In Stardew Valley, the player is offered a wide range of characters to befriend and potentially even romance. And though getting close to the others who reside in the Valley isn't a must, it's certainly something players will benefit from - after all, things like recipes are even locked behind reaching certain friendship goals, meaning that for completionists of Stardew Valley, friendship is a must.
Maru is one of the villagers that players can befriend and romance. Daughter of Demetrius and Robin, it may come as no surprise to players that she has all the natural curiosity of her parents and a solid talent at tinkering with scrap to boot. For players interested in figuring out exactly how this tinkerer works, read on for some helpful tips on getting closer with her!
Maru's Regular Schedule For Every Season
Each Stardew Valley character has a schedule that they follow. This schedule may change depending on the season, weather, and exact day, so memorizing each slight change in schedule can be important for players who want to spend as little time as possible looking for specific villagers around town.
Maru's schedule thankfully isn't too difficult to memorize, as she usually splits her time between visiting town, working at the Clinic, and staying home to work on her different projects. However, there are some deviations depending on the season, so understanding the easiest locations to find Maru will definitely make it easier to find her at any given point.
Spring
Rainy Days
- 9:00 AM: In her bedroom.
- 12:50 PM: Stands in the Carpenter's Shop.
- 2:40 PM: Heads to her lab.
- 4:40 PM: Returns to her bedroom.
- 11:00 PM: Goes to bed.
Monday And Sunday
- 9:00 AM: In her bedroom.
- 10:20 AM: Heads to her lab.
- 1:30 PM: Leaves home and heads to the bench to the south of the Stardrop Saloon.
- 3:20 PM: Sits on the bench.
- 6:30 PM: Heads home.
- 8:30 PM: Goes to her bedroom.
- 11:00 PM: Goes to bed.
Tuesday And Thursday
- 8:00 AM: Leaves home and heads to Harvey's Clinic.
- 9:20 AM: Begins work at the Clinic.
- 4:45 PM: Finishes work and heads home.
- 6:30 PM: Stands in the kitchen.
- 11:00 PM: Goes to her bedroom.
- 12:00 PM: Goes to bed.
Wednesday, Friday, And Saturday
- 9:00 AM: In her bedroom.
- 10:20 AM: Heads to her lab.
- 2:00 PM: Leaves home and heads to the Community Center.
- 3:00 PM: Sits on the bench to the east of the Community Center.
- 6:00 PM: Heads home.
- 7:00 PM: Goes to her bedroom.
- 10:00 PM: Goes to bed.
Summer
Rainy Days
- 9:00 AM: In her bedroom.
- 12:30 PM: Moves to the main room of the house.
- 2:30 PM: Moves to the laboratory.
- 4:30 PM: Returns to her room.
- 11:00 PM: Goes to bed.
Monday And Sunday
- 9:00 AM: In her bedroom.
- 10:20 AM: Leaves her room and heads to the laboratory.
- 1:30 PM: Leaves home and heads to the bench to the south of the Stardrop Saloon.
- 2:30 PM: Sits on the bench.
- 6:30 PM: Heads home.
- 8:10 PM: Arrives home.
Tuesday And Thursday
- 7:50 AM: Leaves home and heads to Harvey's Clinic.
- 9:40 AM: Begins work at the Clinic.
- 4:45 PM: Finishes work and heads home.
- 6:40 PM: Stands in the kitchen.
- 10:00 PM: Heads to her bedroom.
- 12:00 PM: Goes to bed.
Wednesday, Friday, And Saturday
- 9:00 AM: In her bedroom.
- 10:20 AM: Moves to the laboratory.
- 2:00 PM: Leaves the house to stand by the lake to the east of the house.
- 7:00 PM: Leaves the lake and heads home.
- 7:40 PM: Outside the house, looking through her telescope.
- 12:00 PM: Heads inside and goes to bed.
Fall
Rainy Days
- 9:00 AM: In her bedroom.
- 12:30 PM: Moves to the main room of the house.
- 2:30 PM: Moves to the laboratory.
- 4:30 PM: Returns to her room.
- 11:00 PM: Goes to bed.
Monday And Sunday
- 9:00 AM: In her bedroom.
- 10:20 AM: Heads to her lab.
- 1:30 PM: Leaves home and heads to the bench to the south of the Stardrop Saloon.
- 3:20 PM: Sits on the bench.
- 6:30 PM: Heads home.
- 8:30 PM: Goes to her bedroom.
- 11:00 PM: Goes to bed.
Tuesday And Thursday
- 7:50 AM: Leaves home and heads to Harvey's Clinic.
- 9:40 AM: Begins work at the Clinic.
- 4:45 PM: Finishes work and heads home.
- 6:40 PM: Stands in the kitchen.
- 10:00 PM: Heads to her bedroom.
- 12:00 PM: Goes to bed.
Wednesday, Friday, And Saturday
- 9:00 AM: In her bedroom.
- 10:20 AM: Moves to the laboratory.
- 2:00 PM: Leaves the house to stand by the lake to the east of the house.
- 7:00 PM: Leaves the lake and heads home.
- 7:40 PM: Outside the house, looking through her telescope.
- 12:00 PM: Heads inside and goes to bed.
Winter
Monday
- 10:00 AM: Leaves her bedroom.
- 10:20 AM: Moves to the laboratory.
- 1:30 PM: Leaves the house and heads towards town.
- 3:30 PM: Sits on the bench to the south of the Stardrop Saloon.
- 6:30 PM: Leaves and begins walking home.
- 8:00 PM: Returns home.
Tuesday And Thursday
- 7:50 AM: Leaves home and heads to Harvey's Clinic.
- 9:40 AM: Begins work at the Clinic.
- 4:45 PM: Finishes work and heads home.
- 6:40 PM: Stands in the kitchen.
- 10:00 PM: Heads to her bedroom.
- 12:00 PM: Goes to bed.
Wednesday, Friday, And Saturday
- 9:00 AM: In her bedroom.
- 10:20 AM: Leaves her room and heads to the laboratory.
- 2:40 PM: Leaves the house and heads to the Community Centre to sit on the bench by the right.
- 6:00 PM: Heads home.
- 6:40 PM: Returns home and heads to the kitchen.
- 10:00 PM: Heads to her bedroom.
- 12:00 PM: Goes to bed.
Sunday
- 2:00 PM: Leaves the house and heads into town.
- 3:30 PM: Sits on the bench to the south of the Stardrop Saloon.
- 6:30 PM: Begins making her way home.
- 8:10 PM: Returns home.
The Best Gifts For Maru: Likes, Loves, Dislikes, And Hate
Villagers in Stardew Valley love receiving gifts - in fact, it's probably the most reliable way of raising friendship with each character. However, each individual character has different tastes, and the gifts they'd like to receive reflect this. Thankfully, Maru's taste in gifts isn't especially difficult to memorize - she has a big interest in science, so she enjoys receiving slightly uncommon gifts like ores, bars, and batteries. On the other hand, she's not a big fan of many forages, so it's best to avoid anything you find lying around.
Loves
- All Universal Loves
- Battery Pack
- Cauliflower
- Cheese Cauliflower
- Diamond
- Gold Bar
- Iridium Bar
- Miner's Treat
- Pepper Poppers
- Radioactive Bar
- Rhubarb Pie
- Strawberry
Likes
- All Universal Likes (except Honey, Maple Syrup, and Pickles)
- Copper Bar
- Iron Bar
- Oak Resin
- Pine Tar
- Quartz
- Radioactive Ore
Neutrals
- All Universal Neutrals (except Truffle)
- All Eggs
- All Fruit (except Blackberry, Crystal Fruit, Fruit Tree Fruit, Salmonberry, and Strawberry)
- All Milk
- Chanterelle
- Daffodil
- Dandelion
- Ginger
- Hazelnut
- Leek
- Magma Cap
- Morel
- Purple Mushroom
- Wild Horseradish
- Winter Root
Dislikes
- All Universal Dislikes (except Battery Pack, Copper Bar, Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Iron Bar, Oak Resin, and Pine Tar)
- Blackberry
- Common Mushroom
- Crystal Fruit
- Maple Syrup
- Salmonberry
Hates
- All Universal Hates (except Radioactive Bar and Radioactive Ore)
- Holly
- Honey
- Pickles
- Snow Yam
- Truffle
Movie Theater: Maru's Favorites
The Movie Theater quickly became a staple of Stardew Valley after being added in the 1.4 Update, and it's definitely a feature later-game players should take advantage of. With the Movie Theater, players can invite a character to see a movie with them, and quickly raise heart points by choosing a film they enjoy alongside snacks they like.
To invite a character to see a movie, players should visit the Movie Theater and purchase a ticket for 1,000g. After purchasing the ticket, gift it to a villager in the same way normal gifts are given. Then, on the same day that the ticket was given, head to the Theater to meet them there and see a movie together. It's super easy, and super valuable for players looking to gain hearts quickly.
Loved Movies
- Natural Wonders: Exploring Our Vibrant World
- Wumbus
Liked Movies
- The Miracle At Coldstar Ranch
- It Howls In The Rain
- Journey Of The Prairie King: The Motion Picture
- Mysterium
- The Brave Little Sapling
- The Zuzu City Express
Disliked Movies
- None!
Loved Concessions
- Star Cookie
- Stardrop Sorbet
Liked Concessions
- Everything outside of her Loved and Disliked concessions
Disliked Concessions
- Black Licorice
- Jojacorn
- Joja Cola
Maru's Heart Events
Heart events are almost like a reward for players in Stardew Valley who have gone out of their way to get close to a specific villager. By raising heart points, players increase hearts, and more hearts gained lead to more heart events to watch. Maru has quite a few heart events, and some have specific prerequisites to trigger, so be prepared!
- Two Hearts: enter Robin's Carpenter Shop while Maru is there.
- Four Hearts: enter the Clinic while Maru is there.
- Six Hearts: head to the Mountain on a clear day between 9:00 PM and 11:40 PM.
- Eight Hearts: enter Robin's Carpenter Shop while Maru is there.
- Ten Hearts: enter Robin's Carpenter Shop between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
- Fourteen Hearts (I): enter the Farmhouse between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM on any day that isn't Sunday and during any season that isn't Winter.
- Fourteen Hearts (II): enter the Mountains between 10:00 PM and 1:00 AM on a clear day.
What Happens After Marrying Maru?
After marrying Maru, she'll move into the Farmhouse alongside the player. On the right side of the Farmhouse, she'll add her own little workshop where players can see her working on her gadgets; around the back of the Farmhouse, she'll make another space where she can also occasionally be found tinkering with her work. She'll also continue working at the Clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
On days when Maru stays inside all day, she may offer the player something she found 'in her scrap pile', including a Bomb, a Cherry Bomb, Crab Cakes, or Fried Mushroom. On rainy mornings, Maru may offer the player a homemade gift, including a Bomb, a Gate, Refined Quartz, Quality Fertilizer, or a Farm Warp Totem. And, finally, on rainy evenings, Maru might give the player dessert, including Blueberry Tart, Chocolate Cake, Cookies, or Rice Pudding.