There are a lot of upgrades to purchase in Stardew Valley. Most of the upgrades players get come from Robin’s carpentry business and typically improve buildings on their farms. However, after helping the Junimos and finishing the Community Center, players can gain access to one of the most expensive and convenient upgrades in the entire game. The problem is that this upgrade comes far too late to be useful to most players.
Most major changes to Pelican Town and the surrounding areas come from finishing bundles in the Community Center. For example, finishing the Fish Tank bundle removes the glittering boulder and gives players access to panning for ore. Some of the few upgrades that don’t come from the Community Center are the community upgrades, which cost a combined 800,000g and become almost useless once players have access to a (much cheaper) horse.
The Most Convenient Upgrade In Stardew Valley Is Also The Most Expensive
Quality-Of-Life Is Locked Behind A Massive Paywall
The main objective in Stardew Valley, for most players, is to complete the Community Center. Utilizing the bounty of the valley, players must gather various crops, fish, gems, and artisan goods to help the spirits of the forest restore the hub of Pelican Town. However, finishing the Community Center isn’t the last thing players can do to improve the town. After the Community Center is finished and the farmhouse is maxed out, two major upgrades are available for purchase from Robin.
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The two upgrades, called community upgrades, make major changes around Pelican Town and each cost a fortune in gold and resources. The first upgrade, which costs 500,000g and 950 wood, builds a much nicer house for Penny and Pam, replacing their small trailer in the center of town. The second upgrade is relatively cheaper, costing only 300,000g, while providing an extremely convenient set of changes around the farm and Pelican Town.
The second community upgrade was added in late 2020, in patch 1.5.
These changes are shortcuts all over the valley, including a new path to the Beach past Leah’s house, a shortcut from the Bus Stop to the path through the backwoods, a riverside path to Pelican Town from the mountains, another bath to the Beach from town, and a new plank added in the mountains for easier access to the Adventurer’s Guild. These shortcuts make navigating around much faster, but unfortunately, by the time they’re available, players barely have any reason to use them anymore.
Horses Make This Upgrade Almost Useless
Speed Boosts Override A Few Shortcuts
Of the six shortcuts that appear after the second community upgrade, only two of them are usable while on horseback. Since the Stable costs 10,000g, a hundred hardwood, and five iron bars, it’s most likely that players already have access to a horse and therefore much faster transportation before even completing the Community Center. Since the majority of the paths are far too narrow to ride a horse through, players aren’t able to combine the two upgrades.
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While the shortcuts are incredibly useful on foot, having a horse that can’t pass through makes it almost useless. Horses increase player speed by 30%, which can actually be increased even more, so any amount of time saved by using the shortcuts is negligible. The best way to make these upgrades actually helpful would be to make them more accessible before end-game gameplay.
Map Changes Should Come From Other Smaller Quests
It is nice that these shortcuts become available in Stardew Valley at all, especially at a point in the game when most players have plenty of money to spare, but they come far too late. By the time the second community upgrade is available, most players have continued on to more interesting places like Ginger Island rather than pour their resources into Pelican Town. One way these shortcuts could be far more useful is if they came one by one through quests in Stardew Valley.
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Since the theme of community and friendship is so strong in Stardew Valley, it would make sense if the community rewarded the player with convenient shortcuts. The addition of character-based objectives could open up certain shortcuts. For example, to gain the path from Leah’s house to the Beach, players could receive a request from Leah for help to gather special resources for her art. That way, players could work for their reward by helping out people around the valley on a more individual level rather than dumping a chunk of money on Robin.
In addition to fitting the overall themes of Stardew Valley, this approach would allow players to access the shortcuts much earlier in the game and achieve some sort of progress in the early to mid-game that isn’t related to the Community Center. Right now, the timing of the second community upgrade feels like a waste. Tying access to shortcuts with helping the community would make a lot more sense and make the first few years of progress in Stardew Valley feel smoother.
Stardew Valley is a charming indie farming scene that took the world by storm. After inheriting a run-down farm from their grandfather, the player moves to Stardew Valley to start a new life away from the city. Grow crops, raise animals, befriend the villagers, and discover the secrets the valley has to offer.
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Top Critic Rating:
90/100
Critics Recommend:
99%
