Stardew Valley Free Overhaul Adds Active Pet Companions, My Heart

Just when you thought that the beloved Stardew Valley couldn't get any better, along comes the modding community to make a great game even more delightful.

“You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley,” reads the synopsis of the game. “Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home?”

Originally released in 2016, when it comes to beloved indie darlings, it doesn't get much better than Stardew Valley from ConcernedApe.

While originally handled totally solo by Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone, the indie dev now has a small team to help update Stardew Valley while Barone simultaneously works on his new upcoming game, Haunted Chocolatier.

Haunted Chocolatier was first announced in October 2021 when we were treated to a cute gameplay trailer. However, we’ve not heard much else about the game that centres around a haunted chocolate shop.

That being said, given how fantastic a game Stardew Valley is today, I suspect that Haunted Chocolatier will be well worth the wait.

Thankfully, while we wait for the arrival of Haunted Chocolatier, not only does Stardew Valley get regular quality-of-life and content updates, but the ever-vibrant modding community is always finding new ways to breathe life into the game.

Stardew Valley Mod Brings The Fur Babies!

Stardew Valley: Active and Useful Pets, ConcernedApe/Recht (via Nexusmods)

One such mod you can currently download is called ‘Active and Useful Pets’ created by Recht - and best of all, it’s free to download now via NexusMods. And yes, you’ve guessed it, this mod adds pets as active companions to the game.

“Turn your pet(s) from mostly static followers into active companions that grow, explore, and support you as you play,” reads the description of the mod in question.

After adding this mod to the game, pets will not only be at your side, but they’ll automatically explore the village, and each pet has its own personality. Furthermore, pets will gain XP, level up, and unlock new abilities. For example, when a pet reaches level four, it will learn combat skills and attack nearby monsters.

Sadly, however, as is the case with most mods, ‘Active and Useful Pets’ is a PC exclusive and is not available on the console version of the game. For the rest of us, we’ll have to enjoy Stardew Valley as intended on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and mobile devices.