It's time for... Spring!?

[Caution: This thread contains naked Granny and is not appropriate for those of a nervous disposition.]

Yes, Spring is in the air on the homestead, well, actually no it's in the ground first, then in the air as we discover a series of healthy hot springs on the homestead that'll help heal the minds and bodies of the residents and also, from Monday, help us out with a little crop magic.

Of course, if we're going to make the most of these springs it means a few things... we have to make them work for us, test the waters that come from them and do our best to help any animals that might have been caught up in it...

As usual, we'll be greeted with a popup...

That will start off a series of five missions with a wrapper and one coming Monday (all details HERE) and a small build, a hot Spring which will transform into a fancy Frontier Bath House (all details HERE).

The Hot Spring/Bath House will also have a Telegraph Station-like daily bonus where it'll add up over the course of 5 days until you get a big prize at the end.

We'll also see a new sideboard on the right hand side for another bit of impressive artwork...

The missions themselves have a couple healable items, Aromatic Geysers that are healed with Testing Kits and Movin' Muds that use Cleaning Solutions. The first don't become anything, the second becomes a set of small critters, two of which we'll need during the missions. (Crafting requirements are in the mission posts)

Those will be in the market along with a new free gift crop, Cucumbers and a few other mission goodies.

The really great part of this thread will arrive on Monday with the extra wrapper, and that's the Mineral Spring that's part of the rewards.

This spring, that's full of nutrients perfect for crops has a trick up it's sleeve... passing a planted crop over the spring multiplies it and gives you extra crops! The amount will increase as the Hot Spring is expanded into the Bath House...

Finally, we will see a collection that'll drop a Steamin Crate which contains items for the missions.

All Is Safely Gathered In...

As autumn arrives it's time to settle in and give thanks for the crops and bounty we've received on the Homestead over the Summer with a good old fashioned Harvest Festival.

The table is set, the food is made, the Pandora's Box of devilish Imps has been opened and... wait, what?

Yes, it's the homestead folks, and nothing, but nothing, ever goes quite right.

As usual we'll start with a popup, and when that arrives, things look pretty hunky dory...

It launches a series of five missions then a Monday wrapper (all details HERE), and not so much a build but a 4 stage storyline (all details HERE) which will be tied into a new sideboard on the left hand side, where Storm Crow's Dying Forest is now.

That little art department masterpiece will change and grow as the missions are completed to finish as the perfect little Harvest Festival location.

But yes, back to those little black things running amok. It all starts with something that seems lovely, a big Holiday Basket but sadly someone who's not quite so keen on celebration has set a trap and opening it releases an unending supply of nasty little imps that are breaking our stuff and stealing our food! Looks like we'll have to stop them...

During the missions Pilfered Payloads will appear when clearing Grass, Rocks and Thorns, harvesting the new free gift crop, Harvest Gourds, collecting the Daily Bonus on the Basket and from the mission window.

They'll be opened with Harvest Retrieval Kits (Crafted with 3 Varmint Repellents (Wall Posts) and 3 Produce Baskets which drop from Collared Greens, a new coin crop) but aren't your standard healable item... Each time you heal them they'll change to a different style or a piece of debris on your stead and fire out boosts, crops and other goodies.

If they last through all 4 styles they can also drop a redeemed Imp, who has decided to change their ways and reform!

Of course, by the end of it all we'll have battled and won and have the perfect Harvest festival, just in time for Autumn...

Yes, Monday's mission brings with it something you've been telling us you want! Yes, it's Autumn colours and a pretty leaf covered land that should be easier on the eyes than the drought's cracked earth... But best of all, it's YOUR choice...

At the end of the mission we'll get a special decoration, the Weather Vane...

This wonderful little doodad will have the power to change our homestead for the season, so you can click it once placed and change your Oak Trees to get the yellows, oranges and reds of Autumn/Fall. We've also heard they're looking to add Winter and Spring as well at the right time because they want us to have more customisation options :)

So, what new things will we see? Well, one new free gift crop and one tree... along with one new COIN crop, the Collared Greens.

Along with a new collection!

So... let's eat, drink, be merry and look forward to those gorgeous colours of nature...

When Shall We Three Spook Again

I think most people would say a ghost or a witch is bad, a ghost witch is worse and THREE Ghost Witches? That has to be worst of all!

If things weren't spooky enough already a new curse has hit the Homestead and it's an attack from a trio of witches from beyond the veil!

So, how are we going to fight off this Maiden, Mother and Crone?

Well, we're going to do what we do best, and put them to rest for good.

As usual, here comes the popup!

This kicks off quite a bijou set of missions with just 4 main missions, a wrapper on the day and a wrapper on Monday (all details HERE)

Now, one thing that's a bit different in this one is that while we have a four step build it's not for one building, instead we're building four decorations/buildings that will drop goodies and generally Halloweeny up our stead.

The main one is the Open Grave, the original location of the Witches...

Then, as rewards, we'll get the Witches Wardrobe, Tainted Table and Haunted Hovel.

Each of these uses one stage of the four building stages (all details HERE)

We'll also see three new healables...

Each takes a different feed item, and we've got all the details in the mission posts HERE.

Those will be in the market alongside a few other mission based items including a new Free Gift "Crop" and a new coin crop!

Finally we won't see a new collection but we will see an update to an old one! Last year's Countdown to Halloween Collection has been changed to give this year's new free gift crop instead of the XP.

So, Who ya gonna call?

Trick or Treat

Halloween is here again! The kids are hyper on sugar, the spiders are left alone to web up the place and the Pumpkins are scared...

It'll come as absolutely no surprise though to learn it's not just all candy and candles this year as the whole homestead seems to have gone a bit Hammer Horror and, try to contain your shock, it's up to us to get it fixed!

It'll all kick off with the well known popup...

That will kick off a set of releases over the next few days totalling 12 main missions and a Monday wrapper (All details HERE). There's no build, just a small placeable decoration, the Candy Safe.

This contains a map, the likes of which we've seen a few times before, with three columns of four missions which all run alongside each other and release at a column per day.

Just like the recent fishing and bug missions we'll also see one of the missions classed as special each day which will give extra goodies and work towards Monday's wrapper.

As you can see, the missions themselves are pretty straightforward with a few crafts etc dotted around. We'll also see 3 new healables specially for Halloween, each will take a specific feed to heal and all details are in the relevant mission posts.

Along with the Mister we'll see two new free gifts, a crop and an animal, which is the return of the Mummy Sheep from the Curse of the Mummy thread (the pigs return too!)

They'll also be in the market along with some other goodies.

Excitingly we'll also see the advent of some new boosts, the Licorice Boost will speed up actions on the Homestead with a 10 minute FIFTEEN item Fast Hand effect and the intriguing Animal Edibles Boost will let us tend animals three times before they stop being hungry! These are crafted in the Candy Shop.

Finally we will see a collection BUT, and this is a big but, unlike previous Map missions there is NO collection requirement, something I know will cheer a LOT of people up!

So, lets get spooky... :D

Froggy Went A' Jumpin

Now that the homestead is over-run with frogs what are we going to do with them?

Well, the most obvious answer is of course... Frog Jumping Races with the kids!

Of course, everyone on the homestead is competitive so that can only mean one thing, we need to breed up the best, fastest and hoppiest of Frogs to make sure we get to win the races!

As usual, we'll see a popup to start.

This will kick off a 5 mission thread with two wrappers, one on Thursday, one on Monday (all details HERE) and a 4 step build, the Frog Track (all details HERE).

From here on out, the missions will guide us through breeding our frogs as the long known breeding mechanic comes into play.

It'll work the same as Bunny Breeding where we can breed with neighbour frogs or buy a breeding partner from Ted and then feed them with Soothing Spots that drop from the new Free Gift crop, Hosta Flowers.

Then, when fed up we'll get a variety of random rewards depending on type and the bred frog will retire!

For more information on Breeding Frogs see our guide HERE.

We'll see three new types of frog tonight, The Racing Frog which drops from tending any fully grown frogs from the last set of missions, and two new market frogs, the Fanciful Frog and the Trekkin Toad. These take 34 Pond Parcels like all Partner Animals.

As we said earlier, there is one new Free Gift crop...

...which is also in the market with some more mission items...

So, hop along and breed those frogs!