Getting started inStardew Valleycan be tricky. Players have to plant their first crops, begin making enough gold to purchase important upgrades such as coops and barns, and get to know everyone in Pelican Town. Late-gameStardew Valleyis no stranger to challenge, with the ultra-difficult Skull Cavern and over 100 Golden Walnuts to collect on Ginger Island, but one of the farming sim’s greatest challenges actually occurs within the first two weeks players will spend in the Valley. This challenge, of course, is none other than the Egg Hunt, the central event ofStardew Valley’sannual Egg Festival.
What IsStardew Valley’sEgg Hunt?
Stardew Valley’sEgg Festivaltakes place annually on Spring 13, and is the first festival that new farmers will encounter during the game. On the surface, it seems like an adorable event to celebrate Spring. Pelican Town is filled with colorful decorations, Gus has made a feast with various egg-themed dishes, and Pierre runs a stall selling plants, plush bunnies, and other seasonal items. The event is typically also the first chance players have to purchase Strawberry Seeds, a valuable Spring crop that can be harvested multiple times per season.
During the festival, the player has the opportunity to participate in theEgg Hunt, a competition to locate as many colored eggs as possible within 50 seconds. The eggs are hidden everywhere throughout Pelican Town, and many are hidden by bushes, houses, or fences. In a single-player game, the player must find a whopping nine eggs to win the Egg Hunt. Otherwise, Abigail will be declared the winner. While the number of eggs needed to win decreases in a multiplayer game - six eggs if two players participate, five if three do, and only four if four do - it is still no easy task.
Defeating Abigail Requires Both Knowledge And Speed
While it’s possible to randomly stumble across enough eggs to win the Egg Hunt, this is very unlikely. Winning typically involves following a specific path to collect as many eggs as possible without running into obstacles or having to turn back. It is very difficult for a player in Year 1, unless they have studied Pelican Town’s layout beforehand, to find nine eggs in under one minute. Themost recent major update toStardew Valleychanged the placement of the eggs in odd and even years, making it even more difficult for players to win the Egg Hunt as they now have to familiarize themselves with two layouts instead of just one.
Although the prize for winning the Egg Hunt for the first time, a Straw Hat, is not a particularly good item unless a player wants to collect all clothing or hats in the game, winning multiple times nets a valuablePrize Ticket. Prize Tickets can be exchanged for seeds, saplings, clothing, furniture, minerals, stat-boosting books, and many other important items. While there are other methods of obtaining Prize Tickets, such as completing Special Orders, the Egg Hunt victory is a handy way to snag one early in the year.
Going intoStardew Valley,the Egg Hunt may be players' first indication that this cozy, colorful farming simulator can be more challenging than it seems. What seems on the surface to be a simple mini-game is actually a test of speed, memorization, and general knowledge of Pelican Town and its environs. AsStardew Valleyhas many other challenges awaiting the player, from hard-to-kill monsters to the seemingly endless monetary grind required to purchase a Golden Clock to, of course, earningPerfectionstatus, the Egg Hunt is the perfect introduction to what lies ahead.
