The Best 1.6 Updates Console Players Will Love In Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update was released on the Switch this month, and console players are ecstatic to finally dive in and play the update everyone has been raving about. This update is bigger than anyone could have guessed, with tons of tiny little modifications to make the game better, including being able to put hats on pets and drink mayonnaise.

Concerned Ape did an amazing job adding fun quests to keep players on their toes. While some might be more excited than others about the little things, like the fish smoker, there are some changes that everyone will be thrilled about. Keep reading to find out everything you have to look forward to!

11 New Festival

Desert Festival, Trout Derby, And SquidFest, Oh My!

One of the best 1.6 additions is the new festivals. The Desert Festival is for three days in the spring. The main activity here is a skull cavern run with extra challenges, but there are also fishing quests, shops, and an outfit service run by Emily and Sandy.

There are two new fishing festivals as well: the Trout Derby and SquidFest. The Trout Derby takes place in the summer, and you get prizes for catching Rainbow Trout. SquidFest is in winter, and similar to the Trout Derby, catching squids will grant you exciting prizes.

10 Bookseller

Learn More With Books

The Bookseller, unsurprisingly, sells books. The shop will appear randomly twice a season and sell a random assortment. You can find the Bookseller shop adorned with a giant balloon above the JojaMart (or movie theater).

Some examples of items you can buy there are the Book of Stars, which gives you experience in all skills, and The Art O’ Crabbing, which makes crab pots have a 25% chance to yield double.

9 NPC Updates

Winter Outfits And Dialogue Changes

NPC Updates always make the game shine a little brighter. One of the main differences is that now their outfits change in the winter. Some characters get cool coats, and others get beanies or earmuffs. It’s an adorable update, and it’s so exciting to run around to see how each character is dressed.

NPCs also have dialogue changes. In general, there is more dialogue, but one of the cutest changes is that each NPC will have a unique reaction to loved gifts. This gives players an incentive to give each NPC their favorite gifts.

8 Giant Stump Quest

Raccoon Family

The Giant Stump Quest is a fantastic addition to the game. After a strong windstorm, a tree falls in the Cindersap Forest. You can follow the request, and a little raccoon will move in.

Once the Raccoon moves in, it’ll ask you for things. Some requests include clams or other crab pot fish, and others are for dried fruit or jelly. Once you give the raccoon what it asks for, more raccoons move in. Eventually, the raccoon will have a little shop where you can buy seeds and other goodies.

7 Mastery System

Master Of Everything

The Mastery System is an addition that gives you more to do end game. Since a lot of Stardew Valley lovers will play the game for hours and hours on end, this system gives them something new to strive for.

There’s a secret door in the forest below Marnie’s farm that you can access once all your skills have reached level ten. You can get different points to level up by simply playing. Fishing adds fishing points, mining adds mining points, and so on.

6 Green Rain Event

Is The World Ending?!

The Green Rain Event is super fun. It occurs on a random day in the summer. The entire day, green rain falls. Moss grows in abundance, and there are endless Fiddlehead ferns and unique trees to chop down.

The villagers all have unique responses to the rain, so make sure you walk around and talk to them. If you can’t find them, check the Saloon, they like to hole up there when they’re scared.

5 Meowmere

New Weapon

The Meowmere is a cool new weapon, but one that you can only obtain secretly. First, you have to obtain the Far Away Stone, which you can get by throwing an Ancient Doll into the lava on the hundredth floor of the mines.

From there, you can take the Far Away Stone and place it on the plant pedestal in the Wizard’s basement. This will grant you the infamous Meowmere, which does 20-20 damage and explodes enemies with rainbow sparkles.

4 Prize Machine

Prize Tickets Galore

You can earn prize tickets by completing quests or special orders. You can also get them at certain festivals after the first year. This gives players an incentive to keep completing tasks and quests that NPCs ask for.

You can take the prize tickets to Lewis’ house. There’s a prize machine there, and the tickets will get you a variety of prizes such as bombs, seeds, Stardrop Tea, Spicy Eels, and more.

3 Bobber Machine

Rubber Ducky, You’re The One

The Bobber Machine is a small but sweet update. Go to the fish shop, which is inside Willy’s home. To the right, there is a Bobber Machine. This allows players to pick their bobbers, which are little items that float in the water when you’re fishing.

As you catch more fish, more bobbers will unlock. There are 39 total, including a cute rubber ducky, a heart, a pearl, and an orange cat.

2 Honeymoon Period

I Love You, Honey

One of the complaints players had was when they married someone, if they were low-ish in their hearts, the NPC would be angry with them. They would spend all day in bed, and wouldn’t want to talk to the farmer. Players were frustrated since they were so excited to get married, and this experience ruined it.

With the new Honeymoon Period, for the first week after your wedding, your spouse cannot fall into depression. This means you have seven days to give them gifts and raise their heart level.

1 Meadowlands Farm

New Farm, New You

The latest farm is called Meadowlands Farm. This farm is livestock-orientated, so you start with a coop and some animals. There are different achievements at this farm as well that focus more on livestock than crops.

There is also blue grass on this farm, which boosts your animal’s friendship and has them produce higher quality goods faster. This farm is great for animal lovers, but not necessarily the best for growing crops. There is less availability for tilling soil and limited water access.