One of Stardew Valley’s most underrated marriage candidates is Maru, who is smart as a whip as well as charismatic. A brilliant inventor, part-time nurse, and great friend, Maru is the perfect woman to romance and eventually marry. Even if you don’t have a romantic interest, she can be a great friend, as well.

If you’re looking to level up a friendship with Maru, here are her preferred gifts, as well as some of Stardew Valley’s universal gifts.

Loved Gifts

Potential suitors for Maru will be pleased to know that she has a long list of loved gifts, making it much easier to get your hands on something she really prefers compared to some of the other marriage candidates, who only have a few.

You’ll receive 80 friendship points for giving Maru any the following things: battery packs, cauliflower, diamonds, gold bars, iridium bars, radioactive bars, strawberries, Cheese Cauliflower, Pepper Poppers, Miner’s Treats, or Rhubarb Pie.

You’ll receive 8x the friendship points for giving her a gift on her birthday, which is Summer 10. When given a loved gift, Maru will say “Is that…? Oh wow, [your name]! This is spectacular!”

Liked Gifts

In Stardew Valley, villagers have things they like but don’t love, but these gifts are typically easier to find.

If you want to give Maru something but don’t have any of her loved gifts, consider netting yourself 45 friendship points by giving her something she likes.

Our Other Stardew Valley Guides

  • Haley Gift Guide
  • Shane Gift Guide
  • Willy Gift Guide

This includes copper bars, iron bars, oak resin, pine tar, quartz, and radioactive ore. For a liked gift, Maru will say “This is a super gift! Thank you!”

Universal Gifts in Stardew Valley

There are a few universally-loved gifts in Stardew Valley that you can give to almost any character and they’ll really love it. Maru is no exception to any of these. The universal loves include Magic Rock Candy, pearls, Prismatic Shards, the Golden Pumpkin, and rabbit’s feet.

There are also some universally-liked gifts. These include maple syrup, Life Elixir, most veggies, most gems, most fruit tree fruits, most foraged minerals, most artisan goods, and most cooked dishes.

Maru subscribes to almost all of these, save for maple syrup, which she dislikes, and honey and pickles, both of which she hates.