Summary
One ofStardew Valley’s core mechanics is building relationships with NPCs. From romantic connections to neighborly bonds, the player can grow close to almost everyone in town and go from being an outsider to a real member of the community. The easiest way to win villagers' hearts is through generosity. Giving gifts, running errands posted on the bulletin board, and simply talking to people will raise their affection.
Some of Pelican Town’s villagers, once befriended, are just as generous towards the player. Many will send recipes for home-cooked meals, or trinkets the player might appreciate. Here are some of the best friends the villagers can make early on in their playthrough.
Updated July 23, 2025, by Demaris Oxman:Early in aStardew Valleyplaythrough, it’s important to form bonds with other villagers. Plenty of NPCs are happy to help the player on their journey to revitalize their farm, and these characters in particular provide useful recipes and send handy gifts. There are many ways to make friends with someone inStardew Valley, from giving gifts to completing quests tospending time together at the movie theater. With the 1.6 update, there have been a few changes to some villagers' favorite gifts. With that in mind, here’s an updated guide with more gift options, and more villagers to befriend.
14Shane
Free Food, Freshly Stolen From JojaMart
Shanemight come across as rude and unpleasant at first, but if players get to know him, they’ll realize he’s just unhappy and could use a friend in his life.If the player takes the time to be kind to him, he’ll start to open up. As his friendship with the player grows, he’ll send letters in the mail complete with food items that he “snagged from the back room of JojaMart.” These items may be eitherPizzaorPepper Poppers.The latter is extremely helpful early in the game, since it provides+2 Farming and +1 Speed.At three hearts, he’ll send the recipe for this handy dish. At seven hearts, he’ll send the recipe forStrange Bun.
Shane loves to receiveBeeras a gift, but if the player wants to help him get over his drinking problems, his favorite foods will do just as well. If the player dedicates themselves to befriending him early on and gives him a great gift on his birthday, they may even be able to convince Shane to join them in the Year 1 Flower Dance. Shane can usually be found at Marnie’s Ranch, his job at JojaMart, or at the Saloon.
Shane’s favorite gifts to receive include:
Movie Theater Preferences
Shane is a bit more selective about the movies he likes than most other villagers, but there are a few he really enjoys. He’s not picky about concessions, either.
All others
All others not listed
13Jodi
Free Fertilizer Is Helpful Early On
The mother of Sam and Vincent,Jodispends her days cooking, cleaning, and spending time with her best friend Caroline. Though she may not have a huge farm of her own, it’s clear that she, like her friend, is still an avid gardener. This is evident from the letters she sends in the mail, stating that she ordered too much fertilizer and offering the extra to the player. This will be five units of eitherBasic Fertilizer,Quality Fertilizer, orBasic Retaining Soil. It may not seem like much, but this can be a godsend early on, when players are still just starting to collect resources. At three and seven hearts, she will also share her recipes forFried CalamariandIce Cream, respectively.
Many of Jodi’s best gifts are cooked dishes, so give her a break from cooking by treating her to one of her favorite homemade meals. She can usually be found in her home, out for a stroll through Pelican Town with Caroline, or attending exercise class at Caroline’s house on Tuesdays.
Gifts & Quests
As with all befriendable villagers, players can give Jodi two gifts per week, plus an extra one on her birthday. Jodi’s Loved gifts include:
OnSpring 19in Year 1, Jodi will send the player a letter requesting a cauliflower for a recipe she’d like to cook. Bringing her one will grant the player 350g and one friendship heart with Jodi.
Having no dislikes for any movies at the theater, it seems Jodi is a bit of a movie buff, with a particular love for the classics.
12Marnie
Get Recipes & Free Animal Feed
The kindly proprietor of Marnie’s Ranch proves a great friend early in the game. New players in Year 1 sometimes struggle to feed their animals, so Marnie’s gifts of freehayare a godsend. Additionally, she sends recipes at three and seven hearts respectively:Pale BrothandRhubarb Pie.
Players can findMarniein her shop (though not always behind the counter, to the chagrin of many). She spends Tuesdays at aerobics with Caroline and the other Pelican Town ladies, and visits the Saloon most evenings.
If players are looking to befriend the rancher,Marnie’s loved giftsinclude:
On the third of Fall in Year 1, players will receive a letter from Marnie asking for 1 bunch of Amaranth, which triggers the quest"Cow’s Delight.“Completing this quest will boost friendship by one heart.
Like Jodi, Marnie seems to enjoy the moviegoing experience in general, as she has no dislikes for movies the theater shows. But it seems she’s especially a fan of holiday movies.
11Lewis
Get Free Money in the Mail
It pays to be good friends with the mayor of Pelican Town — literally. The higher the player’s friendship withLewis, the more likely he is to send them500gfrom the Stardew Valley Agricultural Fund. At three and seven hearts, he sends recipes forSpaghettiandEggplant Parmesan.
Lewis can usually be found in his Manor, at Pierre’s, or in the Saloon. As tempting as it may be, players who want to gain the Mayor’s favor should avoid playing pranks on him with the Lucky Purple Shorts, since this will decrease their friendship with him.
Lewis' Loved gifts are all relatively easy to craft, cook, or grow:
Players will also receive two quests that each increase friendship with Lewis by one heart:
Like many other villagers, Lewis doesn’t seem to like movies that fall on the spookier side of things. But he enjoys most movies at the theater, and is pretty easygoing when it comes to concessions.
10Caroline
Learn to Craft the Tea Bush
Befriending Carolineis the only way to get theTea Saplingcrafting recipe. This allows them to grow and harvest tea leaves, which they can brew into Green Tea using a keg. This unique drink increases the player’s maximum energy. At three and seven hearts respectively, she alsoshares recipesfor some simple and restorative meals:Parsnip SoupandVegetable Medley.
Find Caroline at home in her room or the kitchen, or spending time with Jodi in the gardens or near the fountain.
It’s no surprise that Caroline loves Green Tea, but there are a few other items players can give her to win her friendship. Her Loved gifts include:
Caroline has one quest,“Carving Pumpkins,“in which she sends the player a letter on Fall 19 in Year 1 asking for a pumpkin to carve for the upcoming Spirit’s Eve festival. Bringing her the gourd will increase friendship by one heart.
Caroline likes most movies, but it seems she especially enjoys exciting or uplifting films.
9Robin
Learn to Craft Special Home Decor
Onceshe and the player become good friends,Robinwillteach the player some carpentry secrets.At six hearts, if the player enters her home while she is there, a cutscene will play in which she teaches the player to craft Flute Blocks and Drum Blocks. She may also send the player 50 pieces of wood in the mail. At seven hearts, she’ll share a recipe forPumpkin Soup,which buffs Luck and Defense by +2 each.
Robin’s can be found in her shop most days, or the Stardrop Saloon in the evenings. On Tuesdays, she’ll be at Caroline’s aerobics meet-up.
Robin only has a few Loved gifts, but luckily, none of them are too difficult to come by:
Robin also has two side-quests that raise friendship with the player by one heart each:
Robin’s favorite movie is a little surprising — perhaps she has a secret gaming hobby?
8George
Learn to Cook Lucky Dishes
The recipes thatGeorgesends the playerboth provide Luck boosts. This buff proves useful in almost every aspect of the game, from fishing to foraging to mining. Like most villagers, he sends these recipes once the player reaches three and seven hearts:Fried EelandSpicy Eel.
Though he might seem like a grumpy old coot, George isn’t actually too hard to befriend. His Loved gifts are easy to obtain, especially Leeks — which, as a spring forage item, are plentiful in the earliest days of a playthrough. Bring gifts or quest items to George’s home, where he’s usually in front of the TV, to remind him that people do care about him.
George only has two Loved gifts (aside from the Universal Loves) but fortunately, they are easy to forage and to cook:
On the 25th of Summer in Year 1, George will send the player a letter, initiating the quest"Knee Therapy.“Bring him a Hot Pepper for his aching joints, and friendship with George will increase by one heart.
When it comes to movies, it looks like George is a fan of the classics, but doesn’t really like scary films.
7Willy
Learn Lots of Recipes to Boost the Fishing Skill
While most NPCs share two cooking recipes at most,Willyhas four that he sends the player at three, five, seven, and nine friendship hearts. Unsurprisingly, all of his “ol' pappy’s"recipes boost the Fishing skill.This makes them useful for completing the community center fish tank,catching legendary fish, or completing quests that require fishing prowess. They also, as one might expect, all contain fish — Willy knows how to put his catch to good use. The recipes, in the order received, are:
Look for Willy fishing at the docks, behind the counter in his shop, or grabbing a drink at the saloon.
Willy loves rare treasures, a few homegrown items, and some hard-to-catch fish. Judging by the recipes he sends the player, he might like having fresh ingredients — or maybe he’s pleased to have a friend who loves fishing as much as he does. His Loved gifts include:
Willy sends the player two quests by mail, which boost friendship by one heart each:
Willylikes every moviethat the theater shows — he has no dislikes, but no loved movies either. As long as players pick out a good snack for him, he’ll have a fun moviegoing experience.
6Clint
Get Restorative Recipes & Free Crafting Materials
In his letters, Clint sends the player acopper, iron, or gold bar. During Year 1, these can prove to be invaluable crafting resources. Clint also sends his recipes forAlgae SoupandBean Hotpotat three and seven hearts. The former is a great way to convert a plentiful ingredient into useful energy, while the latter boosts maximum energy and only requires a few green beans to make.
Drop by the blacksmith shop to chat with Clint, or catch him grabbing a drink at the Saloon.
Many of Clint’s favorite gifts can befound in the mines, but he has a few favorite foods as well.
The blacksmith has two quests that raise friendship:
Clint likes most movies, but it seems he doesn’t care for stiff older films.
5Pam
Sends Surprisingly Useful Items
Pam’s letters sometimes just include a mug of beer. However, she may send the player aBattery Pack, useful in crafting. Even better, she sometimes sendsEnergy Tonic, which restores 500 energy. She also sends the player recipes forCheese CauliflowerandStuffing. The latter’s defense buff proves especially useful for fighting monsters.
Players can find Pam in the Saloon, or at the bus stop if it has been repaired.
As players might suspect, Pam loves most alcoholic drinks inStardew Valley,but she has other Loved gifts as well:
Pam also has two quests, which she will send to the player via letters in the mail:
Both of these are simple item-fetch quests thatraise friendship by 1 heart each. Bring Pam aBattery Packfor the first, and aPale Alefor the second.
Pam is pretty easygoing at the movie theater; shelikes all moviesthat the theater shows. Choose the right concession, and she’ll have a great time.
