The ultimate tier list of all romanceable Stardew Valley characters

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 and post-marriage gifts to the player as factors.

All Stardew Valley bachelors, ranked

There are six bachelors to choose from in Stardew Valley. I wouldn't deem any of them a catch in real life, with character flaws aplenty, but they each have their perks. 

6. Sam

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. 

5. 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. 

4. Elliott

The good thing about Elliott is that he’s not the hardest to romance because he loves Duck Feathers and Lobster. Sure, neither of these are ‘easy’ to get, but they’re not the hardest either. 

Elliott is 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.

3. Harvey

By rights, the town doctor should be the obvious choice for the ideal marriage candidate, but Harvey is difficult to win around because of his high standards for loved gifts. He will gladly take Truffle Oil or Coffee, neither of which are 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. 

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. Alex

Alex is a strange one. He’s a jock with an overinflated ego and is initially insufferably arrogant. But he 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. 

All Stardew Valley bachelorettes, ranked

If you want a more feminine spouse, there are six bachelorettes to choose from. As with the bachelors, they each have their perks and disadvantages. 

6. Leah

Leah is 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. 

5. Emily

Emily isn’t the worst of the candidates, but you will need to get between her and Clint if you want to win her over. On the plus side, she 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. 

4. Penny

Penny is sweet and has a good heart, but that’s not what we’re looking at here. 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.

3. Haley

Haley is widely known to be the easiest romanceable character to marry in Stardew, and it’s technically possible to marry her before the Flower Dance if you know what you’re doing. She likes Daffodils and loves Coconuts. 

Again, 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. 

2. Abigail

Abigail gives the rarest gifts of all bachelors of 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.

1. Maru

Maru is possibly the most useful spouse of all in Stardew, with her post-marriage gifts including Bombs, Warp Totems, Fertlizers, 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. 

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. If you’re not up for the drama of a romantic relationship, you can build your friendship with Krobus and eventually ask him to move in with you as your Roommate. 

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.

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