The admittedly hefty and highly anticipated Stardew Valley 1.6 update has brought a plethora of new elements to the table today, but none are as puzzling as “baby toss now has a chance to crit.”
As anticipated by Stardew Valley‘s developer, ConcernedApe, the 1.6 update is massive. With over 430 tweaks, players can bask in the glory of a new “broken” farm type, three original festivals, and drinkable mayonnaise. The change log is lengthier than the download time for the game itself—it’ll probably take longer to read than to install. But there’s one specific line about baby tossing that has sent the Stardew Valley community into a frenzy.
If that line has you scratching your head like “Huh?”, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The whole Stardew Valley community is feeling just as perplexed.
For those who have decided not to have children to become a full-time farmer, mine-lurker, and fisher, let me school you on Stardew Valley parenting. When your little bundle of pixels is still in the baby phase, you can scoop them up from their crib and give them a toss in the air. This is a daily interaction that improves your relationship with your babies.
This patch note line could suggest that tossing your baby has a chance of dealing critical damage. But whether this damage is being dealt to you, your baby, your spouse, or a random slime that escaped from the Slime Hutch in the backyard is unclear.
As expected, heads are turning in confusion at this line. Players have demanded an explanation from ConcernedApe on Twitter/X, while others are well on their way to cautiously testing this feature. Some anxious farmer-parents are even voicing their worries: Could this seemingly innocent parent-baby interaction lead to unforeseen tragedy?
