Alright, I found my list :) I apologize in advance for the length lol. I don’t know how familiar you are with mods, so here is some context:
I use a PC and was not successful in helping a friend get mods on her Mac, so I don’t know if these work on a Mac. Mobile mods are also much harder to get to work mainly because of OS restrictions but also because phones are different, so most of these probably won’t work on mobile. Also, if you already have an unmodded game going you should be aware that adding mods could break it. There are ways to turn them off and on but I’ve only done it once (for a multiplayer game) and it was a lot of work lol. I think it’d be easier if I had a better memory and played more often though. There are also ways to have different folders of mods if you go between single and multiplayer, so that might be helpful if the people you’re playing with have different or no mods.
I get my mods from Nexus Mods and I have the Vortex mod manager, which will tell you when each one is due for an update (with a few errors). There is at least one other mod manager but I have never used it.
These are just the mods I intentionally sought out - each one will have its own dependencies (additional mods to download) - all of them require SMAPI iirc, which is basically a way for modders to make mods work without reinventing the wheel.
The expansion mods will have the most dependences since they add so many things to the game. Also, I have not updated my list for awhile and there has been at least one big update recently, so some of these mods may not work anymore or may now be implemented into the game itself.
I added a brief description of each mod, but their Nexus page will have the best and most updated description, as well as a place for any issues/bugs that have come up.
- Tractor mod - allows you to use a tractor to plant crops, go to the mine, etc. I haven’t actually used this one but I’ve had it forever lol. The tractor costs a lot of money so you will not be able to use it right away.
- Lookup anything - this allows you to have basically an encyclopedia. Some details include when and where to fish for certain fish, what objects can be used to make other objects, etc. It also has pictures so you know what things look like.
- Chests anywhere - this allows you to access chests basically anywhere in the game instead of just when you are directly in front of them. Note that if you are playing multiplayer then only the host will have access to all of the chests if they are anywhere besides the homestead. Something to do with syncing I believe?
- Automate - this automates certain tasks, such as using the furnace or making mayonnaise, so you can spend time doing other things like finishing quests and talking to people (or just exploring).
- Farm type manager - allows you to spawn various items anywhere (like rocks, plants, monsters, etc). I don’t believe the season matters but I don’t really use this mod much.
- East Scarp - an expansion mod. It adds a new location/map as well as new characters and quests. I would consider this the middle expansion if I rank all 3 of the expansion mods I use by size/complexity.
- Swim - allows you to swim almost anywhere there’s water. Has an additional download so there can be an underwater map with quests etc. i have never downloaded the extra map. Also, you may want to change the swim button if you download the warp mod since they default to the same button. But it’s not a super big deal if you don’t change it (the button is what allows your player to swim vs prevents it, helpful if you need to do something on the shoreline or the dock and don’t want to jump in the water).
- Ridgeside Village - expansion mod. Adds a lot of characters, quests, etc. This is the biggest/most complex expansion mod that I have imo.
- Free Love - allows you to have multiple spouses without making anyone mad. I would use alongside the date night mod so you don’t get overrun by date requests! They get offended if you don’t go out with them lol.
- Destroyable bushes - allows you to cut down bushes as you would a tree for extra wood. I don’t use it much.
- Stardew valley expanded - expansion that adds more characters and quests. I would consider this the smallest one that I have, although it’s probably actually the biggest one if you actually use all of the locations/quests. There are just some things I refuse to do lol
- NPC map locations - shows where each person is currently on the map. I think it also shows player locations? Pretty sure lol. Also it works for all of the maps afaik.
- Automatic gates - gates open and close automatically
- Mikey’s Greenhouse - allows you to make a bigger greenhouse. I recommend setting this one up at the beginning because it’s a pain in the ass if your greenhouse already has stuff in it.
- Warp multiplayer - warp to like 6 different locations on the map, including a custom location, without using any equipment. Can be used on singleplayer.
- Warp multiplayer (locations) - used alongside the above mod. Not sure why you need both. But you do lol.
- Wear more rings - allows you to wear more rings than normal. Can be customized - i think i can wear up to 16 rings but not sure. At some point you don’t really need all those extra rings because you can combine them. However it is very easy to change the number of rings you can wear - it’s a slider bar in the mod menu.
- Pause time in multiplayer - allows you to pause the game (works in single player as well). IIRC a majority of the players (both if it’s 2 players) have to agree to pause before it will pause.
- Date night - allows you to choose the probability that you will go on a date with your partner. I recommend setting it very low if you have multiple partners. Otherwise two or more will ask you on a date on the same night and you will make somebody upset.
- Craftable autopetter - allows you to craft an autopetter, which will save you from the tedious task of petting your animals (you can still pet them if you want but they wont be upset if you dont)
- Event limiter - sets the number of events that will happen in a day. I must use this for another mod because i have never configured this one.
- Greenhouse sprinklers - adds an upgrade option to your greenhouse so that you dont have to water everything. I believe there are 2 upgrades but i can’t remember why.
- Show birthdays - this will tell you everyones birthday on a given day on the calendar. Extremely helpful with expansion mods.
- Deluxe grabber redux - allows the grabber to pick up pretty much everything in the area instead of whatever the game limits it to.
- Plant and fertilize all - plant or fertilize the entire area with the press of a button. Extremely helpful if you have a large area you want to do at once. Not helpful if you want to plant multiple types of things.
- PFM automate - this is another automation mod, I’m not sure which one is current so I would look at the one I listed earlier as well.
- Better chests - name, categorizes, change size, carry chests…so many things you can do
- Fruit tree honey - make honey from fruit trees instead of just flowers
- Gift taste helper - hover tip that tells what someones favorite gift is (calendar or social page)
- Skull cavern toggle - change difficulty of the skull cavern. I believe this has been added to the vanilla game since i last updated mine.
- Skull cavern elevator - adds an elevator to the skull cavern. Absolutely required to relieve the stress that is the skull cavern lol. You can thank me later 😂
- Reverse proposal - allows NPC to ask you on a date
- Lockpicks - a purchaseable item that allows you to go into peoples houses in the middle of the night (or whenever else they might be locked). Kinda creepy and i never ended up needing it lol
- Custom music - use your own background music. I got frustrated and removed it bc it turns out i really like the game’s music lol
- Convenient chests - allows you to craft and cook from nearby chests. I think better chests also does this so idk if i actually use both or not. But either way it’s nice to not have to reach into each chest and grab things. Just remember if you use this that it may use something you were trying to save, so keep that in mind.
- Simple crop label - hover tip of what each crop is. Great if you always forget what you planted (especially if you don’t play regularly)
Let me know if I can help in any way :) I hope you find this useful!
Thanks for the game idea!!