The farmer has just moved intoStardew Valley, away from a busy and dreary life in the city working for Joja Corporation. Here in tiny Pelican Town, they’ve begun their new life. On top of that, they can also find true love here. A marriage, if they play their cards right, is possible already during the first year of their stay
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However, with twelve different bachelors and bachelorettes to choose from, the player has to wonder who is worth the time and who doesn’t necessarily have the farmer’s best interests in mind. Not to worry: this guide is here to reveal thebest and worst partners inStardew Valley, and hopefully, make the choice just a tiny bit easier.
Updated on June 25, 2025, by Rain Egan:At seven years since its release, Stardew Valley is still going strong. If there’s one thing that’s almost guaranteed to be a hot topic among players of Stardew Valley, it’s the bachelors and bachelorettes. With twelve (technically thirteen) to choose from, everybody is going to have different opinions on whom the best marriage candidate is.
With that in mind, this guide aims to provide an optimized view of thebest and worst characters to marry in Stardew Valley. Of course, players are free to make up their own minds, but those who just aren’t sure who to choose will find this guide helpful. This update adds ‘Liked Gifts’ and ‘Hated Gifts’ to the already comprehensive information presented, and offers an additional option for players that aren’t ready to commit to the romance of marriage.
Special Mention: Krobus
Original players ofStardew Valleywill knowKrobusas the sewer-dwelling merchant that sells some handy late-game items like the Iridium Sprinkler, Stardrop, and the Return Scepter. In a major update,Krobus was added as a ‘marriage candidate’- but strictly platonically. He moves in as a roommate, though he can’t do so if the player is married, and the player cannot marry anybody else if he is moved in.
He’s a relatively easy character to ‘woo’, as he resides entirely in the sewer. After the player has donated sixty items to the museum and received the keys, he can always be found in the same place. Several of his loved gifts can be purchased directly from him, and Wild Horseradishes are free in Spring!
‘Marrying’ Krobus does not remove access to the Sewer Shop. He doesn’t leave to go to work, he’s just replaced with a chest that contains his inventory.
12Worst: Haley
Haleyis a great example of the fact that looks are not the most important factor. She falls into the trope of a typical pretty blonde girl and can feel like a bit of a princess, which can get annoying at a farm where hard work and soiling one’s hands are inevitable.
She’s quite easy to increase affinity with by just giving her daffodils, which is a liked gift by her, and since she’s usually around the town center or by Marnie’s farm, she’s relatively easy to find. However,after marriage, the gifts she gives players are not amazing. Most of them are just food that can be easily cooked anyway mid to late game. Her rainy-day gifts and the Maple Bar for breakfast are probably the best items she gives.
11Best: Shane
Also known as the chicken man,Shanemight be one of the more flawed characters in the game. He starts off cold and rude, but his personal story is a sobering trip down a tale of depression. His heart events are easily the most emotional ones inStardew Valley. In terms of how easy he’s to romance, Shane works at Joja Mart initially, so catching him early in the morning or later in the evening at the Stardrop Saloon is pretty easy. Just give him a Beer there, as it’s one of his loved gifts.
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After marriage, he mostly gifts players with junk food like Pepper Poppers, which are great for increasing speed. Occasionally, he’ll also gift players with Pale Ale, which is handy since it can be sold for a good price. Best of all, he’ll bring in somechickensto the player’s farm after marriage.
10Worst: Penny
Penny’s ranking as a “worst” romance partner doesn’t stem from her personality. In fact,Pennyis one of the sweetest villagers in Pelican Town. She voluntarily teaches both Vincent and Jas on a near-daily basis and is always very concerned for her mother Pam’s health.
What makes Penny difficult is her taste in gifts. She loves items that tend to be very difficult to get one’s hands on at the beginning of the game, including diamonds and emeralds, melons and poppies, and rare foods like the Red Plate and Roots Platter. On the bright side, in the first year of spring, she can be romanced easily due to her liking dandelions and leek. Once married, her gifts include potential geodes and Fried Eel on rainy days, which increases the player’s luck. Overall, it feels like a bit too much effort from the player’s side.
9Best: Harvey
Harveyis the local doctor and works at his clinic where he takes care of the sick. While he definitely has a noble life plan, Harvey can be a bit of a killjoy due to how much he hates indulgent foods. At least he’ll always have the player’s health in mind. The best part about him is that he has a huge range of liked gifts, many of which are foraged items that are simple to find, making him easy to romance.
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He’s one of the older-looking bachelors in town, which creates a bit of diversity as well. Harvey comes across as shy and a bit sad at first but warms up slowly. Harvey’s romance storyline is actually not half bad, but he’s a bit distant during the initial encounters. After marriage, his gifts are also not half bad, including the Complete Breakfast and Fried Eel, which probably rank as the best in terms of effects.
8Worst: Alex
When the player character first comes to Pelican Town, not everyone will welcome them with open arms. Some will react neutrally, while others will even brush them off until they get to know them better.Alex, however, is immediately kind to the player which is a breath of fresh air. However, Alex’s ambition to become a pro athlete comes across as arrogance on many occasions, which can feel off-putting.
He’s often at the town center practicing, so he’s easy to find. The difficulty with him is that his loved gifts are expensive and there are only two of them. His liked gifts include eggs of all kinds, save for Void Eggs, so players have to wait until they get a coop to woo him easily. After marriage, his gifts are nothing special, save for a few special treats he can offer on rainy days.
7Best: Maru
Daughter of Robin and Demetrius,Maruis a genius who loves all things science and technology. She’s often working with either her father Demetrius at the lab or with Harvey at the clinic. Maru’s friendly personality makes her a character who’s easy to approach. That being said, she can be a bit expensive to bribe with loved gifts. Luckily, one of her liked gifts is quartz, which makes her easy to get to know early on during the first year.
Her ten hearts event is probably one of the more unique ones in the game and includes a large sentient robot. After marriage, she’ll gift the player with some of the absolute best items in the game that will hold value even in mid to late-game inStardew Valley.
6Worst: Sam
Another person who’s generally very kind towards the player right off the batis Sam. He’s often found walking across the city to go to his part-time job at the Joja Mart, or skating in front of his house. Every Friday he’ll also be at the inn with Sebastian and Abigail. Sam is an incredibly easy person to please, as long as he’s given Pizza, which can be bought from the inn.
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He also likes Joja Cola which can be found in trash, while fishing, or bought from the inn’s vending machine. As a husband, however, he gives weak gifts that only benefit players during the early game, including earth crystals and normal geodes. Sam’s issue is that he’s not much of a cook, so he’ll only offer two meals: Pizza and Pancakes. He’s a sweet guy, but when there’s better on the market, he just fails to impress.
5Best: Emily
Emilyis a bit of an eccentric, but her colorful personality makes her very charming. She’s easy to find all year round since she works at the inn, and if players begin their quest for her heart early in the springtime, they can simply give her daffodils and quartz for easy relationship progression.
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Her loved gifts are a bit more expensive, unfortunately, but totally worth getting for her. Once married, she’ll give the player a pretty wide range of special gifts from Duck Feathers to Omni Geodes, making her an excellent partner to opt for if extra resources on the farm sound like a good idea.
4Worst: Elliott
Elliottis an artistic soul living in Pelican Town. His cabin is found on the beach, where he writes his next big novel. While he can usually be caught by the bridge leading to the beach or at the beach itself, he’s quite difficult to please with loved gifts. Most fruits will charm him as liked gifts, so long as they’re not salmonberries.
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As a husband, he doesn’t give players that many things, aside from seafood meals and coffee every once in a while. He’s just not worth it, especially with his overly dramatic personality. That said, players looking fora sensitive and poetic manwill find him very charming and kind-hearted.
3Best: Abigail
Abigailis among community favorites, and despite her personality, it’s easy to see why. She’s a gamer at heart, but also somewhat immature given how she’s often acting rebellious and arguing with her mother Caroline. That said, she’s famously known for liking quartz, so early in the game, Abigail is an easy romance to start.
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The best part about Abigail is marriage. Her gifts are some of the strongest in the game and make up for her expensive loved gifts. From utility items like Cherry Bombs to resources like Void and Solar Essence, she’s a fantastic addition to the family simply for these gifts alone.
