Do You Need the Wedding Ring to 100% Stardew Valley?
The short answer? No, you do not need the Wedding Ring to achieve 100% completion, or “Perfection,” in Stardew Valley, even in multiplayer. This might come as a surprise, given the importance the game places on marriage and relationships. However, the requirements for Perfection, as defined by the Perfection Tracker in Qi’s Walnut Room on Ginger Island, focus on farm-related achievements, skill mastery, and specific relationship milestones that don’t depend on marrying another player. While the Wedding Ring is thematically significant in multiplayer, it’s not a mandatory requirement for achieving that coveted Perfection status.
Understanding Perfection in Stardew Valley
Perfection in Stardew Valley is the ultimate goal for many players. It represents the complete mastery of all aspects of the game. Achieving Perfection unlocks several rewards, including a unique cutscene, golden chickens, and the ability to purchase decorative obelisks that transport you to different locations.
What Does Achieving Perfection Entail?
Here’s a breakdown of the key elements required for Perfection:
- Reach Maximum Friendship with All Villagers: Achieving 10 hearts with every villager is crucial. This requires gifting, completing quests, and participating in festivals. Note that marriage to an NPC allows you to reach 14 hearts with them.
- Maximize All Skills: You must reach level 10 in all five skills: Farming, Fishing, Foraging, Mining, and Combat.
- Cook Every Recipe: You need to cook every recipe in the game. This involves finding the recipes through various means, like leveling up friendships, watching the Queen of Sauce television show, and purchasing them from the Stardrop Saloon.
- Catch Every Fish: You need to catch every type of fish in the game, which includes legendary fish, requiring specific locations, seasons, and weather conditions.
- Ship Every Item: You must ship at least one of every item that can be shipped, including crops, foraged items, animal products, and artisan goods.
- Craft Every Item: The player has to craft every item in the game. Similar to cooking, requires you to get recipes from leveling up friendships, watching tv, etc.
- Complete Museum Collection: You need to fill up the museum by donating every artifact and mineral in the game.
- Monster Eradication Goals: Vanquishing the monsters found throughout the mines, cavern, and volcano dungeon.
- Golden Clock: Obtaining the golden clock for 10,000,000 gold.
As you can see, none of these requirements explicitly necessitate marrying another player using the Wedding Ring. The Wedding Ring is more of a social feature aimed at fostering cooperation and companionship within a multiplayer game.
Wedding Ring vs. Mermaid Pendant: Different Paths to Commitment
It’s essential to distinguish between the Wedding Ring and the Mermaid Pendant. The Mermaid Pendant is the item you use to propose to an NPC, and marriage to an NPC is a requirement for Perfection (since achieving maximum hearts with them is). The Wedding Ring, on the other hand, is specifically for player-to-player marriages.
FAQs About Marriage and Perfection in Stardew Valley
1. Is marrying an NPC required for 100% completion?
Yes, reaching maximum friendship (10 hearts, which extends to 14 after marriage) with all villagers is required for Perfection. Marrying an NPC allows you to achieve those additional hearts, therefore, you need to marry an NPC.
2. What is the difference between the Wedding Ring and the Mermaid Pendant?
The Wedding Ring is crafted or bought for player-to-player marriage in multiplayer games. The Mermaid Pendant is used to propose to an NPC.
3. How do I get the Wedding Ring in Stardew Valley?
The Wedding Ring recipe appears in the Traveling Cart as long as you are in a multiplayer game and it hasn’t been bought before. You can also spawn the item by naming an animal [801].
4. Do both players in a multiplayer game need a Wedding Ring to get married?
No, only one player needs to craft or purchase the Wedding Ring to propose to another player.
5. What happens when you marry another player in Stardew Valley?
You will still get the Stardrop when you marry another player. The morning after you wake up after the wedding, you will receive a purple gift box; this will contain the Stardrop.
6. Can I have multiple spouses in Stardew Valley?
Without mods, no, you can only have one spouse at a time. However, there are mods that allow polygamy, though their functionality varies. Games like Stardew Valley are great examples to explore how people learn through games, and you can learn more about that at the Games Learning Society website. GamesLearningSociety.org researches how digital games make an impact in fields like education.
7. Can I divorce and remarry my ex-spouse in Stardew Valley?
Yes, you can divorce an NPC spouse at the Mayor’s Manor. You can then erase their memories at the Witch’s Hut and eventually remarry them.
8. What are the benefits of marrying an NPC in Stardew Valley?
A married NPC will move into your farmhouse and help with farm chores like watering crops, feeding animals, and repairing fences. They also give you Stardrops as gifts, crucial for increasing your maximum energy.
9. What is the most expensive item in Stardew Valley?
The Gold Clock is the most expensive item, costing 10,000,000 gold.
10. How do I trigger specific dialogue in Stardew Valley?
Certain dialogue options are triggered by specific conditions, such as being in a certain location at a certain time. For example, visit Gus in the Saloon on a Monday.
11. Can I combine rings in Stardew Valley?
Yes, at the Forge in the Volcano Dungeon on Ginger Island, you can combine two rings to stack their effects, even if they provide the same benefits.
12. Who are the popular marriage candidates in Stardew Valley?
Leah is one of the more popular options. She’s creative, loves nature, and has great hair.
13. Can Krobus be a spouse?
No, Krobus cannot be a spouse, but he can be your roommate.
14. What is the most profitable crop in Stardew Valley?
Starfruit is often considered the most profitable crop, selling for 750g.
15. What is the rarest item in Stardew Valley?
The Living Hat is exceptionally rare, with a 0.01% chance of dropping from Wilderness Golems.