Another Stardew Valley update is on the way, announced by Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone himself at one of the orchestral concerts celebrating the game’s music. This was rather unexpected, as the solo developer previously said that Stardew Valley wasn’t being worked on in favor of his next game, Haunted Chocolatier. It seems as if Barone has a few more things he wishes to give to the farming sim’s still active playerbase, and those very same fans are very excited for at least one more update.
Why players are so excited for Stardew Valley patch 1.7 is that big decimal point updates like these are usually almost exclusively reserved for new features. While nothing has been said about update 1.7’s size or content, the trend hasn’t proved players wrong yet. There’s one item that hasn’t been added to the game in any of the patches that seems like a perfect choice for what might be the final update: a Warp Totem to the Community Center.
Why Stardew Valley Needs Totem Fast Travel to the Community Center
The Community Center doesn’t need much explanation, thanks to how it serves as the symbolic heart of Stardew Valley. Just like how games like Stardew Valley, such as Harvest Moon, give players a typical goal of finding a spouse alongside running a successful farm, rebuilding the Community Center is a big goal that affects general progression in many Stardew Valley playthroughs. It serves as a more rewarding and actively helpful narrative path compared to allowing Joja Mart to use the building for the conglomerate’s benefit. That said, it’s arguably the most obtuse (but still very worthwhile) part of the game, thanks to its bundles and how the items needed can be a breeze or extremely convenient depending on how a player goes about their days.
One of the parts of trying to fix the Community Center that’s the most tiring is tied to the journey to get there, rather than the bundles and their requirements. The Warp Totems have been part of Stardew Valley since the beginning, and have been expanded across several updates to add methods of warping to the desert and Ginger Island. The closest place to the Community Center through teleportation is the Mountains, and even then, that’s a bit of a walk that will risk passing out if players decide to risk it late at night after accomplishing everything else. Considering many fans love trying to see how much they can accomplish in a day, this leaves the Community Center very out of the way unless they carefully plan for it.
It could be said that Stardew Valley‘s challenging aspects are the inventory and time management. Just like many real-life farmers, farming simulators tend to make things difficult by encouraging players to plan to do specific tasks in a small, daily window to make sure their farm keeps running. There’s no deadline for when fans have to complete the Community Center by, but its journey to get there along with the sometimes exasperating bundles might be why fast travel hasn’t been added.
After all, the Community Center may be one of the bigger aspects of Stardew Valley that has to be a deliberate choice for the player, including all the inconveniences with it. If fans don’t like the idea of it all, they could just buy a Joja membership and turn it into the Joja Warehouse. With how Stardew Valley frowns upon the Joja path narratively, the hard work and time lost may be the point which fast travel makes a bit moot.
Still, considering how many Stardew Valley fans make it a challenge to see just how much they can get done each day, it wouldn’t hurt to offer the option somehow. Maybe a special permanent teleporter could be given to those who hit a certain milestone in a specific number of days, checking to see if their priority is careful challenge over a calm and cozy experience. If Stardew Valley is going to add fast travel to the Community Center, then Stardew Valley‘s 1.7 update may be the best time, as it’s not known how many updates are left until Barone properly moves on.