5 Best and Worst Characters In Stardew Valley

Ahead of the game's 5th anniversary, let's take a look at some of our favorite and least favorite villagers.


Published: February 25, 2021 12:00 PM /

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techraptor stardew valley characters

Like any good farming sim, Stardew Valley has an abundance of NPCs to talk and interact with, give gifts to, and progress their storylines. And like any good game site, we are here to judge them! So, in celebration of the anniversary of Stardew Valley’s release, let’s break it down: Which villagers are the best and worst?

Please note this does not include marriage candidates and these lists are in no particular order besides just best or worst.

Best Stardew Valley Characters

Marnie

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Marnie is an absolute sweetheart. She loves her animals, she sends you hay in the mail, and she’s taking care of her alcoholic nephew and helping to raise his goddaughter. Marnie is always pleasant to the player character, and it’s clear that she cares a lot about the valley and the other residents.

She’s always quick with a smile and helps make the farmer feel welcome when they first move in. Unfortunately, she’s also dating Mayor Lewis, who insists they keep their relationship a secret for political reasons. Considering Marnie is on our best list and Lewis is on our worst—girl, you deserve better!

Gus

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Gus owns and runs the Stardrop Saloon, a local tavern, hangout, and communal gathering place, at least until you build the community center. Then it’s the more popular choice for people to hang out at because the community center doesn’t serve beer and spaghetti.

Gus, much like Marnie, is a friendly face around town when you first move in, and his special request of eggs for making a giant omelette is hilarious and fun. He gets along with everyone in town, and the Stardrop Saloon is pretty fun in itself. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with Gus?

Robin

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Robin is the resident carpenter of the valley and god help them if she ever falls off a roof or breaks her arm because she’s literally the only carpenter in the valley. I don’t think I’d trust anyone else with power tools. She’s fun, has a great sense of humor, she fixes your house, and can build anything you need! But she’s not just great for her utilitarian values, she’s also a really good, caring mom to Sebastian and Maru too.

Investigating her house reveals Robin’s thoughtful side, and how she treats her kids speaks volumes. She also tries to help out the local community when she can, but unfortunately, like Marnie, she’s also in a relationship with one of the worst characters on the list: her husband Demetrius.

Wizard

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The Wizard is, unlike the previous examples, not exactly a “nice” person, but he definitely makes the valley interesting. The wizard grants you access to fun storylines and quests, lets you change your appearance, and is a friend to the mystical Juminos at the community center. Plus, once you’re friends, the things he sends you in the mail are pretty decent, ranging from mushrooms to gems.

Unfortunately, it’s also shown in the game that he cheated on his ex-wife, which caused her to turn into a witch, and then he enlists your help to get back what is allegedly his bottle of magical ink by breaking into the witch’s house. No wonder she flies over your farm and curses your eggs from time to time, poor woman just can’t catch a break! Then again, this still does fall under the fun quest category, and the Wizard might be telling the truth, so it’s a matter of opinion.

Krobus

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Krobus is an absolute sweetheart. A shadow monster who lives in the sewers of Stardew Valley, he doesn’t go out in sunlight but wants to know more about humans and their world. He introduces you to the brief storyline of the war between dwarves and the shadow people and is also the one to give you the very useful magnifying glass item.

He’s a total softie, refuses to get involved in the war with the dwarves that his people are fighting, and is friendly enough with the farmer that he’ll even go to the movies with you, in disguise, no matter how wary he seems to be of other humans, despite his curiosity. Krobus is also a non-romantic roommate option and can move into the farmhouse with you, and will also happily help you to raise any previous kids you may have.

Worst Stardew Valley Charaters

Pam

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Pam is trash. She has been my least favorite character from day 1, and I would happily drive the bus to the desert myself if it meant we could get rid of Pam. But alas! That has yet to be an option.

Pam is abusive to her daughter and abrasive to several other villagers, an unrepentant alcoholic who shows no signs of trying to help herself (unlike Shane) and a lazy sod who has forced her daughter to live at home with her and do the work to support them both, as well as take care of domestic chores. She verbally abuses Penny and is just an all around terrible person. I’m assuming her purpose in the game is to prove that every town has one of those types of people.

Demetrius

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I still have no idea why on earth Robin married this guy. Demetrius is, much like Pam, abusive to his stepson Sebastian and blatantly favors him over daughter Maru, is constantly obsessing over his scientific research, and refuses to see that other people don’t always feel the same way that he does about things. He gets into an argument with Robin about fruit salad for goodness sake, which should be solved by a simple “Well, scientifically I disagree, but I understand your point.”

While his mistreatment of Sebastian is what really pushes me over the edge, he’s also very haughty and stuck up about his own scientific qualifications when he interacts with the player character. Being a scientist doesn’t make you better than everyone else, but apparently, nobody told him that.

Lewis

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Ah yes, Mayor Lewis. Don’t get me wrong, in day-to-day conversation, Lewis is always very friendly and polite with the player character, and helpful. He welcomes you to the valley and takes the time to check up on you frequently. It’s just a shame he doesn’t care enough about the valley’s other residents, who he blatantly disregards even when they clearly have issues. He doesn’t even bother fixing up the community center or any of the other associated projects like the mine carts and the bus to the desert, though these should be well within his capability.

Additionally, Lewis refuses to go public with his relationship with Marnie, forcing her the sneak around for goodness knows how long, and appears to have some sort of a monopoly on the position of Mayor, which he’s said to have held for over 15 years. Time to vote him out!

George

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George, unlike the other characters on the worst list, has a sad backstory. He was involved in an accident as a young man and lost the ability to walk, and now sits around watching TV in his wheelchair all day. While I have some sympathy for his situation, I don’t have sympathy for the distasteful way he treats his wife, grandson, and all the other villagers.

Evelyn, his wife, gets constantly ordered around by him, and he’s a grouch to grandson Alex (when he’s not ignoring him) and to the other villagers. He’s just all-around nasty and cantankerous, and the long, slow chore of befriending him hardly seems worth it in the end unless you’re specifically going for an achievement.

Clint

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For the record, Clint is a fine blacksmith and he does a good job when you need to go to his shop for equipment and services. But with that out of the way, he’s basically a sad-sack “nice guy” pining after Emily with no redeeming character traits. Most of his events revolve around her, and he laments to the player that she should love him.

Given that they seem to have been friends for several years by the time the player moves to the valley, you kind of want to smack the guy. Either confess or move on! And either way, do something else. Get a hobby or a second job or please do literally anything other than blacksmithing and drinking at the Stardrop Saloon. Oh and quit leaving your shop door open on days when you’re not there, that’s a real pain in the butt.

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


Courtney
| Former Staff Writer

Courtney Ehrenholfer is an aspiring novelist and screenwriter, and current journalist who greatly enjoys video games, especially those of the point and… More about Courtney

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Stardew Valley
Game Page Stardew Valley
Developer
ConcernedApe
Publisher
Chucklefish
Release Date
February 26, 2016 (Calendar)
Genre
Simulation
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