The Stardew Valley 1.5 update patch notes have finally arrived, with the brand new update being unveiled by developer Concerned Ape. The new update to the farming game introduced split-screen co-op for local players, allowing up to four players to start out on a farm together.
The new update also includes new game options, with a whole new Beach Farm being introduced. This included new fishing and foraging opportunities, along with the chance to get your hands on a rare supply crate. New hairstyles have also been added, while creator Eric Barone has confirmed that modders were given early access to the update in order to adapt the game’s most famous mods for this update.
The new update was introduced today, December 21. It is currently available to download on PC, with a release date for the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions of the update yet to be confirmed.
The full patch notes are as follows:
Stardew Valley 1.5 update patch notes
New Game Options
If you’re considering starting a new save file for this update, there’s a few new character creation options:
- There is a new farm called “Beach Farm“. It’s big, with good fishing and foraging opportunities, and the chance for rare supply crate to wash up on shore. But there’s a catch… the majority of the farm is covered in sandy soil that prevents you from using sprinklers (they get clogged with the sand). If this is your first time playing Stardew Valley, I recommend trying one of the other farms for a more classic experience, but if you’re coming back for another playthrough, Beach Farm might make your experience a little more fresh (it also has a unique look).
- There is a new “Advanced Game Options” button in the bottom left of the character creation menu. From here, you can select a variety of options to customize your playthrough. For returning players, I’d recommend trying out the “remixed” Community Center bundles, which randomizes the bundles you’ll get, adding in brand new ones as well as variations of the originals. Remixing the mine rewards can also shake things up… this adds randomized variety to what you can get out of the mine chests.
- Make sure to check out the new hairstyles at the end of the hairs list.
Split Screen (Local) Co-Op
To play splitscreen, build a cabin (from Robin’s) for up to 3 other players who will be joining (if you’re starting a new game, you can also select to have cabins already placed at the beginning in the advanced game options menu). Once the cabins are there, open your game menu, scroll down to multiplayer, and select “Start local co-op”. The other players can now join by pressing start on a controller connected to the PC. Please see the options tab in the game menu to adjust the zoom level and UI zoom level to a setting that works well for you. Otherwise, split screen works exactly the same as online multiplayer.
Modding
Some prominent modders were given early access to 1.5 so that they could update their mods in time for release. If you play with mods that you can’t live without, check to see if they might already be updated!
If you’re venturing into Stardew Valley for the first time as part of this new update, be sure to check out the best fishing spots per season in the game, along with all seasonal crops in the game.
