Caring and quirky, the blue-haired Emily in Stardew Valley moonlights at the local saloon to support her real passion as a tailor. She makes all of her own clothes and meditates within her own dreams to manifest her goals in reality. How cool is that? If you want to help Emily make her dreams come true, give her all the gifts you can — just be sure to give her the right things. Here’s a look at everything that Emily likes and does not like in Stardew Valley.
What Does Emily Like? A Gift Guide for Stardew Valley
The following lists where items fall within Emily's tastes. Many of her favorite gifts are easy to obtain early in the game, especially if you start mining early and often.
Gifts Emily Loves
- Amethyst
- Aquamarine
- Cloth
- Emerald
- Jade
- Ruby
- Survival Burger
- Topaz
- Wool
- All Universal Loves
Gifts Emily Likes
- Daffodil
- Quartz
- All Universal Likes except...
- Fish Taco, Fried Eel, Ice Cream, Maki Roll, Rice Pudding, Salmon Dinner, Spicy Eel, Sashimi
Gifts Emily Tolerates (Neutral)
- Chantarelle
- Common Mushroom
- Dandelion
- Ginger
- Hazelnut
- Leek
- Magma Cap
- Morel
- Purple Mushroom
- Snow Yam
- Wild Horseradish
- Winter Root
- All Milk
- All Universal Neutrals (except Wool)
- All Eggs (except Void Egg)
- All Fruit (except Fruit Tree Fruit, Salmonberry)
Gifts Emily Dislikes
- Friend Eel
- Ice Cream
- Rice Pudding
- Salmonberry
- Spicy Eel
- All Universal Dislikes
Gifts Emily Hates
- Fish Taco
- Holly
- Maki Roll
- Salmon Dinner
- Sashimi
- All Universal Hates
That’s what to give Emily if you’re trying to get on her good side. For more Stardew Valley tips, check out our dedicated page.
How Friendship Works in Stardew Valley
Now for a rundown of how friendship works "under the hood" in Stardew Valley. Each character’s affection for you is measured in up to 10 Hearts (14 for a spouse), which can be tracked on the Social tab of your inventory screen. Some actions and dialogue choices will influence this. Earn enough heart levels and you'll trigger special events with that character that help you get to know them. Often, you can make decisions within these cutscenes that can enhance the relationship further and even get you gifts or recipes.
Each visible heart is worth 250 of what we might as well cal “friendship points.” There are a few different ways to earn those points. You can befriend a villager by simply talking to them once a day (20 pts.), completing their random item delivery quests (150 pts.), or going to see a movie with them (200/100 pts. if they enjoy the flick). Every day you don't interact with a villager, their friendship points decrease by 2.
Giving villagers gifts is arguably the fastest way to grind hearts, but the challenge becomes having a reliable source to acquire their favored gifts.
Stardew Valley Gift-Giving Table
- Loves: +80
- Likes: +45
- Neutral: +20
- Dislikes: -20
- Hate: -40
These gains are multiplied by 5 during the Feast of the Winter Star event and multiplied by 8 on a villager’s birthday. Emily's birthday is on Spring 27, so be sure to give her all of her favorites then. You also gain an additive 10%/25%/50% bonus for giving higher-quality versions of an item when they’re available.
Emily is relatively easy to befriend via gift-giving. Most of her favorite gems are obtainable on the highest floors of the mine. You just need to be mindful of what food you give her. She dislikes or hates all kinds of fish, including sushi rolls. Because she likes making clothes, she also loves to receive Wool and Cloth, so if you have a steady source for those, you'll have an easier time making fast friends with her. If you ever have trouble finding Emily, check the Stardrop Saloon in the evenings where she tends bar.
Sheep are a great investment whether or not you want to marry Emily, so it's worth it to build a Deluxe Barn and purchase sheep from Marnie's Ranch. You'll get the same amount of friendship with her whether you give her Cloth or Wool, so you might as well farm sheep and focus on Wool while also mining for gems.
