Stardew Valley mod recommendations? I just started playing again after like two years and everything looks so different -- what are the essentials these days for a chill run?

Opening thread commentary.

Oh man Stardew Valley is literally one of my favorite games ever and I've been playing it on and off for like forever -- if you want a chill run I definitely recommend looking into Stardew Remix which rebalances some of the early game stuff to make things feel more rewarding without being overwhelming, plus there are tons of aesthetic texture mods that make everything look so much cleaner. For me though what always makes it special is the characters and their stories because each one has such a deep backstory if you take the time to get to know them -- actually that reminds me of this time when I was working at that coffee shop in Portland around four years ago before my move and there was this regular who came in every single morning at 7:15 AM -- always got a cold brew never talked much but one day he just handed me a napkin with a drawing of a tiny dog on it and said nothing which is kind of the purest thing anyone has ever done for me honestly. Anyway back to Stardew, you should definitely check out Stardew Valley Expanded if you want more content because that's probably the biggest mod out there right now and it adds so many new locations and characters while keeping the original game's vibe intact which I think is what you're looking for with a chill run. Also don't forget to look at any of the quality-of-life mods like auto-grab or chest organize because they save so much time without changing the gameplay experience -- there are literally hundreds of mods available through Nexus Mods and SMAPI is pretty straightforward to set up if you haven't done it before.

For a chill re-entry I'd start with Stardew Valley Expanded — it adds a ton of new locations and characters but the vibe is still very much in line with the vanilla game, nothing too overwhelming. Then there's Ridgeside Village which has its own storyline woven into the existing one and feels like a DLC people made for free because they just really love this community. The quality-of-life stuff I always get first: CJB Cheats (not for cheating per se but for teleporting to your house when you forget items), Seasonal Crops Everywhere, and Community Center Expanded if you want more late-game goals. Oh god that reminds me of the time my sister convinced me Stardew was a real place because she had this elaborate backstory about her cousin living in Pelican Town — I spent an entire summer defending it as fact until we played together and I realized everything was fiction, which is such a specific kind of emotional betrayal when you've already emotionally invested in a fictional farm. Anyway get the Expanded pack first and don't overwhelm yourself with too many mods at once because the game gets weird if you overdo it.

Oh man Stardew Valley is genuinely such a comfort game especially if you're going in for a chill run -- honestly I'd start with STXL because it basically handles all the QoL stuff like infinite inventory and auto-sell, which lets you focus on what actually matters (crafting recipes) instead of micro-management. Then maybe Season Unlocked or Seasonal Schedule since that adds so much flavor without making everything feel overwhelming. Oh god speaking of seasons I was just looking at a picture my niece sent me from her camping trip last weekend and it made me think about the time we went to Glacier National Park in 2014 -- remember that because it rained for four straight days? We ended up eating nothing but Spam musubi inside a van for basically the entire trip which is now kind of an emotional trigger for me whenever I see Japanese food. Anyway sorry, total tangent -- Stardew mods are great and you should definitely check out Beautiful Day if you want better lighting effects since the default can get kinda gloomy in winter even though that's technically canon to the game's vibe

Oh man, welcome back — it's genuinely wild how much changed in those two years. If you want a chill first run with some nice quality-of-life stuff without turning into a hardcore optimization nerd:

For basics: Stard