Stardew Valley 1.6 patch notes are here with over 500 changes: multiple pets, "new neighbors," new NPC dialogue, fresh outfits, extra crops, and so much more

Stardew Valley 1.6 update patch notes are here, and as expected, there's a lot to cover - more-so than we could've possibly imagined - so let's dive in now that the update's live on PC. 

Some of the biggest changes included in the 500-plus-entry list of patch notes are: new festivals and events, including a desert festival in the Spring, two mini-fishing events, and a new "environmental 'event'" in Summer; a new "mastery system" that grants "powerful perks and items"; "many new NPC dialogues"; the ability to get multiple pets; a "big tree" questline that'll give you "some new neighbors"; and a new world map for Ginger Island. 

Those really are just some of the standouts. Clothes are now gender-neutral, NPCs have winter outfits, booksellers come more frequently, you can now put hats on cats and dogs – the list goes on and on and on. We'll be unpacking the effects of this patch for ages, folks. 

Thanks to a whole week of pre-release patch notes, we knew before the update dropped that 1.6 fixes a long-standing bug that made it faster to harvest from left to right. In a similar vein, the patch makes the area of effect of your sword's downward swing bigger to improve "game feel."

A more substantial change makes saplings grow at a faster rate than before when you chop down trees. Moreover, if the tree is mature - meaning the fruit quality is higher than basic - it'll yield a sapling of the same quality as the tree and its fruit when you chop it down.

The update comes packing a brand new farm type that starts you out with two chickens and features "chewy blue grass that animals love. After marriage, there will a "honeymoon" period in which your new spouse won't be able to spend all day in bed depressed - that is, until you drink an entire jar of mayonnaise in front of them, then they have every right to be upset.

The Stardew Valley update 1.6 patch also allows you to color-code your jellies, wines, pickles, and juices while in storage. Finally, it's worth repeating that the big 1.6 update is only available on PC at the moment, and there's still no release date for console or mobile.

ConcernedApe recently shared a Stardew Valley mod workaround ahead of update 1.6 and said "I recommend trying out 1.6 without mods, but it's up to you."