Stardew Valley: How The Friendship Point System Works

Stardew Valley: A Comprehensive Guide to Friendship

Forging strong bonds with the residents of Pelican Town is crucial in Stardew Valley. Whether your goal is friendship or romance, cultivating relationships is key to thriving in this charming farming simulator. While chatting and gifting are well-known methods, understanding the nuances of the friendship system can significantly boost your progress. This guide details how to maximize your relationships with the villagers, incorporating updates from the 1.6 patch.

The Heart System

Access your relationship status with each NPC via the in-game menu's heart tab. This displays friendship levels (hearts) earned. Reaching heart milestones unlocks special events, mail rewards, and unique dialogue options. However, the heart display is only part of the equation.

Friendship Points: The Foundation

Each heart requires 250 friendship points. Various interactions—talking, gifting, etc.—impact your friendship score. Positive actions earn points; neglect or negative actions decrease them.

Accelerating Friendship Growth

The "Friendship 101" book provides a permanent 10% bonus to friendship gains. This book can be won from the Prize Machine (9th prize) or, with a 9% chance, purchased from the traveling Bookseller (Year 3 onwards) for 20,000g. Note that this bonus only affects positive interactions.

Interaction Point Values

Several actions influence friendship points:

• Daily Conversations: +20 points (or +10 if the villager is busy). Ignoring a villager results in a -2 point penalty per day (-10 if you've given them a bouquet, -20 for your spouse).

• Bulletin Board Deliveries: +150 points with the recipient.

• Gifting: Loved (+80), Liked (+45), Neutral (+20), Disliked (-20), Hated (-40). Gifts given on the Feast of the Winter Star are worth 5x, and birthday gifts are 8x their normal value.

• Stardrop Tea: This universally loved gift grants +250 points (one heart), or three hearts on birthdays/Feast of the Winter Star. It can be obtained from the Prize Machine, Golden Fishing Chests, the Helper's Bundle, or from the raccoon for completing requests.

• Movie Dates: Movie Tickets (1000g) allow you to invite villagers to the movies. Loved movies (+200), liked movies (+100), disliked movies (0). Concessions also affect points: loved (+50), liked (+25), disliked (0).

• Conversations & Dialogue: Responding appropriately to villager questions can yield +10 to +50 points, while negative responses can decrease friendship. Heart events also offer dialogue choices with significant point impacts.

Festivals and Events

• Flower Dance: Dancing with a villager (4+ hearts) grants +250 points (one heart).

• Luau: Contributing to the community soup affects friendship with all villagers. Best soup (+120), good soup (+60), neutral (0), bad soup (-50), worst soup (-100).

• Community Center (Bulletin Board Bundles): Completing all Bulletin Board bundles awards +500 points (two hearts) with each non-datable villager.

With careful planning and attention to detail, you can cultivate flourishing relationships in Pelican Town. Remember to consider each villager's preferences, utilize the Friendship 101 book, and take advantage of special events for maximum friendship gains.