How to Check Friendship Points in Stardew Valley
The most direct way to check your friendship points in Stardew Valley is by accessing the social tab within your inventory menu. This tab displays a list of all the villagers and their current friendship levels, represented by hearts. Each heart signifies 250 friendship points, with a maximum of 10 hearts (2500 points) for normal villagers and 14 hearts (3500 points) for your spouse.
Understanding Friendship in Stardew Valley
Friendship in Stardew Valley is a key element of the gameplay, allowing you to unlock special cutscenes, receive gifts, and even marry a villager. Building relationships requires time, effort, and a good understanding of each character’s preferences. Knowing how to track your progress is essential to efficiently nurture these bonds.
The Social Tab: Your Friendship Hub
The social tab in your inventory screen is your primary resource for monitoring your friendship progress. This tab lists all the villagers you’ve met.
- Hearts: Each heart represents 250 friendship points.
- Names: The villagers’ names are displayed alongside their heart levels.
- Gifting: When you give a villager a gift they love or like, you’ll see a small notification that quickly pops up on the right-hand side, indicating that you have improved your friendship with the villager.
- Decay: Be aware that friendship can decay if you neglect a villager for too long, or if you behave negatively towards them (e.g., giving disliked gifts). This is also affected if you are married.
Factors Affecting Friendship Points
Several factors influence the increase or decrease of friendship points in Stardew Valley:
- Gifting: Giving gifts is the most reliable way to increase friendship. Each villager has specific loved, liked, neutral, disliked, and hated gifts. Giving loved gifts yields the highest increase, while hated gifts severely damage your relationship.
- Talking: Talking to villagers daily provides a small friendship boost.
- Completing Quests: Completing quests for villagers is a significant way to gain friendship points.
- Attending Festivals: Speaking to villagers at festivals can improve your relationship.
- Marriage: Marrying a villager allows you to reach 14 hearts with them.
- Ignoring/Negative Actions: Ignoring villagers, giving disliked/hated gifts, or acting negatively during cutscenes can decrease friendship.
The Marriage Exception
After marriage, you can increase your relationship with your spouse up to 14 hearts. This requires consistent interaction, gift-giving, and overall attentiveness. Once you reach 14 hearts, your spouse will provide you with even more benefits, like preparing food or tending to your farm.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Friendship in Stardew Valley
1. How many hearts can I have with a villager before marriage?
You can reach a maximum of 10 hearts (2500 friendship points) with any villager before marrying them. After marriage, you can reach 14 hearts with your spouse (3500 friendship points).
2. How much does each heart represent in friendship points?
Each heart represents 250 friendship points.
3. How do I know what gifts a villager loves?
You can discover loved gifts through various means:
- Talking to villagers: Sometimes, villagers will hint at their preferences.
- Watching the “Livin’ Off the Land” TV show: This show occasionally reveals gift preferences.
- Reading Secret Notes: These notes, found throughout the game, often provide valuable clues about villagers’ likes and dislikes.
- Experimentation: Trial and error, though risky, can also reveal preferences.
- Online resources: Several wikis and online guides list each villager’s loved, liked, neutral, disliked, and hated gifts.
4. What happens if I give a villager a hated gift?
Giving a hated gift severely damages your friendship with that villager, potentially reducing your friendship points significantly. Avoid giving hated gifts at all costs.
5. Can friendship levels decay over time?
Yes, friendship levels can decay if you neglect a villager for too long or give them disliked gifts. However, talking to them or giving them a liked gift can help prevent decay. Spouses also have friendship decay and need to be talked to every day.
6. How often can I give gifts to villagers?
You can give each villager a maximum of two gifts per week, plus one additional gift on their birthday.
7. Does the quality of a gift affect friendship points?
Yes, the quality of a gift (Normal, Silver, Gold, Iridium) affects the amount of friendship points gained. Higher quality gifts yield more friendship points.
8. Does talking to a villager every day increase friendship?
Yes, talking to a villager once a day provides a small friendship boost, even if you don’t give them a gift.
9. Are there any special events that boost friendship?
Yes, attending festivals and interacting with villagers there can provide a friendship boost. Also, completing quests for villagers is a significant way to increase friendship.
10. How can I quickly increase my friendship with a villager?
The quickest way to increase friendship is to give them loved gifts on their birthday. This provides a significant boost to your relationship.
11. What are the benefits of having high friendship with villagers?
High friendship unlocks several benefits:
- Cutscenes: You’ll unlock special cutscenes that reveal more about the villager’s backstory and personality.
- Gifts: Villagers will send you gifts in the mail or give them to you in person.
- Recipes: Some villagers will teach you new cooking recipes.
- Discounts: Some vendors offer discounts to friends.
- Help on the farm: Spouses will sometimes help with chores.
12. How do I marry a villager in Stardew Valley?
To marry a villager, you must first reach 8 hearts with them. Then, you need to give them a bouquet (purchased from Pierre’s General Store). After reaching 10 hearts, you can propose with a Mermaid’s Pendant (purchased from the Old Mariner on the beach during rainy weather after upgrading your house).
13. What happens after I get married?
After getting married, your spouse moves into your farmhouse and helps with chores, such as watering crops, feeding animals, or repairing fences. You can also reach 14 hearts with them and receive unique gifts and benefits.
14. Are there any consequences for ignoring my spouse?
Yes, ignoring your spouse can lead to unhappiness, potentially causing them to stay in bed all day or give you negative comments. Regular interaction and gift-giving are crucial to maintaining a happy marriage.
15. Can I divorce my spouse in Stardew Valley?
Yes, you can divorce your spouse by visiting the Mayor’s Manor and paying a fee. However, this will severely damage your relationship with that villager, and they will no longer interact with you. You can also erase their memory at the witch’s hut for a fee.
By understanding how to check your friendship points and applying the tips in this guide, you can build strong relationships with the villagers of Stardew Valley and unlock all the benefits that come with them. Good luck and happy farming!