Stardew Valley Friendship Points: A Guide

Making friends in Stardew Valley is not just a delightful part of the game but a crucial one. As you step into the quaint Pelican Town, integrating into the local community through acts of kindness and generosity becomes your pathway to building meaningful relationships. Whether your aim is friendship or romance, understanding the mechanics of the friendship point system is essential to reaching the pinnacle of your relationships with the townsfolk.

Most players are aware that engaging in conversations, giving thoughtful gifts, and selecting the right dialogue options can boost their friendships. However, not all actions are equal in their impact. To maximize your connections, let's delve into how you can elevate your relationship with any character to the maximum level.

Updated January 4, 2025, by Demaris Oxman: The 1.6 update for Stardew Valley has rekindled interest among gamers, drawing both new and returning players into the enchanting world of this farming simulation. While the core mechanics of the friendship system remain unchanged, the update introduces fresh elements that can enhance your social endeavors. Here’s everything you need to know about befriending the entire valley in the latest version.

The Heart Scale

To monitor your relationships with every NPC, simply access the Menu and navigate to the tab marked with a heart icon. This will reveal a comprehensive list of each NPC alongside the number of hearts (friendship levels) you've earned with them.

As you accumulate more hearts with the NPCs, new opportunities unlock. You'll gain access to special Heart Event scenes, receive recipes in the mail, and unlock unique dialogues. However, understanding the heart scale alone isn't enough; knowing how friendship points are earned is key.

What Is One Heart?

To increase your friendship by one heart, you need to accumulate 250 friendship points with a specific NPC. Nearly every interaction, from simple conversations to gift-giving, influences your friendship level. Positive actions earn points, while neglect or negative actions can lead to a decrease in friendship.

Boosting Friendship Gain

To accelerate your journey towards befriending the townsfolk, seek out the book "Friendship 101." You can obtain this valuable resource as the ninth prize from the Prize Machine in the Mayor's Mansion or occasionally purchase it from the Bookseller starting in Year 3, albeit at a steep price of 20,000g. Reading this book grants a permanent 10% increase in friendship gains, making each positive interaction more rewarding.

Point Values For Individual Character Interactions

There are numerous ways to gain or lose friendship points, most of which involve direct interactions with Pelican Town's residents.

Everyday Interactions

- Simply talking to a character typically awards +20 points. If they're engaged in an activity, like exercising or doing chores, the reward drops to +10 points. It's always worthwhile to greet them to prevent friendship decay. You'll see a check mark in the Social menu tab under the dialogue bubble, indicating you've spoken to them that day.

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

- Failing to interact with a character daily results in a slight decrease in friendship. This is usually -2 points per day, but if you've given them a bouquet, it increases to -10 per day. For married players, neglecting your spouse leads to a -20 decrease each day. Remember, maintaining your relationships is key!

Giving Gifts

Every villager has unique preferences, but some gifts are universally appreciated:

- Loved Gifts: +80 points

- Liked Gifts: +45 points

- Neutral Gifts: +20 points

- Disliked Gifts: -20 Points

- Hated Gifts: -40 Points

Gifts given during special events like the Feast of the Winter Star yield 5x the usual points, while birthday gifts offer 8x the points. Be cautious, as disliked or hated gifts on these occasions can lead to a significant decrease in friendship. A bit of research can go a long way in choosing the perfect gift for special occasions.

Stardrop Tea

Stardrop Tea stands out as a universally loved gift. When gifted to an NPC, it increases friendship by 250 points, or one full heart. On birthdays or during the Feast of the Winter Star, this effect triples to three full hearts, even if you've already reached the usual gift limits (two per week, one per day).

Obtaining Stardrop Tea can be challenging but rewarding. You can find it in the Prize Machine at the Mayor's office, in Golden Fishing Chests, as a reward from the Helper's Bundle on the remixed Community Center Bulletin Board, or as a thank-you from the raccoon for completing his higher-level requests.

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 present it to your chosen companion. Their preferences in movies and snacks will influence the friendship outcome:

- 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. Choosing the right answers can earn you between +10 to +50 points. Conversely, the wrong responses can lead to a decrease. Understanding the character's personality can guide your responses. Mean or snarky dialogue will reduce friendship points, while thoughtful choices will either boost your points or have no negative effect.

In Heart Events, your dialogue choices can have a significant impact, with potential increases or decreases of up to 200 points. These events often involve more personal interactions, making your choices crucial.

Festivals & Events

The Flower Dance

At the Flower Dance, you can invite an NPC to dance if your friendship level is at least four hearts. Participating in the dance will increase your friendship by one heart (250 points).

The Luau

During the Luau's community potluck, your choice of ingredient for 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 includes the Chef's Bundle, Enchanter's Bundle, Fodder Bundle, Field Research Bundle, and Dye Bundle, will reward you with 500 friendship points (2 hearts) with every non-dateable villager.