Best QOL Updates in Stardew Valley 1.6

Highlights

Villagers now politely move chests instead of destroying them, improving gameplay in Stardew Valley.
Keep track of all farm animals with a new tab, ensuring every pet gets their daily love and friendship points.
Artisan goods now have distinct colors, improving visual appeal and making it easier to identify items at a glance.

Stardew Valley 1.6 introduced 33 quality of life (QOL) updates. These features enhance players’ overall experience without altering core gameplay or storyline. (Think of a change in items’ colors or new indicators for mission progression.)

However, as with all ConcernedApe updates, v1.6 includes significant improvements that can transform the way someone plays Stardew Valley forever. With that in mind, every minor and major addition was reviewed to compile a selection of the update's best QOL features.

three of the best books of power in stardew valley 1.6.

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10 NPCs Won’t Destroy Chests

Villagers Are Not The Incredible Hulk

Image of a fishing treasure chest while fishing in Stardew Valley

Prior to v1.6, if a player tried to block an NPC’s path with chests, they’d heartlessly destroy it — nothing could stop them, as if they were the GTA 5 train. But the new quality-of-life update makes Pelican Town villagers much nicer. in this version, they politely push the chest aside and walk past them. No more Hulk-inspired aggressions.

Previously, players had to figure out “safe tiles” in the town because placing chests anywhere else could mean losing all their precious items. Dedicated Stardew Valley fans even created detailed maps of safe/dangerous tiles to help players avoid this bug. However, ConcernedApe has taken matters into his own hands and fixed the issue for good.

9 Animals and Pets Have a Dedicated Tab

Pet My Favorite Chicken… Check

“Did I pet my dog… what about the chickens?” That’s a repeating dialogue in a righteous farmer’s mind. But, thanks to a v1.6 quality of life feature, the player's consciousness can rest assured that they have petted all animals. The new Animals Tab in the pause menu shows a detailed list of all farm animals and pets in Stardew Valley, with checkmarks for daily pets and a status bar for friendship points.

This update takes on added significance as players can now adopt more pets upon reaching 1,000 friendship points with their original dog or cat. In essence, every daily pet point becomes crucial, as it may take months to fully max out a pet’s friendship and expand the farm with new animal companions.

8 Artisan Goods Come in Distinct Colors

No More Taste-and-See

Jellies, pickles, wines, and juices are colored based on their source products. For example, an Ancient Fruit Jelly will look blueish, while an Apple Jelly is red. That’s what true farmers call a “quality of life” upgrade. Players no longer need to hover over each artisan good to figure out its type. One glance is enough — the character's eyes are now barcode readers.

Other color-related improvements include nighttime colors for hats in the game menu portraits, matching colors for the submerged fishing bobber and the water, and a minor bug fix for some colored items that were not drawn correctly in specific situations. On top of these, players can now use more colored items in Mr. Qi’s Prismatic Grange Challenge, which is a time-saver.

7 Outdoor Floorings Cover Every Corner

The Annoying Pixel Is Gone

In v1.5, players couldn’t cover the corners of farm buildings with tile and flooring. This resulted in a few empty pixels around each structure, which, although dismissible, would ruin a perfect farm’s aesthetics. The new update solves this visual issue by allowing players to put one extra tile of flooring under each structure. A simple OCD-soothing change.

Of course, the v1.6 patch notes say the fix works for “most” farm buildings. So, if it is not possible to floor a structure’s corners, players could try changing its style — where applicable — or hiding the ugly empty pixels with some decorations.

6 PC Version Has Game-Changer Shortcuts

Keys to Confirm, Consume, and Cancel

Picture this: Press a button and instantly buy 999 Hay from Marnie. Upon leaving her shop, the players sees a super-rare item on the ground. However, their inventory is full. So, they drop the extra Hay and grab the rare item. Later that day, they are trying to leave a festival early, so when Lewis asks, “Are you sure?” you press “Y” for goodbye — and no one questions why. That’s totally possible in Stardew Valley 1.6.

The update added three new keyboard shortcuts that let players buy the maximum number of any item, drop items without opening the inventory, and respond to Yes/No dialogues with one key. Here’s the complete list:

To buy the maximum number of an item, Hold Left Shift + Left Ctrl + 1 and click the item.
To quick-drop items, Hold Shift + Right-click on them from the toolbar.
To choose yes or no responses, press Y for yes and N for no.

5 A Bus Driver’s License

Pam Independence Day

Pam would often — well, most days — refuse to drive you to the Desert. Being a considerate citizen of Pelican Town, players would have no complaints. However, that’s no longer the case. With Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update, players can receive a Bus Driver's License, granting them the freedom to drive to the Desert whenever they please.

Regarding Marnie’s classic issue, her presence in the Ranch is no longer necessary. Simply purchase her Animal Catalogue, and players can access the counter to order any goods or animals at their convenience. (The undisciplined ladies of Pelican Town can no longer disrupt someone's plans.)

4 Watering Can and Hoe Support Strafing

A Sharpshooter on the Farm

stardew-valley-how-to-refill-watering-can

Charging the watering can and hoe was a blessing, but often, players would accidentally aim the tools at the wrong tiles, resulting in wasted resources or depleted stamina — a frustrating “mischarge.” With the new update, players can now strafe before releasing the charge button.

They can now move around while aiming the watering can or hoe, a quality-of-life change as significant as moving while aiming down sights in Resident Evil 4 Remake, to say the least.

3 Wedding Outfits Are No Longer Mandatory

Your Life Simulation, Your Simulated Choice

ConcernedApe ensured inclusivity in the game from the outset by making same-sex marriage available early on. However, one detail was missing: Male farmers were obliged to wear a wedding dress at their special ceremony — a less-than-ideal option for everyone.

As of v1.6, “Male farmers are no longer forced into wedding clothes on their wedding day, so you can choose your own outfit for the wedding.” Who says you can’t look weird and goofy on your wedding day?

2 Farm Computer Works Remotely

The Virtual Assistant Is Smarter Than Ever

After achieving Perfection, many players begin to assert their dominance over the entire Pelican Town — and other islands — turning them into their own land. However, as they celebrate solving the space issue, they encounter another significant problem: Keeping track of every item, device, machine, and crop becomes a nightmare. Fortunately, their Farm Computer received an upgrade to address this issue. It functions as if it were connected to ChatGPT.

With the Farm Computer, players can now view the detailed production status of each area separately. All they need to do is craft dedicated devices for each zone, and they’re good to go.

1 The Farmhouse Can Be Moved

Say Hello to Peak Customization

The best quality-of-life upgrade in Stardew Valley 1.6 is the ability to move the farmhouse. Before this update, players could customize 99% of their farm, with the remaining 1% being the immovable, large farmhouse at the top. However, thanks to a new feature, players can now place their headquarters anywhere on Grandpa’s land, allowing for a never-before-seen layout.

Even more excitingly, players can now change the style of Cabins on the farm, ensuring that each player joining their world has a distinct house. (A significant win for fans of customization.)