Are mods worth it?

[OpTricky]

Playing with my GF, mods worth it? We're 35 hours in a vanilla game

[EleventhStar]

i wouldn't add any content adding mods if you are that far in a started game (nor would i do it on your first game.)

quality of life mods it depends, if there is something about the game you don't enjoy you or find annoying you can into them. people can recommend you stuff if you have specific concerns.

[Yoinkyz]

mods are for high T players

[Včelí medvídek]

Mods are great addition but I would not use any mod in first gameplay unless you are really desperate for something.

[Dunkler Messias]

Definitely. Especially if you already played this game for some time.

For example:
Stardew Valley Expanded adds more (dateable) characters, areas and other stuff (harvesting stuff, cooking recipes, fishes, ...)

Fast Animations for, well, faster animations. Especially useful for breaking Geodes or driving to the desert. You can also speed up other animations like eating, harvesting (crops, animal stuff) and even the tool swings if you feel like it.

NPC Map Locations (guess what)

Sprinting (for faster sprinting. Normal sprint speed is super slow. And no, I don't want to ride a horse 24/7 or drink the espresso stuff)

[lonerchick7]

I've played vanilla on PS and Switch. I'm playing for the 1st time on PC and I am enjoying the ability to add mods. I would not mod for the first play through but this is play through 5 for me with a few hundred hours played total.

[Queen Droxxanna]

it is recommended that you play the game in vanilla version first before trying out mods. Since you are so early in game, you have a lot to learn and discover yet.

However that being said, if you did want to try out a few mods to make the game easier, I would suggest you try the tractor mod and the skull cavern elevator mod. Neither of these add content, quests or npc's to the game, but they make playing, farming and mining so much easier.
I was playing strictly vanilla with my son, when he suddenly went zipping by me on the tractor, and thats when I first learned about mods. He had added the mod without telling me.
Note also that adding any content mods will also add items required to reach perfection and make it HARDER to reach perfection. I made the mistake early on by adding recipe mods with out realizing I would have to cook and ship EVERY recipe to reach perfection.

[Killa XXL]

I agree with everyone about enjoying a vanilla playthrough and going for completion. That said being 35 hours in, I highly recommend the Stardew Valley Expanded mod at the very least as it adds alot more content and always enjoyed having it. The tractor mod is cool to have but definitely gamebreaking.

You should visit the Nexus Mods website and sort by most downloaded/endorsed and see what some are about. Anything from changing the visuals to automation. Good luck and happy modding!

[justasleepsheep]

It depends on the ones you get. I use some to make the world look different, add more NPCs, and one that shows where the NPCs are on the map. I like them because they add more to my game. I'd say look at some and see if you like any. I think they're fun.

[Nakos]

Mods can extend the lifecycle of the game. There are quite a number that add quite a lot of content.

But ... they also change the game (at least somewhat (how much varies from mod to mod)), I wouldn't recommend using them early on, play the base game and get to know it first. But if you're getting bored with the base game, and still want more, then there's no reason not to give some of them a try.

[Queen Droxxanna]

if you do decide to go ahead and add content changing/map changing mods, dont go over board at first. Some one recommended SVE, but it adds a tonne of content and several new areas, which will double the amount of work required for perfection. You dont want that on your first run. Also SVE recommends you START A NEW FARM, and you dont want to do that right now either.

So start small, add a few mods that excite you, get used to them and how mods are installed. Then gradually add more as you wish. Pick and choose a few, and track them to see what activity there is , are they constantly being updated because they are new?
I also recommend that you click on the TRACK button on NEXXUS on all your mods so you will get notification of updates easily.
If you want a larger map and more NPC's, the go with Ridgeside, which can be added without requiring starting a new farm, but it also adds lots of new content, quests, and areas to explore in a long story line,

Oh , and DONT use any mods that are older then updated April 2024, as they most likely wont be compatible any more. And check the description for any conflicts listed.
Its a learning process but if I can do it, so can you.

[Rave Pathfinder.]

After you finish the game with her, mods are round 2.
They literally have DLC size mods out there with new characters ect so keep on playing vanilla till your ready to tackle to do that.

[DaBa]

Yes, if you know what you're doing. No offense to anybody, but people who are computer illiterate should stay away from mods, else you'll just have problems after problems that you won't know how to solve yourself.

[Queen Droxxanna]

Originally posted by DaBa:

Yes, if you know what you're doing. No offense to anybody, but people who are computer illiterate should stay away from mods, else you'll just have problems after problems that you won't know how to solve yourself.

As I said it is a learning process, but I am lucky enough to have a few "Big Bang" nerds in my house, so I got some first hand instruction, then I learned from practice and trial and error.
but if you dont know how to download/extract/and install, then it will be very difficult for you use lots of mods. There are detailed instructions on the wiki and on Nexus SMAPI page, so if you can reed and follow instructions, then you can learn as I did.

[Sstavix]

When you get to the point where the game feels like "been there, done that," but you really don't want to leave Stardew Valley yet, look into mods. They can be a great way to pump new life into a game that you already know like the back of your hand.

[DaBa]

Originally posted by Queen Droxxanna:

Originally posted by DaBa:

Yes, if you know what you're doing. No offense to anybody, but people who are computer illiterate should stay away from mods, else you'll just have problems after problems that you won't know how to solve yourself.

As I said it is a learning process, but I am lucky enough to have a few "Big Bang" nerds in my house, so I got some first hand instruction, then I learned from practice and trial and error.
but if you dont know how to download/extract/and install, then it will be very difficult for you use lots of mods. There are detailed instructions on the wiki and on Nexus SMAPI page, so if you can reed and follow instructions, then you can learn as I did.

From your description it doesn't sound like you're quite "computer illiterate". I meant more like people who actually do not know how to use computers past opening a few programs. You'd think that would be rare these days, but you can still see people all the time who don't know how to do things like copying files, using internet browsers, or do any Windows related things. In the past people didn't know how to use PCs because they were a technology of the new generation. In modern days people don't know how to use them because everything is made to be incredibly easy to use, there is no need to learn anything intermediate.

And I do believe that those kind of people shouldn't play around with mods. Unless they are ready to learn a lot of new things they didn't know before and accept the risk of a lot of time wasted troubleshooting. Although with Stardew the mods are relatively stable if you stick to the most known things.