Stardew Valley’s hugely-anticipated Update 1.6 is fast approaching its release on March 19! To celebrate and get fans hyped, ConcernedApe has been revealing one line of patch notes everyday. Read on to see them all until Update 1.6’s release!
Stardew Valley Update 1.6 Out On March 19!
ConcernedApe Revealing One Patch Note Daily Until Its Release
Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe(real name Eric Barone) has revealed that Stardew Valley’s Update 1.6 will be coming out on March 19, 2024! This is the farming simulator’s first significant update since the massive Update 1.5 that brought the all-new Ginger Island area. However, ConcernedApe has clarified that Update 1.6 will not bring as much new content as Update 1.5, but rather will refurbish, refine, and improve content throughout the early, middle, and end games.
Until its release on March 19, he will be revealing one random line of "non-spoilery" patch notes to generate hype and to serve as a countdown. We will gather and update this article daily until the actual release of Update 1.6!
March 11 - Fruit Trees and Saplings
"Cutting down a fruit tree now yields the appropriate fruit sapling. If the tree is mature (i.e. the fruit quality is > basic), it will yield a sapling with the same quality as its fruit. The higher the quality, the faster the sapling will mature when replanted."
This is a huge quality-of-life improvement with regards to fruit saplings, as they notoriously take a long time to become fully mature and start bearing fruit. A more mature sapling taking faster to grow when replanted will be great news for those who have fully grown fruit trees and wish to possibly relocate them elsewhere.
March 12 - Left-to-Right and Right-to-Left Harvesting Bug Fixed
"Fixed bug where it was faster to harvest left-to-right than right-to-left"
This one has notably surprised many long-time players, as this was apparently a bug that has been present since the start. In response to Andy Chalk from PC Gamer, ConcernedApe reveals that "The left facing harvest animation was 100ms longer than it should’ve been." After discovering the bug, Update 1.6 will now have both harvest animations play at the same ‘faster’ speed of left-to-right, rather than slowing it down to right-to-left!
March 13 - Bigger Downward Melee Attacks
"Extended the area of effect of downward facing melee attacks"
Another quality-of-life improvement that ConcernedApe personally felt annoyed with was how downward melee attacks were smaller than other directions. Though the animations and hitboxes were accurate, he decided that game "game feel is way more important than precise visual accuracy." Swinging downward will now feel more satisfying!
Note that this is for only melee weapons such as swords, clubs, and the like, meaning it does not affect tools such as pickaxes, axes, and the like.
March 14 - Less Time to Get Past Pets
"Reduced the amount of time you need to push against a pet before they start shaking and then let you pass through them (1.5 to .75 seconds)."
Another to add to the growing list of quality-of-life improvements is the lesser time it takes to get past your pets! This is a very niche but annoying scenario that happens to a lot of players where their pets would be blocking their paths. Stardew Valley has a built-in "pass-through" function that lets you just clip through any entity blocking you if you ever find yourself trapped. This improvement lessens the time it takes to do so with pets!
March 15 - Honeymoon Grace Period
"Spouses now have a seven-day ‘honeymoon’ period after marriage which prevents them from laying in bed all day due to being upset."
This is a very welcome change that ought to remove some confusion! After getting married to your spouse, their relationship meter, or "hearts" expand to 14, where the previous maximum was 10. As a married couple, your spouse would start at 10 filled hearts, making it seem that your marriage is at its lowest point, making them act grumpy, angry, cranky, or just unsatisfied. This has often confused newly-wed players who have no idea what they’ve done when they just got married and are worried about their new partners in life.
The update now makes sure that your first week of marriage stays conflict free and doesn’t let them ruminate in bed as they’re upset! ConcernedApe should go into marriage counselling.
March 16 - Colored Processed Ingredients
"Jelly, pickles, wines, and juices are now colored based on the ingredient item"
This is such a subtle but fun change that speaks of how much the game values the little things. Previously, any sort of processed fruit and vegetable, no matter the color, would always produce the same colored jelly, pickle, wine, and juice, making it all seem like the same. Now, they’re distinctly colored across!
Stardew Valley is a very colorful game, and now it just got even moreso!
March 17 - You Can Now Drink Mayonnaise
"You can now drink mayonnaise"
The "most controversial" patch note yet, ever, for fans. Many pointed out how ConcernedApe has gone on record before to say he doesn't like mayo in real life and will not allow drinking it in the game. But, hey, here we are now. Mayonnaise is still not an instrument, but you'll be able to chug it down in Stardew Valley.
March 18 - New "Meadowlands Farm" Farm Type!
"Added a new farm type: Meadowlands Farm. It has a chewy blue grass that animals love. You also start with a coop and 2 chickens."
This is certainly the biggest bombshell across all patch notes, as Update 1.6 will be bringing a unique new farm type for players to start their farming journey in! The game also has seven distinct farm maps to choose from, each with their own quirky benefits and disadvantages. The meadowlands brings it up to an even 8, and brings an all-new type of blue-colored grass! What’s more, players will start out with a pre-built Chicken Coop which will already house two chickens! This is definitely a game changer for some, as access to chickens as early as the first day of spring will be crucial in earning money fast.
March 19 - Dawn of the Final Day
Today is the faithful day of Update 1.6’s arrival, and ahead of it, Concerned ape has left one final surprise just before the update rears in!
"PSA for people who use mods: A ton of mods are already updated for 1.6 (check out smapi.io/mods). Also, I’ve added a public steam branch that will let you stay on version 1.5.6 if you choose. I recommend trying out 16 without mods, but it’s up to you"
In and out of the game, ConcernedApe truly continues to be concerned with the little subtle qualities-of-life of the players, giving modders a safety net of already allowing their mods to work with the upcoming update. Additionally, the option to stay in version 1.5.6 just to be able to either stay in the past, or fully experience the tons of changed content for Update 1.6 is hugely appreciated.
The wait is nearly over, and by this time tomorrow, we can expect to be enthralled by Stardew Valley’s latest update, courtesy of ConcernedApe!
You can now drink mayonnaise.
You can now drink mayonnaise.