How to enable and use legacy randomization in Stardew Valley

Prior to the 1.6 update of Stardew Valley, players had become very accustomed to the predictable RNG and exploiting it for profit, via methods such as the clay farming exploit. The RNG was altered with 1.6, but there is still a way that you can put things back to the way they’ve always been — Legacy Randomization.

If you’ve never played Stardew Valley prior to 1.6, or you were simply blissfully unaware of the exploits that the predictable RNG facilitated, then this guide will be of no use to you. However, if you’re a veteran player and missing the ability to grind out hundreds of Clay in a day, there’s hope for you. 

How to turn on Legacy Randomization in Stardew Valley

Unfortunately, if you’re a year or two into a new save file before hearing about this feature, you’re stuck with the new RNG style, as you can only turn on Legacy Randomization when starting a new game.

To switch on this feature, select ‘new’ from the main menu and then click at the bottom left corner of the main box. This will open up options and you can turn on a few features here, such as allowing monsters to spawn at night on your farm or enabling yourself to complete the bundles within the first year by guaranteeing the Traveling Merchant will have a Red Cabbage seed at some point. 

However, the option we want here is ‘use legacy randomization’:

If you hover over this option, a pop-up will appear stating that most players should keep this disabled. The choice is yours, though, so if you want to benefit from the old system there is still a way.