In addition to a huge number of updates from developer Concerned Ape, farming sim RPG Stardew Valley has also been improved by the work of an active modding community. One of the biggest and most popular of these mods is Stardew Valley Expanded, which massively increases the game's content.
One of the biggest changes to Stardew Valley's map in Stardew Valley Expanded is the addition of a new area to the west of Cindersap Forest, called Forest West. This new forest is a huge, mazelike area that contains many secrets for players to discover. It also expands on the Bear who lives in the Secret Woods in vanilla Stardew Valley, and whom players can befriend with a gift of Maple Syrup. In the Expanded mod, he has a shop where players can purchase various items.
How to Unlock Bear's Cave in Stardew Valley Expanded
Before players can look for Bear in Forest West, first they'll need to have found and read Secret Note #23. This note is a random drop from a number of sources, with the most likely being Fishing, Artifact Spots, and Monster drops. Just like in vanilla Stardew Valley, the note will direct players to bring Maple Syrup to the Secret Woods, or Forest West in Stardew Valley Expanded.
Players can find Bear's cave in the far northwest of Forest West, beyond the abandoned Aurora Vineyard. Before they go to find it, players will first need to gather some Maple Syrup by using a Tapper on a Maple Tree. Players can deliver the Maple Syrup to Bear's cave at any time after they find Secret Note #23, and doing so will unlock Bear's shop.
What to Buy at Bear's Cave in Stardew Valley Expanded
Bear's shop is stocked with all kinds of useful materials for quests, recipes, and Stardew Valley's crafting system. Although many of them are expensive, this can be a handy way for players to get a material they need in a hurry. The bear will have the following items available:
Item | Price (g) | Stock | Description |
Honey | 1,000 | 10 | Used in Recipes and a popular Gift |
Maple Syrup | 1,500 | 8 | Used for Cooking and Crafting |
Pine Tar | 2,500 | 5 | Used for Crafting |
Oak Resin | 3,500 | 5 | Used for Crafting |
Mahogany Seed | 4,000 | 3 | Used to plant Mahogany Trees |
Cave Carrot | 400 | 20 | Used for Cooking |
Salmon | 600 | 10 | Used for Cooking |
Baked Berry Oatmeal Recipe | 12,500 | 1 | Unlocks a Cooking recipe |
Flower Cookie Recipe | 8,750 | 1 | Unlocks a Cooking recipe |
Of all these items, only the Baked Berry Oatmeal and Flower Cookie Recipes cannot be acquired by Foraging. However, it takes several days for a Tapper to produce Maple Syrup, Pine Tar, or Oak Resin, and having a quick way to acquire these useful items can be worth the extra expense.
Stardew Valley is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, and many other devices.