The Stardew Valley 1.6 update has introduced a great deal of new content including the anomalous weather event known as green rain, but what does it do and how does it work?
Along with other additions like livestock-focused meadowlands farms and a variety of new jellies, green rain brings a degree of freshness to the game. Green rain bathes everything in a greenish tint, including building interiors. It’s not harmful in any way despite the apocalyptic look it gives Pelican Town, and there are actually many boons that can be gained from it.
Here’s everything that can be done when green rain does happen in Stardew Valley 1.6.
What does green rain do in Stardew Valley?
Green rain weather events will spawn new types of trees, sprout weeds everywhere, and influence the behavior of Stardew Vallye NPCs.
On the day of green rain, the TV will display nothing but greenish static and jukeboxes cease to work. Outside, the aftermath of green rain will be unmistakable. There will be an abundance of moss on most trees and fiddlehead fern will be found practically everywhere. Tree saplings may even fully mature.
The entire valley will have a jungle ambiance, with vines and weeds spread about everywhere. Most of the villagers will remain indoors and will congregate at Gus’ Stardrop Saloon, which is open all day. Demetrius will be outside in a hazmat suit probing the anomaly, while Linus doesn’t seem to care at all. All normally accessible buildings will remain that way but ignore regular operating hours.
The only areas not affected by this verdant explosion are the beach area and the Calico Desert. These two zones and their environments will continue to behave normally.
The next day, the green tint will be gone and green rain trees will have reverted to normal. The weeds and giant vines will disappear entirely. The behaviors and schedules of villagers will go back to usual as well.
What to do when green rain happens
During green rain, Stardew Valley players should look to forage and harvest rare resources and seeds.
Since green rain is rare and only lasts for a single day, it’s important to prioritize certain tasks and accomplish as much as possible before bedtime. The main goal during the green rain event is to gather as much moss and as many fiddlehead ferns as possible.
While moss is collectible with the axe or scythe elsewhere, even without green rain, having it available in the valley and in such abundance is much more convenient. The same is true for fiddlehead ferns, which can be gathered by chopping down the large vines that appear across the game during green rain with an axe. The mossy seeds that fall will be useful for growing more of the green rain trees after the event itself.
The weeds that appear during green rain are a great source for large quantities of mixed seeds, mixed flower seeds, mossy seeds, moss, and fiber. Weeds are easily harvested with the scythe. If time permits, then a visit to the Stardrop Saloon is in order, as this is the perfect opportunity to socialize given that much of the village is gathered in one convenient location.
How to make green rain happen
Green rain occurs randomly in Stardew Valley and is not known to be influenced by anything, even the Rain Totem.
The only predictable aspects of green rain are that it will only ever occur during Summer during one of eight possible days, and that it will happen at least once in that Summer season. The day before it happens, the weather report on the TV will state something about an anomalous reading without elaborating further.
Players cannot force green rain events to happen. All they can do is make the most of them when they do occur by gathering the goods that are made available in abundance.
Has green rain changed since Stardew Valley 1.6?
The major green rain change that has been made since the release of Stardew Valley 1.6 is that players can no longer give gifts to other characters when green rain occurs during Year 1. This change, and a couple of other, smaller changes, were made in Stardew Valley update 1.6.4.
Developer ConcernedApe noted that gifting change was made to prevent confusion around the “attitudes” of the game’s NPCs. Most of the game’s characters are rather alarmed by the first appearance of green rain, and having them shift into being thankful for a gift didn’t seem appropriate. For that reason, giving gifts to NPCs is off limits during the first green rain event in Stardew Valley, which happens during Year 1.
Other smaller changes have also been made. Robin will no longer continue her construction work during the green rain event, and vinegar can now be used to prevent moss from growing on trees, for those farmers who just can’t tolerate the mossy aesthetic.
