The 1.3 update for Stardew Valley added a long-desired feature: the ability to play with friends. You can play with up to three others either online or via local co-op, building a farm together. As much as the multiplayer option excited fans, the update added a whole bunch of new features that spiced up the game. They added new quests, character information, abilities, and more. If you thought you’ve done all there is to do in the game, this update brings more new content than you can shake your axe at. Check out the best features that the multiplayer update has to offer.
10 10. Marry Your Real-Life Partner
By now you probably know that you can marry any of the 12 marriage candidates in the game. Your spouse can help you out on the farm, looking after animals, fixing fences, etc. But with the multiplayer update, you may well be playing with another, very special marriage candidate.
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If you’re playing the game with your partner, don’t worry about being unfaithful – you can marry them, too! Crafting a wedding ring allows you to propose to your partner, and if they accept, you become engaged. They may not automatically fix fences, but isn’t it the sweetest thing to be married in-game?
9 9. Build A Farm With Your Friends
You’ve spent hours cultivating crops, making your farm a sight to behold. If you want your friends to witness it in all its glory, build them a cabin and they can live there and explore it for themselves. Your funds and the state of the world will be shared. They’ll have their own quests, skills, friendship levels, and inventories; if you’ve got all the iridium tools, they’ll have the sweet satisfaction of earning their own.
If you don’t fancy allowing your friends to tarnish your perfect farm, you can team up and build a brand new one together. Just think of all the crops you could plant with four people!
8 8. The Night Market
A great new feature is the Night Market: a festival that takes place from the 15th to the 17th of Winter. It’s got a ton of attractions; you can buy a load of coffee, seasonal decorations, and rare paintings.
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You can also watch a mermaid’s singing performance, and even go on a deep-fishing tour for the chance to catch fish exclusive to this event. It’s the only place you get hold of the Midnight Squid, Spook Fish, and Blobfish. This market is jam-packed with stuff to do, and unlike at other festivals, interacting with villagers will still increase your friendship.
7 7. Secret Notes
The multiplayer update also adds the “A Winter Mystery” quest, which allows you to find Secret Notes with a magnifying glass. They can let you into the secret of villagers’ favorite items, provide clues of hidden items or quests to complete, or even cute sentimental items. Secret Note #11, for example, is an old Polaroid. Some notes relate to or follow specific quests, such as Secret Note #10, which is only available after completing the “Qi’s Challenge” quest. Others can lead you to cutscenes that grant you a special, perpetual bonus…
6 6. Permanent Bonuses
Three permanent bonuses were added in this update, giving your character different perks. The Bear’s Knowledge increases the sell price of salmonberries and blackberries by three times, Spring Onion Mastery increases the sell price of spring onions by five times, and the Special Charm increases daily luck.
The Bear’s Knowledge and the Special Charm are found when you solve the puzzles of their Secret Notes. Figure out the secret, and you unlock the bonus! Spring Onion Mastery comes from a cutscene involving Jas and Vincent, when you’ve got at least eight hearts of friendship with them both.
5 5. New Items
Some useful new items have been added to the game, to make the running of your farm super smooth. Wood and Stone Signs are now available, so you can mark which plots hold which crop – very handy for when all you can see is indiscernible seeds. Just add seed or a full crop to the sign, and it will now hold that image.
Auto-Grabbers can collect milk and wool from your barn animals every day, so you don’t have to go round doing the milking and shearing yourself. Oh, and horses can wear hats now. That’s got to be the best feature, right?
4 4. New Heart Events
For players who love a good storyline, cutscenes are the cherry on top of gameplay; they make the world richer.
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The multiplayer update adds another layer of depth to the characters with some new heart events for Jas, Vincent, Willy, Pam, and Linus. You can explore more of Linus’s lifestyle and the perceptions around him living in the wilderness. Some are less serious, such as Willy being troubled by an overload of crabs. Either way, if you’re like me and get excited every time the screen turns black from an oncoming cutscene, you’ll be satisfied.
3 3. Community Upgrade
Along with this update comes the Community Upgrade, available to purchase from Robin in the Carpenter’s Shop. You can only buy it once your Farmhouse has been fully upgraded, and you’ve either completed the Community Center or purchased a JojaMart membership. It costs a hefty 500,000g and 950 wood, but it’s worth it if you value progression. Once you’ve paid, Robin will build a new house for Pam and Penny (unless you chose to marry Penny in which case she’ll live at the Farmhouse). This also unlocks a bonus heart event for Pam.
2 2. Skull Cavern Updates
Another addition to the game is new monsters spawning in the Skull Cavern. There’s the Carbon Ghost, Iridium Bat, and Iridium Crab. Iridium Bats appear beyond level 50 and have a 90% chance of dropping Iridium Ore, so going on a bat-slashing spree is a fast way to rack up precious Iridium.
There are also now rare treasure chest floors, as there are in the Mines. They appear randomly once you move below level 10, and the chances of finding them are affected by Daily Luck, as well as any Luck Buffs (such as consuming the Lucky Lunch).
1 1. Statue Of Uncertainty
Here’s an invaluable feature for those who are indecisive: the Statue of Uncertainty. This wonderful hunk of rock allows you to change professions if you donate 10,000g. You can choose one skill to change, and when your farmer goes to bed for the day, the Level five “Choose a Profession” screen will pop up, followed by the corresponding Level 10 options if you’ve reached it in that skill.
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No more kicking yourself for missing out on better prices for Artisan Goods, or double the usual foraged items. As long as you keep making money, you can be as indecisive as you like!