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Who doesn't love a gift now and then? The best way to strengthen your relationships with the characters in Stardew Valley is by giving them presents. Maximizing your friendship levels with each Pelican Town resident gives you secret rewards, new recipes, and even access to blue Chickens! However, you can't just give them any old junk from your inventory - all characters have their own individual preferences, likes, and dislikes.
Going in alphabetical order, here is the ultimate gift guide for all villagers in Stardew Valley, their preferred gifts, and even their birthday to maximize your friendship gains. We have yet to include any neutral gift, as they only give 1/2 friendships hearts and are not worth gifting.
All Stardew Valley characters will appreciate these gifts unless otherwise stated. These a solid and staple gifts you can give to increase your friendship level if you don't have any other options.
Gifting a villager a disliked item will decrease your friendship hearts with them by 20 points. Avoid gifting these items if you can. It's better to give them nothing than something they will dislike or hate!
The items in this category are generally considered Junk and are Universally Hated by most characters in Stardew Valley, which will decrease your friendship points by 40.
Abigail's birthday coincidentally falls on Fall 13. She is an easy villager to become friends with, as she loves most cooked food items and Amethysts, which are no ta hard Gem to find. Her unique "Like" aside from the Universal ones is Quartz.
Alex only has two non-universally loved dishes on his list, both of which are cooked, so you'll need to gather the ingredients to make them. His birthday is on Summer 13, so give him a gift to celebrate!
The first half of the year is the time to build that friendship with Caroline, seeing as Daffodils are one of her Liked items and can easily be foraged. If you check your calendar, her birthday is Winter 7, the perfect time to give her a present she'll love!
As expected, Pelican Town's resident Blacksmith loves all things shiny. To impress Clint, you'd better head down into the town's mines and get to work.
Clint is an easy villager to impress, and you should be able to collect a variety of gemstones on your excursions in the mines. Getting him a birthday present on Winter 26 is a surefire way to his heart.
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Demetrius is a hard man to impress! All his loves outside the universally-loved items are cooked goods, meaning you'll need to gather the necessary ingredients to make them.
Ice Cream can be found at the stand near the Museum in town during Summer for a whopping 250G! His birthday is Summer 19 if you want an extra boost with your gift-giving.
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Getting to befriend the Dwarf in the Mines is a tough job. First, he is behind the rock that needs to be blown up or mined with a Steel Pickaxe. Once he is uncovered, you can only understand him once you have donated the four Dwarvish Scrolls to the Museum to get the Dwarvish Translation Guide.
Like Clint, the Dwarf is a fan of Gemstones and things that are picked up in the Mines, making it easy to befriend him once you can talk to him. The Dwarf's birthday is on Summer 22.
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Elliott is a mysterious man who likes the finer things in life. Your best bet to impressing Elliot involves getting a crab pot and setting them ashore daily. With some luck, you may grab some Lobsters, one of Elliotts' favorite things.
You must fill Crab Pots with bait daily to maximize their output. Elliott's birthday is on Fall 5.
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Emily is another Stardew Valley character that adores Gemstones from the mines, which are easily obtainable. Her home also houses the Spinning Wheel, which is ironic considering her favorite things are Cloth and Wool.
If you want to impress Emily on her birthday (Spring 27), avoid any and all fish dishes, as she seems to habor a deep hatred for them.
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Despite her wholesome grandmotherly vibes, Evelyn has a long list of Hated gifts - you don't want to get on the wrong side of her! She is easy to befriend, as Tulips are a cheap and easy Flower to grow. Give her a bouquet of Tulips for her birthday on Winter 20!
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George carries the grumpy older man caricature well, but he's an old softie once you've become friends! The yin to Evelyn's yang, the best gifts for George include Leeks, Fried Mushrooms, and even Daffodils. His birthday is Fall 24, so you have plenty of time to gather his favorite things!
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Befriending the owner of the Stardrop Saloon is a must-do but very hard in your first year on the farm. All his good gifts are hard to acquire, and you may have to wait for the recipes on the Queen of Sauce. His birthday is on Summer 8 if you want to drop him a present.
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The Queen Bee of Pelican Town is Haley, the blond bombshell. Although she seems standoffish, she slowly thaws out as you start to befriend her.
The best way to Haley's heart is through Sunflowers (200G for seeds). Make sure to bake her a Pink Cake as her birthday treat on Spring 14.
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All of Harvey's loved items require specialized equipment to produce, like Kegs, Preserves Jars, Oil Maker, etc. As the king of health, he dislikes most cooked dishes in Stardew Valley, so you can forget about gifting Harvey anything like that.
If you want to fast-track to becoming Harvey's friend, you can buy him Coffee from the Stardrop Saloon for 300 Gold - remember his birthday on Winter 14.
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Jas, as a child, is a pretty picky customer. Most of her Loved items are cooked, which can be hard to come by early on. The quickest way to befriend Jas in Stardew Valley is to grab Daffodils in the Spring and hoard them until you can gift them to her on her birthday in Summer 4.
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Jodi's loved items are easier to get a hold of if you can access the Kitchen modification for your Stardew Valley house. All her loved items are cooked goods, but her likes are much easier to obtain. Jodi's birthday is on Fall 11.
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Kent doesn't appear in the game until Spring, Year 2, so he won't be present for the whole first year of the game. He has two favorite dishes, perfect for giving to him on his birthday in Spring 4.
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Krobus is a mysterious but friendly entity found in the Sewers, which can only be opened once you have the Rusty Key. This requires players to have 60 items donated to the Museum. Krobus loves various objects, making him an easy resident to befriend. He is the only villager to love Void Eggs, an easy gift to give him on his birthday on Winter 1.
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Leah is one of the easier residents to befriend in Stardew Valley, as most of her "liked gifts" can be foraged. Her birthday is on Winter 23 if you want to surprise her with a gift!
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New players coming into Stardew Valley won't need to worry about befriending Leo for a while, seeing as he resides on Ginger Island, an end-game area. Most of his Liked and Loved items are linked to Ginger Island, apart from Duck Feathers. Leo's birthday is in Summer 26.
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The Mayor of Pelican Town is a worthy ally to have. As with some other residents, all his Loved Items must be cooked. Summer is the best time to befriend him, as he loves Hot Pepper which is easily obtainable. Mayor Lewis' birthday is Spring 7.
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If you have chosen the Mushroom Cave for your farm, you will have an easy time befriending Linus early on. He is a wholesome man who likes living off the land, so foraged goods are the way to befriend him.
Most of Linus' other liked items are cooked or foraged in the Calcio Desert. If you want to improve Linus's life, get him a gift for his birthday on Winter 3.
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Aside from the scandal of finding Mayor Lewis' pants in her bedroom, Marnie is a wholesome, typical farmer gal. She is the home for all things related to animals in Stardew Valley, so it should come as no surprise that she likes animal produce, like Eggs and Milk. Her birthday is Fall 18.
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Maru has a wide array of Loved Items, some of which are difficult to get hold of, like a Battery Pack. The easiest thing you can gift her is a Cauliflower, which takes 12 in-game days to grow fully. Maru's birthday is Summer 10 if you fancy getting her a present.
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If you play Stardew Valley enough, you'll know that Pam has a soft spot for anything alcoholic. These are your best bets when giving her a gift on her birthday in Spring 18.
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Penny is the classic bookworm and one of the few characters to actually like Artifacts. If you gather any already donated to the Museum, you can gift them to Penny instead. Her birthday is Fall 2.
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The owner of Pierre's General Store is the heart of the community. He only has one non-Universally Loved item, but aside from that, he is easy to please with things like Milk and Eggs. Pierre's birthday is on Spring 26.
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Robin in Stardew Valley is one of the easier villagers to befriend because her Liked items are easy to obtain, like Milk and Quartz. While Robin likes Hardwood, there are better ways to use this limited resource. Robin's birthday is on Fall 21, with autumn vibes to match her auburn hair.
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Sam in Stardew Valley is one of the few characters to like Joja Cola, which cost 75G from Joja Mart. These can also be fished up in the Farm's Pond or dug through Trash Cans. What doesn't say happy birthday more than some trash? Sam's birthday is on Summer 17.
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Sandy is one of two characters that don't live in Pelican Town with the rest of the villagers. She can be found in the Calico Desert at the Oasis Store once the Bus Stop has been unlocked at the Community Center.
Sandy's birthday is in Fall 15, and her Loved gifts are all reasonably easy to obtain and can be foraged during certain seasons.
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Sashimi is one of Sebastian's Loved gifts, which can only be obtained from Linus at three hearts. Sebastian's birthday is Winter 10 if you'd like to give him a gift.
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Shane is one of the coolest Stardew Valley residents to befriend eventually. He will share the secrets to getting the extraordinary blue chickens on your farm at his eight-heart event. Shane loves Beer, Pizza, and Pepper Poppers, which is perfect for his birthday on Spring 20.
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Vincent is a straightforward child to impress in Stardew Valley, seeing as his Loved items include Snails and Grapes. Vincent's birthday is Spring 10, so you could even gift him some Cranberry Candy or a Pink Cake to make his day!
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As a fisherman, it should be no surprise that Willy's great love is for the sea and its residents. Chances are that if you gift him a fish for his birthday on Summer 24, he will be thrilled!
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If you're an avid explorer in the Mines, the Wizard is the perfect person to befriend! His Loved gifts include Solar and Void Essences and Purple Mushrooms, which spawn on the floor. The Wizard's birthday is Winter 17.
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That was our complete gift guide for Stardew Valley. If you follow all of their Liked and Loved gifts, you're on the fast track to becoming best friends with every Stardew Valley character, unlocking loads of recipes and items along the way.
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