Stardew Valley is the best farming and life simulation game available on PC and most other consoles, with lots of interesting NPC characters for you to interact with, befriend, and even romance. The best way to charm the residents of Stardew is to give them the perfect gift. Every character has loved, liked and hated the gift options. If you’re looking for the best items, the following list contains some great ideas for you, from easy to obtain to some of the rare varieties.
The best gifts in Stardew Valley
Cooked Meals
Among some of the most accessible and widespread gift options are cooked dishes. This treat can be almost any meal you cook and is universally loved by most villagers, depending on the ingredients used. Who will refuse a warm and sincere dish cooked with love? You can prepare any dish in the kitchen, which needs to be upgraded in your house by Robin, or using a campfire set up outdoors. Be aware of the ingredients you use to prepare the dish, as some characters don’t like certain foods, while others do.
sweets
Like cooked foods, sweets are another great gift option for valley characters. Most people like items like candy, baked goods, and other sugary treats, especially the kids around if you want to make friends with them easily. You can make some of these in your kitchen or campfire. Blueberry cakes, cookies, ice cream, or candy are great examples.
fruit
Another food gift option is fruit. Fruits can be grown in your garden or on trees around your farm, making it easy to get them in bulk and on hand for quick access. Any fruit is a great gift idea, as all the villagers enjoy them. Specifically, fruits like apples, apricots, oranges, peaches, pomegranates, and cherries are safe choices.
Flowers
Flowers are an excellent gift for any occasion; you can also find them all over the valley waiting to be picked up. While they make great gifts for most characters, you’ll want to avoid giving them to George, Sebastian, or Clint. You’ll also want to avoid poppy flowers as almost every character hates them. Any other beautiful species you see blooming is perfect for gifting.
Drinks
Valley residents may feel thirsty from time to time or may need a caffeine fix to keep them going as they go about their daily activities. That is why the drinks are also a decent gift for others. There are a variety of drinks to give, which means that certain types may not be appropriate for some characters. The safest options that are most universal are juices, but beers and coffees are also great for age-appropriate characters. You can find some for sale at the tavern or try making your own in your kitchen.
Wine
One drink in particular that makes a perfect gift is wine. This is listed separately as it requires a bit more work to acquire. However, gifting this to certain characters will significantly benefit their friendships. You will need a barrel made with 30 pieces of wood, a copper bar, an iron bar and an oak resin. You can then place any fruit inside to ferment into different flavors of wine. This is a sophisticated gift to give and is especially loved by Harvey and Leah.
Related: How to make wine in Stardew Valley
garden products
Stardew Valley is all about building your farm and of course growing crops. Your hard work can pay off in a big way, not only from earning coins and crafting treats, but also from giving away your delicious goods. Many characters will appreciate being given the freshly grown vegetables and fruits you have in your gardens, especially if they are quality items. Try planting corn, brinjal, tomatoes, parsnips, beans and more to give to your friends.
Handmade products
As well as their fresh produce, the characters will also love receiving their homemade items such as honey, mayonnaise, jams, maple syrup, and truffle oil. These are more complex goods that you create with various crafting stations around your farm, making them a higher quality item that is great to give away or sell for a few extra coins. To make these items you will need the appropriate stations such as Bee House, Tapper or canning materials.
Harvested/Crafted Items
Some easy gifts can also be items you find or collect while wandering the valley. These harvestable items, such as shells, stones, minerals, and ores, are liked by various characters because they are valuable crafting materials. They might like them even better if you create a particular good with the collected items, such as creating iron, copper, or gold ingots instead of raw ores. However, be sure to give these gifts to the appropriate characters. Not all characters will enjoy these. Individuals like the Dwarf, Clint or the Wizard appreciate them more.
elixir of life
Elixirs of life are essential for restoring health during combat, so they can also be a good gift for others, especially those in the Adventurer’s Guild. It requires several species of mushrooms, red and purple mushrooms, chanterelles, and morels, which can be a bit more difficult to acquire. If you have a mushroom cave near your farm, it will be much easier to create it in bulk. The only characters who don’t particularly enjoy this gift are Krobus, Willy, and Leo.
precious stones
Who doesn’t like a sparkling gem as a gift? Gemstones are precious items that you can find in the valley by chance. Opening geodes can be a great way to acquire some. You can find various rarities, which are mostly liked by all characters. The one gem that is universally liked by all characters is the Diamond, but it also happens to be the hardest to find. It will significantly increase your friendship with a person, so use it wisely.
Related: Stardew Valley Treasure Chest Locations – How To Find
Pearl
Like the Diamond, the Pearl is enjoyed by all Valley residents, but it is also one of the most difficult to acquire. There are just a few particular ways you can collect one:
- Using Journal Scrap 6 to dig one up
- Filling a fishing pond with ten crabs for Willy
- Playing the siren song at the night market
This is a rare item found in Stardew Valley, so again use it wisely when gifting it to the character you want to gain the most relationship with.
rabbit foot
The rabbit’s foot is considered a token of luck, so it’s no surprise that it’s considered one of the most favored gifts to give throughout the valley. All the characters except Penny appreciate this small gift, which is relatively easy to acquire on a consistent basis. You will have to upgrade the luxury chicken coop on your farm and place a bunny inside. If you take good care of your rabbits, feeding and petting them as needed, they may leave a rabbit’s foot in your coop for you to pick up.
golden pumpkin
The Golden Pumpkin is another extremely rare item that all characters love. Due to the rarity and difficulty of acquiring the item, it’s not a favorite gift option among players, but it can still earn you a ton of relationships with your character of choice. You can only get this pumpkin in different ways. You can find one each year by attending the Spirit’s Eve festival and competing in the maze, or you can find one by chance inside an Artifact Trove.
magic rock candy
This item is the perfect combination of magic and sweets, and it’s no wonder everyone loves it. Eating this candy grants the player a buff in mining, luck, attack, defense, and speed. It is one of the best ways to increase your stats in little to no time. However, it’s also hard to come by, so it’s not a favorite gift option. You can only get one a few different ways:
- Donation of 90 items to the museum
- kill haunted skulls
- Buying it from the vendor in Calico Desert for three Prismatic Shards on Thursdays
Gifting this item significantly increases the desired relationship, but it may be more worth keeping for the benefits.
prismatic shard
This beautifully colored gem is another special gift for the characters in your valley. It is also a rare treasure, but it may be easier to acquire than Diamond, Pearl, or Magic Rock Candy. You can find them more easily by traveling to Skull Cavern, fighting the monsters or mining in the most dangerous places. You can occasionally find them in certain geodes, and they are also worth quite a bit of money when sold.
Here are some of the best types of gifts to give in the Valley if you’re looking to develop your friendships or even further a romance. Use your own discretion when deciding which items will work best for each character. Often, you can tell from their personalities if a character might like a specific item or not. You can keep track of your likes and dislikes in your journal.
Looking for more Stardew Valley MyFullGames content? Check out our guides on the best tips for Stardew Valley players or how to have kids in Stardew Valley!