On the day that Stardew Update 1.5 came out, developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone mentioned that some modders had been given early access to the update so they could have their mods updated to work with the new version immediately. SVE was one of them, getting its own update (1.12) on the same day. I spent the holiday churning through the new endgame bits in standard Stardew with my co-op partner of choice, so now it’s time to think about returning to my favorite staple mods. SVE’s new list of additions is quite exciting too. One of the biggest bits is definitely that SVE has reworked its custom farm map. Formerly, it used a farm layout called Immersive Farm 2 Remastered, which has now been replaced with a new layout called Grandpa’s Farm. Mod creator “FlashShifter” notes that this new farm layout is in fact smaller than the previous one, though it still looks like more than enough space for me to play with. It does keep some features from the last map, like requiring upgraded tools to reach the greenhouse and Grandpa’s Shed. It also adds at least one new character called Lance, an adventurer from something called the First Slash Guild. Based on the update notes for the mod, it seems like there may be even more characters secretly added as well. SVE is one of my favorite Stardew mods (and one of the best Stardew Valley mods on RPS’s list) so it’s always swell to see it get a nice update. It’s one of the mods that most made me feel like I was really rediscovering Pelican Town, and I’m sure a new farm map to play with and some new characters to meet will help to bring that feeling back once again. You can find Stardew Valley Expanded over on Nexus Mods.
