Stardew Valley 1.6: Mastery system, explained

After reading the changelog for Stardew Valley 1.6 you may be wondering what this new Mastery system is and how it works.

Or have you found that strange door in Cindersnap Forest that allows only a “master of five ways” to enter? Here’s what this all means.

As noted in the changelog, this new Mastery system is accessible through a new area that can grant you powerful perks and items. But how can you access this area, and what is this new system? The Mastery system in Stardew Valley gives unique perks to players who reach the maximum level in all five skills, which are Farming, Foraging, Fishing, Mining, and Combat.

Upon reaching rank 10 of one skill, you’ll master that skill. But you’ll need to first max out every single skill of yours to even access the Mastery system. So where is this new area? Well, if you follow the map above, you can find a door in the Cindersnap Forest behind a tree with a note on it.

It’ll tell you that only a master of the five ways can enter, which means you have to master all five skills to enter. As a reminder, if you want some easier ways to upgrade your skills, check out the Bookseller.

Otherwise, once you reach max rank on all skills, enter this room, and you’ll be able to unlock incredible perks to add to your already maxed-out skill levels. You’ll only likely reach this level during your third year in Stardew Valley since it can take quite some time to reach max rank of all skills.

Since this 1.6 update is still pretty fresh, most players have yet to experience what this new area looks like, so we’re still not sure what lies beyond that door. This also means we’ve yet to discover what these perks are and how they affect your skills.

We’ll just have to wait and see once endgame players get their hands on this Mastery system. In the meantime, you may be wondering about Mystery Boxes from the 1.6 update as well.

---