A new Stardew Valley mod quickly became one of the most popular for the life game on NexusMods, and it might not be for the reasons you normally think. Unlike other popular mods that expand the game, change NPC schedules, or tweak what you can grow and how, this one does something comparatively simple: it fills up your pet’s water bowl every day, automatically.
The mod, appropriately called the Stardew Valley Autofill Pet Bowl mod, does pretty much what it says on the label – no fuss, no frills, no special effects. Just a happy, hydrated pet at the start of every day, without you having to remember to do it manually, alongside all your other daily chores.
You don’t technically have to feed your pet or give them water in Stardew Valley. Since Stardew is a video game, you don’t have any of the troublesome side effects that usually happen in real life without food or water, because your industrious lil’ fur friend presumably goes out and finds something on their own. They love you just as much as ever, but the important thing is that, if you remember to give them water, they love you even more.
Boosting your pet’s affection is an easy way to get a shrine point for Grandpa’s Shrine. At the start of your third year, or at certain points after this milestone, the spirit of your grandfather returns to the shrine and evaluates your farm efforts. Most points require serious effort to obtain, such as acquiring rare items or reaching high-level friendship milestones with your neighbors.
You need 12 points for Grandpa to consider your farm “perfect,” and this mod pretty much guarantees you can get one of those with minimal effort.
Check out the mod from maephie on NexusMods.
If you’re keen on shaking up your farming experience with something fresh, check out our picks for the best farming games on PC that aren’t (just) Stardew Valley.