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Overview
Every NPC in Starsand Island has personal gift preferences that determine how much affection you gain when giving them items. You can give one regular gift per NPC per day. Giving a loved gift awards 15 affection points (AP), liked gifts award 10, neutral gifts award 5, and disliked or hated gifts award 0. Learning each character's tastes is one of the fastest ways to build relationships, unlock heart events, and eventually pursue romance. For general gifting strategies, see the Gift Guide article.
Affection Points by Gift Type
Gift Category | Affection Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Loved gift | +15 AP | Best regular daily gift option |
Liked gift | +10 AP | Good fallback when loved items are unavailable |
Neutral gift | +5 AP | Any item not on the NPC's love, like, dislike, or hate list |
Disliked gift | 0 AP | No gain, no loss |
Hated gift | 0 AP | No gain, no loss; wastes your daily gift opportunity |
Birthday gift | 3x normal AP | A loved gift on their birthday yields +45 AP |
Sugar Painting | +30 AP | Separate from the regular daily gift slot |
Universal Gift Tips
Moonflower is the single best universal gift. Almost every NPC loves or likes it. The only exception is Loren, who hates it. If you are unsure what to give, Moonflower is almost always the right answer.
Chilled Twilight Salad is a broadly safe cooked dish that most characters at least like. Once you have access to Twilight Succulents, keep a stack of these ready.
Red Firefly is hated by the vast majority of characters. Do not give it to anyone except Sylvain and Youfang, who like it.
Gold Ore is disliked or hated by most NPCs. Save it for crafting at the Furnace instead of gifting.
When in doubt, cooked food is usually neutral or liked. Raw ingredients and crafting materials are riskier.
Pay attention to the NPC's reaction animation. A heart icon means loved, a smile means liked, and a frown means disliked or hated.
On an NPC's birthday, always give a loved gift. The 3x multiplier turns +15 AP into +45 AP in a single interaction.
Sugar Painting
Sugar Paintings are a separate gifting mechanic that stacks with regular gifts. You can purchase Sugar Paintings from vendors and give one to each NPC per day for +30 affection points. This does not consume your regular daily gift slot, so you can give both a Sugar Painting and a normal gift on the same day to the same NPC. A loved gift (+15) plus a Sugar Painting (+30) plus a daily conversation (+5) yields +50 AP in a single day per NPC.
Returning Lost Items
Occasionally you will find lost items scattered around the island that belong to specific NPCs. These items display the owner's name when examined. Returning a lost item to its owner awards +20 affection points. Lost items do not count against your daily gift limit, so you can return a lost item, give a Sugar Painting, and give a regular gift all on the same day for even more affection gain.
Romanceable Characters
The table below lists known gift preferences for all 15 romanceable characters. Entries marked (Unconfirmed) are based on community findings during Early Access and may be updated. Some NPCs have fully confirmed preferences while others are still being documented.
Character | Loved Gifts | Liked Gifts | Disliked Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
(Unconfirmed) | |||
(Unconfirmed) | Celeste Berry, Mushroom Soup | Rabbit Poop, Garlic, Feather, Grilled Chicken Wings, Chilled Twilight Salad, Spirit Fruit, Velvet, Tin, Softwood | |
Red Beaded Starfish | Light Blue Hydrangea | Moonflower, Braised Crab Pot | |
Radiant Crystal, Star Ramen, Grilled Fish, Chilled Twilight Salad | Crispy Mushrooms, Four-Eyed Butterfly Fish, Copper | ||
Flannel | Chilled Twilight Salad, Iron | Caco Laco, Chinese Perch | |
(Unconfirmed) | Cabbage, Wheat, Mountain And Sea Skewers, Clownfish, Bamboo, Caco Laco | ||
(Unconfirmed) | Moonflower, Twilight Succulent, Light Blue Hydrangea | Chilled Twilight Salad, Cucumber, Red Sleep Lily, Spirit Fruit, Fluffweave, Moorish Idol | |
Potato, Pumpkin Seed Fish, Chinese Perch | Ginger | ||
(Unconfirmed) | Pink Hydrangea, Chilled Twilight Salad, Blue Sleep Lily, Wheat | ||
(Unconfirmed) | Fries, Pasture Grass, Grilled Chicken Wings | ||
Light Blue Hydrangea | Copper, Ripening Fertilizer | ||
(Unconfirmed) | Garlic, Light Blue Hydrangea, Red Firefly | ||
Moonflower, Pink Hydrangea | Celeb Moth, B.C Milk, Tin, Softwood Plank, Meat Bait | ||
Quartz | Quartz, Flannel |
Non-Romanceable Characters
Non-romanceable NPCs also have gift preferences. Building friendship with them unlocks side quests, shop discounts, unique dialogue, and other perks. The same daily gift limit of one item per NPC applies.
Character | Loved Gifts | Liked Gifts | Disliked Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
Glazed Cicada, Emerald Hornscab | |||
(Unconfirmed) | |||
(Unconfirmed) | Light Blue Hydrangea, Copper | ||
(Unconfirmed) | Celeste Berry, Twilight Succulent | Purple Hydrangea, Rabbit Poop | |
(Unconfirmed) | |||
Light Blue Hydrangea | Moonflower, Fries, Fenta, Softwood Plank, Veggie Bait | (Unconfirmed) | |
Moonflower, Twilight Succulent, Clay Pot | Caco Laco, Moorish Idol, Veggie Bait, Velvet, Glazed Cicada | ||
Water Spinach, Plainberry, Grilled Chicken Wings | Copper, Veggie Bait |
Additional NPCs such as Fang, Ginger, Gust, and Nia are present on the island. Their full gift preferences are still being documented by the community during Early Access.
Hated Items
Hated items give 0 affection, the same as disliked items. While there is no negative affection penalty, giving a hated item wastes your one daily gift opportunity. The following items are widely hated across the cast:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Hated by nearly every character on the island. The only NPCs who react positively to it are Sylvain and Youfang, who both like it. | |
Disliked or hated by most NPCs. Use it for smelting at the Furnace rather than gifting. | |
Moonflower (Loren only) | Loren is the sole NPC who hates Moonflower. Every other character loves or likes it, making Loren the exception to the Moonflower rule. Give Loren a Tin Ingot (loved) or Radiant Crystal (liked) instead. |
All Affection Sources
Gifts are not the only way to earn affection. Here is a complete breakdown of every affection source in the game:
Source | Affection Points | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
Loved gift | +15 AP | Once per NPC per day |
Liked gift | +10 AP | Once per NPC per day |
Neutral gift | +5 AP | Once per NPC per day |
Sugar Painting | +30 AP | Once per NPC per day (separate from gifts) |
Returning a lost item | +20 AP | Whenever you find one |
Daily conversation | +5 AP | Once per NPC per day |
+15 to +25 AP | Per completed request for that NPC | |
Side quest completion | +50 AP | One-time per quest |
Birthday gift (loved) | +45 AP (3x) | Once per NPC per year |
Daily Affection Routine
To maximize affection gain each day, follow this routine for every NPC you want to befriend:
Talk to the NPC for +5 AP from the daily conversation bonus.
Give them a Sugar Painting for +30 AP (purchased from vendors).
Give them a loved gift for +15 AP. If you do not have their loved item, use a liked gift for +10 AP.
Check the Bulletin Board for any active requests from that NPC and complete them for +15 to +25 AP.
Following this routine with loved gifts and Sugar Paintings yields up to +50 AP per NPC per day from gifts and conversation alone. At that rate, you can gain a full heart level in just a few days without any quests or Bulletin Board tasks.