💝 Relationships
Stardew Valley Relationships Guide
Building friendships with Pelican Town's residents unlocks recipes, cutscenes, items in the mail, and ultimately marriage. This guide covers every NPC's preferences and the most efficient way to max out friendship.
Friendship Points System
How Friendship Works
| Action | Points Gained | Daily Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Talking to NPC | +20 | Once per day |
| Giving Loved Gift | +80 | Twice per week |
| Giving Liked Gift | +45 | Twice per week |
| Giving Neutral Gift | +20 | Twice per week |
| Giving Disliked Gift | -20 | Twice per week |
| Giving Hated Gift | -40 | Twice per week |
| Heart Event completion | +50-200 | One-time |
| Birthday Gift | 8x multiplier | Once per year |
| Winter Feast gift | 5x multiplier | Once per year |
Hearts required: 2 hearts = 250 points, 8 hearts = 1,000 points, 10 hearts (marriage candidate) = 1,250 points, 14 hearts (after marriage) = 1,750 points.
Decay mechanic: If you don't talk to an NPC for a day, you lose 2 points (10 points if you haven't spoken in a week). A Bouquet stops decay for marriage candidates at 8+ hearts.
Universal Gifts
Universal Loves (+80 points)
| Gift | Where to Get | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prismatic Shard | Skull Cavern, Omni Geodes | Rare, save for Galaxy Sword first |
| Rabbit's Foot | Rabbits (mature), Serpents (rare) | Easy to produce with a deluxe coop |
| Golden Pumpkin | Spirit's Eve Festival (Fall 27) | One per year |
| Pearl | Night Market, Blobfish Pond | Limited |
| Magic Rock Candy | Museum (artifact, 90 donations) | Extremely rare |
Universal Hates (-40 points)
| Gift | Notes |
|---|---|
| Clay | Loot from artifact spots |
| Pufferfish (most NPCs) | Only liked by Abigail |
| Poppy | Only liked by Penny |
| Quartz | Cheap mineral, most hate it |
| Sap | Tree tapping byproduct |
| Seaweed | Fishing byproduct |
Marriage Candidates — Gift Preferences
Bachelor Gifts
| Character | Loved Gifts | Easiest Loved Gift | Birthday | Room Decor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | Complete Breakfast, Salmon Dinner | Complete Breakfast (egg + milk + potato + pancake) | Summer 13 | Sports corner |
| Elliott | Crab Cakes, Duck Feather, Lobster | Crab Cakes (lobster + flour + egg + oil) | Fall 5 | Bookshelf |
| Harvey | Coffee, Pickled Herring, Wine | Coffee (5 beans) | Winter 14 | Model planes |
| Sam | Cactus Fruit, Maple Bar, Pizza | Pizza (JojaMart = 600g) | Summer 17 | Gaming setup |
| Sebastian | Frozen Tear, Obsidian, Pumpkin Soup | Frozen Tear (Mines 21-40) | Winter 10 | Dungeon corner |
| Shane | Beer, Pepper Poppers, Pizza | Beer (400g from Gus) | Spring 20 | Gaming corner |
Easiest bachelor route: Sebastian (mine Frozen Tears while farming) or Harvey (Coffee is always available).
Bachelorette Gifts
| Character | Loved Gifts | Easiest Loved Gift | Birthday | Room Decor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail | Amethyst, Blackberry Cobbler, Chocolate Cake | Amethyst (Mines 1-50, common) | Fall 13 | Gaming/rock corner |
| Emily | Cloth, Emerald, Ruby, Survival Burger | Cloth (Recycling Machine, Rabbit) | Spring 27 | Crystal garden |
| Haley | Coconut, Pink Cake, Sunflower, Fruit Salad | Sunflower (summer/fall crop) | Spring 14 | Photography corner |
| Leah | Poppyseed Muffin, Salad, Stir Fry, Wine | Salad (220g from Gus) | Winter 23 | Art studio |
| Maru | Battery Pack, Cauliflower, Diamond, Gold Bar | Battery Pack (lightning rod) | Summer 10 | Robotics lab |
| Penny | Diamond, Emerald, Melon, Poppy, Poppyseed Muffin | Emerald (Mines, common) | Fall 2 | Bookshelf |
Easiest bachelorette route: Abigail (amethyst from normal mining) or Emily (cloth from recycling).
Non-Marriageable NPCs
| NPC | Loved Gift | Easiest | Birthday | Reward for Max Hearts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline | Fish Taco, Green Tea | Green Tea (summer seeds) | Winter 7 | Tea Sapling recipe |
| Clint | Aquamarine, Emerald, Ruby | Aquamarine (Mines) | Winter 26 | — |
| Demetrius | Bean Hotpot, Ice Cream, Rice Pudding | Ice Cream (Summer, Gus) | Summer 19 | — |
| Evelyn | Beet, Chocolate Cake, Stuffing | Chocolate Cake (easy recipe) | Winter 20 | Cookie recipe |
| George | Fried Mushroom, Leek | Leek (spring forage) | Fall 24 | — |
| Gus | Escargot, Fish Taco, Orange | Orange (fruit tree) | Summer 4 | — |
| Jas | Fairy Rose, Pink Cake, Plum Pudding | Fairy Rose (summer/fall) | Summer 4 | — |
| Jodi | Chocolate Cake, Crispy Bass, Pancakes, Vegetable Medley | Pancakes (flour + egg + blueberry) | Fall 11 | — |
| Kent | Fiddlehead Risotto, Roasted Hazelnuts | Roasted Hazelnuts (fall forage) | Spring 4 | — |
| Lewis | Autumn's Bounty, Glazed Yams, Hot Pepper, Vegetable Medley | Hot Pepper (summer crop) | Spring 7 | — |
| Linus | Blueberry Tart, Cactus Fruit, Coconut, Dish O' The Sea | Coconut (Calico Desert) | Winter 3 | Wild Bait recipe |
| Marnie | Farmer's Lunch, Pink Cake, Pumpkin Pie | Farmer's Lunch (omelet + parsnip) | Fall 18 | — |
| Pam | Beer, Cactus Fruit, Glazed Yams, Pale Ale | Beer (400g from Gus) | Spring 18 | Battery Pack (mail) |
| Pierre | Fried Calamari | Fried Calamari (squid + oil + wheat) | Spring 26 | — |
| Robin | Goat Cheese, Peach, Spaghetti | Goat Cheese (easy farm product) | Fall 21 | — |
| Sandy | Crocus, Daffodil, Sweet Pea | Crocus (winter forage) | Fall 15 | — |
| Vincent | Cranberry Candy, Grape, Pink Cake, Snail | Grape (summer crop) | Spring 10 | — |
| Willy | Catfish, Diamond, Iridium Bar, Octopus, Pumpkin, Sturgeon | Pumpkin (fall crop) | Summer 24 | — |
| Wizard | Purple Mushroom, Solar Essence, Super Cucumber, Void Essence | Solar Essence (ghost drops) | Winter 17 | — |
Heart Events and Rewards
Bachelor/Bachelorette Heart Events
| Hearts | Cutscene Reward | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 hearts | First character event | Often gives a recipe or item |
| 4 hearts | Second event | More backstory |
| 6 hearts | Third event | Deeper connection |
| 8 hearts | Final pre-marriage event | Often romantic |
| 10 hearts | Bouquet (purchase from Pierre) | Unlocks dating |
| 14 hearts | Post-marriage event | Unique to each spouse |
Non-Marriageable NPC Heart Rewards
| NPC | Heart Level | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Caroline | 2 hearts | Tea Sapling recipe |
| Linus | 4 hearts | Wild Bait recipe (best fishing bait) |
| Robin | 6 hearts | House upgrade discount? No — actual rewards: crafting recipes |
| Willy | 3 hearts | Fiberglass Rod |
| George | 3 hearts | Spicy Eel recipe |
| Clint | 3 hearts | Geode Crusher recipe |
| Evelyn | 4 hearts | Cookie recipe |
| Marnie | 3 hearts | Pale Broth recipe |
| Pam | 3 hearts | Battery Pack in mail |
| Kent | 2 hearts | Fiddlehead Risotto recipe |
| Gus | 3 hearts | Cranberry Sauce recipe |
| Pierre | 3 hearts | Blueberry Tart recipe |
| Jodi | 3 hearts | Pancakes recipe |
| Demetrius | 3 hearts | Fall farming advice |
| Wizard | 4 hearts | Dark Talisman quest trigger |
Marriage — Choosing a Spouse
Spouse Perks
| Spouse | Gift at 12+ Hearts | Room Style | Personality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail | Bomb | Gaming room | Adventurous, plays in mines |
| Alex | Complete Breakfast | Sports gym | Jock with growth arc |
| Elliott | Duck Feather | Library | Romantic writer |
| Emily | Wool | Crystal garden | Quirky, spiritual |
| Haley | Pancakes | Photography | Mean → sweet arc |
| Harvey | Complete Breakfast | Science room | Nervous but kind |
| Leah | Salad | Art studio | Independent artist |
| Maru | Battery Pack | Robotics lab | Science-minded |
| Penny | Pancakes | Bookshelf | Shy teacher |
| Sam | Pizza | Gaming room | Laid-back musician |
| Sebastian | Frozen Tear | Dungeon | Edgy programmer |
| Shane | Pizza | Gaming room | Depressed → hopeful arc |
Spouse Duties
Spouses will randomly: - Water crops (all garden plots) - Feed animals (all barn/coop animals) - Repair fences - Fill pet water bowl - Give you a gift in the morning - Cook breakfast (gives random food item, energy boost)
Best spouse for gameplay: Leah and Penny water crops most frequently. Best spouse for gifts: Harvey gives Complete Breakfast (+200 energy). Best for personality: Abigail and Sebastian have the most interesting dialogue.
Pro Relationship Tips
- Birthday strategy: Give every NPC their loved gift on their birthday (8x multiplier = +640 points = 2-3 hearts at once). Keep a chest with birthday gifts organized by date.
- Weekly schedule: Talk to every NPC at least once per week. Rotate through town in a circuit: Farm → Marnie's → Pierre's → River → Beach → Mountain.
- Bouquet management: You can date ALL 12 marriage candidates simultaneously with no penalty. The only consequence is a special cutscene if you have a Rabbit's Foot when walking into the Saloon with all candidates above 10 hearts.
- Stardrop tea: After reaching 5 hearts with certain NPCs, they mail you recipes. Complete all heart events for the Stardrop at the Flower Dance (spouse dance), and the Stardrop from the Old Master Cannoli (after maxing out friendship).
- Talk + gift only: Heart events trigger only between certain hours at specific locations. Check the Stardew Wiki if you're stuck at a heart level.
- Seasonal forage gifts: Daffodils (Spring) are Loved by Sandy. Sweet Peas (Summer) are Liked by most. Crocus (Winter) is Loved by Sandy. Use seasonal forage for efficient bulk gifting.
- Divorce: You can divorce at Mayor Lewis's house for 50,000g. All memories are erased. If you want to re-marry the same NPC, visit the Witch's Hut for a Dark Shrine of Memory.
- Krobus roommate: If you don't want to marry anyone, give Krobus a Void Ghost Pendant. He moves in as a roommate (same benefits as marriage, no divorce option).