There’s a lot to do in Stardew Valley, including mingling with NPCs and making friends with them. One of the best ways to do that is by giving them their favourite gift. However, not all the Stardew Valley gifts are created equal and you’ll need to be smart if you plan on improving your friendship with all the Stardew Valley characters.
The gift system in Stardew Valley is a great way to increase your social status around town. If you want to eventually get married and have kids, you will need to know how gifting works in the game so that you can marry the NPC of your dreams. Similarly, if you want receive gifts from time to time, you’ll need to dig deep and be generous.
There are a variety of different Stardew Valley gifts, and having an understanding of how they work will be important. But what exactly is a Universal Love, and how do you know what is the best gift in Stardew Valley?
Stardew Valley gifts types
There are a total of five different gift types in Stardew Valley: Loved, Liked, Neutral, Disliked, and Hated. Each gift type will allow you to earn (or lose) friendship points with an NPC, based on how that character feels about the gift.
Below is a breakdown of all five gift types and how many points can be gained or lost:
Gift type | Friendship points |
Loved | +80 |
Liked | +45 |
Neutral | +20 |
Disliked | -20 |
Hated | -40 |
If you want to grow your friendship with different characters in Stardew Valley, you’ll need to build up your friendship points and earn hearts. Each character has a total of ten hearts (unless they’re your spouse), and each heart requires 250 friendship points.
There are a couple of different ways to earn friendship points, like completing quests for a character which will earn you 150 points, and talking to them which will give you 20 points, among ways. However, the easiest way to quickly earn friendship points is by giving a character their favourite gift. However, if you give them a gift that they don’t like, you can lose up to 40 points, so be careful with what you give!
If you give a character their favourite gift on their birthday, you’ll receive 8x the friendship points. That means one gift could net you a total of 640 points and four hearts, so getting checking your calendar.
How to give Stardew Valley gifts
To give gifts in Stardew Valley, simply place the item you want to give in your hands and walk up to an NPC. Once you’re close enough, click on the character and they’ll receive your gift.
You can only give one gift a day to villagers in Stardew and two a week. However, if it’s their birthday and you’ve already given them two gifts, you can still give them a present. The only exception to the two a week rule is your spouse, as you can give them a gift every day of the week if you’d like.
Stardew Valley gifts for every character
There are a total of 34 NPCs in Stardew Valley that you can give gifts to. Each villager has different preferences, and will appreciate some gifts more than others. Below, you’ll find a list of all the best gifts for every character in Stardew Valley.
Villager | Birthday | Loves | Likes | Hates |
Abigail | Fall 13 | Amethyst, Banana, Pudding, Blackberry, Cobbler, Chocolate Cake, Pufferfish, Pumpkin, Spicy Eel | Quartz | Clay, Holly |
Alex | Summer 13 | Complete Breakfast, Salmon Dinner | All eggs (except Void Egg) | Holly, Quartz |
Caroline | Winter 7 | Fish Taco, Green Tea, Summer Spangle, Tropical Curry | Daffodil, Tea Leaves | Quartz, Salmonberry |
Clint | Winter 26 | Amethyst, Aquamarine, Artichoke Dip, Emerald, Fiddlehead Risotto, Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Jade, Omni Geode, Ruby, Topaz | Copper Bar, Iron Bar | Holly |
Dwarf | Summer 22 | Amethyst, Aquamarine, Emerald, Jade, Lemon Stone, Omni Geode, Ruby, Topaz | All Artifacts, Cave Carrot, Quartz | None |
Elliot | Fall 5 | Crab Cakes, Duck Feather, Lobster, Pomegranate, Squid Ink, Tom Kha Soup | All Fruit (except Salmonberry), Octopus, Squid | Amaranth, Quartz, Salmonberry, Sea Cucumber |
Emily | Spring 27 | Amethyst, Aquamarine, Cloth, Emerald, Jade, Ruby, Survival Burger, Topaz, Wool | Daffodil, Quartz | Fish Taco, Holly, Maki Roll, Salmon Dinner, Sashimi |
Evelyn | Winter 20 | Beet, Chocolate Cake, Diamond, Fairy Rose, Stuffing, Tulip | All Milk, Daffodil | All fish, Clam, Clay, Coral, Friend Eel, Garlic, Holly, Maki Roll, Salmonberry, Sashimi, Spice Berry, Spicy Eel, Trout Soup |
George | Fall 24 | Friend Mushroom, Leek | Daffodil | Clay, Dandelion, Holly, Quartz |
Gus | Summer 8 | Diamond, Escargot, Fish Taco, Orange, Tropical Curry | Daffodil | Coleslaw, Holly, Quartz |
Haley | Spring 14 | Coconut, Fruit Salad, Pink Cake, Sunflower | Daffodil | All Fish, Clay, Prismatic Shard, Wild Horseradish |
Harvey | Winter 14 | Coffee, Pickles, Super Meal, Truffle Oil, Wine | All Fruit (except Salmonberry and Spice Berry), all Mushrooms (except Red), Daffodil, Dandelion, Duck Egg, Duck Feather, Ginger, Goat Milk, Hazelnut, Holly, Large Goat Milk, Leek, Quartz, Snow Yam, Spring Onion, Wild Horseradish, Winter Root | Coral, Nautilus Shell, Rainbow Shell, Salmonberry, and Spice Berry |
Jas | Summer 4 | Fairy Rose, Pink Cake, Plum Pudding | Coconut, Daffodil | All Artisan goods (except Honey, Jelly, Oil) Clay, Triple Shot Expresso, Wild Horseradish |
Jodi | Fall 11 | Chocolate Cake, Crispy Bass, Diamond, Eggplant, Parmesan, Friend Eel, Pancakes, Rhubarb Pie, Vegetable Medley | All eggs (except Void Egg), all fruit (except Spice Berry), and all Milk | Daffodil, Dandelion, Spice Berry |
Kent | Spring 4 | Fiddlehead Risotto, Roasted Hazelnuts | All eggs (except Void Egg), all fruit, Daffodil | All Milk, Algae Soup, Holly, Sashimi, Tortilla |
Krobus | Winter 1 | Diamond, Iridium Bar, Pumpkin, Void Egg, Void Mayonnaise, Wild Horseradish | Gold Bar, Quartz, and Seafoam Pudding | None |
Leah | Winter 23 | Goat Cheese, Poppyseed Muffin, Salad, Stir Fry, Truffle, Vegetable Medley, Wine | All eggs (except Void Egg), all Fruit, all Milk, all Mushrooms (except Red), Daffodil, Dandelion, Driftwood, Ginger, Hazelnut, Holly, Leek, Snow Yam, Spring Onion, Wild Horseradish, Winter Root | Bread, Hashbrowns, Pancakes, Pizza, Void Egg |
Leo | Summer 26 | Duck Feather, Mango, Ostrich Egg, Poi | Dragon Tooth, Nautilus Shell, Quartz, Rainbow Shell, Sea Urchin, Spice Berry | Beer, Holly, Hops, Mead, Morel, Oil, Pale Ale, Pina Colada, Triple Shot Espresso, Unmilled Rice, Wine |
Lewis | Spring 7 | Autumn’s Bounty, Glazed Yams, Green Tea, Hot Pepper, Vegetable Medley | Blueberry, Cactus Fruit, Coconut | Holly, Quartz |
Linus | Winter 4 | Blueberry Tart, Cactus Fruit, Coconut, Dish O’ The Sea, Yarn | All fruit (except Cactus Fruit and Coconut), all Mushrooms (except Red), Daffodil, Dandelion, Ginger, Hazelnut, Holly, Leek, Snow Yam, Spring Onion, Wild Horseradish, Winter Root | None |
Marnie | Fall 18 | Diamond, Farmer’s Lunch, Pink Cake, Pumpkin Pie | All eggs (except Void Egg), all Milk, Quartz | Clay, Holly |
Maru | Summer 10 | Battery Pack, Cauliflower, Cheese Cauliflower, Diamond, Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Miner’s Treat, Pepper Poppers, Radioactive Bar, Rhubarb Pie, Strawberry | Copper Bar, Iron Bar, Oak Resin, Pine Tar, Quartz, Radioactive Ore | Holly, Honey, Pickles, Snow Yam, Truffle |
Pam | Spring 18 | Beer, Cactus Fruit, Glazed Yams, Mead, Pale Ale, Parsnip, Parsnip Soup, Pina Colada | All Fruit (except Cactus Fruit), all Milk, Daffodil | Holly, Octopus, and Squid |
Penny | Fall 2 | Diamond, Emerald, Melon, Poppy, Poppyseed Muffin, Red Plate, Roots Platter, Sandfish, Tom Kha Soup | All Artifacts, all Milk, Dandelion, Leek | Beer, Grape, Holly, Hops, Mead, Pale Ale, Pino Colada, Rabbit’s Foot, Wine |
Pierre | Spring 26 | Fried Calamari | All eggs (except Void Egg), all Milk, Daffodil, Dandelion | All Fish, Corn, Garlic, Parsnip Soup, Tortilla |
Robin | Fall 21 | Goat Cheese, Peach, Spaghetti | All Milk, all Fruit (except Peach), Hardwood, Quartz | Holly |
Sam | Summer 17 | Cactus Fruit, Maple Bar, Pizza, Tigerseye | All eggs (except Void Egg), Joja Cola | Coal, Copper Bar, Duck Mayonnaise, Gold Bar, Gold Ore, Iridium Bar, Iridium Ore, Iron Bar, Mayonnaise, Pickles, Refined Quartz |
Sandy | Fall 15 | Crocus, Daffodil, Mango Sticky Rice, Sweet Pea | All Fruit, Goat Milk, Large Goat Milk, Quartz, Wool | Holly |
Sebastian | Winter 10 | Frozen Tear, Obsidian, Pumpkin Soup, Sashimi, Void Egg | Flounder, Quartz | All Artisan Goods (except Coffee, Green Tea, and Oil), all Eggs (except Void Egg), Clay, Complete Breakfast, Farmer’s Lunch, Omelette |
Shane | Spring 20 | Beer, Hot Pepper, Pepper Poppers, Pizza | All eggs (except Void Egg), all fruit (except Hot Pepper) | Pickles, Quartz |
Vincent | Spring 10 | Cranberry Candy, Ginger Ale, Grape, Pink Cake, Snail | Coconut, Daffodil | All Artisan Goods (except Honey, Jelly, Oil), Clay, Triple Shot Expresso, Wild Horseradish |
Willy | Summer 24 | Catfish, Diamond, Iridium Bar, Mead, Octopus, Pumpkin, Sea Cucumber, Sturgeon | Gold Bar, Lincod, Quartz, Seafoam Pudding, Tiger Trout | None |
Wizard | Winter 17 | Purple Mushroom, Solar Essence, Super Cucumber, Void Essence | All Geode Minerals, Quartz | None |
CAN YOU LOSE FRIENDSHIP POINTS IN STARDEW VALLEY?
There are two ways to lose friendship points in Stardew Valley: Giving Disliked and Hated gifts and not talking to the NPC every day.
As we mentioned above, giving a Disliked gift will cost you 20 friendship points and giving a Hated gift will cost you 40 points.
Further, if you don’t talk to the specific NPC every day, you will lose friendship points. For most, you will only lose two points every day that you don’t speak to them. Once you reach ten hearts, you will no longer lose friendship points.
However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. After you’ve given an NPC a bouquet, you will lose ten points every day that you don’t speak to them. Once you reach ten hearts with them, you won’t lose any more points. If you’re married, you will lose 20 points every day you don’t speak to your partner, regardless of how many hearts you have.
How does the heart meter work in Stardew Valley?
As we explained earlier, each NPC in Stardew Valley has a heart meter. All NPCs have a total of ten hearts, except for your spouse who has a total of 14 hearts.
Additionally, there are a total of eight characters that are eligible for marriage. Their heart meter will stop at eight, until you give them a bouquet. This indicates that you’re interested in a romantic relationship with them, and their heart meter will unlock to ten hearts.
The NPCs in Stardew Valley that are eligible for marriage are:
- Abigail
- Alex
- Elliot
- Emily
- Haley
- Harvey
- Leah
- Maru
- Penny
- Sam
- Sebastian
- Shane
If you are interested in pursuing marriage with one of these characters, or are just trying to build a good relationship with them, give them a bouquet after you reach eight hearts to unlock the last two in the heart meter.
So there you have it, a full Stardew Valley gifts guide. Make sure you study each character’s likes and dislikes carefully to get those relationships blossoming.