With the release of patch 1.6, Stardew Valley is back in the public eye. And why shouldn't it be? The game which began as a love letter to the Harvest Moon games of yesteryear has morphed into its own thing, a now legendary game that continues to captivate thousands of people every single day.
It's even more impressive an achievement when you consider the game was made by just a single person, Eric Barone, also known as ConcernedApe. The game is a farming simulator at its core, yes, but it's really so much more than that. There are quests to complete, mysteries to reveal, and villagers to form firm friendships with. Those friendships are key to the game too, with a number of villagers offering a number of big bonuses in exchange for friendship. Some are better than others, which is why we've made this list.
New to Stardew Valley? These are the six best villagers you'll want to befriend first.
Clint
Great for:
- Early game minerals and upgrades
The village's lovelorn blacksmith is something of a controversial figure in the Stardew Valley fandom, but there's no question that he's a particularly strong character to befriend first. That reason is related to his position in the village: As the blacksmith, he's well placed to occasionally send you free metal bars in the mail.
The chances he'll send you something on any given day increases with each heart you increase his affection by, and he'll send you bars of copper, iron, or even gold. These materials are extremely useful in the early to mid game, and allow you to start gathering the resources needed for vital tool upgrades. That alone makes Clint a really strong candidate for being your first friend.
Caroline
Great for:
- Great early game crops
Caroline is the wife of Pierre, who owns the village's local shop. As with Clint, Caroline will send you gifts in the mail with an increasing chance for the number of friendship hearts, but the real reason you want to befriend her comes after gaining two hearts: The tea sapling recipe.
Tea saplings produce tea leaves every 20 days, and those leaves can be sold for a decent amount of money, or brewed or pickled into more lucrative products — but really, the worth comes from the fact tea saplings don't need watering, continually produce crops, stay alive even during the winter, and can be very easily from components you get plenty of even in the very early game. Get a bunch of these up and running, and sit back and enjoy the profits.
Linus
Great for:
- Fantastic recipes
Linus is the homeless vagrant with a heart of gold. Linus himself is something of a mystery, but the benefits from his friendship are not. At three hearts he'll send you the Sashimi recipe, which is a solid early game snack that's easy to craft and provides good health and energy regen.
Four hearts gets you the wild bait recipe, which is even better. Made from easy to find monster parts, the wild bait adds a chance to hook two fish at once when you fish. That's doubling your profits for components you often don't have too much use for.
Pam
Great for:
- Battery packs
Pam is another controversial figure, but befriend her and she'll send you battery packs in the mail. Battery packs aren't something you'll have an immediate use for, but they are vital as you start to build into the mid game and beyond, with many very useful recipes requiring at least one. Stockpile them, or even sell them, as they fetch a decent price.
Gus
Great for:
- Strong recipes and foods
Gus runs the local saloon, which makes him a great person to get to know just by default — but he'll also provide some strong recipes and foods in exchange for friendship. The recipes are solid, but really, it's the food you want. Each of them has strong regeneration for both health and energy, and often come with additional buffs to benefit you.
Wizard
Great for:
- Roleplaying and changing appearance
The final villager you want to keep an eye out is easy to forget about, and it's entirely because he's situated a bit out of the way. The Wizard lives in the forest, in his tower, and he's a somewhat aloof figure. But break through that tough exterior and get to at least four hearts and he'll welcome you into his life, unlocking his basement for your use. Down here, you can change your appearance at will.
How useful this is for you will come down to personal preference, which is why we've placed him at the bottom of this particular list. However, if you're the sort of person who likes to make tweaks to their appearance, which can be especially fun in a game like Stardew Valley, then you may find the Wizard is a much more important person to woo in the early game.