Starsand Island gift guide: Likes and Affection

Quick Answer

Give each resident one gift per day. The game records strong reactions in that resident's Preference tab, so the safest gift guide is the record built inside your own save rather than a disputed online matrix. Daily conversation, bulletin-board requests, profession quests, and returned lost items also raise affection. Exact point values and many item preferences remain unconfirmed for Version 1.0.

There is no official complete preference matrix for 1.0: the store page and official site publish none, and the reviewed press tables disagree with later community catalogs. This page therefore does not reproduce a fixed resident-by-resident matrix.

On this page

Pair these preferences with the Romanceable Characters guide when planning Bond relationships.

How Gifting Works

Each resident accepts one gift per day. Tools cannot be gifted, according to Eurogamer's gift guide.
After a gift, a popup shows the resident's reaction. Exact affection values are not treated as a Version 1.0 formula because the reviewed sources do not agree consistently.
Every gift you give is recorded on the resident's profile: open Phone > Social, pick the resident, then Details and the Preference / heart tab. Gifts they feel strongly about are logged there as Love, Like, Dislike, or Hate.
The interface uses preference categories such as Love, Like, Dislike, and Hate. Use the categories as an observed record without assigning an unverified numerical effect.

Affection Sources

Gifts are only one lever. Reviewed guides also identify daily conversation, Bulletin Board requests, profession or character quests, returned lost items, and later relationship interactions as affection sources.
Raising affection also unlocks practical perks: guides report that high hearts let you enter friends' homes, where special treasure chests can appear.

Build a Reliable Preference Record

Begin with an inexpensive item you can replace rather than a rare crafting component. The goal of the first gift is to observe a reaction and add evidence to the resident's profile.
Give only one item to that resident on the same day. Several reviewed guides agree on the daily limit, and testing several items at once would not be possible under that rule.
Watch the reaction popup before leaving the conversation. The visible response is stronger evidence for the current save than an item row copied from an older build.
Open Phone > Social, select the resident, choose Details, and inspect the Preference or heart tab. Strong reactions should become part of the save's personal record.
Keep liked and loved discoveries for future days. Avoid repeating a disliked or hated discovery even though the exact affection penalty remains Unconfirmed.
Test one resident at a time when supplies are limited. A reaction discovered for one person does not establish a universal rule for every other resident.
Separate resident identity conflicts from preference data. If a guide uses an alternate mentor name, verify the profile and location before attaching its gift claims to the current NPC.
Retest an important preference after a major update if the game behaves differently. Version 1.0 launched after many reviewed gift tables were written, and no official full gift changelog was found.
Use daily conversation or a request when no safe gift is available. The reviewed guides support those as relationship actions without requiring a disputed item choice.
Return lost items to their named owner rather than treating them as ordinary gifts. The relationship guides describe that action separately from the one-gift-per-day system.

How to Verify a Preference In Game

Because no table online is authoritative, the in-game record is your best friend:

Open Phone > Social and pick the resident.
Open Details, then the Preference / heart tab.
Give one gift and watch the reaction popup in the lower-right corner.
Check the profile again: the game logs the gift and how strongly it was received.
Anything marked Dislike or Hate goes on your personal avoid list for that resident, whatever any website says.

Disputed and Version-Sensitive Gifts

No single universal gift is confirmed. Reviewed sources contradict one another, so this page does not recommend an item as safe for everyone.
Early press tables and later community catalogs often disagree on individual cells. A disagreement is a reason to remove the cell, not to choose whichever list is newer without direct verification.
Some large catalogs appear to include tools, machines, or broad item families even though reviewed guidance says tools cannot be gifted. Their size is not evidence that every row was tested.
One long community guide used during research has since been removed from Steam. It may explain where a claim originated, but it is not a stable public source for a current preference table.
The official store, official site, and reviewed Version 1.0 news do not publish a complete matrix. Any page claiming an official full list needs evidence beyond those sources.
Custom or novelty gift claims are too inconsistent to use as a fast-affection route. Test them only if the current game permits the item and records a clear reaction.

A Low-Risk Daily Relationship Routine

Open Social before choosing a gift and review discoveries already recorded for the resident. Reusing a confirmed positive result is safer than testing a rare object or following a conflicting external list.
Locate the resident through the map or Social tools described by the relationship guides. Finding the correct profile first also avoids applying an alternate-name guide entry to the wrong character.
Talk before or after gifting so the daily conversation is not forgotten. Independent guides consistently treat conversation as a separate affection action even though this page does not publish an exact point value.
Give no more than one item to that resident during the day. If the reaction is unclear, record the item and wait until the profile can be checked rather than trying another gift immediately.
Inspect the Preference tab after the interaction. A strong reaction logged by the current game can guide the next visit, while an absent entry should not be promoted into a verified preference.
Check the Bulletin Board for requests tied to residents you want to know better. Requests provide a relationship path that does not depend on resolving a disputed gift table.
Return any lost item to its named owner. Reviewed relationship coverage treats lost-item returns as their own affection action, so they should not be confused with an ordinary daily gift.
Continue character and profession quests involving that resident. Those quests may advance the relationship while also unlocking story or profession progress.
Watch the mailbox and familiar locations after relationship milestones. Official Version 1.0 news says a three-heart Relationship Story may begin through a next-day letter or a place-based trigger.
Do not assume a missed day damages the relationship. One reviewed guide says friendship does not decay, but because that is not an official rule, simply resume the routine without inventing a penalty.

FAQ

How many gifts can I give per day in Starsand Island?

One gift per NPC per day. Multiple guides agree on the daily cap, and given gifts are logged on the resident's profile under Details, then the Preference or heart tab.

How much affection does a loved gift give?

No official numbers exist in the reviewed sources. The interface records preference categories, but exact affection values and negative-gift effects remain Unconfirmed for Version 1.0.

Is there an official gift preference list?

No. Neither the Steam store page nor the official website publishes a loved/liked/disliked/hated matrix, and the wiki.gg Affection page is an empty stub. Online tables are compiled by media and players.

What is a safe gift when I do not know a preference?

Start with a replaceable item, observe the reaction, and check that resident's Preference tab. Reviewed online lists conflict too often to name one reliable universal item or fixed theme.