Stardew Valley Cup? Why not?
For reasons I don’t fully understand, Stardew Valley will have the Stardew Valley Cup, where speedrunners will compete to complete certain objectives to earn points and win $40,000. I never imagined Stardew Valley having an esports competition, but that is why I’m writing about it and not competing in it.
YouTuber Zach “UnsurpassableZ” Hartman collaborated with Stardew Valley creator Barone to develop over 100 different challenges for players to complete. Each challenge is worth points, and players will have three hours to get as many points as they can.
In collaboration with @UnsurpassableZ, I’m pleased to announce the 1st official Stardew Valley Cup! It’s a competition of skill, knowledge, and teamwork, with a prize pool of over $40k. See some of Stardew’s most dedicated players in their element! Main event is Sept. 4th 9am PST pic.twitter.com/qtDW5e5LvD
— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) August 21, 2021
Here are some examples of the different challenges:
- Finish the craft room – 10 points
- Win ice fishing contest – 15 points
- Give Pam a pale ale – 5 points
- Give a loved gift at the feat of the winter star – 25 points
- Reach level 120 in the mines – 10 points
- Complete a monster eradication goal – 20 points
- Obtain a trash hat – 10 points
If you are going to have a Stardew Valley competition, this method makes the most sense. The challenges being worth points puts some strategy as players will have to consider what they can get done in three hours worth enough points to win. I still think this is a strange thing to do with what I consider a relaxing game, but hey, if this is what the people want, go for it.
The competition will feature four teams of four players working together to complete the challenges. Teams will get an additional point for every item they’ve shipped during the competition, and the team with the most gold at the end will also get another bonus of 20 points. Hartman will also throw surprise challenges that teams will have to decide how to handle on the spot.
Hartman said this in a video detailing the event:
“There’s going to be five challenges in total, and each one of them is worth 50 points, which I hope is going to tempt players away from their predetermined route and risk it for the biscuit.”
This event is scheduled to take place Labor Day weekend on September 4 at 12:00 p.m. ET with Barone and Hartman live streaming and commentating on all the action on Twitch and YouTube.