Building friendship in the valley comes down to one thing more than any other: knowing what every villager loves when you hand them a gift. Loved gifts give the biggest boost to a relationship, and a small set of items is loved by almost everyone in town. This guide covers exactly how gifting works, the universally loved gifts you can hand to anyone, and the verified loved gifts for each of the twelve marriage candidates.
Quick answer: the universally loved gifts
These items are loved by every villager (with the noted exceptions). When you do not know someone’s taste, one of these is almost always a safe loved gift worth +80 friendship points.
| Universal Love | Exception |
|---|---|
| Pearl | None |
| Golden Pumpkin | None |
| Magic Rock Candy | None |
| Prismatic Shard | Haley |
| Rabbit’s Foot | Penny |
There is also Stardrop Tea (added in version 1.6). Every villager loves it with no exceptions, but it is a special case: it grants 250 friendship points instead of the usual 80 and is not affected by the weekly gift limit. If you can spare one, it is the single best gift in the game.
How gifting works
Gifting is the fastest way to raise friendship, but it is governed by a few firm rules.
The weekly limit
You can give each villager a maximum of two gifts per week, plus one extra on their birthday. The gift week resets every Monday. Giving more than the limit will not add friendship, so spread your gifts across several villagers each week rather than spending them all on one person.
Birthdays multiply the effect
Giving a gift on a villager’s birthday multiplies the friendship change by 8. A loved gift handed over on a birthday is worth 80 × 8 = 640 points (roughly 2.5 hearts in a single gift). Birthday gifts also do not count against your normal two-per-week limit, so a birthday is always worth saving a loved gift for. Be careful in the other direction too: a hated gift on a birthday is multiplied just as harshly.
Friendship point values
Every villager sorts items into five reaction tiers. The base point values are:
| Reaction | Friendship points |
|---|---|
| Loved | +80 |
| Liked | +45 |
| Neutral | +20 |
| Disliked | -20 |
| Hated | -40 |
For loved and liked gifts only, item quality adds a further multiplier (silver, gold, and iridium quality push the total higher). Neutral, disliked, and hated reactions use the flat values above regardless of quality.
Universally loved gifts in detail
The five standard universal loves are all rare, which is the trade-off for their reliability:
- Pearl — loved by everyone with no exceptions. Found in Artifact Troves, as a rare Blobfish fish-pond drop, and from the Night Market mermaid puzzle.
- Golden Pumpkin — loved by everyone. Won from the Spirit’s Eve maze on Fall 27, or rarely from Artifact Troves.
- Magic Rock Candy — loved by everyone. Bought from the Desert Trader for 3 Prismatic Shards, or a rare Haunted Skull drop.
- Prismatic Shard — loved by everyone except Haley. Comes from Mystic Stones, Omni Geodes, fishing chests, and other rare sources.
- Rabbit’s Foot — loved by everyone except Penny. Dropped by Rabbits raised to high happiness.
Because these are scarce, most players lean on each villager’s individual loved gifts day to day and save the universals for birthdays or relationships they want to fast-track.
Best gifts for the marriage candidates
Each of the twelve marriage candidates has their own list of loved gifts. A few verified loved options for each are below — any of these gives +80 friendship.
| Villager | A few loved gifts |
|---|---|
| Abigail | Amethyst, Pufferfish, Chocolate Cake, Pumpkin, Spicy Eel |
| Alex | Complete Breakfast, Salmon Dinner |
| Elliott | Crab Cakes, Duck Feather, Lobster, Pomegranate, Squid Ink |
| Emily | Amethyst, Aquamarine, Cloth, Emerald, Jade, Ruby, Topaz, Survival Burger, Wool |
| Haley | Coconut, Fruit Salad, Pink Cake, Sunflower |
| Harvey | Coffee, Pickles, Super Meal, Truffle Oil, Wine |
| Leah | Goat Cheese, Poppyseed Muffin, Salad, Stir Fry, Truffle, Vegetable Medley, Wine |
| Maru | Battery Pack, Cauliflower, Diamond, Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Miner’s Treat, Rhubarb Pie, Strawberry, Pepper Poppers |
| Penny | Diamond, Emerald, Melon, Poppy, Poppyseed Muffin, Red Plate, Roots Platter, Sandfish, Tom Kha Soup |
| Sam | Cactus Fruit, Maple Bar, Pizza, Tigerseye |
| Sebastian | Frozen Tear, Obsidian, Pumpkin Soup, Sashimi, Void Egg |
| Shane | Beer, Hot Pepper, Pepper Poppers, Pizza |
Note that an individual villager’s tastes always override the universal lists. The two exceptions worth remembering are Haley (hates Prismatic Shard) and Penny (hates Rabbit’s Foot) — do not hand them those universals.
Gifts to avoid
Some items are hated or disliked by nearly everyone and will cost you friendship. Avoid handing villagers:
- Universal hates (-40): Trash and the other junk items pulled from fishing (such as Driftwood, Broken CD, Broken Glasses, Soggy Newspaper), Clay and building materials like Wood and Stone, Carp, Snail, and similar low-value materials. Void Mayonnaise is also universally hated — with the single exception of Krobus, who loves it.
- Universal dislikes (-20): Most fish, eggs, milk, foraged spring/fall items, and Joja Cola tend to land as dislikes unless a specific villager has an overriding taste for them.
When in doubt, do not gift a raw material or a piece of trash. A simple neutral cooked dish is safer than a disliked item.
Build a community together
Befriending the whole valley is a lot more fun with friends pooling rare gifts and splitting birthday duties. If you want to play the social side of Stardew co-op, you can run a Stardew Valley server from XGamingServer so your farm stays online for everyone, and the documentation walks through getting a shared farm started.
Frequently asked questions
How many gifts can I give each villager per week?
Two gifts per villager per week, plus one extra gift on their birthday. The weekly count resets every Monday.
How much friendship does a loved gift give?
A loved gift gives +80 friendship points, before any quality bonus. On the villager’s birthday that is multiplied by 8, for 640 points from a single gift.
What is the single best gift in the game?
Stardrop Tea, added in version 1.6. It is loved by everyone with no exceptions, gives 250 friendship points, and is not limited by the weekly gift cap.
Are there gifts everyone loves?
Yes. Pearl, Golden Pumpkin, and Magic Rock Candy are loved by every villager with no exceptions. Prismatic Shard is loved by all except Haley, and Rabbit’s Foot by all except Penny.
What should I never gift?
Avoid trash, raw building materials like Clay, Wood, and Stone, and low-value fish like Carp and Snail — these are hated by nearly everyone and reduce friendship. Void Mayonnaise is hated by all except Krobus.
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