Friendship in Stardew Valley is a points system, and gifts are the biggest lever you control. The rules are simple once you see the numbers: two gifts a week, a huge multiplier on birthdays, and a handful of items that almost everyone loves or hates. This guide covers the rules, then every villager in birthday order, so you can plan a whole year of gifts.
The short answer: what to give
If you only remember one section, make it this one. These are the gifts that work on the most people with the least risk.
How gifting works
Every villager has a friendship value. One heart is 250 points. Villagers who cannot be married max out at 10 hearts (2,500 points). Marriage candidates stop at 8 hearts until you give them a Bouquet, then go to 10; a spouse can reach 14.
| Gift taste | Normal day | Birthday (×8) | Winter Star secret gift (×5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loved | +80 | +640 | +400 |
| Liked | +45 | +360 | +225 |
| Neutral | +20 | +160 | +100 |
| Disliked | −20 | −160 | −100 |
| Hated | −40 | −320 | −200 |
The rules around those numbers:
- One gift per day, two per week. The weekly count resets on Sunday. If you give the full two in a week, you get a small +10 bonus the following Sunday.
- Birthdays are outside the limit. You can always give a birthday gift, even if you already gave two that week.
- Quality counts for loved and liked gifts only. Silver ×1.1, gold ×1.25, iridium ×1.5. A normal-quality loved gift (+80) always beats an iridium liked gift (+67.5). The largest single gift in the game is an iridium-quality loved item on a birthday: 960 points, almost four hearts.
- Stardrop Tea is special. It gives +250 (a full heart) to anyone and does not count toward the daily or weekly limit.
- Your spouse can receive a gift every day, but all friendship gains and losses with a spouse are reduced by 34%.
- The Dwarf only reacts to gifts once you understand Dwarvish, which needs the Dwarvish Translation Guide (donate all four Dwarf Scrolls to the museum).
Find birthdays on the calendar. Right-click the calendar outside Pierre's General Store, left of the door next to the Help Wanted board. It shows every birthday and festival of the current season. Robin also sells one for your farmhouse.
How long 10 hearts actually takes
Talking gives +20 a day. Combine that with the gift rules and you can work out how long a villager takes to go from 0 to 10 hearts (2,500 points). A season is four weeks.
| Your routine | Points per week | Weeks to 10 hearts |
|---|---|---|
| Talk every day, no gifts | 140 | About 18 (four and a half seasons) |
| Talk daily + 2 liked gifts | 240 (including the +10 bonus) | About 10.5 |
| Talk daily + 2 loved gifts | 310 (including the +10 bonus) | About 8 (two seasons) |
| Talk daily + 2 loved gifts + a loved birthday gift | 310, plus 640 once | About 6 |
Two things follow from this table. Liked gifts are fine for people you only want to keep friendly, but loved gifts save you a full month per person. And the single birthday gift is worth two weeks of effort — that is why it matters more than anything else in this guide.
Friendship also falls if you ignore people: −2 a day for villagers you are not dating, −10 for a dating partner and −20 for a spouse. For everyone except your spouse, decay stops once their heart meter is full.
Universal tastes and who breaks them
Most villagers follow a shared set of preferences. Individual tastes always override them, so the exceptions are what catch people out.
Universal loves
| Item | Where to get it | Exception |
|---|---|---|
| Rabbit's Foot | Rabbits (Deluxe Coop, 8,000g at Marnie's) with high friendship and mood; sometimes the Traveling Cart | Penny hates it |
| Pearl | Golden fishing treasure chests, a Blobfish pond with 9+ fish, Artifact Troves | None |
| Golden Pumpkin | Spirit's Eve maze prize, Artifact Troves, Mystery Boxes | None |
| Magic Rock Candy | Desert Trader on Thursdays for 3 Prismatic Shards; museum reward for 90 donations | None |
| Prismatic Shard | Mystic Stones (Mines floor 100+, Skull Cavern), rarely Omni Geodes | Haley hates it |
| Stardrop Tea | Prize machine in Lewis's house, golden fishing chests | None — +250, ignores the gift limit |
Your first Prismatic Shard is usually better spent on the Galaxy Sword in the desert than on a gift. Rabbit's Foot is the only universal love you can produce on a schedule, which makes a Deluxe Coop with rabbits the long-term answer for gifting.
Universal likes and their exceptions
| Category (liked by most) | Villagers who dislike or hate it |
|---|---|
| Fruit tree fruit | Nobody |
| Gems (Amethyst, Topaz, Ruby…) | Leah, Linus and Pierre dislike all gems except Diamond and Prismatic Shard |
| Flowers (except Poppy, which is hated) | Sebastian, Clint and George dislike them |
| Vegetables | Sam, Haley, Jas, Vincent and Abigail (except Pumpkin) dislike them |
| Artisan goods (wine, cheese, jelly, pickles…) | Sebastian hates them (except Coffee and Green Tea); Jas and Vincent hate them (except Honey and Jelly); Penny and Leo hate alcohol |
| Cooked dishes | Krobus, Leo and Willy dislike most of them; many villagers have individual hates |
Neutral items (+20) include Bread, Fried Egg, Duck Feather, Wool, Truffle, Hops and Wheat — though a few villagers love some of them (Elliott and Leo love Duck Feather, Emily loves Wool, Leah loves Truffle).
What not to give
- Hated by almost everyone (−40): trash (except Driftwood), bait, fossils, monster loot, Copper Ore, Iron Ore, Sap, Seaweed, Green Algae, Hay, Red Mushroom, Sea Urchin, Carp, Snail and Poppy. The exceptions are deliberate: Penny loves Poppy and Vincent loves Snail.
- Disliked by most (−20): nearly all fish, seeds, geodes and geode minerals, artifacts, building materials such as Clay, metal bars, Cave Carrot and Driftwood.
- Risky individual hates: Holly is hated by half the town and disliked by most of the rest, and Quartz is hated by many (Alex, Elliott, Shane, Caroline, George, Gus, Lewis). Clay is hated by Abigail, Evelyn, George, Haley, Jas, Marnie, Sebastian and Vincent.
Every villager: birthdays, easy loved gifts and what to avoid
All 34 villagers who accept gifts, in calendar order. "Easy" means gifts you can buy, grow or find without late-game access — not the full loved list. For the 12 marriage candidates and the route to marriage, see the Marriage Guide.
Spring
| Villager | Birthday | Easy loved gifts | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent | Spring 4 | Roasted Hazelnuts, Fiddlehead Risotto | Milk, Sashimi |
| Lewis | Spring 7 | Hot Pepper, Glazed Yams, Green Tea | Holly, Quartz |
| Vincent | Spring 10 | Grape, Pink Cake, Snail | Artisan goods except Honey and Jelly, Clay |
| Haley | Spring 14 | Sunflower, Coconut, Pink Cake | Prismatic Shard, any fish |
| Pam | Spring 18 | Parsnip, Beer, Mead | Octopus, Squid |
| Shane | Spring 20 | Beer, Pizza, Hot Pepper | Pickles, Quartz |
| Pierre | Spring 26 | Fried Calamari | Any fish, Parsnip Soup |
| Emily | Spring 27 | Amethyst, Cloth, Wool | Sashimi, Fish Taco |
Kent only arrives in Spring of Year 2, so his first birthday you can use is in Year 2.
Summer
| Villager | Birthday | Easy loved gifts | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jas | Summer 4 | Fairy Rose, Pink Cake, Plum Pudding | Artisan goods except Honey and Jelly, Clay |
| Gus | Summer 8 | Orange, Escargot, Diamond | Quartz, Holly |
| Maru | Summer 10 | Strawberry, Cauliflower, Gold Bar | Honey, Pickles |
| Alex | Summer 13 | Complete Breakfast, Salmon Dinner | Holly, Quartz |
| Sam | Summer 17 | Pizza, Cactus Fruit, Maple Bar | Pickles, Mayonnaise |
| Demetrius | Summer 19 | Strawberry, Ice Cream | Holly |
| Dwarf | Summer 22 | Amethyst, Omni Geode, Lava Eel | Hates nothing; dislikes eggs |
| Willy | Summer 24 | Catfish, Pumpkin, Mead | Hates nothing; dislikes most cooked dishes |
| Leo | Summer 26 | Duck Feather, Mango, Poi | Alcohol (Wine, Beer, Mead), Hops |
Leo lives on Ginger Island and moves to the valley once he reaches 6 hearts with you.
Fall
| Villager | Birthday | Easy loved gifts | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penny | Fall 2 | Melon, Poppy, Diamond, any book | Rabbit's Foot, alcohol |
| Elliott | Fall 5 | Duck Feather, Crab Cakes, Pomegranate | Quartz, Sea Cucumber |
| Jodi | Fall 11 | Chocolate Cake, Pancakes, Diamond | Daffodil, Dandelion |
| Abigail | Fall 13 | Amethyst, Pumpkin, Chocolate Cake | Clay, Holly |
| Sandy | Fall 15 | Daffodil, Crocus, Sweet Pea | Holly |
| Marnie | Fall 18 | Pink Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Diamond | Clay, Holly |
| Robin | Fall 21 | Peach, Goat Cheese, Spaghetti | Holly |
| George | Fall 24 | Leek, Fried Mushroom | Clay, Dandelion |
Sandy lives in the Calico Desert, which you reach once the bus is repaired.
Winter
| Villager | Birthday | Easy loved gifts | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krobus | Winter 1 | Wild Horseradish, Pumpkin, Void Egg | Hates nothing; dislikes most cooked dishes |
| Linus | Winter 3 | Yam, Coconut, Cactus Fruit | Hates nothing; dislikes gems except Diamond |
| Caroline | Winter 7 | Green Tea, Summer Spangle, Fish Taco | Quartz, Salmonberry |
| Sebastian | Winter 10 | Frozen Tear, Obsidian, Sashimi | Most artisan goods, eggs |
| Harvey | Winter 14 | Coffee, Pickles, Wine | Coral, Rainbow Shell |
| Wizard | Winter 17 | Purple Mushroom, Solar Essence, Void Essence | Hates nothing; dislikes eggs and milk |
| Evelyn | Winter 20 | Tulip, Beet, Fairy Rose | Fish, Clay |
| Leah | Winter 23 | Salad, Goat Cheese, Wine | Pizza, Bread |
| Clint | Winter 26 | Amethyst, Gold Bar, Omni Geode | Holly |
Note the reversals: Krobus loves Void Egg and Wild Horseradish, the Wizard loves Solar and Void Essence, and Maru loves Gold Bar — all of which most villagers dislike. Pierre's only other love is the Price Catalogue.
Gift strategy by stage
-
1
Year 1 spring — talk first, buy loves at the Saloon
Talk to everyone every day; it costs nothing and is most of your early friendship. For gifts, the Stardrop Saloon (open from noon) sells several loved items: Pizza for Sam and Shane, Beer for Shane and Pam, Coffee for Harvey, Salad for Leah, Spaghetti for Robin. Leek goes to George and Parsnip to Pam.
-
2
Early mines — gems for the gem lovers
Amethyst and Topaz from the first floors are loved by Emily, Clint and the Dwarf, and Amethyst by Abigail too. Other villagers mostly like gems, but skip them for Leah, Linus and Pierre.
-
3
Summer and fall — grow the birthday gifts
Plant a few crops just for gifts: Strawberry for Maru and Demetrius, Melon for Penny, Pumpkin for Abigail, Krobus and Willy, Sunflower for Haley, Summer Spangle for Caroline, Fairy Rose for Evelyn and Jas. Gold quality adds 25%.
-
4
Mid game — Diamonds and fruit trees
From floor 50 of the Mines, Diamonds become your default gift: loved by eight people, liked by the rest. Fruit trees planted early start paying off as zero-risk liked gifts for everyone.
-
5
Late game — universal loves on birthdays
With a Deluxe Coop and rabbits, Rabbit's Foot becomes a steady supply. Save it, Pearls and Magic Rock Candy for birthdays, where each one is worth 640 points (960 at iridium quality).
Common mistakes
- Treating Pink Cake as universal. It is loved by four villagers, liked by most and disliked by Harvey and Leah.
- Giving alcohol to Penny or Leo. Wine, Beer, Mead and Pale Ale are hated by both. Penny also hates Rabbit's Foot.
- Handing out forage. Daffodil, Dandelion, Leek and Holly look like nice presents but split the town. Jodi hates Daffodil and Dandelion; Holly is hated by half the town.
- Gifting fish. Nearly every fish is a universal dislike, and Haley, Evelyn and Pierre hate fish. Only give the specific fish someone loves, such as Catfish to Willy or Sandfish to Penny.
- Spending Prismatic Shards on gifts too early. They are the key to the Galaxy Sword and other upgrades. Use Diamonds until you have shards to spare.
- Rummaging in trash cans in front of people. Anyone within seven tiles who sees it loses 25 friendship with you (Linus gains 5).
Other ways to raise friendship
Gifts are not the only source. Completing the Introductions quest at the start gives +100 with every original villager. Each Help Wanted delivery quest gives +150 with the person who posted it. Dancing with someone at the Flower Dance gives +250, inviting a villager to the movie theater gives +200 if they love the film (+100 if they like it), and completing all the Bulletin Board bundles gives +500 with every non-candidate villager you have met.
For the Bouquet, Mermaid's Pendant and everything after the wedding, see the Marriage Guide. To grow the gift crops above, the Best Crops guide lists what to plant each season, and the Mining and Combat guide covers reaching the floors where gems and Diamonds appear.
★Honest Take: the birthday is the whole game
The friendship system rewards attention more than wealth. Daily talking and two decent gifts a week will get anyone to 10 hearts in about two seasons, and you don't need to memorize every taste table to do it — a stack of Diamonds and a few baskets of fruit-tree fruit cover almost everyone safely. What genuinely changes the pace is the birthday: one loved gift on the right day is worth two weeks of routine. The downside is that the game hides most of this. Nothing tells you that Pink Cake upsets Harvey or that Penny hates the wine you are proud of, so a reference like this is worth keeping open. Check the calendar at the start of each season, put each birthday gift in a chest ahead of time, and the rest follows.
