If there’s one thing I know for sure about Stardew Valley Combat, opinions on it will vary wildly. Some say too difficult, some say too easy, some people would rather avoid it entirely if they could. But a wonderful feature of Stardew is how many mods are available to completely change your experience, and this couldn’t be more true than with combat mods.

The mod creators have been busy indeed, changing combat into something that can be enjoyed, tolerated, or avoided entirely based on your preferences. Want to shake things up on the combat scene? Read on to learn about 15 of the best combat mods.

15. Afraid of Monsters

Stardew Valley Monsters get a menacing makeover

While this is just a reskin of existing monsters, it definitely makes you more inclined to fight them off. DeonDF explains he was looking for a darker vibe, and needed monsters to match it.

• Reskins existing monsters to look scarier
• Does not alter monster stats
• Best for if you want a vibe change, but not a mechanics change

Get the mod here: Afraid of Monsters by DeonDF

14. Enemy Health Bars

Know thy enemy

One aspect of Stardew Valley combat that just doesn’t hit for me is not knowing what I’m up against. When swarmed with enemies or racing against a clock it would be nice to know how many more swings I need to take. This mod by OrSpeeder delivers.

• Gives prices info on enemy health
• Need more combat skill (in general or with particular monster) to see more information
• The color scheme is configurable
• Stealth enemies need to be hit before it shows their bar, avoiding giving their location away to early

Find the mod here: Enemy Health Bars by OrSpeeder

13. Fighting with NPCs

Kick those annoying NPCs to the curb... errr... hospital bed. 

You know, sometimes an NPC is just grating on your nerves and you want to take a swing at them. Eduanttunes knows how you feel, and has the answer for your problems. With this mod you can take on whatever pesky NPC is in need of being taken down a notch. The NPC will survive, you’ll get to let off some steam, and you might even get a little something for your trouble.

• Use your scythe to fight an NPC
• Send them to the hospital
• NPCs drop unique loot, and you get a cash reward
• You will lose friendship points for this prank

Get the mod here: Fight with NPCs by Eduanttunes

12. Hardcore Mines 2

When we go in the mines we go hardcore. I mean... actually not me, normal is fine for me. But enjoy! 

Looking for a more customizable mine experience? Itslittany has your back. Use the Hardcore Mines 2 mod (an updated version of Hardcore Mines) to scale your mines, with difficulty tiers ranging from 1 (easy) to 10 (wow… good luck)

• Adds bosses to previous safe levels
• Increases difficulty of existing monsters
• A new loot pool for potential drops

Get the mod here: Hardcore Mines 2 by Itslittany

11. Skull Cavern Toggle

In the words of the immortal Mr. Miyagi, "hard mode on, hard mode off". Or, something along those lines. 

If you’re in the camp that finds Skull Cavern lacking challenge (not me for the record, I’ve lost more loot to Skull Cavern than I ever want to admit) then you might enjoy the ability to toggle Skull Cavern into extra difficulty. TheMightyAmondee has just the ticket for you.

• Toggle available for optional Skull Cavern difficulty
• Difficulty syncs for multiplayer games
• Adds shrine to the left of skull cavern door for immediate difficulty change

Get the mod here: Skull Cavern Toggle by TheMightyAmondee

10. Combat Level Damage Scaler

Grow your damage with your experience. Seems fair, right?

If you’re looking for a feature that makes your combat leveling feel more natural, take a look at this mod from SpaseChase0.  It gives a way for your damage to scale up with your combat levels

• Increases combat damage by 5% per combat level
• Adds a natural progression feel to combat
• Allows you to take on monsters easier as you grow more proficient

Get the mod here: Combat Level Damage Scaler by SpaseChase0

9. Personal Combat Drone

It's your own little R2-Defeat U 

 The age of AI has arrived, and your personal protection drone is ready to assist in all your security needs. This little buddy by Cotboy will join you in exploration and battle whenever you’d like to help keep you safe.

• Drone kills nearby enemies before they can strike player
• Fish in the swamps, hang out at night time, or mine in relative peace
• Toggle on or off as you choose

Get the mod here:Personal Combat Drone by Cotboy

8. Fluent Eating

Fast food without the drivethru

Like Yogi and his pic-a-nic basket, sometimes players just want a peaceful moment to have a snack. Unfortunately, monsters are kind of against that, and players can get swarmed and not realize they're low on health. With the Fluent Eating mod by kangzoel161 players can cross that worry off their list.

• Automatically consume your least valuable food when health dips below your preferred level
• Eat to maintain buffs
• Option for toggling on and off at will
• Skips the eating animation

Get the mod here: Fluent Eating by kanzoel161

7. Better Weapons

I cast fireball. 

There are a lot of different weapons in Stardew Valley, the problem is, they’re not exactly unique experiences. They have different damage capabilities, and maybe a speed or a defense boost, but there are some really cool sounding names without an equally cool special ability. Behold, the Better Weapons mod by dendenhsmy

• Adds special effects to several weapons found in the game
• Silver saber- attack three times quickly
• Lava Katana- block and fire five fireballs
• Rapier- shorter attack cool down

Get the mod here: Better Weapons by dendenhsmy

6. Harmless Monsters

We ain't afraid of no ghost.

You know, monsters just bring so much drama. Wouldn’t it be nice to just be able to ignore them and get on with your mining? Or maybe you just need a lot of bug guts, and you want to make it happen without too much fuss. Hwei06 gives you the option to make monsters completely harmless, so you can get on with that resource rush.

• Monsters do no damage to player
• Falls or bombs can still damage player
• Monster HP is 10% of original to make slaying quick and easy

Get the mod here: Harmless Monsters by Hwei06

5. Better Slingshots

Pew pew pew pew

Melee combat is definitely the default in Stardew, as slingshots are limited and can be finicky making them unreliable in most situations. The Better Slingshots mod by CatCattyCat aims to fix some of these issues.

• Adds auto firing to slingshots
• Makes Galaxy slingshot obtainable through the casino
• Easier aiming (no reverse aiming)
• Auto refills ammo with same type when you run out

Get the mod here: Better Slingshots by CatCattyCat

4. Wear More Rings

Why choose one when you can rule them all? 

Gimme that bling bling with a side of extra damage, or maybe double loot. While forging allows you to get some pretty sweet combination rings later in the game, rings can be so helpful early game. The problem is, you can only wear two, leaving players to choose between being able to see, or being able to move faster. Bompnc has opened up a new world of fashion though, with the Wear More Rings mod.

• Players can choose their max level of rings, default being 8
• Players can wear up to 20 rings
• Should be compatible with other mods that add ring options to the game

Get the mod here: Wear More Rings by Bompnc

3. All Professions

A whole lotta power in a little bitty pixelated package

As you level up your combat, you’ll be given options on what path you want to take, with each choice giving special advantages.  But what if you didn’t have to choose? Thanks to the All Professions mod by Cantorsdust you are free to live out your omnipotent dreams.

• Allows player to take both professions at level five
• Grants all specialties at level 10
• Allows players to take advantage of bonuses of all options

Get the mod here: All Professions by Cantorsdust

2. Companion NPCs

I can show you the world... also can you give me some buffs?

NPCs in Stardew Valley have a lot of personality, but also a lot of limitations on what they can and can’t do. For instance, they can send you gifts, and eventually you may be lucky enough to convince one to marry you, but also they have to follow the same schedule every day and really don’t have much time to explore outside of town. But what if someone came along to open their world up? Let them join on adventures and exploring? They’d probably be pretty grateful, and want to help out with the tasks, right? The Companion NPCs mod by ToweringRedwood lets NPCs get a taste of PC life, and they return the favor to the player.

• NPCs can join you in fighting, fishing, or exploring
• Your buddy brings special buffs to give you an advantage in your tasks
• Hang out all day with your NPC friends

Get the mod here: Companion NPCs by ToweringRedwoods

1. Combat Made Easy Suite

Less damage, more loot? I could do this all day. 

By far the most comprehensive option for combat scaling is this mod by Ericlegacy21. With a few clicks the player can customize their combat to a more amenable level to allow for a calmer, easier game.

• Decrease damage and speed of monsters
• Decrease monster ability to detect players
• Increase the combat XP from killing monsters
• Increase loot drops so you can fight fewer times

Get the mod here: Combat Made Easy Suite by Ericlegacy21

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