Stardew Valley creator, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, has been teasing fans about cryptic, future updates for months. Today, Barone took to Twitter to confirm new updates which introduce profession re-specing, new events, and a winter backdrop.
The ability to re-spec player professions appears to be one of the most monumental changes, and one which will allow players to relieve any previous stress attributed to the permanency of choosing professions. Stardew Valley is one of many singleplayer games which have later opted to allow for re-specing. In hindsight, choosing stats early on in a playthrough allows players to fully commit to a specific playstyle, and presumably build expertise in one specific field. Games like Dark Souls II and Dark Souls III were of the most surprisingly forgiving in regards to re-specing, and prove that as first-time players progress in a given playthrough, especially with titles in which hundreds of hours can be dedicated to a single playthrough, the alienation of permanency regarding specs can be a hindrance, or at least mildly frustrating.
Fans can look forward to confirmed additions to an already beloved, vibrant, and event-filled game. These winter updates seem to guarantee future seasonal updates so long as the community remains as dedicated, and with these new event updates, such a prospect seems extremely plausible. Popularizing seasonal updates encourages those who don’t play regularly to boot-up to see the changes while they’re still there, while also providing a newly exciting experience for regulars.
While there is no specific release date announced for this upcoming update, the winter elements centralized in the content suggest a date will be mentioned in the near future.