'Stardew Valley's massive update lets players drink mayo, 'crit' babies, and put hats on dogs

Cosy gamers rejoice! Stardew Valley's highly anticipated 1.6 update finally arrived on PC this Tuesday, adding a laundry list of new content for fans of the beloved farming simulator. These include pets in hats, big chests, and the opportunity to crit a baby.

Developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone had been teasing Stardew Valley's new update for a while, saying in January that it has become "a little larger in scope than originally planned." This month he posted several lines from the patch notes on Twitter/X in the days leading up to the release, ranging from the introduction of the new livestock-focused Meadowlands Farm, to granting farmers the ability to drink mayonnaise.

As befitting Stardew Valley's calming reputation, Barone appeared to take a relaxed approach to the update's release. Though its Mar. 19 arrival was expected, no specific time was given, with Barone merely stating, "as soon as a [sic] i wake up, drink a coffee, and there's no last minute problem, I will push the button."

As such, his Twitter/X post stating that he was making coffee on Tuesday morning received a deluge of excited replies.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Stardew Valley's new update is currently live on PC, with consoles and mobile to follow "as soon as they are ready." Though they are actively in development, exactly when they'll arrive is anyone's guess. 

What's in the new Stardew Valley update?

The option to chug mayo may not have been one players were expecting, but numerous Stardew Valley farmers have eagerly embraced their newfound freedom nonetheless. Taking a healthy swig of egg emulsion isn't the only new thrill Stardew Valley's farmers can expect, either.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Among the addition of new festivals, events, and a "mastery" system, some of the more interesting changes listed in the full patch notes include:

• "Added a big tree, with a quest line which ultimately gives you some new neighbors."

• "Added four new crops (carrots, summer squash, broccoli, and powdermelon)."

• "Added a jingling sound when running with the cinderclown shoes on."

• "Spouses now have a seven-day 'honeymoon' period after marriage which prevents them from laying in bed all day due to being upset."

• "Fixed invisible spouses asking to have children."

Numerous new items have also been added, such as:

• "Big Chest, which has almost double the size of a regular chest."

• "Dehydrator, which turns fruit into dried fruit and mushroom into dried mushrooms."

• "Mushroom Log, which produces mushrooms and interacts with nearby trees."

• "Fish Smoker, which produces smoked fish, doubling the value of the fish."

• "19 unique Books Of Power, which grant special perks."

• "Raisins, which have a special use."

• "Butterfly Powder, which allows you to remove pets…"

Barone hasn't provided any further detail regarding exactly what "special use" raisins have, nor exactly how butterfly powder will "remove pets." But that ellipsis doesn't exactly look not-sinister.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Stardew Valley has several less concerning pet-related updates as well, such as the ability to get more once you've maxed out affection with your first. Pets that love you will also occasionally give you gifts, which will hopefully be more useful than the dead mice your real cat brings you. You can now get turtles as pets as well, if cats and dogs aren't enough to sate you.

Unfortunately for reptile lovers, pet turtles do appear to come with a slight disadvantage. While Stardew Valley's 1.6 update now allows players to place hats on cats and dogs, turtles seem to be excluded from this bright new world of sartorial experimentation. What's worse is that 25 new hats have also been added to the game, increasing the number of hats that turtles cannot wear.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Another patch note that has gained significant attention concerns parenting. Specifically, "Baby toss now has a chance to crit."

In video games, "crit" is typically used as an abbreviation for "critical hit," and refers to when an attack does increased damage beyond what is typical. In Stardew Valley, players can further their relationship with their child by throwing the infant into the air and catching them — a baby toss. As such, it would be reasonable to assume that a "crit" in this context might merely give an extra boost to the budding parent-child relationship. 

However, the phrasing used has led to many jokes about Stardew Valley letting people suplex toddlers.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Though Update 1.6's patch notes are quite lengthy, they aren't comprehensive. Barone stated on Twitter/X that "there are several things that aren't explicitly mentioned in the patch notes," meaning there are even more surprises for fans to uncover themselves. He doesn't seem too inclined to spoil them, though.

You can read the full patch notes on the official Stardew Valley website.