Before you begin youâll need to go to Nexus Mods, make an account and open the Stardew Valley folder.
Youâll also find you need to unzip all the mods in this tutorial upon downloading them
If youâre unsure on how to find the SV folder simply go to your steam library right click Stardew Valley > Properties > Local Files > Browse Local Files
Then the first 2 things you need to download for modding Stardew is SMAPI and Content Patcher as all mods use one or both of these things, and to run mods in general you need SMAPI.
SMAPI should have a how to with the link to guide you through installing it should you need it, where as Content Patcher will be installed directly into your Mods folder in SV.
Once you have SMAPI and Content Patcher installed youâre ready to install mods.
This list are all mods I use or have used and mods that Iâd recommend if you just want a prettier SV or to make some things easier and/or cheatsy
These get dragged directly into your mods folder upon downloading them and opening the rar./zipÂ
Mod Update Menu - Adds a menu to manage your downloads
NPC map locations - Will allow you to see NPC locations all the time
2nd House Upgrade Bathroom - Will allow you to replenish stamina at home
Mega Storage - Will make larger chests and magic chests
The Perks of being Married - Will add perks and events to being married (needs CP)
Gift Taste Helper - Will list NPCs favorite gifts based on what youâve already given them
Better Ranching - Gives your farm animals indicators of when they can be petted/milked/sheared.
Automate - Will put materials into a chest should you place one next to machines
Show Item Price - Will show the sell prices of items
Extra Fish Info - Will provide more information on caught fish
Cat Gifts - Cats will leave gifts, dogs will dig up gifts
Dear Diary - Allows player to write a Diary to make notes and keep track of events
A Helpful Mod That Will Do The Work of Multiple Mods
Personally I donât use this mod but it may seem appealing to someone else
UI Info Suite - Will do the work of Better Ranching/NPC Map Locations/NPC Heart levels/Mouse over info/Item block ranges/and other UI information without the help of other mods
This mod will technically just add a new event, again personally I donât use this mod but someone else might find it fun.
Happy Birthday - Adds the players birthday to SV, NPCs will give gifts and new dialogue based on friendship levels
These get dragged directly into your mods folder upon downloading them and opening the rar./zip
Item Spawner - Will spawn anything in a max stack
Cheat Menu - Will open the cheat menu
Time Skipper - Will allow you to change the time to whatever you want
Instant Grow Trees - Will allow you to grow trees instantly overnight
Tractor Mod - Will add a buildable tractor that does just about everything for the farmer so you donât have to use staminaÂ
All these mods require Content Patcher as they are generally just personal choices to have you donât need them to help make the game easier for you theyâre really just there to make everything look a little different.These get dragged directly into your mods folder upon downloading them and opening the rar./zip
Spouse Room Design - Makes spouse rooms nicer
Children Redesign - Will make the children look more like your spouse
Canon-Friendly Dialogue - will add more dialogue to all friendable charactersÂ
Hat Mouse House Redesign - Makes a nicer Hat Mouse House
All Hats - Replaces farmer hats
Hair Pack - Adds or replaces farmer hairs
Shirt Pack - Adds or replaces farmer Shirts
More Difficult Aesthetic Mods to install
For these mods youâll need to download the files and open the rar./zip, but before you drag the whole folder into the SV mods folder go through each one to find the specific folder you want, the specific folder will hold the skin replacement you want to place in your SV mods folder.
Ragdoll Cat - Turns the cat into a ragdoll of your picking
Dog Replacement - Will change the dog to that of your picking
Horse Replacement - Will change your horse to that of your picking
Horse Replacement - Will change your horse similar to the above but adds saddles
Critter Replacement - Will change the âbackgroundâ critters
Barn Animal Replacement - Will change the barn animals to that of your picking
Coop animal Replacement - Will change the coop animals to that of your picking
Coop Animal Replacement - Almost the same as the above replacement but includes the Dinosaur
For example in these when you download one the folder will look like this
Youâll want to go through each of these folders to find the exact look youâre going for. Once you find the one you want you simply grab its folder and move it to your SV mods folder.
For example these are all my chosen skins in my SV mods folder
Once youâve installed everything youâre going to want to load up SV via the StardewModdingAPI found in the Stardew Valley Folder.Â
Going back in the other pictures thatâll look like this:
In order to run Stardew Valley with mods you always have to run SV with the StardewModdingAPI
And thatâs it for modding your SV game! Youâre all set up to begin playing and installing more mods you might find! So enjoy~