A new day, a new riddle: Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has dropped another cryptic hint regarding the big Update 1.7 on the game's official Discord server. In essence, he announced that two paths will be extended, three will become four, and the Mermaid's Fruit will be free. So, instead of concrete facts, we're left with speculation – but that's precisely what has become tradition for Stardew Valley.
What Does ConcernedApe's Latest Riddle Mean?
The Reddit and Discord communities immediately jumped on the lines. The most common theory: “Two paths will be extended” presumably refers to Clint and Sandy, the two new marriage candidates that ConcernedApe already confirmed as part of Update 1.7 during the game's tenth-anniversary stream. “Three will become four” is interpreted by many as a hint about the children in the game – currently, there are three fixed child characters: Vincent, Jas, and Leo. A fourth could be added, or the existing system could be significantly reworked. What exactly is meant by the “Mermaid's Fruit,” however, remains completely open – no one has yet found a convincing explanation for it.
How Big Will Update 1.7 Be?
The excitement isn't coming out of nowhere: ConcernedApe has already confirmed that 1.7 is expected to bring “more character and social content” as well as, traditionally, a new farm type. Additionally, in an interview, he spoke of two more marriage candidates and an overhaul of the children's system – possibly even a farm map editor, though he himself emphasized that the latter was still uncertain. A look at the update history shows why the community dissects every little hint so meticulously: A full four years lay between the story update 1.5 (2020) and the extensive update 1.6 (2024) – and 1.6 brought, among other things, new areas, quests, and a complete mod framework. There is no release date for 1.7 yet; ConcernedApe has merely clarified: “No date, no estimate.” For fans, this specifically means: patience is still required, but the direction – more relationships, more character depth, a new farm type – is already clearly emerging.
Do you have a theory about what's behind the riddle? Share it with us in the comments – we're collecting the best ideas!
Comments (2)
me · November 2, 2026
I don’t know who wrote this but the sentence “He literally wrote, paraphrased” hurts my brain. Please learn what the words you’re writing down mean. Even if they’re online, they should still be correct.
Paraphrasing means you’re not writing what he literally wrote.
Freundliche Grüsse aus der Schweiz
redaktion · November 4, 2026
Fair point – you’re completely right. That’s a textbook oxymoron on our end. We’ve updated the phrasing in the article to fix it. Thanks for pointing it out and helping us keep the quality sharp!