How to Get New Neighbors

Stardew Valley is a popular farming simulation video game developed by ConcernedApe, following the story of a rookie farmer who just inherited their late grandfather’s farm. But farming is not the only activity in this game. You can interact with the villagers, complete quests, catch fish, and partake in many other fun activities.

Even though Stardew Valley is already super successful, the developer frequently releases new updates to add new content to the game. In the recent 1.6 Update, one thing that has caught the attention of several gamers is the giant tree that appeared in the forest out of nowhere. It not only makes the forest look nicer, but also starts a fun quest where you end up with a cute Raccoon family as your new neighbors. Keep reading to learn how to find this tree and get new neighbors in Stardew Valley.

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How to Find the Big Tree in Stardew Valley

The Big Tree is located in the Cindersap Forest in Stardew Valley. To get there, leave your farm and go south until you reach Marnie’s Ranch. Then, take a left, and you’ll soon come across a giant tree surrounded by a fence. At this point, you can go up to the tree and try interacting with it, but nothing will happen.

How to Get New Neighbors in Stardew Valley

Once you have located the Big Tree, just go about your daily business in the game and wait for a stormy night. After a stormy night, visit the tree in the morning. You’ll find that the wind knocked the tree over, leaving a giant stump behind. There will be an exclamation mark on the stump, which you can interact with to initiate the Giant Stump Quest. It’s a lengthy quest, starting with the task of gathering 100 pieces of Hardwood. There are several ways to acquire Hardwood in the game, including:

Chopping down Mahogany trees.
Cutting the large stumps that spawn in the Secret Woods each day (requires a Copper Axe or better).
Cutting the large logs using a Steel Axe (requires a Steel Axe or better).
Searching through boxes and barrels in the mines.

Return to the Giant Stump with 100x Hardwood and repair it. The next day, a raccoon will move into the house. Talk to the Raccoon and he will occasionally request some items, such as, Cactus Fruit, Orange Jelly, and Periwinkle. Completing each request earns you rewards, and the Raccoon family will expand until you have a complete Raccoon household in your neighborhood.