Stardew Valley player discovers how to duplicate the Mayor's lucky pants

A Stardew Valley player has discovered a bug that makes completing one of the game's quests extremely simple.

In a post on the game's subreddit, user Spueg discovered that placing a staircase - a craftable item that can be used to quickly descend another floor in the mines or Skull Cavern - into the 'pants' slot in your character's inventory, it'll automatically transform into a pair of 'Trimmed Lucky Purple Shorts'.

Beyond turning your trousers a fetching purple colour, those shorts offer no gameplay advantage while you're wearing them. Players with a keen eye for detail, however, will recognise them as a quest item. During the game, Lewis, Stardew Valley's mayor, can send the player a letter asking for some help finding his missing shorts, emphasizing the need for some discretion. 

The shorts eventually show up in the bedroom of another villager, Marnie, but entering that room to find them requires a friendship level high enough that they're ok with you simply strolling around their home. This newly-discovered bug should save you a little time when it comes to completing the quest - a staircase requires a lot of stone to craft, but it's probably a little more simple than worming your way into Marnie's affections.

As well as making it easier to complete the quest, the bug should allow players to unlock some unique dialogue elsewhere in the game. Presenting the shorts in a public setting, whether that's wearing them, presenting them at the fair, or putting them in the soup at the Luau, generates responses from Lewis and Marnie. Traditionally, you'll only get to see one response, but now that it's possible to duplicate the item, you can see how a number of characters react to the fetching attire.

Stardew Valley released in 2016, but new details are still coming to light. Last week, developer Eric Barone revealed a little-known hint that tells players when they're in possession of a community centre item, making the early sections of the game significantly easier. Barone has been gradually updating the game over time, with the latest Switch patch arriving last month, and the long-awaited Stardew Valley 1.5 update making its way to the game earlier this year.

If you're looking for some more ways to make life on the farm a little easier, we won't tell anyone if you check out our list of Stardew Valley cheats.