Stardew Valley Friendship Points: A Guide

Making friends in Stardew Valley is not just a charming part of the game; it's a crucial aspect that enhances your experience in the quaint Pelican Town. As a newcomer, integrating into the local community through acts of kindness and generosity can lead to deep friendships and even romance, enriching your life in the valley.

Most players understand that engaging with villagers, gifting them items they enjoy, and selecting the right dialogue options can boost friendships. However, the impact of these actions varies, with some yielding greater friendship gains than others. Let's explore the mechanics behind maximizing your relationships in Stardew Valley.

Updated January 4, 2025, by Demaris Oxman: With the release of the 1.6 update for Stardew Valley, many players have returned to or started playing this beloved farming simulation. While the friendship system remains largely unchanged, the update introduces new elements that players should consider when aiming to befriend the entire town.

The Heart Scale

To monitor your relationships with NPCs, simply open the Menu and navigate to the tab marked with a heart icon. This feature displays your current heart levels (friendship levels) with each NPC, providing a clear overview of your social standing in the valley.

As you accumulate more hearts with NPCs, new opportunities unlock, including special Heart Event scenes, recipe exchanges through mail, and unique dialogues. However, understanding the heart scale alone isn't enough to master the art of friendship.

What Is One Heart?

Achieving one heart with an NPC requires earning 250 friendship points. Every interaction, from casual conversations to thoughtful gifts, contributes to these points. Positive actions increase your friendship, whereas neglect or negative behaviors can lead to a decline.

Boosting Friendship Gain

For those eager to accelerate their friendship progress, the book "Friendship 101" is a valuable asset. It can be obtained as the ninth prize from the Prize Machine in the Mayor's Mansion or, with a 9% chance, from the Bookseller's inventory starting in Year 3 for 20,000g.

Reading "Friendship 101" grants a permanent 10% increase in friendship gains, making each positive interaction more rewarding. Note that this boost does not affect friendship decreases and is not stackable.

Point Values For Individual Character Interactions

Everyday Interactions

- Talking to a character generally earns +20 points. If they're engaged in an activity, like exercising or chores, you'll receive +10 points instead. It's always beneficial to greet them, as this prevents friendship decay. A check mark in the Social menu tab indicates that you've spoken to a character that day.

- Completing an item delivery from the Bulletin Board outside Pierre's store rewards +150 points with the recipient.

- Failing to talk to a character daily results in a friendship decrease. This is typically -2 points per day, but increases to -10 if you've given them a bouquet. Not speaking to your spouse leads to a -20 decrease per day, so keep those conversations flowing!

Giving Gifts

Each villager has unique gift preferences, but here are the general point values:

- Loved Gifts: +80 points

- Liked Gifts: +45 points

- Neutral Gifts: +20 points

- Disliked Gifts: -20 Points

- Hated Gifts: -40 Points

Gifts given during the Feast of the Winter Star yield 5x the usual points, while birthday gifts provide 8x the points. Be cautious with disliked or hated gifts on these special occasions, as they can lead to significant friendship losses.

Stardrop Tea

Stardrop Tea is a universally loved gift that instantly boosts friendship by 250 points (one full heart). When given as a birthday or Feast of the Winter Star gift, it increases friendship by three full hearts. It can be gifted even after reaching the usual gift limits.

To obtain Stardrop Tea, check the Prize Machine in the Mayor's office, search Golden Fishing Chests, complete the Helper's Bundle on the remixed Community Center Bulletin Board, or complete higher-level requests for the raccoon.

The Movie Theater

Once the movie theater is unlocked, you can invite friends or romantic interests to watch a film. Purchase a Movie Ticket for 1000g and give it to the character as you would a gift. The film and snack choices affect friendship 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

During conversations, NPCs may ask you questions, and your responses can influence friendship points. Choosing the right answers can earn +10 to +50 points, while incorrect responses may lead to a decrease. Heart Events often feature more impactful dialogue choices, potentially affecting friendship by up to 200 points.

Festivals & Events

The Flower Dance

At the Flower Dance festival, you can invite an NPC to dance if you have at least four hearts with them. Participating in the dance increases friendship by one heart (250 points).

The Luau

During the Luau's community potluck, adding an item to the soup can affect your friendship with every villager:

- Best Soup: +120 points

- Good Soup: +60 points

- Neutral Soup, no item added, or Lewis' Purple Shorts added: 0 points

- Bad Soup: -50 points

- Worst Soup: -100 points

The Community Center

Completing the Bulletin Board bundles in the Community Center, which include the Chef's Bundle, Enchanter's Bundle, Fodder Bundle, Field Research Bundle, and Dye Bundle, rewards you with 500 friendship points (2 hearts) with all non-dateable villagers.