Building relationships isn't always easy as a newcomer. As a stranger in a small town, it takes a lot of work to become part of the fabric of the community. This is one of the main objectives in Stardew Valley. Making friendly conversation helps, but the best way to make new friends (and maybe more) is to express generosity through gifts.
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Every villager has unique likes and dislikes, but some items make great gifts for nearly everyone. For players who are trying to build friendships with all villagers or find a special someone to marry, here's a guide to gifts that are hard to find.
Updated August 17, 2021 by Demaris Oxman: Even for long-time players, Stardew Valley still hasn't lost its charm. There's always something more to do in Pelican Town and the surrounding land — and there are always villagers to get to know. With the dozens upon dozens of items that players can collect within the game, it only seemed fitting to update this list with a few extra suggestions to help players win over new friends. Additionally, since each member of Pelican Town has their own quirks, we've included some extra informations on who may or may not like these items.
13 Cooked Dishes
Just like in real life, a home-cooked meal is a great way to win someone over in Stardew Valley. Any dish cooked in the farmhouse kitchen (except for Bread, Fried Egg, Seafoam Pudding, and Strange Bun) will endear the player to villagers.
Bear in mind, though, that many villagers have their own dislikes for specific meals. Sebastian, for example, turns down anything with eggs, while Emily and Evelyn aren't big seafood fans. Conversely, Willy is unique in his dislike of any cooked dishes that don't contain fish.
12 Life Elixir
The endlessly useful Life Elixir becomes craftable at Combat Level 2, and requires a Purple Mushroom, Red Mushroom, Chanterelle, and Morel to brew up. Not only does it restore a vast amount of health, but it'll score players decent friendship points with everyone except Krobus, Leo, and Willy.
However, some players may not be too keen on the idea of crafting such a useful item only to give it away. Since some of the ingredients can be tricky to gather en masse, many prefer to keep their life elixirs on hand for dangerous dungeon delves.
11 Gemstones
Similar to flowers, gemstones have a spot on most villagers' list of liked gifts. They're also easy to find: Amethyst and Topaz have a chance to appear on any level of the mines, and the deeper the player digs, the greater the chance to find more and more precious stones. Furthermore, if the player can build a few Crystalariums, they'll have an endless supply of gifts.
A couple of villagers, though, aren't fans of gemstones. If the player wants to win over Pierre, Leah, or Linus, a different gift is the way to go.
10 Jelly
Once players learn how to craft Preserves Jars, they can toss in any type of fruit. After a few days, the fruit will have turned into Jelly for players to collect. These fetch a decent price depending on the fruit, but they also make great gifts.
Salmonberry Jelly is a great choice, since it's one of the least valuable and Salmonberries are plentiful in the spring. Once it's collected, any villager except Sebastian will be glad to receive a jar of homemade jam.
9 Flowers
Easy to come by, flowers make good gifts for just about anyone. In spring, plant Blue Jazz and Tulips on the farm; in summer, plant Summer Spangles and Sunflowers, and forage for Sweet Peas. Fall is also great for Sunflowers, as well as Fairy Roses. In wintertime, forage for crocuses.
Like gemstones, this one carries exceptions, so choose different gifts to gain friendship with George, Sebastian, or Clint. Also, keep in mind that Poppies don't share the universally liked trait with the rest of the floral family.
8 Honey
Image via Reddit user Magoner
Like flowers, honey is easy to cultivate. The crafting recipe for a Bee House is learned at level 3 farming, and requires common resources to build. Craft a few, place them around the farm, and wait for the bees to do their work.
If flowers are planted within five tiles of the house, the honey will be labeled as "Sunflower Honey" or "Tulip Honey;" if not, it will be "Wild Honey." Once harvested, any type of Honey will be well-received by any villager except for Maru or Sebastian.
7 Maple Syrup
Hardly anyone could say no to a jug of real, fresh maple syrup to pour over their pancakes. Though it has its uses in crafting, most players don't need to stock up on it in bulk, making it a good choice to give as a present.
At Foraging Level 3, players unlock the Tapper recipe. Craft a few tappers out of copper bars and wood, and place them on maple trees throughout the forest or on the farm. Check them every nine days to collect the maple syrup they produce, and gift it to any villager except Maru.
6 Fruit Tree Fruit
There's no going wrong with a homegrown apple, peach, or other orchard fruit: Every villager likes them, without exceptions. Though they take patience to grow, fruit trees produce daily while in season, making them an excellent source of universally-liked gifts.
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Saplings for all the universally-liked fruit trees are found in Pierre's shop year-round. Because they take 28 days to mature, it helps to plan ahead. For example, plant an orange tree no later than the first day of spring, and reap the rewards all summer long.
Every villager at least likes these fruits (except for mango and banana, which most often rank as Neutral gifts.) Among the orchard fruits, a few rank among certain villagers' Loves:
- Robin: loves Peach
- Gus: loves Orange
- Elliott: loves Pomegranate
5 Prismatic Shard
Every villager except Haley loves this rare treasure. There are several places to look for one, including rainbow trout fish ponds, mines, and Omni Geodes. Though the chances to uncover Prismatic Shards are always slim, every player will find a few eventually.
Skull Cavern is the best place to find Prismatic Shards. Its monsters all have a small chance to drop one, and the deeper the player delves, the more likely they are to find Iridium Nodes or Mystic Stones, which can contain this rare gem. However, players are often loath to give away Prismatic Shards, considering their high value and many in-game uses.
4 Rabbit's Foot
Image via Reddit user AsthmaticAudino
All characters except for Penny love this good-luck token. If the player purchases a Deluxe Coop upgrade from Robin and a rabbit to live in it from Marnie, happy bunnies have a chance to leave a rabbit's foot on the coop floor.
Considering their limited practical use and relative ease to obtain, the rabbit's foot makes a fantastic gift. To increase the chances of receiving one, make sure any kept rabbits are fed and petted daily to increase friendship with them.
3 Magic Rock Candy
Magic Rock Candy is also universally loved, and this time there are no exceptions. Present this gift to any villager, and watch their faces light up! It's no wonder, considering this item increases Mining, Luck, Speed, Attack, and Defense.
However, acquiring this item isn't easy. One is received as a reward after donating 90 items to the museum, or it can be dropped incredibly rarely by Haunted Skulls. The trader in Calico Desert sells one every Thursday for the steep price of three Prismatic Shards. After going to so much trouble, most players prefer to keep this item for its incredible buffs.
2 Golden Pumpkin
The Golden Pumpkin is another item on every villager's Loved list. Since its only practical use is in tailoring, it's a great choice to win some friendship points with a bachelor or bachelorette who's caught the player's eye.
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Much like the Magic Rock Candy, the downside to the Golden Pumpkin lies with its rarity. However, one can be found every year at the end of the Spirit's Eve festival maze — simply attend the festival every year to snag one. It also has a small chance (3.7%) to be found inside an Artifact Trove.
1 Pearl
Like the previous two items, this gift is adored by each and every villager. There are several fixed events and locations where the player can acquire a pearl:
- Correctly playing the mermaid's song at the Night Market (once per save file)
- Digging at the spot marked in Journal Scrap 6
- Willy will send one to the player after they fill a fishing pond with 10 crabs
To increase opportunities for collecting pearls, build a fish pond and fill it with blobfish (caught in the submarine at the Night Market). With nine or more happy fish in the pond, a pearl has a small chance to appear in the pond's chum bucket.
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