Diff - relationship system - Starsand Island Wiki

11 Overview

33 Starsand Island uses an affection-based relationship system with 5 heart levels tracked through the Social App on your in-game phone. There are 15 romanceable characters (7 bachelors and 8 bachelorettes), and romance is available regardless of the player's gender.

66 The system uses a "Cohabitation and Dynamic Romance" model rather than traditional marriage. NPCs in Starsand Island are proactive: they can approach the player to initiate outings, send surprise letters in the mail, and track who the player spends time with. Their facial expressions and dialogue adjust based on your relationship status.

88 Heart Level Thresholds

1010 Each NPC's affection is tracked as a numerical point total. When you reach a threshold, you advance to the next heart level and unlock new interactions. The five thresholds are:

1111

1212 Heart LevelPoints RequiredPoints to Next LevelKey Unlock1 Heart90130 (to Level 2)NPC sends you gifts in the mail2 Hearts220150 (to Level 3)Photo invitations3 Hearts370130 (to Level 4)Room access + treasure chests4 Hearts500250 (to Level 5)Personalized Bulletin Board requests5 Hearts750Max levelCohabitation (move-in)

1313 You can check your current heart level with any NPC by opening the Social App on your phone. A row of five hearts appears in the top-left corner of the dialogue box when you speak to someone, with filled hearts showing the current level.

1414

1515 Earning Affection Points

1616

1717 There are several ways to earn affection points (AP) with NPCs. The most efficient daily routine combines conversation with a loved gift.

1818

1919 ActivityAP GainedFrequencyNotesTalk to an NPC+5Once per day per NPCSimple conversation; guaranteed pointsGive a loved/favorite gift+15One gift per day per NPCHighest gift value; recorded in NPC profileGive a liked gift+10One gift per day per NPCRecorded in NPC profile under preferencesGive a neutral gift+5One gift per day per NPCNot recorded in NPC profile; same as conversationGive a disliked gift+0One gift per day per NPCNo penalty, but wastes the daily gift slotGive a hated gift+0One gift per day per NPCNo penalty, but wastes the daily gift slotReturn a lost item+20When availableLost items appear randomly on the mapBulletin Board request (easy)+15VariableEasy requests award lower APBulletin Board request (hard)+25 to +30VariableHarder requests award more APComplete a quest involving the NPC+50One-time per questMain or side quest that has the NPC

2020 Daily Optimization

2121

2222 The maximum daily gain from passive actions is +20 per NPC (one conversation at +5 plus one loved gift at +15), not counting quests or Bulletin Board requests. To reach Level 5 (750 points) from zero through daily interactions alone, you would need roughly 38 days of perfect daily interactions. Quests and Bulletin Board requests speed this up considerably.

2323

2424 Gift Preference Tracking

2525

2626 The game automatically records loved, liked, disliked, and hated gifts on each NPC's profile in the Social App after you give them a gift for the first time. Neutral gifts (+5 AP) are not recorded in the preferences list. If you give a gift and only receive +5 AP, the NPC has no strong feelings about that item and it will not appear in their profile.

2727

2828 This tracking system means you can discover preferences through experimentation. Give an NPC an item you are unsure about; if it appears in their profile afterward, you know it is loved, liked, or disliked. If it does not appear, it was neutral.

2929

3030 Heart Level Unlocks

3131

3232 Level 1: Return Gifts (90 Points)

3333

3434 The NPC begins sending you items in the mail. These sometimes include rare recipes or materials you cannot buy in shops. The items are themed around the NPC's profession and personality.

3535

3636 Level 2: Photo Invites (220 Points)

3737

3838 You can speak with the NPC to take a photo together. These photos can be displayed in your home as decorative items. The Photo Mode supports various poses and backgrounds for these partner photos.

3939

4040 Level 3: Room Access + Treasure Chests (370 Points)

4141

4242 You gain access to the NPC's private room or bedroom. Inside every NPC's room, there are 2 hidden treasure chests:

4343

4444 ItemDescriptionExclusive Decor Chest (wooden chest)Contains character-specific home decor items unique to that NPC. This is a one-time-only reward.Weekly Refresh Chest (blue/grey chest)Resets every week with various items. Returns each week as long as you maintain Level 3 or higher.

4545 This makes befriending multiple NPCs to Level 3 worthwhile, since each character's room has different exclusive decor and provides a recurring weekly source of items. Reaching Level 3 with all 15 romanceable characters gives you access to 15 weekly refresh chests.

4646

4747 Level 4: Bulletin Board Requests (500 Points)

4848

4949 You unlock the ability to post requests specifically for that character on the Bulletin Board. Each NPC fulfills themed requests based on their specialty:

5050

5151 Zephyria brings adventure items and exploration materials.Delphin provides fish and marine resources.Graminova supplies seeds, crops, and farming materials.Aurelis delivers cooked dishes and cooking ingredients.

5252

5353 Level 5: Cohabitation (750 Points)

5454

5555 You can ask the NPC to move into your home. Once cohabiting, the NPC comes home after their daily activities, helps around the farm (cleaning debris, petting animals, watering plants), and sleeps at home if you place an extra bed. You can also ask them to follow you around the map.

5656

5757 Meet-Cute Cutscenes

5858

5959 Every romanceable NPC triggers a special anime-style "Meet-Cute" cutscene the first time you encounter them. These cinematic introductions show the character doing something they love and serve as a clear indicator that this NPC is romanceable. Non-romanceable NPCs only get a standard wave greeting.

6060

6161 Dating and Shared Activities

6262

6363 Starting from early heart levels, players can engage in shared activities with NPCs:

6464

6565 Bike rides through town.Backyard swing together.Hot springs bathing.Watching TV together.Sleepovers.

6666

6767 NPCs are proactive in this system. They can approach the player to initiate outings, send surprise letters in the mail, and track who the player spends time with. Their facial expressions and dialogue adjust accordingly. Weather and time-dependent events also trigger under specific conditions.

6868

6969 All Romanceable Characters

7070

7171 Bachelorettes (8)

7272

7373 NameLocationPersonalityLoved GiftAlexLex WoodworksWoodworker; guarded exterior, loves animals, crafts birdhousesDiamondLunelleEthereal StylesClothing store owner; compassionate, fled a forced marriageFlannelNeonaG-Power BikeMechanic; former biker gang leader, uses Cantonese slangCopperPastelleGreen Pasture RanchRanching mentor; gentle, shy, devoted to animalsRabbit FeedSerenaBloom AtelierCosmetologist; graceful, former showbiz stylistDiamondSolaraCommunity CenterMayor's granddaughter; player's childhood friendStrawberry MousseStellaWoof & Wow PetsFormer idol; abandoned fame for animal careBlack Tea MacaronZerineGeneral StoreCrafting mentor; shy tech nerdStone

7474 Bachelors (7)

7575

7676 NameLocationPersonalityLoved GiftAurelisAureleaf KitchenChef; heir to a culinary empire, blunt and meticulousAurorite OreDelphinAquaBlue OutpostFishing mentor; honest surfer, player's childhood friendLight Blue HydrangeaGraminovaHappiness Seed ShopFarming mentor; quiet botanist with a PhDWheat SeedsLorenChrono ArcadeGame developer; supports his sick sisterCopper IngotSylvainSilvan NotesMusician; Stella's cousin, plays violinBlue HydrangeaYoufangBarston HeightsFortune teller; young monk, calm and wiseBamboo LeafZephyriaExploration ClubExploration mentor; studies ancient ruinsMoonflower

7777 Efficient Relationship Building

7878

7979 If you want to maximize affection gains, follow this daily routine for each target NPC:

8080

8181 Talk to them (+5 AP). This takes a few seconds and is free.Give their loved gift (+15 AP). Check their profile in the Social App for preferences.Check the Bulletin Board for any requests involving that NPC (+15 to +30 AP).Complete any active profession quests involving that NPC (+50 AP) when available.

8282

8383 With the daily +20 AP routine alone, you can reach each heart level in roughly this many days:

8484

8585 Target LevelPoints NeededDays at +20/dayDays with Quests/Boards1 Heart (90)90~5 days2 to 3 days2 Hearts (220)220~11 days5 to 7 days3 Hearts (370)370~19 days10 to 12 days4 Hearts (500)500~25 days14 to 17 days5 Hearts (750)750~38 days20 to 25 days

8686 Early Access Limitations

8787

8888 As of Early Access (March 2026):

8989

9090 No traditional heart events (story cutscenes at specific thresholds).No marriage ceremony. Cohabitation at Level 5 is the final milestone.2 to 4 additional romanceable characters are planned during Early Access.More dating activities and relationship events are expected in future updates.

9191

9292 Tips

9393

9494 Prioritize reaching Level 3 with multiple NPCs. The weekly refresh chests provide a steady stream of useful items and materials.Keep a stockpile of each NPC's loved gift in a chest near your home. This saves time on daily gifting runs.Disliked and hated gifts give 0 AP but do not reduce your affection. There is no penalty for giving the wrong gift, only wasted opportunity.Lost items appear randomly on the map. Return them to the owner for an easy +20 AP boost. Check the item description to see who it belongs to.The Bulletin Board is one of the fastest ways to build affection. Hard requests can give +25 to +30 AP per completion, which is more than a day's worth of conversation plus gifting.Higher-quality gifts may provide a small bonus to affection points. If you have gold-star versions of an NPC's loved item, use those for maximum effect.

9595

9696 Affection Discount Benefit

9797

9898 Patch 0.4.9467 (April 23, 2026) added an additional benefit on top of the heart-level rewards above. Reaching certain affection thresholds with a shop-owner NPC unlocks discounted prices on related items in that NPC's shop. The discount is applied automatically whenever the favored NPC is on the counter, and the new price is reflected in the listed item price the moment you open the shop interface.

9999

100100 The Affection Discount applies to all 16 staffed shops on the island, including non-romanceable counters such as Green Pasture Ranch (Bruce, Garrick) and Bloom Atelier (Serena). This means non-romance friendships now translate directly into in-game economy savings, giving an extra reason to greet shop owners daily, complete their Bulletin Board requests, and bring them gifts they like even if you have no romantic interest in them.

101101

102102 Discounts apply to the items most associated with each NPC's specialty, not the entire shop catalog. Goods the NPC personally produces or curates pick up the discount; unrelated bulk items typically remain at base price. The system stacks with shop-leveling routines: buying out a shop's current stock to trigger expanded inventory becomes cheaper as your friendship grows, accelerating the rate at which you can level up shop tiers. See the dedicated

103103

104104 Affection Discount article for the full mechanic, the affected shop list, and tips on prioritizing which NPCs to befriend first based on your spending pattern.

105105

106106 Related Articles

107107

108108 CharactersCohabitationBulletin BoardProfessionsPhoto ModeItem Quality System

Compare Revisions

Compare Other Revisions