How to Access the ‘Stardew Valley’ Beta for Update 1.1

Developer ConcernedApe quietly announced yesterday on the official forum that the Stardew Valley beta for Version 1.1 is now live.

The update was first detailed at PAX West and was expected to launch in “about a month”, and includes changes such as different farm types and the addition of Shane and Emily as marriage candidates. Now, true to his word, the one-man development team says the update is “basically finished”, he just wants to test it before sending it live. He then gives step-by-step instructions for accessing the open beta via Steam, which are as follows:

1. Right click on Stardew Valley in your games library and select “Properties”
2. Click the “Betas” tab
3. Click the drop down menu and select “beta” (no password is necessary)
4. Steam will download the beta version. Stardew Valley should now have a [beta] tag in your library.

He also recommends backing up any existing save files before doing so, although it’s highly unlikely that the beta will affect them in any way. There is a template to report any issues, which he requests you do in the thread linked above, as well as a list of already-discovered issues. Also included in the post is the complete list of new features and bug fixes, which you can read below.

New Features
Shane and Emily are now available to marry. They each have new events, music, and more!
Spouses now have a unique outdoor area and behavior on the farm.
You can now choose from 5 different farm maps at character creation. Each map is focused on a different skill area.
Standard Farm – The original Stardew Valley farm.
Riverland Farm – Lots of water, good for fishing.
Forest Farm – Foraging opportunities and a unique weed that always drops mixed seeds.
Hill-top Farm – Has a small mineral deposit from which ores spawn, including a unique geode-bearing ore.
Wilderness Farm – Bats and Golems spawn at night.
“Shed” building… An empty room that can be decorated, filled with kegs, etc.
“Mill” building… Can be used to turn wheat into flour and beets into sugar overnight.
A new quest that can be started after the Community Center or JojaMart quest arc is complete. The new quest results in a new “magical construction” feature available from the Wizard’s Tower. The new quest is triggered when you enter the Railroad area.
Added several new locations that are related to the above quest. “Junimo Hut” building (Magical Construction). Junimos will harvest crops within a certain distance of the hut, instantly transporting the harvest back to the hut for you to gather at your convenience.
“Earth Obelisk” building (Magical Construction). A permanent warp totem to the mountains.
“Water Obelisk” building (Magical Construction). A permanent warp totem to the beach.
“Gold Clock” building (Magical Construction). Prevents weeds from spawning and fences from decaying on your farm.
You can now move your buildings via Robin’s construction menu.
New house upgrade from Robin that adds a cellar to your house and teaches you the “cask” crafting recipe. In the cellar, you can use Casks to age cheese and alcohol, increasing their quality.
“Iridium-star” level quality is now attainable for aged goods and fruit. (2x value)
NPC’s now appreciate quality level in gifts, but it only has an effect on gifts they “like” or “love”.
Added Coffee, a spring/summer crop, and Coffee Bean. The bean acts as the produce and the seed, similar to sunflowers.
5 Coffee beans can be added to a Keg to make coffee.
Honey can be placed in a keg to make mead.
Void eggs can be placed in mayonnaise machines to make void mayonnaise.
2 new fish, “Void Salmon” and “Slimejack”
You can now choose to color your chests with one of 20 color options.
Evil Shrines, where you can make offerings in exchange for dark magic.
Divorce. You can file from a little book in mayor’s house.
You can now wallpaper the little hallways in your upgraded house.
When you beat Journey Of The Prairie King, you can now start over in a harder mode, keeping your upgrades and coins.
2 new “Lost Books”
Krobus now sells a “Return Scepter”… a tool which acts as a permanent warp totem to the farm.
Giving someone a gift on their birthday will never make your spouse jealous.
Pierre now sells a “Catalogue” furniture item that can be used for unlimited free access to all wallpapers and floors.
Robin now sells a “Furniture Catalogue” furniture item that can be used for unlimited free access to nearly all furnitures.
Bug Fixes
Wild plums are now labeled as fruit.
Grandpa’s Shrine should now always properly give the reward for reaching 4 candles.
Fixed issue where gathering an item with the “botanist” profession would fail if the inventory was full, even though the gold-level item was present in the inventory.
Slime charmer ring should now protect against giant slimes
You can no longer tap a stump
Fixed Joja Warehouse graphic issue in winter
“Check action”-mapped keys should now work to attach bait to a rod.
Rain ambient sound should no longer play in Sandy’s Oasis under any conditions.
Your baby should now be properly born, even if you pass out in the mines on the eve of the birth.
Moonlight Jellies engagement crash
Galaxy sword should now be truly unloseable
You can no longer lose hay to a hopper because you have no silo.
You can no longer plant fruit trees off the farm.
Typo fixes

No word yet on exactly when the update is expected to go live, but we will keep you posted. Stay tuned to Heavy.com for all your gaming news.

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