Best Gifts for Every Villager
Gift-giving builds friendship faster than any other method. This guide covers the most efficient gifts for each NPC prioritizing items you can get early without spending thousands of gold.
Data Source
Gift preferences extracted from Stardew Valley 1.6 game data (Data/NPCGiftTastes). Updated December 2025.
Friendship Math
| Action | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Loved Gift | +80 | Best value for rare items |
| Liked Gift | +45 | Good for common items |
| Neutral Gift | +20 | Barely worth it |
| Birthday Bonus | x8 | Loved gift = 640 points! |
| Talk Daily | +20 | Free, no limit |
10 hearts = 2,500 points. With 2 loved gifts per week (+160) plus daily talking (+140), you gain about 300 points per week. About 8 weeks to max friendship without birthdays.
Universal Loves
Five items are loved by almost everyone. Keep these for emergencies:
Prismatic Shard
Rare drop
Rabbit Foot
Rabbit, lucky
Pearl
Night Market
Golden Pumpkin
Spirits Eve
Magic Rock Candy
Skull Cavern
Exception: Haley hates Prismatic Shard.
Marriageable NPCs - Best Gifts
| NPC | Birthday | Easy Loved Gift | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail | Fall 13 | Amethyst | Mines 1-40 |
| Alex | Summer 13 | Complete Breakfast | Cooking |
| Elliott | Fall 5 | Pomegranate | Fruit Tree (Fall) |
| Emily | Spring 27 | Cloth | Loom (Wool) |
| Haley | Spring 14 | Sunflower | Summer/Fall crop |
| Harvey | Winter 14 | Coffee | Keg (Coffee Beans) |
| Leah | Winter 23 | Salad | Saloon (220g) |
| Maru | Summer 10 | Cauliflower | Spring crop |
| Penny | Fall 2 | Melon | Summer crop |
| Sam | Summer 17 | Pizza | Saloon (600g) |
| Sebastian | Winter 10 | Frozen Tear | Mines 40-80 |
| Shane | Spring 20 | Hot Pepper | Summer crop |
Other Villagers
| NPC | Birthday | Easy Loved Gift | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline | Winter 7 | Summer Spangle | Summer crop |
| Clint | Winter 26 | Gold Bar | Furnace |
| Demetrius | Summer 19 | Strawberry | Spring crop |
| Evelyn | Winter 20 | Chocolate Cake | Cooking |
| George | Fall 24 | Leek | Spring forage |
| Gus | Summer 8 | Orange | Fruit Tree |
| Krobus | Winter 1 | Void Egg | Void Chicken |
| Lewis | Spring 7 | Green Tea | Keg (Tea Leaves) |
| Linus | Winter 3 | Yam | Fall crop |
| Marnie | Fall 18 | Diamond | Mines 50+ |
| Pam | Spring 18 | Beer | Keg (Wheat) |
| Robin | Fall 21 | Goat Cheese | Cheese Press |
| Wizard | Winter 17 | Purple Mushroom | Mines 80+ |
Efficient Gifting Strategy
Year 1 Spring
- Leek - George (foraging, free)
- Daffodil - Universal like (foraging)
- Salad - Leah (Saloon 220g)
- Amethyst - Abigail, Emily (Mines 1-40)
Once You Have Kegs
- Coffee - Harvey (5 beans = 1 coffee)
- Beer - Pam, Shane (Wheat to Keg)
- Wine - Harvey, Leah (any fruit to Keg)
Birthday Priority
Spring 7 - Lewis
Spring 14 - Haley
Spring 20 - Shane
Spring 27 - Emily
Summer 10 - Maru
Summer 13 - Alex
Summer 17 - Sam
Summer 24 - Willy
Fall 2 - Penny
Fall 5 - Elliott
Fall 13 - Abigail
Fall 21 - Robin
Winter 10 - Sebastian
Winter 14 - Harvey
Winter 17 - Wizard
Winter 23 - Leah