Stardew Valley's Point System

Stardew Valley Friendship Guide: Maximize Your Relationships

Building strong relationships is key to thriving in Stardew Valley's charming Pelican Town. This guide details how to boost your friendship levels with villagers, whether you're aiming for friendship or romance. While talking and gifting are crucial, understanding the point system is essential for maximizing your social progress.

The Heart System

The heart scale (accessed via the in-game menu) displays your friendship level with each NPC. Reaching certain heart thresholds unlocks special events, mail rewards, and unique dialogue. However, the heart scale only reflects the accumulated friendship points; it doesn't fully illustrate how those points are earned.

Earning Friendship Points

Each heart requires 250 friendship points. Positive interactions earn points, while neglect or negative actions decrease them.

Boosting Friendship Gain

The "Friendship 101" book provides a permanent 10% bonus to friendship point gains from all positive interactions. It can be obtained from the Prize Machine (9th prize) or, with a low chance (9%), from the traveling Bookseller (Year 3 onwards). The cost is 20,000g.

Interaction Point Values

• Talking: +20 points (or +10 if the villager is busy). Daily conversation prevents friendship decay (-2 points per day without interaction; -10 with a bouquet; -20 for a spouse). A checkmark in the social menu confirms daily interaction.
• Bulletin Board Deliveries: +150 points with the recipient.
• Gifting:
  • Loved: +80 points
  • Liked: +45 points
  • Neutral: +20 points
  • Disliked: -20 points
  • Hated: -40 points
  • Feast of the Winter Star: 5x points
  • Birthdays: 8x points

Special Gifts and Interactions

• Stardrop Tea: +250 points (one heart) per gift; tripled on birthdays/Winter Star. Obtainable from the Prize Machine, Golden Fishing Chests, the Helper's Bundle, or high-level Raccoon requests. Can be given even after reaching daily/weekly gift limits.
• Movie Theater: +200 points (loved movie), +100 (liked), 0 (disliked). Concessions add +50 (loved), +25 (liked), or 0 (disliked) points.
• Dialogue Choices: Appropriate responses in conversations and heart events can yield +10 to +50 points; inappropriate choices may decrease friendship.

Festivals and Events

• Flower Dance: Dancing with an NPC (4 hearts or higher) grants +250 points.
• Luau: Adding items to the community soup affects friendship: best +120, good +60, neutral 0, bad -50, worst -100 points.
• Community Center Bulletin Board: Completing all bundles awards +500 points (2 hearts) with each non-datable villager.

This comprehensive guide provides all the tools necessary to cultivate strong relationships and unlock the full potential of your Stardew Valley experience. Remember to utilize these strategies to build friendships and romances efficiently!