Friendship - Stardew Valley Wiki (2024)

Friendship can be earned with Pelican Town's villagers. As friendships deepen, the villagers' dialogue lines become more friendly, cut-scenes called heart events occur, villagers are more likely to send gifts in the mail, and marriage is possible with one of the datable villagers.

Friendship mechanics

Point system

Each villager has a friendship score represented by a ten-heart meter, except the player's spouse or roommate, who has a fourteen-heart meter. A marriage candidate who has not received a bouquet has the last two hearts grayed out.

Each heart is 250 friendship points. All heart meters can be viewed on the social tab of the game menu.

When talking to villagers, a circle will appear next to their portrait. Its color will depend on the number of hearts the player has with the villager. Blue denotes 0-1 hearts, green for 2-3, yellow for 4-5, red for 6-7, purple for 8-9, and at 10-14 hearts a purple star will appear. Hovering the mouse over the circle will display the number of hearts out of 10, if not married.

Friendship points can be increased with each villager by:

• talking to them once per day (normally +20; otherwise +10 if the villager is in the middle of a special animation, like exercising or using a camera)
• completing an item delivery quest (+150)
• giving a gift they love, like, or are neutral towards (see Gifts)
• giving the maximum two gifts in one week (+10, awarded on the next Sunday)
• inviting them to the Movie Theater (+200 if loved, +100 if liked)
• purchasing a snack for them at the Movie Theater (+50 if loved, +25 if liked) (see Movie Theater)
• making certain choices in heart events
• kissing your spouse (+10, only for the first kiss of the day); does not apply if Krobus is your roommate

Friendship points can be decreased by:

• not giving a daily greeting (see Decay)
• giving a gift they dislike or hate (see Gifts)
• hitting them with a slingshot (-30 per hit)
• making certain choices in heart events
• rummaging through a Garbage Can when they're within 7 tiles of the player (-25, except Linus who increases: +5). They will speak to indicate that they have seen them. If more than one villager is within 7 tiles of the player when they rummage, only one will speak and lose friendship.

The player may enter a villager's bedroom when the relevant heart meter reads at least 2 hearts. This level improves access to the villager for talking and gifting. Once opened, the room is permanently unlocked even if the heart meter goes below 2 hearts.

Friendship points can increase up to a maximum of 2749 (one point less than 11 hearts) for non-marriage candidates.

With marriage candidates, the meter pauses at 8 hearts. It will not increase unless you give the candidate a bouquet to indicate your romantic interest. If you do so, that meter is unlocked and operates as before until ten hearts is reached. (Note that after reaching 8 hearts pre-bouquet, friendship points can continue to rise to just below 9 hearts (2249 points) and will not decay until the candidate is given a bouquet.) It is possible to give a bouquet to any and all marriage candidates, and raise all their friendship levels to 10 hearts, without damage to your relationships with other romantic partners, so long as you have not yet proposed. (If you have proposed, are married, or have a roommate, there is a chance your fiancé/spouse/roommate may become jealous.) Breaking up with them will instantly lower the relationship meter to 5 hearts, but it can be increased back to 8 hearts.

Dating all bachelors or bachelorettes may result in a Group Ten Heart event, which does not affect friendship, but may prevent the player from giving gifts to them for one week afterwards.

When you propose marriage, the heart meters of all other marriage candidates convert to the behavior of all other villagers, since none are marriage candidates any longer. However, their entries in the social tab still show whether you have previously given them a bouquet. In addition, after marriage, romantic heart events can still be triggered with other marriage candidates if they have previously been given a bouquet. After the marriage ceremony, your spouse's meter unlocks once again and can rise as far as 14 hearts. Friendship points can then increase up to a maximum of 3749 (one point less than 15 hearts).

Decay

Each day, not talking to a villager will slightly decrease their friendship unless their heart meter is full.^[1] If the player is married, decay never stops with their spouse even if the player is at 14 hearts with them. Calling a villager using the Telephone does not count as talking to the villager.

Gifts

You can give each villager one gift per day, up to two gifts per week, as indicated by the checkboxes in the social tab. You can review the villager's gift preferences by clicking on their row in the Social Tab to open the "Gift Log". This log keeps track of gifts given, and gift preferences learned via Secret Notes and dialogues with their family and friends.

For the purpose of gift-giving, the week begins on Sunday. If you give a villager two gifts in a week, their heart meter will rise by an additional 10 friendship points on Sunday morning when you wake up.

You can always give a birthday gift to a villager, even if you've already given them two other gifts that week.

You can give your spouse one gift every day of the week, but any friendship gain or loss is halved.^[2]

Each villager has individual likes and dislikes, which affects how many friendship points are gained or lost when you give them a gift. The friendship points are multiplied on their birthday (×8) and Feast of the Winter Star secret gifting event (×5):

If a gift is liked or loved, the points gained will be further affected by the quality of the item:

Quality		Multiplier	Effect
	Normal	×1	+0%
	Silver	×1.1	+10%
	Gold	×1.25	+25%
	Iridium	×1.5	+50%

On any given day, gifting a normal quality loved item always gives more points than gifting an iridium quality liked item to a given villager.^[2] For liked or loved gifts, the equation is Event Multiplier × Preference × Quality Multiplier, where Event Multiplier is 1 (any day), 5 (the player's Winter Star recipient), or 8 (their birthday), Preference is 80 (loved gifts) or 45 (liked gifts), and Quality Multiplier is 1, 1.1, 1.25, or 1.5. (For neutral, disliked, or hated gifts, the equation is simply Event Multiplier × Preference.) The highest friendship points possible from a single gift would be to gift someone an iridium-quality loved gift on their birthday, which would yield 960 points, just short of 4 hearts.

Gift Preference Dialogues

If the player's friendship level with a villager is at least 1 heart, the villager may display a dialogue about a gift that is hated or loved by a family member or friend. Shown below is a collapsable table of all family and friends for whom a villager may show a gift preference dialogue. Villagers not included in the table will never show a gift preference dialogue.

Note that stone may be included in a gift preference dialogue, despite the fact that it is disliked, not hated.

Heart Events

Gaining friendship with each villager will unlock unique events (see each villager's article for the requirements). It's possible to permanently miss some events, though most events can be viewed anytime (with some time restrictions) or out of order. In some heart events, it is not possible to increase or decrease friendship with anyone, even if dialogue choices are available. However, in certain heart events, making certain choices can either increase or decrease friendship with certain villagers involved. The maximum possible friendship points that can be earned in one single heart event is +250 from Linus' 8 heart event, while the maximum possible friendship points that can be lost is -1500 from Penny's 8 heart and 10 heart events.

Romance

Main article: Marriage

Some villagers can be romanced by the player (see marriage candidates). Once the player has reached eight hearts with an eligible villager, the player can give them a bouquet to unlock the ninth and tenth hearts. Once the player has reached ten hearts with an eligible villager, the player can give them a Mermaid's Pendant to propose marriage, which the villager always accepts. Alternatively, at 10 hearts, the player can give Krobus a Void Ghost Pendant to indicate they'd like to move in together as roommates, which Krobus always accepts.

After becoming the player's spouse or roommate, the villager moves into the player's house and their friendship meter expands to fourteen hearts. After reaching 12.5 hearts (3125 points), the villager will give the player a stardrop if the player has not received a stardrop in this manner previously.

Quests

Main article: Quests

The game-opening Introductions quest, when completed, increases by 100 the player's friendship points with each of the 28 starting townspeople. (The Wizard is not included among these villagers.)

Some Story Quests and Special Order Quests will raise friendship with certain villagers.

Completing an Item Delivery Quest awards 150 friendship points with the requesting villager.

Festivals

Main article: Festivals

20 friendship points are earned for speaking to villagers at festivals, the same as any non-festival day. Three festivals can have special effects on friendship points with villagers:

• The Flower Dance increases friendship by 250 points (one heart) with the player's dance partner.
• The Luau can increase or decrease friendship points with all villagers except Sandy, the Wizard, Krobus, and the Dwarf. This depends on the ingredient that was added to the soup.
• The player's gift to their secret friend at the Feast of the Winter Star is worth 5x the normal amount of friendship points.

In addition, giving gifts to villagers at the Night Market will increase friendship with them, in the same way as it does outside of festivals.

Bulletin Board Bundles

Main article: Bundles

Completing all Bulletin Board bundles improves the player's friendship rating with non-datable villagers by two hearts (500 points). Note that this applies only to non-datable villagers whom you have met in person. Villagers who do not show on the "Social" tab of the player menu and villagers whose names appear as "???" will not receive 500 points.

The player does not have to understand Dwarvish for the Dwarf to receive 500 points. In contrast, they do have to understand Dwarvish for gifts to affect friendship with the Dwarf.

Universal Gifts

See also: List of All Gifts

Below are lists of items that are universally loved, liked, considered neutral, disliked, or hated. Note that there are some exceptions and that individual villager tastes override any universal tastes.
Preferences for Eggs, Milk, Fruit, and most Foraged Items vary by villager, and are generally not listed here.

Note that Dinosaur Eggs are considered Artifacts and not Eggs for gifting purposes.

Universal Loves

This is a list of items that almost every villager loves to receive as a gift. These items are guaranteed to give the most points (80) towards your relationship, but may be difficult to obtain.

When given a loved gift, villagers usually respond with a heart dialogue bubble.

• Golden Pumpkin
• Magic Rock Candy
• Pearl
• Prismatic Shard
• Rabbit's Foot

Universal Loves exceptions

• Haley hates Prismatic Shard.
• Penny hates Rabbit's Foot.

Universal Likes

Though worth fewer friendship points than a loved gift, a liked gift increases friendship by 45 points (just over half that of a loved gift) and is often much easier to obtain.

• All Artisan Goods (Except for Oil which is universally disliked; and Void Mayonnaise which is universally hated.)
• All Cooking (Except for Fried Egg and Bread, which are universally neutral; and Strange Bun and Seafoam Pudding which are universally hated.)
  • Note that many dishes have villager-specific exceptions.
• All Flowers (Except for Poppy, which is universally hated.)
• All Foraged Minerals (Except Quartz, which varies by villager.)
• All Fruit Tree Fruits (Except Banana & Mango, which follow villager-specific preferences for non-Fruit-Tree fruit.)
• All Gems (Except Prismatic Shard which is universally loved.)
• All Vegetables (including Fiddlehead Fern, but excluding Hops, Tea Leaves and Wheat which are universally neutral, and Unmilled Rice which is universally disliked.)
• Life Elixir
• Maple Syrup

Universal Likes exceptions

Below is an Expandable table of all Universal Likes exceptions, listed by Villager. (See also: List of All Gifts)

Universal Neutrals

This is a list of items that will elicit a neutral response from the villagers, and give 20 points toward friendship. There are some exceptions.

Universal Neutrals exceptions

• Caroline likes Tea Leaves.
• Elliott loves Duck Feather & Squid Ink.
• Emily loves Wool.
• Evelyn hates Clam and Coral.
• Harvey likes Duck Feather, dislikes Bread, hates Coral, Nautilus Shell, and Rainbow Shell.
• Leah loves Truffle, dislikes Fried Egg, hates Bread.
• Leo loves Duck Feather, likes Nautilus Shell and Rainbow Shell, hates Hops.
• Maru hates Truffle.
• Penny dislikes Duck Feather and Wool, hates Hops.
• Sandy likes Wool.

Universal Dislikes

This is a list of items that will decrease friendship by 20 points when given as gifts.

• All Building Materials -- Battery Packs, Clay, Fiber, Hardwood, Stone, and Wood
• All Artifacts
• All Bombs
• All Crafted Floors & Paths
• All Fences
• All Fertilizer
• All Fish (except for Clam which is a Universal Neutral, and Carp & Snails which are Universal Hates)
• All Geode Minerals
• All Geodes
• All Seeds including Fruit Tree Saplings, Tea Saplings, Acorns, Maple Seeds, and Pine Cones
• All Sprinklers
• All Tackle
• Misc. Mined/Metal Goods -- Bone Fragment, Cinder Shard, Coal, Copper Bars, Gold Bars, Gold Ore, Iridium Bars, Iridium Ore, Iron Bars, and Refined Quartz

Universal Dislikes exceptions

• Abigail loves Pufferfish; hates Clay
• Clint loves Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Omni Geode; likes Copper Bar, Iron Bar; is neutral toward Coal, Gold Ore, Iridium Ore, Refined Quartz
• Demetrius is neutral toward All Fish (except Carp & Snail)
• Dwarf loves Lemon Stone and Omni Geode; likes All Artifacts, Cave Carrot; is neutral toward Solar Essence, Void Essence
• Elliott loves Lobster; likes Octopus, Squid; is neutral toward All Other Fish (except Carp & Snail); hates Sea Cucumber
• Evelyn hates All Fish, Clay
• George hates Clay
• Haley hates All Fish, Clay
• Harvey likes Spring Onion
• Jas hates Clay
• Krobus loves Iridium Bar, Void Egg; likes Gold Bar
• Leah likes Driftwood, Spring Onion; hates Void Egg
• Leo is neutral toward All Fish, hates Oil and Unmilled Rice.
• Linus likes Spring Onion; is neutral toward All Fish (except Carp & Snail)
• Marnie hates Clay
• Maru loves Battery Pack, Gold Bar, Iridium Bar; likes Copper Bar, Iron Bar, Oak Resin, Pine Tar
• Pam is neutral toward All Fish (except Carp, Octopus, Snail & Squid); hates Octopus, Squid
• Penny loves Sandfish, likes all Artifacts
• Pierre hates All Fish
• Robin likes Hardwood
• Sam loves Tigerseye; hates Metal Goods
• Sebastian loves Obsidian, Void Egg; likes Flounder; is neutral toward All Fish (except Flounder, Carp & Snail); hates Clay
• Vincent hates Clay
• Willy loves Catfish, Iridium Bar, Octopus, Sea Cucumber, Sturgeon; likes Gold Bar, Lingcod, Tiger Trout; is neutral toward All Other Fish (except Carp & Snail)
• Wizard loves Solar Essence, Void Essence, Super Cucumber; likes All Geode Minerals

Universal Hates

This is a list of items that will decrease friendship by 40 points when given as gifts.

When given a hated gift, villagers usually respond with a hate dialogue bubble.

• All Bait
• All Fossils
• All Monster Loot (except Solar Essence and Void Essence which are disliked)
• All Trash (except Driftwood which is disliked)

Universal Hates exceptions

• Abigail dislikes Sugar
• Krobus loves Void Mayonnaise; likes Seafoam Pudding
• Leah dislikes Seaweed
• Leo likes Dragon Tooth and Sea Urchin
• Marnie dislikes Seaweed
• Maru loves Radioactive Bar, likes Radioactive Ore
• Penny loves Poppy, dislikes Red Mushroom
• Sam likes Joja Cola, dislikes Seaweed
• Shane dislikes Seaweed
• Vincent loves Snails
• Willy likes Seafoam Pudding
• Wizard dislikes Slime

Achievements

There are 6 Achievements related to Friendship:

• A New Friend (Reach a 5-heart friend level with someone)
• Best Friends (Reach a 10-heart friend level with someone)
• The Beloved Farmer (Reach a 10-heart friend level with 8 people)
• Cliques (Reach a 5-heart friend level with 4 people)
• Networking (Reach a 5-heart friend level with 10 people)
• Popular (Reach a 5-heart friend level with 20 people)

References

History

• 1.07: Decay will now stop if a villager is at max hearts (except when married).
• 1.3.27: The Golden Pumpkin is now a universal love instead of a universal hate. Added new item, the Pearl, as a universal love.
• 1.4: Friendship can now be increased by talking with NPCs at Festivals. Removed glitch where a birthday gift would remove a checkbox on the social tab. Removed bugs where cooking recipes would be sent at the wrong friendship level, and where 10 heart-events were unlockable without a bouquet. Added Gift Logs, accessed by clicking on the villager in the Social tab. Changed jealousy of player's spouse to only apply to marriage candidates who have received a bouquet. Harvey now dislikes many cooked dishes. Willy is neutral towards Maki Roll, Sashimi, and Dish O' The Sea. Vincent loves Snails. Dwarf likes Cave Carrot. Vincent & Jas like Honey and Jelly. Sebastian hates Mead.
• 1.4.4: Mermaid's Pendant and Void Ghost Pendant can no longer be given as gifts at the Feast of the Winter Star. Jas & Vincent now hate Triple Shot Espresso. Dwarf now loves Lemon Stone.
• 1.5: Penny and Dwarf now like all artifacts. Artifacts changed from Universal Hate to Universal Dislike for all other NPCs. Fixed bug where the friendship boost for giving a villager two gifts would not apply if they were given a third gift on their birthday.