In Stardew Valley, the cast of characters the player can meet all have different preferences. With the mechanics of the friendship system, each character can have one of five preferences to every single item in the game: love, like, neutral, dislike, or hate. However, there are a handful of gifts that are loved by everyone (with very few exceptions). These gifts are called the "universal loves" amongst the fanbase. Each will net the player +80 friendship points with the recipient.
Unfortunately, these five items are very rare and extremely difficult to come by for many people. However, when the player has a couple laying around in a chest or something, they can be a great option when they just don't know what to get a potential giftee. Here are the Stardew Valley universal loves, and how to obtain them.
Rabbit's Foot
Though a little grisly, a Rabbit's Foot is an obtainable item in Stardew Valley. Strangely, raising Rabbits in a Coop can lead to them dropping this item, though they never seem to run out, nor do their sprites change to show any missing feet. It seems the Rabbits in Stardew Valley can just materialize new feet out of thin air.
Rabbit's Feet are one of the five universal loves, though they do have one exception: Penny, who hates them.
This animal product is obtainable through a few methods. If a Rabbit is fed, happy, and very close with the farmer, there's a chance it will drop a Rabbit's Foot each day. This probability is boosted by the player's daily luck. Otherwise, they're a very rare drop from defeated Serpents and sold occasionally by the Traveling Cart.
Golden Pumpkin
Solving a spooky maze in a Halloween celebration could come with a whole host of different prizes, but what's better than a gilded gourd?
The Golden Pumpkin is a special item that can only be obtained in two ways: by opening the chest at the end of the maze during Spirit's Eve, Stardew's equivalent of Halloween; or at random inside of an Artifact Trove.
This cool gold veggie is universally-loved by every giftable character in the game, without exception.
Prismatic Shard
Prismatic Shards are some of the most important and sought-after items in Stardew Valley. These special rare gems are used for a variety of purposes, most notably, to obtain the Galaxy Sword.
There's a long list of reasons as to why so many players are desperate to find these rare stones, and one of them is for friendship purposes. Prismatic Shards are loved by every character in the game except Haley.
Luckily, with how useful these gems are, they can be found in several different ways, though they're still very rare. Here are all the ways to get one:
- Mystic Stones have a 25% chance to drop one when broken
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Some treasure chests can include a Prismatic Shard, including:
- fishing treasure chests (starting at Fishing Level 6)
- treasure rooms in Skull Cavern
- in the chest at the top of the Volcano dungeon (only once)
- Omni Geodes that are broken open can contain a Prismatic Shard
- There's a small chance (about 4%) that an Iridium Node can drop one
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Serpents, Mummies, Shadow Brutes, and Shadow Shaman all have a very slim chance of dropping a Prismatic Shard when defeated
- After reaching the bottom of the Mines, this changes to any enemy
- A Fish Pond stocked with at least nine Rainbow Trout can sometimes produce a Prismatic Shard
- There's one more method in the post-game that we won't spoil here!
Pearl
Pearls are very precious gifts in real life, and the same goes for in the Stardew Valley universe. These rare items are possibly harder to obtain than Prismatic Shards, but they don't have as many uses. They're universally-loved by everyone as a gift, though, with no exceptions.
Here's where they can be found:
- If the player fills a Fish Pond with 10 Crabs, Willy will give them a Pearl
- Solving the puzzle at the Mermaid Show in the Night Market will award a Pearl, but only the first time
- A Fish Pond with at least nine Blobfish can produce a Pearl, rarely
- Artifact Troves have a small chance to contain a Pearl
- Journal Scrap #6 on Ginger Island will lead to a Pearl
- Fishing in the submarine during the Night Market has a very small chance to result in a Pearl (the chance can be increased with a Curiosity Lure)
- In the dangerous version of the Mines, Pearls can be foraged
Magic Rock Candy
The final universal love is an awesome edible gift, but not one that's easy to come by. The Magic Rock Candy is typically used by the player for a host of buffs, including +2 Mining, +5 Luck, +1 Speed, +5 Attack, and +5 Defense, as well as recovering a whopping 500 energy and 225 health. It's easily the best dish in the game, especially when Mining, but the more socially-inclined can earn a good number of friendship points by giving it away as a gift.
This rainbow candy is a universally-loved item, without any exceptions. To find them, check the following sources:
- One is a reward for donating 90 items to the Museum
- The Desert Trader will offer a Magic Rock Candy in exchange for three Prismatic Shards on Thursdays
- Haunted Skulls have a very, very small chance to drop them when defeated