Stardew Valley fans lose it as creator teases an upgrade they've wanted for years

stardew valley mods — (Image credit: ConcernedApe)

Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, known as ConcernedApe online, seems to be teasing an upgraded farming tool coming to the farming sim RPG, and it's a big deal.

Barone dropped the briefest of teasers on Twitter earlier today. Two words was all it took to send the Stardew Valley fandom into its regularly scheduled frenzy: "Iridium scythe." When this fabled item will arrive is anyone's guess, but I'd wager update 1.6, recently announced as Barone takes a short break from Stardew follow-up Haunted Chocolatier, is a safe bet.

The responses to Barone's tweet have been far more than two words. "Just called my parents crying to tell them the news," replied one fan, clearly speaking completely seriously. "Me not starting a new farm until the update comes out," said another. "Can I admit this excites me the most because everything can match now?" reads one reply.

That last Stardew fan is getting to the heart of the excitement around this particular feature. People have been asking for this thing for years – at least six years, according to the oldest forum posts I've been able to find, and basically every year since.

If you're out of the loop, iridium is a type of material obtainable in Stardew Valley, but the game's never actually had an iridium-tier scythe, dooming your farming tool box to the miserable fate of incomplete color coordination. With an iridium scythe seemingly on the way, the iridium toolbox will finally be complete, and it will hopefully make scythe harvesting easier or more fruitful too.

Last month, Barone shared some never-before-seen Stardew Valley concept art, and fans immediately asked for more.

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.