Hello, friends! In this tutorial, we will discuss the importance of gifting in increasing the affection of villagers in Stardew Valley. Gifting is the most common and practical method to raise affection levels.
Types of Gifting Situations
There are three types of gifting situations in the game:
1. Gifting on Regular Days
In our previous tutorial, we discussed various gifts that affect affection levels. In this article, we will only focus on gifting their favorite items. Gifting a non-starred favorite item increases affection by 80 points. You can gift twice a week.
2. Gifting on Birthdays
Each villager has a birthday once a year. Gifting on their birthday provides eight times the regular affection bonus. Even if you have already gifted twice that week, you can still give a birthday present. However, if you have gifted only once before the birthday, you cannot gift again after the birthday.
3. Gifting During the Winter Star Festival
The Mayor will inform you of the gifting target for this event. Gifting during the Winter Star Festival yields five times the regular affection bonus. However, this opportunity occurs only once a year, and the target is random. It can be unfortunate if the target has already reached maximum affection.
Gift Quality and Affection
The quality of the gift greatly affects the affection gained. A regular item provides 80 points, a silver-starred item gives 88 points, a gold-starred item grants 100 points, and an iridium-starred item offers 120 points. A villager reaches maximum affection at 2,500 points. If you continuously give the Mayor Prismatic Shards, it takes 32 gifts to reach maximum affection. In contrast, it takes only 21 iridium-starred Hot Peppers.
On birthdays, gifting a Prismatic Shard gives a 640-point boost (equivalent to 2.56 hearts), while an iridium-starred gift provides a 960-point increase (equivalent to 3.84 hearts). Thus, it is advisable to choose high-quality gifts for villagers.
Gifting Strategies
There are three main gifting strategies:
Strategy 1: Daily Interaction
Interact with the villager every day, gifting when possible. Assuming gold-starred gifts are given, seven interactions provide 140 points, and two gifts grant 200 points. In one week, you gain 340 points. It takes five weeks and 11 gifts to reach maximum affection, but you need to find the villager 35 times.
Strategy 2: Weekly Gifting
Gift twice a week, earning 200 points. On two days, interact and gain 30 points. It takes 7.39 weeks, 16 villager interactions, and 16 gifts to reach maximum affection.
Strategy 3: Birthday Gifting Only
Gift only on the villager’s birthday, gaining 598 points yearly. It takes approximately 4.18 years to reach maximum affection. If you follow the Community Center route or use iridium-starred gifts, it takes about four gifts and four interactions. For all iridium-starred gifts, it takes only three gifts.
Strategy 1 consumes the most real-world time, Strategy 2 requires the most gifts, and Strategy 3 takes up the most in-game time.
That’s all about gifting and affection in Stardew Valley.