One often-overlookedStardew Valleycharacter deserves a chance at the player’s friendship, because they have more to offer than some may expect. Among the wide selection of friends and marriage candidates inStardew Valley, it can be easy for one or more villagers to fall by the wayside during a playthrough. However, the open-ended nature of the game gives players the opportunity to get to know everyone at their own pace, no matter how long it takes to do so. This enables players to build relationships even with those that they miss out on early in the game.
There’s a reason whyStardew Valley’s friendship mechanicsare among the most beloved parts of the game. Pelican Town is full of characters that the player can talk to and get to know, with the player getting to learn more about them as they get closer. Players mostly improve their relationships with villagers by talking to them and giving them gifts, with gifts on their birthday or the Feast of the Winter Star providing large bonuses. A few select villagers can also be married, unlocking new dialogue and heart events. It’s worth investing in building as many friendships as possible during the game.
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Stardew Valley’s Maru is a Worthwhile Friend to Make
Maru is the half-sister of popularStardew Valleymarriage option Sebastianand the daughter of Robin and Demetrius. She works as a nurse at Harvey’s clinic when she isn’t working on her own experiments in her family lab. She has an unfortunately strained relationship with Sebastian, stemming from Demetrius' overprotective nature and shows of favoritism. Although Maru is not the only scientist in the valley, she is likely the smartest character in the game, with her only potential rival being the Wizard. It helps that Maru herself has a pleasant and agreeable personality, making her a character that players can easily see themselves befriending.
Her scheduling is one of the main obstacles whenbefriending Maru inStardew Valley. She works two days a week at Harvey’s Clinic, which players have little reason to visit most of the time. On most other days, she stays at her family’s home on the mountain for the vast majority of the day, aside from some brief excursions into town. She doesn’t even go to the saloon on Fridays, unlike most of the town’s inhabitants. However, players can circumvent this by making trips to the mountain part of their regular routine, which is also necessary for befriending characters like Robin and Linus.
Although Maru’s schedule can be troublesome, she is an excellent friend to make, andmarrying Maru inStardew Valleywill provide the character with some great scenes. In her ten-heart event, the game reveals that she created a sentient robot that immediately flies away, proving that she inherited both her father’s scientific mind and her mother’s impeccable skill in building. Her fourteen-heart event is one of the more understated in the game, but remarkably sweet, seeing her and the farmer watching a comet together. Her personality is low-key, but her scenes are some of the most charming in the game.
Maru is a likable character despite her schedule making her hard to reach sometimes. Out of all themarriage candidates inStardew Valley, Maru is one of the more pleasant options thanks to her calm personality. Even if players aren’t seeking to marry her, she’s still a good character to befriend thanks to the likability that she shows in her heart events. Every character requires a lot of effort to max out a friendship, and Maru is no exception in that regard.Stardew Valleyplayers shouldn’t forget about Maru, because earning her friendship is well worth the effort.
Stardew Valleyis available now for Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Switch, and Xbox One.
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