Stardew Valley never stops getting better. Eight years after its release, Eric Barone’s game has more than 20 million sales and 98% positive reviews on Steam, Galaxus recently recalled. Update 1.6 has already put a big spotlight back on the farm by adding a new breeding-oriented map and a big rework of pets.
Now you can adopt multiple companions, enjoy new breeds and even a new type of animal, turtles, while receiving daily gifts when friendship is maxed. As if that wasn’t enough, the PC community has just added a layer with a completely free mod focused on animal quests. Here’s why cat and dog fans should listen up.
Stardew Valley: the free mod that sends your animals in search of loot
Pet Quests is a mod for the PC version of Stardew Valleycreated by modder xzcute and available for free on NexusMods. “Your farm animals have been decorative for quite a long time,” we can read in the description of the mod, relayed by GamingBible. The idea is simple: every morning, you give your cat or dog a real job by sending it on a mission.
By speaking to him upon waking up, you choose a quest category which determines the type of loot targeted. The animal then disappears for several hours in-game before returning home with its finds… or with empty paws. Cats can go hunting, gathering, fishing, mining, or searching for artifacts. “They would have done all this anyway. Now you at least get something in return.” Dogs specialize in fishing, excavation, treasure hunting, reporting or guarding missions. “They’re trying really hard. Please admit that,” laughs xzcute.
What do Pet Quests add to Stardew Valley gameplay?
Each mission can yield Normal, Silver, Gold or Iridium quality items, with a real possibility of failure. Average quality directly depends on the trust you have built with the animal: the more you pet and care for it, the better the rewards. This extends the official gift system introduced in 1.6, where a companion with maximum friendship has a 20% chance per day of leaving a present on the ground, according to the French-speaking wiki.
Combined with the new meadow fields farm Meadowlands Farmdesigned for breeding, and the possibility of having several pets, Pet Quests allows you to build a farm literally centered around your companions. Cats and dogs can specialize in certain materials or fish as you manage your crops. For their part, the new turtles with green and purple shells, described by PlayTrucos, remain confined to the classic gift system but add even more personality to your menagerie.
When and how can you benefit from these new animal content in Stardew Valley?
Update 1.6 of Stardew Valley is available for free on all platforms and officially brings multi-pets, new breeds, turtles and gifts. To go further on PC, simply install SMAPIthe mod engine recommended by the wiki, then download Pet Quests on NexusMods, place the folder in “Stardew Valley/Mods” and launch the game via SMAPI.
Remember to save your games and check the compatibility indicated on the mod page. While we wait for the upcoming 1.7 update currently in development, turning your farm into a base of operations for miner cats and treasure-hunting dogs is probably one of the most fun ways to rediscover Stardew Valley if you game on PC and love your pets.