Summary
- A new mod enhances pet interactions in Stardew Valley, allowing players to teach tricks, feed treats, and even send pets out on hunts.
- Cats and dogs now have improved AI with different abilities in combat, with cats dealing more damage and dogs having better knockback.
- The mod also adds the ability to place hats on pets and lets dogs search for items in the valley, promising a more immersive gameplay experience.
A recently-uploaded mod for farming and life-sim Stardew Valley adds a bunch of new options for interacting with cats and dogs around players' farms. Pets have been around since Stardew Valley's earliest days, but despite creator Eric Barone's frequent updates to the game, they haven't changed much over the game's lifetime.
Stardew Valley players choose their cat or dog upon character creation before even stepping foot into Pelican Town, although their pet doesn't arrive until a few days after the player has arrived at the farm, with weather conditions and the farm's profitability both playing factors. Players were originally limited to owning just one pet, but update 1.6 in March 2024 brought the ability to get all 12 pets in Stardew Valley in a single playthrough.
The new mod, called Pet's Enhanced - A Pet Mechanic Overhaul, was uploaded to Nexus Mods on May 15 by user SunkenLace and most recently updated on May 28. It provides Stardew Valley players' cats and dogs with an improved AI and allows players to interact with their furry friends in a variety of ways, from telling them to follow the player to sending them out on hunts to attack monsters. The two species will function a little differently, with cats having the potential to deal more damage to monsters, possessing a higher critical hit rate, and being able to break rock crabs' shells, and dogs having better knockback. The two types of animals also receive different damage bonuses against certain types of monsters, with cats excelling against grubs, flies, bats, and serpents, and dogs performing better against dinosaurs, shadow men, shadow shamans, and skeletons.
Stardew Valley Pet Upgrades Aren't Just For Combat
In addition to turning them into combat companions, the mod also allows players to teach their pets tricks and feed them treats, in addition to making it easier to place one of Stardew Valley's hats on a pet. While cats may get an edge in combat, dogs come with the exclusive option to search while following the player around the valley, and they may bring back one of several items based on the season, from common forageable items like fiddlehead ferns and dandelions to animal items like duck eggs or even mystery boxes.
With the recent updates to Stardew Valley out of the way, Barone, better known to his fan base as ConcernedApe, is back to work on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier. While Haunted Chocolatier will move away from farming and focus on running a sweets shop, it promises to have similar action and roleplaying elements to Stardew Valley, like shop customization and building relationships with NPCs, which should give modders another game to focus on once it releases.
Stardew Valley
- Released
- February 26, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
You’ve inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home? It won’t be easy. Ever since Joja Corporation came to town, the old ways of life have all but disappeared. The community center, once the town’s most vibrant hub of activity, now lies in shambles. But the valley seems full of opportunity. With a little dedication, you might just be the one to restore Stardew Valley to greatness!
