lake
• The pond in Cindersap Forest 
• In all of the areas already mentioned during the Winter, if a Rain Totem is used
• In the Farm pond, if you’re playing on a Riverland Farm or Forest Farm

By far, the best location to go fishing for Walleye is the pond i??n Cindersap Forest. Although you’ll have to wait for a rainy Fall day, you’re more likely to catch a W??alleye here than in any other location. Each cast has a 32% chance to result in a Walleye. 

If you’re desperately seeking a Walleye in Spring or Summer, you can use Magic Bait to negate the seasonal, weather, and time restriction?s. 

Other ways to get Walleye in Stardew Valley

There are three other ways to get Walleye in Stardew Valley, each of which has be?nefits. You??’ll need to have some luck on your side to get Walleye in any of the following ways, though:

• Gifted by a pet cat with maximum friendship
• Found in garbage cans in Pelican Town during Fall or Winter
• Purchased at the Traveling Cart for between 315 and 1,000 Gold

How to use Walleye in Stardew Valley

Gifting and quests

Walleye doesn’t make a very good gift, with not a single villager feeling anything more than neutral about the fish. However, you will need to catch a Walleye to complete at least one Bundle at the Community Center:

• Night Fishing Bundle in the Fish Tank
• Quality Fish Bundle in the Fish Tank (Remixed)

One Walleye can also requested at the Help Wanted board during Fall ??or Winter. This can be for any villager, and the reward is 315 Gold and 150 Friendship points.

Recipes and crafting

Walleye isn’t specifically called for in any cookin??g or crafting recipes, but it can be used for the following recipes that r?equire ‘any fish�

Tailoring

Walleye can be used in the spool of a Sewing Machine to create a Fishing Ve??st, which is undyeable. However, when it comes to making dye, Walleye counts as?? a yellow dye when used in the dye pots at Emily and Haley’s house. 

Fish Pond

Walleye can be placed in ??Fish Pon??ds and have a 90% chance of providing 1 Roe each day. They have no additional drops, regardless of the pond's population level.

The post How to catch Walleye in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

Perhaps the biggest draw of the Egg Festival in Stardew Valley is the Egg Hunt, which allows you to enter into competition with the residents of Peli?can Town in order to find the most eggs. They’re hidden all around the main square in town, but not always in the same places.

Where the eggs are hidden? depends on which year you’re currently playing through. The locations change depending on whether you’re in an odd or even year, but don’t worry, I can ??talk you through both. 

In tot?al, there are 27 eggs to be found on odd years and 30 to be found on even years, although even the most optimized ??routes for either year won’t see you gathering all of the available eggs. 

The aim of the hunt, if you want to win and relegate Abigail to second place, is to gather at least nine eggs within 50 seconds. If you’re playing multiplayer, this number reduces depending on the number of ?people you have playing, with six being the winning number when two people are playing. The number of eggs needed to win reduces by one ?for each additional player.

General tips to help you win the Egg Hunt in Stardew Valley

Regardless of which year you’re playing through, I would strongly recommend drinking some Coffee before you enter the festival area. This will increase your movement speed, giving you an advantage over Abigail. It gives you an advantage over everyone else as well, but let’s face ??it, this is all about beating Abigail. 

Also remember that if you don’t win, and you’re hell bent on doing so, you can simply close the game without going to sleep and you’l?l restart the day. This will give you another opportunity to come first. 

Rewards for winning the Egg Hunt in Stardew Valley

The first time you win the Egg Hunt, you’ll be rewarded with a rather lovely Straw Hat, as seen in the image above. Any additional wins on subsequent years will reward you with a Prize Ticket?, wh??ich can be exchanged for items at Louis�Prize Machine. 

The best Egg Hunt route for odd years in Stardew Valley

If you’re quick, have luck on your side, and have remembered your Coffee, you should be able to gather up a total of 18 eggs during odd years. Remember that you only need nine to win, and any additional eggs will simply earn you brag?ging rights over the residents of Pelican Town and any friends that you happen to be playing with. 

The bes??t route for odd years, including the first year, is to head east and then follow the path set out in the image above.

The best Egg Hunt route for even years in Stardew Valley

With a whole new set up of eggs, it can be easy to get flustered and lose out on precious eggs. Again, you only technically need to gather up nine eggs at ?most in order to win, and villagers will be gathering eggs at the same time. 

?It is possible to gather up to 20 eggs during the Egg Hunt on even years, although this isn’t likely. The best route to take is by starting at the south east corner of the main squa??re and then following the route laid out above. 

The post The best Egg Hunt routes in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

If you’re working your way through Special Orders in Stardew Valley, then you’ll eventually run in??to one from the Wizard. He asks for something very specific, which doesn’t appear outside the quest â€?Ectoplasm. 

Ectoplasm doesn’t show up as a gatherable item at any point outside of the Wizard’s Special Order quest, 'A Curious Substance'. After picking?? up the quest at the board in Pelican Town, you’ll ??have seven days to collect some Ectoplasm, but where to get it?

Loations and enemies for Ectoplasm in Stardew Valley

As long ?as �A Curious Substance�is active, Ectoplasm has a very small 9.5% chance to drop from the following mo??nsters:

• Ghosts

  • Found in the Mines between floors 51 and 79

• Carbon Ghosts

  • Found in Skull Cavern on Mummy levels
  • Found between floors 31 and 39 of the Dangerous Mines

• Putrid Ghosts

  • Found between floors 51 and 69 of the Dangerous Mines

The easiest way to get Ectoplasm for the quest is by taking the elevator down to floor 55 of the Mines and farming Ghosts on the floors before 79. Basic Ghosts have 96 HP, while Carbon and Putrid Ghosts have 190 and 500 HP, respectiv?ely. 

Drops from Ghost monsters in Stardew Valley

Each of these monsters also hav??e a chance to drop other items, regardless of whether “A Curious Substance�is active or not:

If you’ve previously reached the final floor of the Mines, each of these monsters also has a chance to drop Diamonds and Prismatic Shards. Even if you don’t get Ectoplasm to drop immediately, this quest offers a? good chance to stoc??k up on other resources or source some artifacts. 

The post How to get Ectoplasm in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

Is there a cozy gamer in your life who longs to display their love for Stardew Valley in the house? Or are you trying to get ahead on shopping for the holidays, looking for? ideas for the virtual farmer in your? life? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. 

If you want to get your hands on some gifts for a Stardew Valley fan, it can be hard to tell what’s official and what isn’t. But there is a long list of merch endorsed, or other??wise directly worked on, by Eric “ConcernedApe�Barone.

From plushes to graphic novels, here are 10 of the best bit?s of merch that any fan would be happy to r??eceive.

Stardew Valley Cookbook

You don’t need to be a chef to appreciate this hardback, beautifully decorated, and lore-filled cookbook. Containing over 50 vegetarian recipes e??ither inspired or directly taken from Stardew Valley, this is definitely one of the best gifts you ??could ever buy for the fan in your life. And who knows, maybe you’ll get a home-cooked dinner out of it? Can’t turn your nose up at that.

Stardew Valley Board Game

If you love playing Stardew Valley online with others, then you’ll love taking it to the tabletop in board game format. The aim of the game is, as you might predi??ct, the same as the aim of the game �rebuild the farm, crow crops, and make friends. Barone directly worked on the board game, and it comes with an enormous number of tokens and items to use in your playthrough. 

Stardew Valley Map Poster

There are hundreds of unofficial prints of the Stardew Valley map out there to purchase, but the only one endorsed by Barone can be purchased through The Yetee. Measuring 16 inches by 20 inches, ?I’m positive that any lover of Pelican Town will display this anywhere with pride. 

Krobus Plush

I’m the first to admit that I may be biased, as Krobus is my favorite character in Stardew Valley. However, I still think this is the best plush available from the long list of plushies on offer. Again, there are imitations out there to find, but the officially endorsed version is available through Fangamer, and he’s wonderfully derpy in the best kin??d of way. He just looks confused, as anyone would be if they were suddenly a plush.

Stardew Valley Skull Shirt

This is entirely personal preference, but as soon as I saw this skull shirt I knew I had to have it. It’s just so juxtaposed to the coziness of ?the game, not to mention that it just matches my aesthetic perfectly. Besides, this list wouldn’t be complete without at least one shirt, and this is my favorite.

If you want alternatives, there are also Bachelor and Bachelorette shirts available, as well as this cute-yet-creepy Junimo anatomy shirt and a long list of other designs.

Before the Farmer Graphic Novel

Have you ever wondered what life was like in Pelican Town before you arrived, took over the farm, and improved the lives of everyone there? Well, this graphic novel is your chance to find out. Inside the 144-page hardcover comic, you’ll also find out what ??brought Joja to the town and how it changed things before you changed them even more.

Animal Hanger Plush Blind Box

Who doesn’t love a surprise? Well, it doesn’t come much more surprising than blind boxes, and this one gives you (or your loved one) a chance to collect all the? animals who call the Farm home. The whole gang's here, including Shane’s blue ?chicken and, my favorite, a weirdly round duck. 

Stardew Valley Complete Vinyl Soundtrack Box Set

This set of four differently colored vinyls includes 77 tracks from Stardew Valley, up to and including those?? tracks included in the 1.3 update. Also included is a digital download of the 1.5 soundtrack, although if you want songs from that update and the later 1.6 update on vinyl, you’ll need to purchase the second box set of vinyls. On the plu?s side, they make a kickass pair, even if they’re just on display in vinyl frames.

Stardew Valley Guidebook

The Stardew Valley Guidebook is exactly what you’d expect it to be. It’s a compendium of how-to’s and where-to-find guides in a handy format. It’s fully updated to include everything added in the 1.6 update, so it will be perfect for any fan, especially those playing on console or mobile who haven’t yet h??ad a chance to dive into the new content. The dust jacket even doubles as a resident guide, including their likes and?? dislikes. 

Mermaid’s Pendant

I couldn’t write this list without including this one because i?f you want a Stardew Valley-inspired gift for someone you love (specifically a partner), they don’t get more special than this. In the game, the Mermaid’s Pendant takes the place of an engagement ring. Don’t let that s??care you away from purchasing this for your special someone, but maybe explain your intentions before they open it to avoid possible confusion.

The post The best Stardew Valley me?rch for the cozy gamer in your life appeared first on Destructoid.

There are a lot of annual festivals in Stardew Valley, and each of them offers you the chance to get at least one unique item. If ??you’re looking for a specific item, or just?? want to mark the special days on your calendar, here’s every festival and what they give. 

There are at least two festivals in each season, and Winter is positively packed with four festivals to attend. You’re going to be a busy farmer with everything going on, but ?it’s worth being ahead of the c?urve so that you can prepare for specific events. 

Spring festivals in Stardew Valley

Spring 13 - Egg Festival

The Egg Festival is essentially a c??ompetition between you and the other resident??s of Pelican Town. The main event is an easter egg hunt, and you’ll need to gather at least nine eggs within 50 seconds (real-time) to beat Abigail. 

The first time you win at the Egg Festival, you’ll be rewarded with a Straw Hat which cannot be ga?ined in any other way. 

Spring 15-17 - Desert Festival

We have a full guide on the Desert Festival and everything that you can do there, but if you’re looking for unique items, this is one of the best sources. You’ll need to get l??ucky, ho?wever, because which items you can get depends on which villagers have stalls at the festival on any given day:

Some ot??her unique items which can be obtained through the Desert Festival are a??vailable from the Calico Egg Merchant:

• Mummy Mask (120 Calico Eggs)
• Blue Bow (50 Calico Eggs)
• Dark Velvet Bow (75 Calico Eggs)
• Various decorative items (10-35 Calico Eggs)

Spring 24 - Flower Dance

The Flower Dance is either a feel-good day in the Stardew Valley Calendar, or a humbling experience, depending on whether you have anyone to dance with. Regardless, there are only three unique items which can be purc??hased at the shop during this festival:

• Rarecrow #5
• Tub oâ€?Flowers 
• Tub oâ€?Flowers recipe

Summer festivals in Stardew Valley

Summer 11 - The Luau

The Luau will invite you to place an ingredient in the Potluck in the middle of the beach, and if you’re wondering which it?em to add then here’s our guide on the matter. 

If you’re looking for unique items, the Luau has just ??two:

• Wall Palm
• Jungle Decal

Summer 21-22 - Trout Derby

The fishing mini-game in Stardew Valley isn’t the worst, and the Trout Derby festival aims to celebrate it by making you catch as many Trout as you can. Each Trout you catch will earn y??ou one Golden Tag, which can then be exchanged for a variety of items, including two that can’t be obtained in any other way:

• Bucket Hat
• Mounted Trout

Summer 28 - Dance of the Moonlight Jellies

Heading down to the beach after 10 p.m. on Summer 28 will throw you into the strangest of Stardew Valley’s fest??ivals, Dance of the Moonlight Jellies. There is a shop at the festival which sells the f??ollowing unique items:

• Moonlight Jellies Banner
• Cloud Decals
• Starport Decal
• Modern Rug

Fall festivals in Stardew Valley

Fall 16 - Stardew Valley Fair

There are a lot of things to do at the Stardew Valley Fair, and a lot of items up for grabs. You’ll need to take part in various mini-games and events in order to earn Star Tokens, which can ??then be exchanged for the following unique items:

• Fedora
• Rarecrow #1
• 1 Stardrop (can only be purchased once)

Fall 27 - Spirit’s Eve

The equivalent of a Halloween celebration in Pelican Town, the Spirit’s Eve celebration takes place after 10 p.m. on Fall 27. There are a few different unique items available for purchase here, and you can traverse the maze in order to get either a Golden Pumpkin or Prize Ticket.

Here are all of the unique items at the ??Spirit’s Eve festival:

• Jack-O-Lantern
• Jack-O-Lantern recipe
• Rarecrow #2
• Funky Rug

Winter Festivals in Stardew Valley

Winter 8 - Festival of Ice

Fishing takes precedence in this festival, as well as one other in Winter. You’ll find ??????????????????????????a bunch of ice sculptures in place in Cindersap Forest, and you can take part in the Ice Fishing conte??st to win prizes. You’ll need to catch at least 5 fish in order to win. 

As well as the festival activities, you can also? visit the Traveling M??erchant to get some unique items:

• Frozen Dreams wall art
• Icy Rug
• Icy Banner

Fall 12-13 - SquidFest

Another fishing festival, and the last of them for the year, SquidFest challenges players to catch as many Squid as they can from the Beach. If you catch 8 Squid on day one and 10 Squid on day two, you can g??et the following unique rewards:

• Squid Kid art
• Squid Hat

Winter 15-17 - Night Market

Not long after SquidFest, the Night Market wi?ll make its way to the beach of Pelican Town. Most of the items sold here can also be found elsewhere, but there are some unique items to be had as well:

• Clouds Banner
• Stump Torch
• Cone Hat
• Stone Parrot
• Stone Frog
• Suit of Armor
• Iridium Fireplace
• Upright Piano
• Stone Owl

There is also an art seller who has unique paintings available for purchase on each night of the Night Market. He has one? artwork per ?day, and which one you can purchase depends on which night of the Market it is, and which year you’re in.

Winter 25 - Feast of the Winter Star

Essentially Christmas Day, the Feast of the Winter Star will see all of the villagers congregating in the center of town to celebrate the year. You’ll be given a gift from one of the villag??ers, and you’ll need to give a gift to someone as well. 

At the shop which is present during the festival, you can pur?chase a unique Winter Banner. This is the only ??unique item to the festival, as every other item can be gained at least one other way.

The post Stardew Val?ley festi??val calendar, unique items from each festival appeared first on Destructoid.

If you’re looking for new cosmetic clothing items in Stardew Valley, there’s no better place to look than at the Sewing Machine. You can use an astoundingly long list of items in the Spool of the Sewing Machi??ne, and in return you’ll get some unique new clothes. 

At fir??st, the Sewing Machine interface can look pretty daunting. However, there’s rea??lly only two things you need to know:

• The item you wish to use (such as a Golden Pumpkin, Void Essence, or even fish like the Sea Cucumber) goes into the slot at the top of the interface
• Fabric goes in to the slot on the bottom left of the interface

The resulting cosmetic item will be displayed in the box to the right of the Sewing Machine interface, and if? you’re happy with the item you’re going to get, you just need to press the power button on the right of the interface to create it. 

Items which can be made at the Sewing Machine

Rather than list off every single item that can be created at the Sewing Machine, I urge you to get creative and ?experiment to find out which items result in the coolest clothing items. It’s personal choice, and everyone has their own style preference after all. 

With that said, I will list some of my personal favorite items and what you ?need in order to make it. You’ll need one fabric per item, as well as the item you place into the Spool:

How to dye items in Stardew Valley

Some cosmetic items ar?e dyeable, but you need to make your own dye in o?rder to change the color. To do this, you have two options. 

The first method to dye items is by placing items which represent a? color into the Dye Pots to right right of the Sewing Machine in Emily and Haley’s house. You must be wearing the item that you’re intending to dye. 

Although there are only six different colors of dye (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple), there is a way to dye something outsi?de of these colors. If you add one item which corresponds to each dye color, a HSL (hue, saturation, and lightness) slider will appear which allows you to choose y?our own color.

The second method is through the Sewing Machine itself. To dye an item through the Sewing Machine, you’ll need to place the item you want to dye into the slot where you’d usually put Fabric to craft an item. In the top slot, where you’d usually place the item in crafti??ng, you’ll need to place an item corresponding to one of the dye colors. 

Things can get a little tricky with either option, because one dyeing item will?? only dye a clothing item to 25%. To reach full saturation, you’ll need to use four items corresponding to the same color. Each item within your inventory which can be used as a dye item will have a colored circle on it, displaying the color of dye it will turn in to.

You can use pretty much any item to create dye, but here’s?? a list of 10 fairly easy items that you can gather which correspond to each colo??r:

The post How does Tailoring work in Stardew Valley? appeared first on Destructoid.

Once you’ve unlocked the Mines in Stardew Valley, you’ll encounter a new NPC who cannot be co?mmunicated with. This is the Dwarf, and eventually you’ll be able to befriend him and access his shop, but you’ll ?have to put some effort in before then. 

There’s something of a communication barrier between you and the Dwarf at first, namely the fact that you don’t understand Dwarvish. Bu?t that doesn’t mean you can’t learn, y?ou just need to find and study all of his scrolls first. 

Learning how to speak Dwarvish will also?? allow you to talk to the Dwarf in the Volcano Dungeon on Ginger Island, and to read the rightmost gravestone in the Graveyard.

How to find all Dwarf Scrolls in Stardew Valley

There are fou??r Dwarf Scrolls in total, and th??ey can all be found within the Mines. Each scroll has a different colored ribbon and once you’ve found each scroll, you’ll need to donate it to the Museum. When you’ve donated all four scrolls, you’ll miraculously be able to speak Dwarvish. If only learning languages in real life were that easy. 

Dwarf Scroll I

??The first of the Dwarf Scrolls has a red ribbon, and can be found in the following ways:

• Tilling in the Mines or Skull Cavern using the Hoe on any floor (0.16% chance)
• Killing any of the following Monsters within the Mines (0.5% chance per kill):

  • Bat 
  • Bug
  • Cave Fly
  • Duggy
  • Green Slime
  • Grub
  • Rock Crab
  • Stone Golem

Dwarf Scroll II

The second Dwarf Scroll has a green ribbon, ??and can be found by doing the fo??llowing:

• Tilling in the Mines between floors 1 and 29 (0.1% chance)
• Killing any of the following monsters within the Mines (0.5% chance per kill):

  • Blue Slime
  • Dust Sprite
  • Frost Bat
  • Ghost

Dwarf Scroll III

The third Dwar??f Scroll has a blue scroll a??nd cannot be found from Tilling inside the Mines, unlike the previous two. If you want to get this scroll, each of the following monsters has a 0.5% chance to drop it when killed:

• Any slime
• Lava Bat
• Lava Crab
• Squid Kid
• Shadow Brute
• Shadow Shaman
• Metal Head
• Spider
• Blue Squid

Dwarf Scroll IV

The final scroll comes with a yellow rib?bon, and can be found using the following methods:

• Tilling on any floor of the Mines below level 80 (0.2% chance)
• Killing any monster within the Mines except the following (0.1% chance per kill):

  • Skeleton
  • Serpent
  • Wilderness Golem
  • Carbon Ghost
  • Iridium Bat
  • Iridium Crab
  • Haunted Skull

If you’re stuck looking for either Dwarf Scroll ! or IV, then it’s handy to know that there is a patch of ??tillable soil close to the elevator on floor 95. Descending to this floor rep??eatedly and tilling this patch of floor is a good way to farm for both scrolls if you’re missing them from your collection.

Everything sold at the Dwarf’s Shop in Stardew Valley

Now that you’ve learned how to speak Dwarvish, you’ll be able to befriend him and you’ll also have access to his shop. The items he sells are always the same, and they’r?e especially useful for future adventures within the Mines.

Here’s everything you can get from the Dwarf after you’ve learned how to ??speak his language:

The post How to get all Dwarf Scrolls in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

Most of the quests in Stardew Valley are pretty straightforward to complete, but some are more riddle-esque, while others le?ave you outright guessing what you’re supposed to be doing.

Once you’ve completed the Community Center bundles (or paid off JojaMart, if you’re inclined that way), you will be able to repair Willy’s boat and make your way to Ginger Island. There’s a lot of new things to do on the island and people to meet??, with many g??iving you new objectives and quests. 

One of these people is Birdie, who lives in a hut on the western side of the island. Speaking to Birdie will automatically provide you with a quest to complete called “The Pirate’s Wife� which can seem pretty confusing. How??ever, this is a quest that you should definitely do because it gives some pretty worthwhile rewards.

How to complete The Pirate’s Wife in Stardew Valley

When you speak to Birdie, she’ll tell you that she wants to find a keepsake which once belonged to her husband, who was presumably a pirate. Unfortunately, finding it isn’t as simple as heading to a specified location, and instead requires you to work your way throug??h an NPC-centric scavenger hunt of sorts. 

After talking to Birdie, you’ll be in possession of a photograph depicting a sol?dier washed up on a beach. This is a War Memento, and you need to take this to a specific villager to swap it for something else. To finish the quest, you’ll need to do this six times, swapping items with villagers? until you eventually come into possession of the keepsake which Birdie is after. 

Although the intended recipient of each item should ??be obvious from the item itself, it’s easy? to get confused, so here’s the order in which you’ll get each item and who you need to give it to:

After giving the Wriggling Worm to Willy, he’ll gi?ve you a Pirate’s Locket. This is the keepsake that Birdie ??has been after, so you’re to return to Ginger Island and give it to her to complete The Pirate’s Wife. 

Rewards for completing The Pirate’s Wife

Most importantly, completing The Pirate’s Wife will reward you with five Golden Walnuts, which you’ll need if you want to eventually gain access to Qi’s Walnut Room. 

Other than this, youâ€??™ll also unlock the recipe for Fairy Dust, which is an incredibly useful item, because it enables you to instantly complete any process on a lot of the machinery on your farm.

The only exceptions to this are:

• Incubators
• Ostrich Incubators
• Slime Incubators

The post How to complete The Pirate’s Wife quest in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

If you’re looking for a gift that’s guaranteed to be loved in Stardew Valley, you have a few options. One of them is a Golden Pumpkin, but there’s only one guar??anteed way to get your hands on this Fall item. 

Golden Pumpkins are on the list of universally loved gifts in Stardew Valley, meaning that regardless of who you give it to, it’s guaranteed to get you 80 friendship points with the recipient. For that reason, it’s definitely worth getting a Golden Pumpkin whenever you can. ??Depending o??n your level of luck, opportunities to hoard this loved gift may be few and far between.

How to get a Golden Pumpkin in Stardew Valley

The only way you’re guaranteed to get a Golden Pumpkin is by completing the maze at the Spirit’s Eve Festival, which takes place between 10 p.m. and 11:50 p.m. on Fall 27 each year. The Golden Pumpkin will only appear at the end of the maze every other year, starting with year one, so you’ll have to be in an odd year to get your guarantee?d prize. 

On odd years, the trick to reaching the end of the maze is via the secret passage. To find it, head towards the signpost marked with a question mark, and then continue to the right and into the cave to the north. Blindly navigate the cave (using a glow ring can make this a little easier) and then you’ll pop o??ut near the treasure chest at the end of the maze, which contains a Golden Pumpkin.

Thankfully, if you have luck on your side, you can find Golden Pumpkins a couple of other ways, although none of them are guaranteed by far. You have a 3.7% chance to find a Golden Pumpkin in Artifact Troves, Mystery Boxes or Golden Mystery Boxes. 

Are Golden Pumpkins used for anything other than gifting?

If you’ve reached maximum friendship with every villager in Pelican Town, there is another good use for a Golden Pumpkin. If you use a Golden Pumpkin in the spool of any Sewing Machine, you’ll end up with a Witch Hat, which is perfect for the season. You can also use a Golden Pumpkin to make yellow dy?e if you put it in the Dye Pots at Emily and Haley’s house. 

Outside of this, if you’re in a bit of a monetary pinch and need some funds for seeds or the like, you could always just sell your Spirit's Eve prize for 2,??500 Gold. You’ll need to do this via the Shipping Bin on your farm, th?ough, because Pierre won’t purchase it from you outright.

Just make sure you don’t need it for anything else before you?? choose to sell, bec?ause you’ll likely end up waiting two years to get another one. 

The post How to get a Golden Pumpkin in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

Once you’ve unlocked the Raccoons in their Cindersap Forest home in Stardew Valley, you’ll have requests to complete i?n order to unlock further fam?ily members. The first of these, Mrs. Raccoon, comes with her own shop, and you don’t need Gold to purchase her wares.

Unlike other vendors in Stardew Valley, Mrs. Raccoon has n??o use for Gol?d and instead chooses to use a barter system. In exchange for junk and other items, you can get some rare items and seeds. 

Everything sold at Mrs. Raccoon’s Shop in Stardew Valley

After completing the first request for Mr. Raccoon, his wife will show up th??e following day, and you’ll have access to her shop. The stock of her shop expands after completing each request for Mr. Raccoon, although she starts out with a selection of seeds that are usually obtained from Seed Spots.

In some cases, it’s possible to start with one item and b?arter up to much more useful items, suc??h as the following:

• Cave Carrot > Mixed Seeds > Raccoon Hat
• Mystery Box > Golden Mystery Box > Magic Rock Candy

Here’s everything that she eventually sells, along with which request you’ll need to complet??e in order to unlock each item for purchase:

The post Everything sold at Mrs. Raccoon’s shop in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

If you’re looking for certain resources or materials in Stardew Valley, there’s a high? likelihood that one of the many in-game vendors will sell at least some of them. One of these vendors is Krobus, who sells various rare items.

Be?fore you can unlock Krobusâ€?Shop inside the Sewers, you’re going to have to put in a little bit of effort. The Sewers are locked?? for a while at the start of the game, and unlocking them requires some effort on your part. 

It’s not just Krobus�Shop awaiting you in the Sewers, either. If you want to catch all of Stardew Valley’s Legendary Fish, you’ll find one of them down here, too. Plus, if you want to befriend Krobus, you can’t even b??egin to do so until you’ve unlocked the Sewers. 

How to get the Rusty Key in Stardew Valley

You’ll first hear about the Sewers and the Rusty Key from Vince?nt and Jas on or after Spring 11 of year one, if you enter the Cindersap Forest on a Monday, Thursday or Sunday. After that, if you try to enter the Sewers by either of the openings in Cindersap Forest or the main town, you’ll be told that you cannot enter yet. 

To get the Rusty Key, you’ll need to donate 60 items to the Museum. These donations can include artifacts or minerals, but you need to donate 6??0 unique items. After you’ve r??eached this number, Gunther will visit you at home and give you the Rusty Key, allowing you access to the sewers.

How to unlock Krobus�Shop in Stardew Valley

The good news ??is that once you’ve donated 60 items and got the Rusty Key, you’ll now automatically have access to both Krobus and his shop. You’re now free to win him over with conversation and gifts or otherwise purchas??e rare items from his shop. 

I??f you choose to make Krobus your roommate, he will no longer be in residence down in the Sewers. You'll still be able to access his wares if you go down there, but he will be replaced with a chest which you'll need to interact with.

Krobus�Shop has a selection of items that are always availa??ble with a rotating stock that changes daily:

Permanent stock

Daily rotating stock

The post How to unlock the Sewers in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

If you want to gain an advantage on your dives into the Mines and Skull Caverns in Stardew Valley, one resource that you’re going to need a lot of is Void Essence. Thankfully,? there ar?e a few different ways to get it. 

How to get Void Essence in Stardew Valley

You’re likely to be able to hoard up a hefty amount of Void Essence on your exploration of the Mines and Sku??ll Caverns, as it’s a drop from the fol??lowing monsters:

• Shadow Brute (both normal and dangerous)
• Shadow Shaman (both normal and dangerous)
• Shadow Sniper
• Haunted Skull
• Serpent
• Spider

However, there a??re a few other ways to get Void Essence if you don’t mind spending a little of your Gold to do so. 

Krobus�Shop

Once you’ve donated 60 items to the Museum, got the Rusty Key, and unlocked Krobusâ€?Shop, you’ll ??be able to purchase Void Essence for 100 Gold each. You can only buy a maximum of 10 per day, but Void Essence is in stock every day, so ??you can get 70 per week. 

Fish Pond

If you want a chance to get Void Essence passively, you can always install a Fish Pond on your farm and fill it with Void Salmon. This fish can be found in the Witch’s Swamp, and a Void Salmon Fish Pond will possibly drop between 5 ??and 10 Void Essence as ?long as the population of the Pond is 8 or more.

How to use Void Essence in Stardew Valley

The first reason for gathering Void Essence is to complete the Adventurer’s Bundle in the Community Center. Although it’s not strictly necessary, as you have a choice of five ite??ms and need ??to donate only two, Void Essence is a fairly easy item to find now that you know where to look. 

Crafting

Void essence is used when crafting Mega Bombs and Iridium Bands, two items that ca??n really help while you’re exploring the caverns around Pelican Town and beyond. These recipes don’t unlock until quite a while into a playthrough, but they need the following resources:

You’ll also need Void Essence if you want to ask Krobus to move in with you instead of marrying a villager. To do this, you’ll need to reach level?? 10 friendship with Krobus and then buy a Void Ghost? Pendant from the Desert Trader for 200 Void Essence.

Quests

The main quest which calls for Void Essence comes from the Wizard on Winter 12. To complete “The Dark Reagent,�you’ll need to bring one Void Essence to the Wizard. The reward for doing so is 1,000 Gold and one heart of friends?hip.

Gifting

In terms of gif?ts, only the Wizard particularly enjoys receiving Void Essence. With the exception of the Dwarf, who feels neutral about it, the rest of the villagers actively dislike receiving Void Essence as a gift.

Tailoring

If used in the spool of a Sewing Machine, Void Essence will result in the production of an Arcane Shirt. It ca?n also be used to make a purple dye via the dye pots in Emily and Haley’s house. 

The post How to get Void Essence in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

If you’ve made waves with a bachelor or bachelorette in Stardew Valley and want to move your relationship on to the next level by getting hitched and having them live with you on the farm, you’re going to need a Mermaid’s Pendant.?? Here’s how t??o get one. 

The Mermaid’s Pendant is, for all intents and purposes, an engagement ring in the style of Stardew Valley. To get a potential beau to go on a date w??ith you, you give them a Bouquet. To get someone to marry you, you give them a Mermaid’s Pendant. 

Before you can give anyone a Mermaid’s Pendant, you’ll need to do a couple?? of ??things:

• Reach level 10 friendship with your desired spouse by giving them a Bouquet when they reach level 8 friendship
• Purchase and complete the first Farmhouse upgrade

How to get a Mermaid’s Pendant in Stardew Valley

There is only one way to get a Mermaid’s Pendant in Stardew Valley, and you’ll only be able to get one after repairing the bridge to the eastern side?? of the Beach using 300 Wood. Once you’ve done this, you’ll have to wait for a rainy day. 

On any rainy day in Spring, Summer, or Fall, the Old Mariner will show up in the treeline to the north of the small, now accessible island. He’ll be there from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m., and will sell the Mermaid’s Pendant for 5,000 Gold. He can also show up during Winter, but only if a Rain Totem is used to force spawn the rain on any day other than those taken up by the Night Market. 

The Old Mariner will still show up if you’re already married or have a housemate, but? he will not sell you another Mermaid’s Pendant unless you get divorced from your current spouse. If ??you’re engaged to your future spouse, but not yet married, you can return to the Old Mariner to buy another Mermaid’s Pendant.

Once you’ve got a Mermaid’s Pendant, you can give it to anyone with a 10-heart friendship, but if you give one to someone while ??already married, they’ll call you out for your questionable actions.

The post How to get a Mermaid’s Pendant in Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.