Building strong relationships is key to thriving in the charming world of Stardew Valley. As a newcomer to Pelican Town, forging friendships and romances with your neighbors is essential. While chatting and gifting are common methods, understanding the nuances of the friendship system can significantly boost your social standing. This guide delves into the mechanics of earning friendship points and maximizing your relationships.
Updated January 4, 2025, by Demaris Oxman: Stardew Valley's 1.6 update has reignited the farming sim craze, bringing new players and veterans alike back to the valley. While the core friendship mechanics remain, this guide incorporates the latest updates for optimal relationship building.
The Heart Scale
Access your relationship status with each NPC via the in-game menu's heart tab. This displays friendship levels, visualized as hearts. Reaching certain heart levels unlocks special events, mail rewards, and unique dialogue. However, the heart scale only tells part of the story; understanding friendship points is crucial.
What is One Heart?
Each heart represents 250 friendship points. Most interactions, positive or negative, impact this score. Positive actions earn points, while ignoring or upsetting villagers decreases your standing.
Boosting Friendship Gain
The "Friendship 101" book, obtainable from the Prize Machine (9th prize) or the Bookseller (Year 3, 9% chance), provides a permanent 10% bonus to friendship gains. This boosts the points earned from positive interactions, but doesn't affect friendship loss.
Point Values for Individual Character Interactions
Numerous actions influence friendship points. Here's a breakdown:
Everyday Interactions
- Talking to a villager generally yields +20 points. If they're busy, you'll get +10. Daily conversation prevents friendship decay (-2 points per day). Giving a bouquet increases this penalty to -10, and neglecting your spouse costs -20 points.
- Completing Bulletin Board deliveries awards +150 points with the recipient.
Giving Gifts
Gift preferences vary, but point values are consistent:
- Loved Gifts: +80 points
- Liked Gifts: +45 points
- Neutral Gifts: +20 points
- Disliked Gifts: -20 points
- Hated Gifts: -40 points
Feast of the Winter Star gifts multiply points by 5x, while birthday gifts multiply by 8x. This amplifies both positive and negative effects.
Stardrop Tea
Stardrop Tea is a universally loved gift, granting +250 points (+750 on birthdays and the Feast of the Winter Star). It bypasses daily/weekly gift limits. Obtain it from the Prize Machine, Golden Fishing Chests, the Helper's Bundle, or from the raccoon for completing requests.
The Movie Theater
Invite villagers to the movies with a Movie Ticket (1000g). Movie and concession choices affect points:
- Loved Movie: +200 points
- Liked Movie: +100 points
- Disliked Movie: 0 points
- Loved Concession: +50 points
- Liked Concession: +25 points
- Disliked Concession: 0 points
Conversations & Dialogue
Conversations offer opportunities for +10 to +50 points, but poor choices can decrease friendship. Heart Events offer similar chances for significant friendship gains or losses.
Festivals & Events
- Flower Dance: Dancing with an NPC (4+ hearts) grants +250 points.
- Luau: Contributing to the community soup yields varying points based on the soup's quality.
- Community Center (Bulletin Board Bundles): Completing all Bulletin Board bundles rewards +500 points with each non-dateable villager.
This comprehensive guide empowers you to build strong bonds and unlock all the joys of Stardew Valley's social system.
