Long ago, I, a gentle gamer, purchased Stardew Valley. I poked around the landscape, talked to a few NPCs, bought a chicken or two, plucked a field of fresh crops, and then signed off – and in doing so, went MIA from my Pelican Town. Until months later, where I returned to a farm whose name I had forgotten and a farmer, who, for some reason – had a duckface?

I doubt I am alone in the tale of curious gamer tries a sim, and then goes back to the real world, only to forget all about the inhabitants of the world. However, the 1.6 update of the game in Stardew got everyone talking about the beloved game once again, jogging my memory of my own first attempt. It only took a handful of Tik-Tok videos to be convinced to return.

My reunion with the indie-farming sim was impactful. Within three weeks I reached year two. With my recent dive back into the world of forest spirits, eligible Townies, and a whole lot of mines to destroy, I have a few mod suggestions for anyone else on the Stardew sidelines who has yet to truly begin.

Quality of Life

While the 1.6 Stardew Valley update improved many aspects of the gameplay – i.e. moving chests with a heavy tool, allowing male farmers to wear what they wish on the wedding day, billboard quest trackers, etc. – there are a few mods that I feel are needed in terms of playability.

I am not someone who seeks out mods that pursue infinite money or easy cheats. I am, however, someone who values good user experience. And to any purists out there – I get it. The desire to play the game as ConfusedApe intended is great! I, however, need a bit more in terms of user friendliness to enjoy Stardew Valley.

Which is why the Chests Anywhere from Pathoschild on Nexus Mods, is a mod I would persuade anyone to download.

The ability to access my chests from any location has boosted my enjoyment of Stardew Valley exponentially.

Running wildly through the mines with no more space for all the rare geodes and gems in the pack? No worries, just toss them into the Stones chest back on the farm, and keep going. On the final day of a quest, with half the wood back on the farm and the other half currently in the pack while the hours tick on with no time to run back and forth? All good, take out the wood needed from the chest in the house, and meet up with Robin before she is no longer able to talk.

And as for finishing up quests for beloved villagers on time, another mod that can help with this is NPC Map Locations by Bouhm.

No more checking every nook and cranny of Pelican Town for Demetrious, especially as the Puffer Fish wriggles around, waiting to be given over. Now, his little face pops up on the map and I can seek him out before he disappears for the night.

And as for understanding what our fellow villagers enjoy or what a crop of ours might produce, there is The Lookup Anything mod.

While the Stardew Valley Wiki is a great resource to have open on another screen, it could break immersion or be annoying to keep going to another website while playing. The Lookup Anything mod provides information on anything from who might enjoy an amethyst as a gift to what a vegetable or resource could be used for in crafting recipes or helpful tools.

This mod can provide so much helpful context to a newcomer who might be anxious about what to do with, let’s say, an ancient seed. Helpful tip – never sell the ancient seed.

In the same vein of context and labeling, a few more mods to consider are:

UI Info Suite – Show crop types from the seeds you have planted, displays icons on animals that need pets, displays experience bars based on tools or locations, shows the calendar and billboard requests from anywhere, and more.

CJB Show Item Sell Price – Shows the worth of items by hovering the mouse over it. Extremely helpful when deciding what items to sell or what to make into an artisan good versus selling as a farmed good outright

Expansions

Stardew Valley’s world is rich. The creator of the game, ConceredApe, has developed a charming world of mystery and domesticity. Many players have reached year 7 with a deep love of the lore, and some questions having never been answered. In terms of content, there is much to be discovered all on the game’s own.

But that has not stopped the modding community from expanding upon the source material to add their own flare.

Stardew Valley Expanded was one of the first to hit the community by storm.

The creator, FlashShifter, implores all new players to play the original game first all the way through before added on the Expansion. Their love for the game is clear, and respectful. A respect that is evident in how they have added onto the world of Stardew Valley. Dozens of new NPCs, events, fishes, locations, and more give the game a new depth.

Included in the Stardew Valley Expanded mod is Grampleton Fields. A spot that is best suited for multiplayers or a farming veteran. It provides a ton of open fields with farmers to cultivate for new crops or building so that they can expand upon their empire after using up all the other available space in Pelican Town.

This is not the only expansion available – but it is the only one I have tried thus far. There is so much to uncover, it could get overwhelming to do too many at once.

Necessities

If any of these mods sound appealing – great! There are just a few things to do first.

The Stardew Modding API ( SMAPI ), Content Patcher, SpaceCore, Generic Mod Config Menu, Expanded Preconditions Utility, and Json Assets are required to download before any mods can be added to Stardew Valley.

Each mod page provides helpful instructions on how to download them and a forum where fellow modders exchange tips on how to deal with any issues involving mods. In the beginning of pursuing a modded adventure, it took me a while to understand what all I had to do as a prerequisite.

With these mods all laid out, hopefully anyone can play Stardew Valley with whatever tools necessary to make their time in Pelican Town that much more enjoyable.

Do you have a favorite mod for Stardew Valley? Do any of these sound interesting? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.

Featured Image: ConcernedApe

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