Building friendships in Stardew Valley opens up new dialogue, recipes, and even romance options. The fastest way to win over the locals? Give them gifts they love! This comprehensive guide reveals the best gifts for every villager, helping you build those heart levels quickly and efficiently. For detailed romance strategies with marriage candidates, check out our marriage guide.
Understanding the Gift System
Before diving into specific villager preferences, let's understand how gifting works in Stardew Valley.
Gift Impact on Friendship
Different gift qualities affect friendship points differently:
- Loved Gifts: +80 friendship points (x8 multiplier)
- Liked Gifts: +45 friendship points (x3 multiplier)
- Neutral Gifts: +20 friendship points
- Disliked Gifts: -20 friendship points
- Hated Gifts: -40 friendship points
Gift-Giving Rules
- You can give two gifts per week to each villager
- You can give one gift on their birthday (8x friendship bonus!)
- The gift-giving resets every Sunday
- Quality of items affects friendship gain (Gold star = +10% bonus)
Universal Loved Gifts
These items are loved by almost every villager, making them safe choices when you're unsure:
- Rabbit's Foot - Loved by everyone except Penny
- Pearl - Loved by everyone except Penny
- Prismatic Shard - Loved by everyone except Haley
- Golden Pumpkin - Universally loved (rare item)
- Magic Rock Candy - Universally loved (very rare)
Marriage Candidates Gift Guide
Bachelors
Alex
- Loves: Complete Breakfast, Salmon Dinner
- Birthday: Summer 13
- Easy loved gift: Complete Breakfast (cook with Fried Egg + Milk + Hashbrowns + Pancakes)
Elliott
- Loves: Crab Cakes, Duck Feather, Lobster, Pomegranate, Tom Kha Soup
- Birthday: Fall 5
- Easy loved gift: Pomegranate (Fall fruit tree)
Harvey
- Loves: Coffee, Pickles, Super Meal, Truffle Oil, Wine
- Birthday: Winter 14
- Easy loved gift: Coffee (buy from Gus or grow Coffee Beans)
Sam
- Loves: Cactus Fruit, Maple Bar, Pizza, Tigerseye
- Birthday: Summer 17
- Easy loved gift: Pizza (buy from Gus for 600g)
Sebastian
- Loves: Frozen Tear, Obsidian, Pumpkin Soup, Sashimi, Void Egg
- Birthday: Winter 10
- Easy loved gift: Frozen Tear (common in mines levels 40-79)
Shane
- Loves: Beer, Hot Pepper, Pepper Poppers, Pizza
- Birthday: Spring 20
- Easy loved gift: Beer (buy from Gus for 400g)
Bachelorettes
Abigail
- Loves: Amethyst, Banana Pudding, Blackberry Cobbler, Chocolate Cake, Pufferfish, Pumpkin, Spicy Eel
- Birthday: Fall 13
- Easy loved gift: Amethyst (common in mines)
Emily
- Loves: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Cloth, Emerald, Jade, Ruby, Survival Burger, Topaz, Wool
- Birthday: Spring 27
- Easy loved gift: Wool (from sheep)
Haley
- Loves: Coconut, Fruit Salad, Pink Cake, Sunflower
- Birthday: Spring 14
- Easy loved gift: Sunflower (grow in Summer/Fall)
Leah
- Loves: Goat Cheese, Poppyseed Muffin, Salad, Stir Fry, Truffle, Vegetable Medley, Wine
- Birthday: Winter 23
- Easy loved gift: Salad (easy to cook early game)
Maru
- Loves: Battery Pack, Cauliflower, Cheese Cauliflower, Diamond, Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Miner's Treat, Pepper Poppers, Rhubarb Pie, Strawberry
- Birthday: Summer 10
- Easy loved gift: Cauliflower (Spring crop)
Penny
- Loves: Diamond, Emerald, Melon, Poppy, Poppyseed Muffin, Red Plate, Roots Platter, Tom Kha Soup
- Birthday: Fall 2
- Easy loved gift: Poppy (Summer flower)
Non-Marriageable Villagers Gift Guide
Adults
Caroline
- Loves: Fish Taco, Green Tea, Summer Spangle, Tropical Curry
- Birthday: Winter 7
- Easy loved gift: Green Tea (craft with Tea Leaves)
Clint
- Loves: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Emerald, Fiddlehead Risotto, Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Jade, Omni Geode, Ruby, Topaz
- Birthday: Winter 26
- Easy loved gift: Emerald (mine or geodes)
Demetrius
- Loves: Bean Hotpot, Ice Cream, Rice Pudding, Strawberry
- Birthday: Summer 19
- Easy loved gift: Strawberry (Spring crop)
Evelyn
- Loves: Beet, Chocolate Cake, Diamond, Fairy Rose, Stuffing, Tulip
- Birthday: Winter 20
- Easy loved gift: Tulip (Spring flower)
George
- Loves: Fried Mushroom, Leek
- Birthday: Fall 24
- Easy loved gift: Leek (Spring forage)
Gus
- Loves: Diamond, Escargot, Fish Taco, Orange, Tropical Curry
- Birthday: Summer 8
- Easy loved gift: Orange (fruit tree)
Jodi
- Loves: Chocolate Cake, Crispy Bass, Diamond, Eggplant Parmesan, Fried Eel, Pancakes, Rhubarb Pie, Vegetable Medley
- Birthday: Fall 11
- Easy loved gift: Pancakes (cook with Wheat Flour + Egg)
Kent (arrives Year 2)
- Loves: Fiddlehead Risotto, Roasted Hazelnuts
- Birthday: Spring 4
- Easy loved gift: Roasted Hazelnuts (craft with 3 Hazelnuts)
Lewis
- Loves: Autumn's Bounty, Glazed Yams, Green Tea, Hot Pepper, Vegetable Medley
- Birthday: Spring 7
- Easy loved gift: Hot Pepper (Summer crop)
Linus
- Loves: Blueberry Tart, Cactus Fruit, Coconut, Dish O' The Sea, Yam
- Birthday: Winter 3
- Easy loved gift: Yam (Fall forage)
Marnie
- Loves: Diamond, Farmer's Lunch, Pink Cake, Pumpkin Pie
- Birthday: Fall 18
- Easy loved gift: Farmer's Lunch (cook with Omelet + Parsnip)
Pam
- Loves: Beer, Cactus Fruit, Glazed Yams, Mead, Pale Ale, Parsnip, Parsnip Soup
- Birthday: Spring 18
- Easy loved gift: Beer (buy from Gus)
Pierre
- Loves: Fried Calamari
- Birthday: Spring 26
- Tip: Pierre is notoriously hard to gift for - stick to liked gifts like Daffodils
Robin
- Loves: Goat Cheese, Peach, Spaghetti
- Birthday: Fall 21
- Easy loved gift: Peach (fruit tree)
Willy
- Loves: Catfish, Diamond, Iridium Bar, Mead, Octopus, Pumpkin, Sea Cucumber, Sturgeon
- Birthday: Summer 24
- Easy loved gift: Pumpkin (Fall crop)
Children
Jas
- Loves: Fairy Rose, Pink Cake, Plum Pudding
- Birthday: Summer 4
- Easy loved gift: Fairy Rose (Fall flower)
Vincent
- Loves: Cranberry Candy, Ginger Ale, Grape, Pink Cake, Snail
- Birthday: Spring 10
- Easy loved gift: Grape (Fall forage or fruit tree)
Special NPCs
Dwarf (in mines)
- Loves: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Emerald, Jade, Lemon Stone, Omni Geode, Ruby, Topaz
- Birthday: Summer 22
- Easy loved gift: Any gem
Krobus (in sewers)
- Loves: Diamond, Iridium Bar, Pumpkin, Void Egg, Void Mayonnaise, Wild Horseradish
- Birthday: Winter 1
- Easy loved gift: Wild Horseradish (Spring forage)
Sandy (Desert)
- Loves: Crocus, Daffodil, Sweet Pea
- Birthday: Fall 15
- Easy loved gift: Daffodil (Spring flower)
Wizard
- Loves: Purple Mushroom, Solar Essence, Super Cucumber, Void Essence
- Birthday: Winter 17
- Easy loved gift: Solar Essence (dropped by Ghosts/Mummies)
Pro Gift-Giving Strategies
Early Game Strategy
When you're just starting out, focus on these easy-to-obtain loved gifts:
-
Foraged Items: Many villagers love foraged items
- Leah loves Salmonberries (Spring)
- Linus loves most foraged items
- George loves Leeks
-
Flowers: Easy to grow and many villagers love them
- Haley loves Sunflowers
- Jas loves Fairy Roses
- Sandy loves Daffodils
-
Mining Gems: Common gems make great gifts
- Abigail and Emily love Amethyst
- Clint loves most gems
- Dwarf loves all gems
Birthday Strategy
Always prioritize giving loved gifts on birthdays for the 8x multiplier! Mark these key early birthdays:
- Spring: Lewis (7th), Vincent (10th), Haley (14th)
- Summer: Jas (4th), Gus (8th), Maru (10th)
- Fall: Penny (2nd), Abigail (13th), Sandy (15th)
- Winter: Krobus (1st), Linus (3rd), Clint (26th)
Efficient Friendship Building
To maximize friendship gains with minimal effort:
- Coffee: Loved by Harvey, liked by most adults
- Mayonnaise: Liked by most villagers, easy to produce
- Gems: Save duplicates for gifting
- Cooking: Many loved gifts are cooked dishes
- Energy management: Use energy-efficient activities to gather gifts - learn more in our energy guide
Gift Organization Tips
Storage System
Create labeled chests for gift organization:
- Chest 1: Universal loved gifts
- Chest 2: Gems for specific villagers
- Chest 3: Flowers and crops for gifts
- Chest 4: Cooked dishes and artisan goods
Weekly Routine
- Sunday: Plan your gift-giving for the week
- Monday-Tuesday: Give gifts to priority villagers
- Throughout Week: Collect/prepare gifts for next week
- Birthday Prep: Always keep birthday gifts ready
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don't give disliked/hated gifts - This damages friendship
- Don't forget the two-per-week limit - Track your gifts
- Don't neglect birthdays - The 8x bonus is huge
- Don't waste universal loves early - Save for hard-to-please villagers
Quick Reference: Easiest Loved Gifts
For quick friendship building, focus on these readily available loved gifts:
- Spring: Daffodils (Sandy), Leeks (George), Dandelions (liked by many)
- Summer: Sunflowers (Haley), Hot Peppers (Lewis, Shane), Blueberries (liked by many)
- Fall: Fairy Roses (Jas), Pumpkins (Willy, Krobus), Grapes (Vincent)
- Winter: Most villagers appreciate any gift in winter when options are limited
- Year-Round: Coffee (Harvey), Beer (Shane, Pam), Mayonnaise (liked by most)
Conclusion
Building friendships in Stardew Valley becomes much easier when you know what each villager loves. Start with universal loved gifts and easy-to-obtain items, then work your way up to specific preferences as you progress. Remember to prioritize birthdays, track your weekly gifts, and keep a good stock of popular items. With this guide, you'll have the whole valley calling you their best friend in no time!
Happy gifting, farmers! May your friendships bloom as beautifully as your crops!