Though Stardew Valley is mostly focused on farming and getting to know the residents of Pelican Town, there are other, less overt events that build on the bigger world. For instance, the ongoing war between the Ferngill Republic and the Gotoro Empire is hinted in a few dialogue lines. This has multiple effects on Pelican Town, most notably in Kent’s character.
However, conflicts in Stardew Valley aren’t limited to humankind. There is — or rather, was — another war going on, though many people were wholly unaware of it. This was known as the Elemental Wars.
The Elemental Wars in Stardew Valley
The Elemental Wars was a conflict between the dwarves and the shadow people. It began when the dwarves tried to drive the shadow people out of their ancestral home, which forced the shadow people to retaliate with force. According to Krobus in Stardew Valley, this war went on for around 1,000 years and only ended recently. Thus, there’s still animosity and resentment on both sides.
The dwarves’ motivations for wanting to drive out the shadow people are unknown. However, a lost book entitled “Mysteries of the Dwarves” posits a theory that could hold the answer. According to author M. Jasper, the dwarves of Stardew Valley might have been part of an advanced civilization that lived in another world. While traveling on their spacecraft, however, they crashed on the planet and burrowed into the earth in search of a new home.
The shadow people, meanwhile, had already made their home underground. One of Krobus’ dialogue lines reveals that his people arrived in the “physical plane” long ago, when some sort of catastrophe spurred the spirits of the void to migrate. That said, it’s possible that the dwarves found the shadow people in their already established home and wished to take it from them, which then led to the Elemental Wars.
Krobus and the Dwarf
In Stardew Valley, the player can interact with one unnamed dwarf simply referred to as “Dwarf,” and Krobus, a shadow person. Both are merchants with special items who isolate themselves underground, but the player can become friends with them in Stardew Valley. Although, it’s clear that both of them are wary of each other, as the Dwarf suspects the player of being a spy for the shadow people. On the other hand, Krobus requests that the player keep their location a secret as the dwarves might send an assassin after him. He even admits later that dwarves disgust him.
Should the player earn at least 50 friendship points with the Dwarf and purchase a Stardrop from Krobus, a cutscene will trigger upon entering The Sewers in Stardew Valley. It will involve Krobus and the Dwarf arguing about the recent Elemental Wars. The Dwarf blames Krobus’ species for the death of his entire family. Krobus then counters by saying that the shadow people never would have retaliated if the dwarves had left them alone. Even though Krobus apologizes for the Dwarf’s family, the Dwarf rejects this, and the two start fighting.
The Wizard of Stardew Valley then appears and stops the two from fighting, asking that they make peace for the sake of the people living around them. The Dwarf and Krobus agree, so the Wizard casts a “Seal of Promise” to legitimize their agreement. After this, the two stop fighting and generally stay out of each other’s way.
Though the Elemental Wars are already over, it’s clear that its effects still linger among those involved. Perhaps this is something ConcernedApe’s next game The Haunted Chocolatier can expand on. Until then, however, all the player can do is make friends with the two strange beings, and perhaps even invite Krobus to live on the Stardew Valley farm.
Stardew Valley is available on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
