Romanceable characters are a staple of the cozy life-sim genre, and Stardew Valley is filled with choices when it comes to possible marriage candidates. Taking six bachelors and six bachelorettes and narrowing it down to just one to wed is no easy task.
Even if you have a preference for men or women, there are still six people to choose from in each category—and a surprise additional option in Krobus, even if he won’t join you in holy matrimony. That’s a big responsibility, so who do you choose?
To make things a little easier all around, here’s a ranked list of every bachelor, bachelorette, and void-sent housemate you can pick from in Stardew Valley, using their loved gifts, post-marriage gifts for the player, personalities, and overall storylines as key factors.
Table of contents
All Stardew Valley bachelors, ranked
6. Shane
Yes, Shane might be the town drunk. Yes, he might make empty promises about quitting drinking. However, both of those things can be ignored and should be if you want to get some blue Chickens for your farm. Plus, as one of the two town alcoholics (and the only romanceable one), Shane is easily wooed with Beer purchased at the Stardrop Saloon for 400 Gold.
Shane has one of the most compelling storylines in Pelican Town, and uncovering his true personality and witnessing his growth is easily one of my favorite storylines in the game. He is, however, at his best when you don't romance him, so he's ultimately a better friend than he is a partner.
If he retained the personality and habits he has at max friendship when you marry him, he'd be a much better pick, maybe even the best one, but since he reverts to his old toxic habits, he's just not a great option for romance. To truly keep him at his best, you need to have him as only a friend and nothing more. Truly a peak example of the phrase, "If you love him, let him go."
5. Alex
Alex is a strange one. He’s a jock with an overinflated ego and is initially insufferably arrogant. As you get to know him, though, you'll learn that he's actually pretty sweet. He's very confident and super into sports, so he does sometimes feel a bit one-note in comparison to the other characters.
Alex also offers an incredibly useful post-marriage gift, Dish O’ The Sea, which will boost your Fishing skill level by +3. The downside? He’s very tough to romance because he only has three loved gifts, and none of them are easy to get. He loves Complete Breakfast and Salmon Dinner. As far as gifts go, though, he's one of the better marriage candidates to connect with.
4. Sam
Sam is incredibly kind and cheerful, but sometimes does feel a bit boring and flat in comparison to the other candidates. Everything about him is great, but it feels like he lacks a bit of depth in comparison to those ranked higher than him. Still, he's a solid, reliable pick, with plenty to love about this slightly rebellious skateboarding musician.
If you want a man to cook you dinner or be thoughtful about gifts they give you, then Sam isn’t a good choice. You’ll only get instant Pancakes and ordered-in Pizza from him after you’re married, and his other gifts are things he "found rolling around in the back of a drawer." Gee, thanks, I guess. If you can look past that, he’s pretty easy to romance once you’ve completed the Vault Bundle and gained access to the Desert because he loves Cactus Fruit.
3. Harvey
Harvey is sweet, steady, reliable, and an all-around stellar marriage candidate. Of all the men you can woo, he generally seems to be the most universally liked and least polarizing choice, as everything he does comes from a place of care. He's just pure and simply good, and always a safe pick.
Harvey is a bit difficult to win over because of his high standards for loved gifts. He will gladly take Truffle Oil or Coffee, neither of which is all that easy to get. He's also somewhat let down by his post-marriage offerings. If he’s home all day, he can offer a Complete Breakfast, and he might cook for you if it's raining, but that’s about as far as his generosity goes.
2. Sebastian
Sebastian is everyone’s favorite resident emo boy, so it might be surprising that he comes in second here. However, his post-marriage gift offerings are disappointing, including various Mines-based resources and occasionally some Coffee.
I'm a big fan of the opposites attract trope your farmer character has going on with Sebastian if you choose to pursue him. He's hard-working, thoughtful, quirky, angsty, and an overall great pick if you're looking for a complex and caring partner.
Sebastian has a memorable schedule and is usually found in the same places. He loves Frozen Tears, which are pretty easy to find in the Mines after floor 40, or Void Eggs, if you happen to have had a visit from the witch.
1. Elliott
Elliott was the first character I ever romanced, and he remains my favorite to this day. He's incredibly romantic and lives the lifestyle of a brooding, poetic, sentimental beachside author. While I do adore him, I could see how he might come across as a bit too perfect for some, so if you're not into that, he may not be the one for you.
Another good thing about Elliott is that he’s not the hardest to romance because he loves Duck Feathers and Lobster. While neither of these is super easy to get, they’re not the hardest either. Elliott is a bit let down by his post-marriage gift offerings, which include coffee and various fish-based dinners, but only on rainy days. On the plus side, he does give the player a bottle of Wine on Winter 28 every year after marriage, but that hardly makes up for the rest of the year. If you're choosing who to marry based mostly on gifts, a different candidate may be a better pick for you.
All Stardew Valley bachelorettes, ranked
6. Emily
Emily is great, but someone's gotta take the bottom spot, and it's unfortunately her. She's got a sunny, goofy, quirky personality, but her storyline is kind of a mess. Romancing her also feels a bit awkward, as Clint will often express to you that he really likes her, even if you do end up with her.
On the plus side, Emily loves getting Wool, Cloth, and various gems, so she’s easy to woo if you don’t mind being part of a love triangle. After marriage, Emily will mostly offer various forageables as gifts on any given day, but she can occasionally give an Omni Geode.
5. Maru
Maru has a similar problem to Emily, which is that her storyline also falls short of most others. It also kind of feels weird to marry her, as her life goals are far greater than living on a farm in the valley. Marriage and settling down just don't really feel right for her, but I do adore her brilliant mind and ambition.
Maru is also possibly the most useful spouse of all, with her post-marriage gifts including Bombs, Warp Totems, Fertilizers, and other items made in her workshop. Unfortunately, she’s quite difficult to romance when it comes to gifts. The best bets are Cauliflower and Strawberries, but both are season-specific crops until you get the Greenhouse unlocked.
4. Leah
Leah's storyline is one of the best, as you get to witness her growth as an artist and character as she slowly but surely gains confidence in herself. She's super lovable and a sweet partner, but she seems to thrive off independence, so it sometimes feels like she's better as just a friend rather than a romantic interest.
Leah is a bit let down by both her loved gifts and her post-marriage gifts to the player. All of her loved gifts are hard to get, with the easiest being Truffles, which are an expensive endeavor. After marriage, the most common things you’ll get from Leah are a selection of seasonally appropriate forageables, with a particular focus on mushrooms of different types.
3. Penny
Penny is possibly the nicest person to ever exist. She is so sweet and has such a pure heart, despite having an ongoing struggling relationship with her alcoholic mother, Pam. She longs to have a family of her own and settle down, making her the perfect candidate for marriage and moving into your farmhouse.
Her loved gifts include Melons and Poppies, neither of which can be grown outside of Summer (unless you have the Greenhouse unlocked), so you’ll need a stock of them if you want to win her heart. Unfortunately, her post-marriage gifts are lackluster, including basic farm-found resources like Milk and Eggs. To make up for this, though, Penny does let you choose a custom theme for her bedroom, which unlocks some cool items you otherwise cannot get.
2. Haley
I'm a sucker for the slight enemies-to-lovers thing the farmer has going with Haley if you choose to romance her. At first, she's a stuck-up mean girl, but over time, she has immense growth and reveals herself to be one of the sweetest residents of Pelican Town.
Haley is widely known to be the easiest romanceable character to marry in Stardew Valley, and it’s technically even possible to marry her before the Flower Dance if you know what you’re doing. She likes Daffodils and loves Coconuts. She's not the most useful when it comes to gifts after marriage, but she does at least offer sweet treats for breakfast, which is never a bad thing.
1. Abigail
Abigail is simply awesome. She's a gamer, she's quirky, she's rebellious, and she eats rocks, which is kinda hilarious but also really cool. No, seriously, give her an item like Quartz and witness the ludicrous dialogue that follows.
She's got a compelling storyline and isn't afraid to express herself, whether it be about the tough relationship with her parents or her true feelings for you. She's also a superb gift giver, granting you the rarest gifts of all the bachelors and bachelorettes, including both Void Essence and Solar Essence, once you’re married. She can also cook dinners, although this isn’t guaranteed.
Her loved gifts include Amethyst and Pumpkins, so you’ll need to go exploring in the Mines and get farming in the Fall if you want to gain her affection.
The bonus that is Krobus
While Krobus isn’t a romanceable character, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a place on this list, as he can be chosen instead. If you're not up for the drama of a romantic relationship, you can opt to build your friendship with Krobus and eventually ask him to move in with you as your roommate. Krobus is a cutie and a stellar roommate, so this is certainly a great option if you're not feeling up to any of the romances.
He loves Wild Horseradish, and if you have a Void Chicken, he will gladly take Void Eggs or Void Mayonnaise as well. This makes it relatively easy to build your friendship with him, and you can still access his shop once he’s become your roommate; he’s just replaced by a chest down in the Sewers.
Sandy and Clint coming soon
Two more marriage candidates are arriving in the 1.7 update for Stardew Valley. Sandy and Clint were revealed in the 10th anniversary celebration livestream. Definitely not the picks we expected, but this choice might be exactly what they needed. Once these two are available to romance, we'll add them to our rankings here.
Ultimately, no romance is truly bad in Stardew Valley. There's something to love about everyone, and which marriage candidate is right for you will likely come down to your own personal preferences. If you're undecided, you can try romancing a few different characters to see how you feel about them in practice. And if you're not feeling it, you can always divorce your spouse to spark up a relationship with someone else.
The post The ultimate tier list of all romanceable Stardew Valley characters appeared first on Destructoid.
