Life isn’t always a popularity contest, but small-town life is different. In the idyllic region of Stardew Valley, friendship is a strategy. Who you choose to befriend in your first two seasons can drasticallychange your first year.
Everyone in Stardew is lovely in their own way, but who can benefit you most in the beginning? Who can help you finish the Community Center by Spring of Year 2? These top 15 NPCs will help you, earn gold, learn recipes, fill the Community Center and learn some life lessons along the way.
15) George
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George in front of his house in Pelican Town.
George is one of the Valley’s oldest residents. He lives with his wife, Evelyn and grandson Alex. He doesn't leave his house much, so you can almost always find him watching TV inside.
Rocks for gifts
Once you reach any level of friendship with George, he will randomly send you rocks in the mail. You might think he’s telling you to go kick rocks. However, getting 35 stones in the mail is helpful in this game. So maybe pop by with a leek to thank him.
Eel food
George doesn’t really like seafood, but he will send you two eel recipes as you become better friends. Once you start fishing, eel will be abundant and both recipes will make good use of these lanky delicacies. Both recipes have luck buffs which can be very helpful when mining, fishing, or foraging. Fried eel is also one of Jodi’s favorite gifts.
Grumpy gramps
George is a grumpy old man with a sorrowful past. Getting to know him can be sad but rewarding, In Summer of Year 1 he will request one pepper from you. Completing this for him and bringing other gifts throughout the year will help soften up this grumpy old grandpa.
14) Evelyn
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Evelyn in front of her house in Pelican Town.
Evelyn is George’s wife and Alex’s grandma. She enjoys keeping busy daily, and you can find her in her kitchen, tending to her garden, or socializing at the town square.
Everyone needs a grandma
Once you befriend Evelyn, you get all the perks that come with having a loving grandma. She will randomly send you baked goods like bread, cookies, or an entire chocolate cake. After certain friendship milestones, she will send you recipes that only a loving grandma would send.
Taste fresh cookies
When you reach four hearts with Evelyn, you get to taste her freshly baked cookies. She has already sent you the recipe, but why not enjoy them straight from the source? This interaction doesn’t help you gain much except friendship, but it really is great to have a grandma!
Sweet as pudding
After getting to seven hearts with Evelyn, she will make the most grandma move ever and send you her rice pudding recipe. Rice pudding is worth 115 energy, which is quite high, making it an easy source of energy in Year 1. Demetrius also loves rice pudding, making it very helpful for friending him.
13) Shane
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Shane in front of Marnie’s ranch in Cindersap Forest.
Shane is Marnie’s nephew and lives with her at her ranch in Cindersap Forest. He is a troubled lad who works at Joja Mart and can be found every night inside Gus’ Saloon.
He’s complicated
When you first meet Shane, he is angry and in a dark place. As you befriend him, you learn he is deeply complicated and one of the most interesting residents of Stardew. After you gain any number of hearts with him, he will potentially send you a pizza or some pepper poppers. Pepper poppers offer good buffs for farming.
Hot hot heat
Shane’s favorite food ever are pepper poppers. Pepper poppers should be one of your favorites too; they offer a lot of energy, a moderate amount of health, and some good farming buffs. When you reach three hearts with Shane, he will share this recipe with you. You can make these poppers for yourself or gift them to Shane to romance him.
Strange buns
When you reach seven hearts, Shane will gift you the recipe for strange buns. Everyone hates these as a gift. They aren’t all useless though, they can be used as offerings to the shrine in the witch’s hut. With this offering, you will be able to turn monster spawning on or off at your farm.
12) Jodi
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Jodi in front of her house in Pelican Town.
Jodi is a mom of two trying to keep it together while her husband serves in the military. She can be found in her kitchen, exercising in the back of Pierre’s with her friends, or shopping at Joja Mart.
Farming supplies
After starting a friendship with Jodi, she has a chance to send you farming supplies. She will randomly send you, five fertilizers, five quality fertilizers, or five retaining soils. Farming Year 1 is a must, and free farming supplies are invaluable.
She helps make other friends
Striking up a quick friendship with Jodi will help you befriend Demetrius faster. At seven hearts, she will send you the recipe for ice cream- Demetrius’ favorite food. Giving NPCs their favorite foods as presents will help raise your heart rating even faster.
Easy money
Bringing Jodi a cauliflower towards the end of Spring, Year 1, will make you 350g and earn you a friendship heart. The amount of gold may not seem like much, but Year 1 can be rough, and any extra gold plus easy friendship hearts can be super helpful.
11) The Wizard
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The wizard in front of his Castle in Cindersap Forest.
M. Rasmodius, aka the wizard, mostly keeps to himself and can always be found inside his castle in Cindersap Forest.
Gifts
Once you start to befriend the wizard, he might randomly start sending you: fire quartz, frozen tears, jades, and/or purple mushrooms. These items are all essential to completing the Community Center. If you aren’t a fan of mining, friending the Wizard is a must for collecting these items.
Change your appearance
After you have gained four hearts with the Wizard, you will gain access to his basement where you can change your appearance! It will cost you 500g each time you change, which can be steep during your first year. However, if you get bored with the same hair color and clothing quickly, this is a fun advancement.
Meet the witch
Once you complete the Community Center and have befriended the wizard, you’ll get to meet his ex-wife, the witch. There are three shrines inside the witch’s hut that can be used to change your life. Using the shrines, you can erase the memory of your ex, add monsters to your farm, or turn your children into doves.
10) Marnie
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Marnie in front of her ranch in Cindersap Forest.
Marnie is the local rancher who you will buy supplies from. She lives at her ranch, with her niece Jas and her nephew Shane. She can almost always be found behind her shop counter or at Gus’ Saloon.
Hay you
When you have at least one heart with Marnie, she will start randomly sending you 30 pieces of hay. Year 1 can be tough, receiving free animal supplies can be useful.
Recipes
At three hearts, Marnie will send you the recipe for pale broth, which is a great use of white algae. At seven hearts, she will send the recipe for rhubarb pie. This recipe is high energy, worth 400g and a favorite of both Jodi and Maru.
Hot gossip
Befriending Marnie past two hearts means you can gain access to her bedroom. This means you can complete a quest in Summer, Year 1 for Mayor Lewis. This quest will reveal some juicy small-town secrets AND make you gold.
9) Lewis
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Lewis in front of his house in Pelican Town.
Lewis is the mayor of Pelican Town. He can be found all around town, mainly at Pierre’s store, Marnie’s ranch, or the town square.
Money money money
Lewis is the mayor of Pelican Town, so he has deep pockets and is a good person to befriend in Spring, Year 1. Once you have any level of hearts with Lewis, he will randomly send you 500g.
Gift an Italian feast
If you make it to seven hearts with Lewis, he will gift you two Italian recipes. At three hearts, he will send you the recipe for spaghetti, a dish Robin loves. Later, he will send you the recipe for eggplant parmesan. This dish is not only a favorite of Jodi’s, it also offers buffs that are helpful when mining.
A political decision
If you become friends with Marnie by Summer of year 1, you can find Lewis’ shorts when he asks you to. At this point, you have two choices; you can be discreet, or you can choose to embarrass the mayor in front of the entire town. Your decision will affect your relationship with Lewis, but either way, you receive 750g, which is a hefty prize early on.
8) Robin
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Robin in front of her house on the Mountain.
Robin is the local carpenter; she lives with her husband Demetrius and their two children. Her house doubles as her carpenter’s shop, so she can almost always be found there.
Logging problems
You will constantly be using wood to have Robin build you things. Early on, gathering wood uses a ton of energy, and later, wood can be hard to come by. Befriending Robin can earn you 50 pieces of wood periodically.
She loves Autumn
Not only is Robin’s birthday in the fall, once you have seven hearts with her, she will send you the recipe for pumpkin soup. Pumpkin soup is great for mining early on; it offers a lot of energy and health, plus buffs for both defense and luck. The buffs last a full 7 ½ minutes and are SO helpful when mining for ore and gems.
Carpenter problems
Robin will offer you two quests in Year 1, one in Spring and one in Winter. The first is finding her lost axe for her, which will earn you 250g and one friendship heart. The second is simply bringing her 10 pieces of hardwood, for that you will receive 500g and one heart. These are both lucrative for your relationship and your pocket.
7) Pam
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Pam in front of her trailer in Pelican Town.
Pam was unfortunately laid off from her job when the Pelican Town bus broke down. She can always be found in her trailer, at Joja Mart, or at Gus’ Saloon.
Resource Queen
Befriending Pam can be extremely helpful your first year. Once you reach any level of friendship with her, she will potentially send you battery packs, beers and energy tonics. Battery packs and energy tonics are extremely useful for personal use, especially getting them early on. Beers can be gifted right back to Pam to increase friendship hearts with her.
She’s generous
Not only does Pam regularly gift you highly usable items, she also teaches you two high energy and high health recipes. The recipe she gifts you at seven hearts includes a defense buff that is handy while mining or in the Secret Forest. This recipe is also loved by Evelyn and will help your friendship level with her.
Helping hand
The sooner you befriend Pam and complete the Community Center, the sooner you get to help Pam. Once you are at nine hearts with Pam, and the Community Center has been completed for four days, you are able to enter Pam’s trailer and offer to help her. You don’t gain much doing this but helping people is important in Stardew.
6) Willy
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Willy in front of his house at the beach.
Willy lives and works on the beach. He can be found selling supplies at his shop, fishing right out front, or drinking at Gus’ Saloon.
Learn to fish
On the second day of Spring, Year 1, head to the beach and Willy will have your first fishing rod for you. Completing “Help Wanted” fishing requests for him will earn you gold and friendship with him. Plus, you will learn to fish, which is a huge learning curve in Stardew. Doing this will also net you fish for the Community Center.
Squid games
In Winter of Year 1, Willy will ask you to catch him a squid. Squid can only be caught at night and can be hard to catch. If you catch one, he will give you 800g and you’ll gain a heart with him. Once you catch a squid for him, it will get easier. Squid can be used in recipes and sold for gold.
Seafood lover
Raising your friendship with Willy early on will help you with fishing, which is an unfortunate necessity in Stardew. Once you’ve raised your hearts to five, you will receive recipes for chowder and escargot. These meals both have fishing buffs that last over 15 minutes. Fishing buffs will help so much when gathering fish for the Community Center.
5) Caroline
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Caroline, in front of Pierre's Store, her home in Pelican Town.
Caroline lives inside Pierre’s store with her husband, Pierre, and their daughter. She can be found exercising in the back of their house, relaxing in her tearoom, or hanging out near the Community Center.
Produce pixie
Once you reach any level of friendship with Caroline, she has the potential to send you produce, such as cauliflower, parsnips or potatoes. Receiving this produce can be great for completing a community bundle very early on. The produce can also be sold for some extra gold if you start befriending her early enough.
Spooky season quest
In Fall of Year 1 Caroline will ask you to carve a pumpkin for her daughter. This quest is extremely easy if you grow pumpkins. When you give Caroline the jack-o-lantern, you will receive a friendship heart and 500g. This is a fun and lucrative Year 1 quest.
Teatime
When you reach two hearts with Caroline, you can enter her tearoom and learn all about her love for green tea. The next day, you will receive a recipe for tea saplings. Tea bushes can be grown year-round indoors and will produce for an entire week at the end of every month. Green tea is a great way to make easy money early on.
4) Clint
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Clint in front of his house in Pelican Town.
Clint is the local blacksmith. He can always be found behind the counter at his shop or hanging out at Gus’ Saloon in the evenings.
Precious metals
Befriending Clint early can be helpful when completing community bundles. After gaining any level of friendship, he might randomly send you copper, iron, or gold bars. All of these are extremely useful early on for crafting, gifting, and completing the Community Center.
Just green things
Clint will help keep you healthy and energized with green recipes. At three hearts, you will get the recipe for algae soup, which is a great free way to get energy early on. When you reach seven hearts, he sends you a recipe for bean hotpot. Bean hotpot isn’t just great for your energy; it raises your max energy and adds magnetism for seven minutes. Bean hotpot is also loved by Demetrius (can you tell I love Demetrius yet?!).
Break his heart
On Day 6 of Winter, Clint will ask you to give Emily an amethyst from him. Emily loves amethysts- use this opportunity to earn a friendship heart with Emily. Then continue to gift her amethysts when you can because you want to marry her.
3) Linus
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Linus in front of his tent on The Mountain.
Linus is the local free spirit. He chooses to live in nature even when given the choice not to. He can be found in his tent, standing by his fire, or spending time by the mountain lake.
Shy wildman
Linus should be one of your best friends very early on as he is extremely helpful and generous. After gaining Linus’ trust, he will start to send you catfish, largemouth bass, maki rolls, calamari and sashimi. All these items can be eaten for energy, and most of them are items needed for the Community Center.
Amazing recipes
As you further gain Linus’ trust, he will send you two great recipes. First, he will send you a recipe for sashimi, which is an amazing way to gain energy using the fish you gather from leveling up your fishing. When he trusts you even more, he will send you a fish taco recipe. If you can obtain cabbage seeds early on, fish tacos are a great source of energy and fishing buffs.
He will teach you resourcefulness
Linus is a simple man who prefers to live in his tent in the wild, away from the bustle of the town. He enjoys simple foraged gifts from you, and once he trusts you enough, he will teach you to make wild bait. Wild bait will be very useful for fishing cheaply early on.
2) Demetrius
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Demetrius in front of his house on The Mountain.
Demetrius is the local scientist. He lives at the Carpenter’s Shop with his wife Robin and their two kids. He can be found in his lab, or on the mountain by his house doing research.
Local scientist
Friending Demetrius means he has the potential to send you some easy to miss items such as, certain shells or bream for the Community Center. He might even send you amethysts for Emily! These items can easily be sold for gold too.
Hearty meals
Demetrius provides you with two of the best recipes. First, he teaches you to make fried mushrooms. This recipe is high in energy and adds a defense buff for seven minutes. This recipe is very easy to make if you choose to get a mushroom cave. Second, you will learn how to make autumn’s bounty, which is extremely high energy and adds buffs for defense and foraging.
Research opportunities
Being a scientist, Demetrius will offer you numerous research opportunities. These often entail something simple, such as bringing him a melon or pufferfish, and he will reward you with a lot of gold and a heart. Doing work for Demetrius is easy and lucrative, plus getting to know him is fun and interesting.
1) Emily
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Emily in front of her house in Pelican Town.
Emily lives with her sister Haley, taking care of their parents’ house. She works as a bartender at the local saloon and can be found there nightly. Otherwise, she can be found hanging out in her house
Fancy taste
Emily has a taste for fancy gifts, even though she’ll be grateful for many other items. When you befriend Emily, you can thank her fancy taste; she will begin sending you cloth, wool and sea urchins. All of these items can be crafted into other useful items, or they can be used for Community Center bundles.
She’s creative
Emily is super creative and as you get to know her, she will send you crafting items, showing them off. She will also share two great recipes with you. The first recipe is for salad, which is a great source of energy early on. Then she will gift you the recipe for red plate, which is fantastic for energy and gives you magnetism for seven minutes.
Friend her and wife her
Emily is a vibe. She’s crafty, creative, and even works locally. She is a helpful friend and an even better wife. Once married, Emily will continue to gift you helpful gifts that can be sold or used for bundles. She will help you around the farm while still maintaining her own life. Once you max out friendship hearts with Emily, she will make you a super crafty and cute gift. It’s hard not to love Emily.
Amy is a crazy cat lady and pop culture expert. She spends her time wandering wastelands, killing irradiated creatures and searching for the meaning of life in Stardew Valley.
