Stardew Valley has one more mystery for update 1.6

Stardew Valley Fans have pored over seemingly every pixel of the game since its release, doing everything from creating massive wikis cataloging every detail of the game to creating mods that expand the world. Despite all this work, there is still one big mystery eludes fans everywhere. It’s 2024 and we still don’t know who threw rocks at Linus and destroyed his house.

Developer Eric Barone, known as ConcernedApe, released Stardew Valley more than eight years ago. It follows the story of a disgruntled office worker who quits his job and starts a farm on a plot of land left to them by their late grandfather. To this day, the game has an enthusiastic player base and Barone continues to release major updates. In light of the Stardew Valley 1.6 update, released on Tuesday, I’ve been thinking about this particular mystery, so now seems like the best time to try to solve it.

Stardew Valley Set in a small village called Pelican Town, you can befriend a colorful cast of characters as you start a farm. One of those characters is Linus, an outcast who lives in a tent on the outskirts of the city. Like other townspeople, he is a bit wary when he first meets you and won’t talk to you. He does make a request to the player: “Please don’t destroy my tent. It’s happened before.” If you continue to talk to him throughout the seasons, he will mention other forms of harassment. In other cases, someone threw stones at his tent while he slept, and another painted the tent.

Linus may be a little cold, but he doesn’t deserve to have his house destroyed. My heart went out to him after I heard what he had been through. I, like many other fans, have dwelled on this unsolved crime for years because no one ever confesses to it! I contacted Barone directly two years ago to see if he could tell us. At the time, he did not provide any clarification, but stated his general thoughts Stardew Valley tradition.

“When it comes to Stardew Valley I generally don’t comment on anything outside the scope of the game,” he told Polygon via email. “I like to leave these things open to interpretations and discussions.”

Barone’s answer means we’re not necessarily getting a canon answer. However, I would argue that this means it’s fair game for me to make my own accusations against other characters. So without further ado, I’m going to point out a particular hooligan: Sebastian, the emo son of the carpenter Robin.

At first he doesn’t seem like the most likely perpetrator. He is introverted and goes to bed earlier than many other city people. However, that personality can be the perfect cover-up. For starters, he’s in the perfect place to commit the crime; he lives on the north side of town, just like Linus. While he’s going to bed early, he’ll also tell you that he sneaks out to the caves at night – meaning he’s been missing for a while. To top it all off, he will also be asking for extra help finding bricks through the Help Wanted message board next to Pierre’s General Store. What if he used those stones as tools for crime?

I think Sebastian makes a lot of sense, even if I don’t want it to be true. I could see him destroying Linus’ tent as an impulsive act of teenage rebellion, but I could also understand why people might disagree. There are plenty of other possible culprits, and there’s a reason this has remained a mystery for so long. As Barone said, it’s up to interpretation so players can continue to develop their own theories.

If you have your own theory, let us know in the comments. You can help Polygon solve the great mystery behind who destroyed Linus’ tent Stardew Valley.