Give each resident one gift per day. Media guides commonly report reaction tiers of Love (+15), Like (+10), Neutral (+5), and Dislike or Hate (0) — these are press-reported values, not official formulas. Loved gifts usually match a resident's job or theme: ores for Zerine and Neona, animal feed for Pastelle, bamboo for Youfang, flowers for Delphin and Sylvain, crops for Graminova, bugs for Bruce. Daily conversation, bulletin-board requests, profession quests, and returned lost items also raise affection.
There is no official complete preference matrix for 1.0: the store page and official site publish none, and the February 2026 press tables are incomplete and often disagree with later community catalogs. Use the table below with its confidence column, and verify anything important in game.
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 can show the reaction value (+5, +10, or +15 in player reports); disappointed reactions may show no plus score at all.
- 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 reaction tiers below are the scale commonly reported by media (TechRaptor, Eurogamer, TheGamer, PCGamesN). No official source publishes these numbers.
| Reaction | Reported affection | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Favorite / Love | +15 | The strongest reaction; logged in Preferences |
| Like | +10 | Logged in Preferences |
| Neutral / no strong feeling | +5 | TheGamer says these do not appear in Preferences |
| Dislike | 0 | Whether it can subtract points is disputed |
| Hate | 0 | Same dispute as Dislike |
Affection Sources
Gifts are only one lever. These values are reported by press guides, not confirmed by the developer:
| Action | Reported gain | Limit / caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Daily conversation | +5 | Once per day |
| Bulletin Board request | +15 to +25 (TheGamer); ~15 easy / ~30 harder (Eurogamer) | Which resident posts is random |
| Profession / character quest | about +50 | Strongest on profession mentors |
| Return a lost item | +20 | Only when you find the tagged item |
| Group photo | +5 | Player-reported; unlocks at 2 hearts |
Raising affection also unlocks practical perks: guides report that high hearts let you enter friends' homes, where special treasure chests can appear.
NPC Preference Table
This table is a careful compilation, not an official or complete 1.0 list. Rows only include items that at least two independent opened sources agree on, and the confidence column tells you how solid each row is. "Cross-checked" means two or more credible guides agree; "Community-reported" means the row rests on community catalogs and player lists without press confirmation. When a resident's full four-column list is not settled, the gaps are left visible on purpose.
5 results
| NPC | Love | Like | Avoid | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youfang | Bamboo, Bamboo Leaf, Bamboo Shoot | Hydrangeas, Dragon Fruit | Tin reported by two guides; another list shows no hates | Cross-checked (bamboo) | Bamboo is a safe theme, not a proven complete list |
| Pastelle | Rabbit Feed | Twilight Succulent, Water Spinach, Wheat | Glazed Cicada; Moorish Idol | Cross-checked (feed) | Later community lists extend Love to most farm feeds |
| Lunelle | Flannel | Hydrangeas, Moonflower | Chinese Perch; Iron | Cross-checked | Other fabrics loved on later community lists |
| Stella | Black Tea Macaron | Snacks, flowers, Giant Egg | Bamboo Leaf, Charcoal, Chinese Perch | Cross-checked | Some lists add Star Mango and Star Plum as loves |
| Bruce | Glazed Cicada, Solarwing Butterfly | Celeste Berry, Stone | Hardwood | Cross-checked | The "everyone hates bugs except Bruce" heuristic is outdated — Fang also loves bugs |
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
FAQ
How many gifts can I give per day in Starsand Island?
How much affection does a loved gift give?
Is there an official gift preference list?
What is a safe gift when I do not know a preference?
Can I gift tools or machines?
Do disliked or hated gifts lower affection?
Sources
- OfficialStarsand Island on Steam (Opens in a new window)
- Community WikiCharacters — Starsand Island Wiki (wiki.gg) (Opens in a new window)
- PressStarsand Island Gifts Guide — TechRaptor (Opens in a new window)
- PressStarsand Island Gift Guide: All Character Loved Gifts — Eurogamer (Opens in a new window)
- PressRomance Options, Marriage and Affection — Eurogamer (Opens in a new window)
- PressStarsand Island Gift Guide — PCGamesN (Opens in a new window)
- Player ReportBest Gifts for Every Character — FarmFriends (Opens in a new window)