Friendship Levels

Every NPC in Starsand Island has a friendship meter tracked through Affection Points (AP). As you accumulate AP with a character, they progress through heart levels that unlock new interactions, story content, and gameplay rewards. The system applies to all NPCs on the island: the 15 romanceable characters, non-romanceable residents, and even the four crossover characters from the My Time series. You can track your affection progress with any NPC through the Social app on your in-game phone.

Heart Level Thresholds

Each NPC has five heart levels (romanceable characters) or four heart levels (non-romanceable characters and crossover NPCs). Reaching a new heart requires accumulating a specific total of Affection Points:

Heart Level	AP Required	What Unlocks
1 Heart	90 AP	The NPC starts gifting you items during daily interactions. New dialogue options become available, and basic conversation topics expand.
2 Hearts	220 AP	Photo invitations unlock. You can ask the NPC to take a group photo together, which is a dedicated interaction separate from the normal camera mode.
3 Hearts	370 AP	Bedroom access unlocks. You can enter the NPC's private room, which contains a one-time treasure chest with exclusive character-themed items and a weekly chest that refreshes with new loot. Shared outings also become available at this tier.
4 Hearts	770 AP	The NPC posts requests on the Bulletin Board specifically for you. Completing these requests gives character-specific items as rewards, such as adventure materials from Zephyria or fishing supplies from Delphin.
5 Hearts	~1,520 AP (estimated)	Move-in unlocks for romanceable NPCs. You can ask them to live in your home. They come home after finishing their daily activities, help on the farm (clearing debris, watering plants, tending animals), and can follow you around the map on request.

The exact threshold for 5 Hearts has not been officially confirmed. Multiple sources report slightly different values for this tier, suggesting the developers may have adjusted it during Early Access updates. The thresholds for Hearts 1 through 4 (90, 220, 370, 770) are well documented and consistent across guides. For detailed bedroom locations and chest contents, see the NPC Bedrooms article.

How to Earn Affection Points

Affection Points come from several daily activities. Combining multiple methods is the fastest way to build relationships.

Action	AP Earned	Frequency	Notes
Daily Conversation	+5	Once per NPC per day	Free and instant. Just talk to the NPC during their daily routine. Costs nothing and adds up over time.
Loved Gift	+15	Once per NPC per day	Give the NPC an item they love. Check preferences in the Social app or the Gift Guide.
Liked Gift	+10	Once per NPC per day	Give the NPC an item they like. Easier to stock than loved gifts but less efficient.
Neutral Gift	+5	Once per NPC per day	Items the NPC has no strong feeling about. Better than nothing, but wastes the daily gift slot.
Hated/Disliked Gift	0	Once per NPC per day	No affection gained. Wastes the daily gift opportunity. Avoid these.
Sugar Painting	+30	Once per day (any NPC)	Special portrait gift made by the Tanghua Master from a photo taken at 2+ Hearts. Costs 100 Coins. The single most efficient gift in the game.
Easy Bulletin Board Request	+15	Per request completed	Accept and complete requests posted by NPCs you want to befriend.
Hard Bulletin Board Request	+25 to +30	Per request completed	Higher-difficulty requests give substantially more AP.
Returning a Lost Item	+20	Per item found	Random items appear on the ground around the island. Return them to their owner for a nice AP boost.
Completing a Quest	+50	Per quest	The biggest single-action AP boost. Profession quests for mentor NPCs are especially valuable since they combine progression with affection building.
Taking Photos Together	+5	Once per NPC per day	Available after reaching 2 Hearts. A small bonus on top of conversation and gifting.

At maximum daily efficiency (conversation + loved gift + Sugar Painting), you earn +50 AP per day with a single NPC (+5 chat, +15 loved gift, +30 Sugar Painting). Without Sugar Paintings, the daily maximum is +20 per NPC. At that rate, reaching 3 Hearts (370 AP) takes about 19 days of consistent effort, and reaching 4 Hearts (770 AP) takes roughly 39 days. Bulletin Board requests and quests accelerate this significantly.

Heart Stories

Heart Stories are personalized narrative arcs tied to each NPC. As you progress through heart levels, new story chapters and slice-of-life side quests unlock for that character. These stories focus on the NPC's dreams, regrets, conflicts, and personal growth. The developers have described them as arcs about "facing life's challenges together and mutual healing," with key moments shaped by your interactions.

Unlike standard quests, Heart Stories blend with daily interactions rather than playing out as isolated cutscenes. NPC dialogue evolves as your relationship deepens, revealing new personality quirks and backstory. Some Heart Stories feature multiple branching endings based on your choices, giving each relationship a personalized feel.

Heart Stories are still being expanded during Early Access. The current build includes story content for all NPCs, but additional chapters and romantic events are planned for future updates.

Shared Outings

At 3 Hearts, you unlock shared outings with romanceable NPCs. These are social activities you can invite them to participate in:

Outing	Description
Hot Springs Visit	Visit the Hot Springs together for a relaxing social event. Both characters sit in the springs and chat.
Bike Ride	Ride around the island together on a vehicle. A fun way to spend time while also getting somewhere.
Backyard Swing	Sit on the swing in your farm's backyard together. A quiet, low-key bonding moment.
Drinks	Share a drink together at a social spot on the island.

Move-In System

Reaching 5 Hearts with a romanceable NPC unlocks the ability to ask them to move into your home. This is the current equivalent of marriage in the Early Access build (full dating content, marriage ceremonies, and children are planned for future updates).

You can reach 5 Hearts with multiple characters before deciding, but only one partner can live with you at a time. When an NPC moves in, they integrate into your daily life:

They come home daily. After finishing their regular activities around town, they return to your house in the evening.
They help on the farm. Your partner clears debris, waters plants, pets animals, and generally helps maintain your property at Hopeland.
They follow you. You can ask them to accompany you while exploring the island. They walk alongside you as a companion.

Note: Youfang is a known exception. While his bedroom unlocks at 3 Hearts, he cannot currently be invited for cohabitation at 5 Hearts. This is a known limitation in the Early Access build.

Non-Romanceable NPCs and Crossover Characters

Non-romanceable residents (like Bruce, Regis, Hattie, and Momo) and the four crossover characters (Gust, Ginger, Fang, and Nia) are capped at 4 Hearts. They cannot be asked to move in or romanced, but they still offer valuable friendship rewards at each tier: return gifts at 1 Heart, photos at 2 Hearts, bedroom access at 3 Hearts, and Bulletin Board requests at 4 Hearts.

The crossover characters arrive on specific dates after the Train Station is repaired: Gust and Ginger on Summer 23, and Fang and Nia on Fall 1. Each has their own friendship storyline and gift preferences.

Your phone's Social app is the central hub for tracking relationships. Open it to see:

Current heart level and AP progress for every NPC
Discovered gift preferences (items you have previously gifted and their reaction)
NPC location via the Map's Residents icon
Bond indicator showing your overall relationship status

Preferences you have not yet tested remain hidden until you try them. The app does not track neutral gifts, so you will need to remember those yourself or check the Gift Guide.

Tips for Building Friendships Efficiently

Focus on 2 to 3 NPCs at a time. Spreading gifts across all 15+ characters slows progress dramatically. Pick your priority relationships and give them loved gifts daily.
Use Sugar Paintings. At +30 AP per gift, Sugar Paintings are twice as effective as loved gifts. Take photos of your target NPCs at 2 Hearts, then visit the Tanghua Master daily for portraits. One painting per day for 100 Coins is a bargain.
Never skip the daily chat. +5 AP costs nothing and takes seconds. Talk to every NPC you pass during your daily routine. Over a season, those free points add up to hundreds of AP across the cast.
Stack the Bulletin Board. Accept requests from NPCs you are actively pursuing. The +15 to +30 AP from requests stacks with daily gifting for a huge daily total.
Prioritize profession mentor NPCs. Zerine, Graminova, Delphin, Pastelle, and Zephyria get +50 AP from profession quest completions on top of normal interactions. You build their friendship almost passively through profession progression.
Grow Moonflowers. Moonflower is loved or liked by nearly every NPC in the game (Loren is the major exception; he hates it). Farm them for a reliable daily gift supply.
Track birthdays. Birthday gifts reportedly provide doubled affection. Check the in-game calendar for upcoming birthdays and save a loved gift or Sugar Painting for the date.
Return lost items immediately. When you spot a lost item on the ground, pick it up and return it to its owner for +20 AP. These random events are free affection you should never pass up.
Check the Social app regularly. It tracks discovered gift preferences so you do not have to memorize them. It also shows each NPC's current location on the map, saving you time finding them.

Gift Guide: Detailed gift preferences for every NPC
Romance Guide: Full romance progression and loved gifts for all 15 romanceable characters
NPC Bedrooms: All 15 bedroom locations and exclusive chest contents
NPC Gift Preferences: Quick-reference gift tables by character
Bulletin Board: Daily request system for Coins, Starsand, and AP
NPC Schedules and Daily Routines: Where to find NPCs throughout the day