Stardew Valley Maru Guide

Introduction to Stardew Valley Maru Guide

Maru is a villager who lives in the Mountains, just north of Pelican Town. She is one of the twelve characters in Stardew Valley that the player can choose to marry. Maru is an aspiring inventor with a strong passion for creating gadgets and tinkering with machinery. Her interest in this field is influenced by her upbringing, as her father is a carpenter and her mother is a scientist. Maru is known for being one of the most intelligent marriage candidates in the game, and her personality is marked by friendliness, ambition, and an outgoing nature. She is a kind and thoughtful individual, with a bright future ahead, making her an appealing option for a partner in the game.

Basic Information

Maru’s birthday falls on Summer 10, and celebrating it by giving her a gift on this date will greatly increase your friendship with her, as it has an 8x effect. She lives at 24 Mountain Road, north of Pelican Town, in a house attached to her mother Robin’s carpenter shop. Maru’s family includes her father, Demetrius, who is a scientist, her mother, Robin, the carpenter, and her half-brother, Sebastian.

While she has a strained relationship with Sebastian and wishes they were closer, she maintains a close bond with her parents. Maru works part-time as a nurse at Harvey’s clinic, where she can be found on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both Maru and Harvey are concerned about the clinic’s low patient turnout. Additionally, Maru visits the Night Market on Winter 16. As a marriage candidate, she is one of the twelve characters in Stardew Valley that the player can choose to marry.

Schedule

Maru’s schedule changes depending on the season, day of the week, and weather. She can typically be found in her lab or bedroom at home, at the clinic, or in town. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she works at the clinic, and after work, she returns home.

On other days, she can be found in various locations such as the bench south of the Saloon, the lake east of her house, or the Community Center. During spring, on rainy days, she stays at home in her room or lab. On Mondays and Sundays, she starts in her room, then moves to her lab, and later sits on the bench south of the Saloon.

On Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, she spends time in her room, then in her lab, and then goes to sit on the bench east of the Community Center. In summer, on rainy days, she follows a similar schedule, staying at home in her room, the store part of the house, or the lab. On certain days, she also enjoys stargazing by the lake with her telescope.

In fall, her schedule remains mostly consistent with spring, and she stays at home on rainy days. Winter brings the addition of attending the Night Market on Winter 16. On Mondays and Sundays, Maru visits the Carpenter’s Shop, then the Community Center, and returns home. If the Community Center is restored, she visits the Crafts Room on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. If not, she spends those days sitting on the bench east of the Community Center.

After marriage, Maru moves onto the farm but will still leave the farm on Mondays to visit the Carpenter’s Shop and on Tuesdays and Thursdays to work at the clinic. On Ginger Island, she may spend a day at the Beach Resort, but never on festival days or the days she works at the clinic. After leaving the island at 6 p.m., she immediately heads home to bed.

Relationships

Maru lives with her parents, Demetrius and Robin, and her half-brother, Sebastian. Demetrius, a scientist, shares a close relationship with Maru, and she often helps him in the laboratory. He is very proud of her achievements and is protective of her future, wanting to ensure nothing stands in her way. Robin, Maru’s mother, is the town carpenter, and Maru sometimes helps her out at the family store. Maru’s relationship with her half-brother, Sebastian, is strained.

She wishes they were closer, but she feels like he doesn’t like her, and they rarely interact. Maru works at Harvey’s clinic, and both she and Harvey worry about the clinic’s low patient turnout. Maru sometimes dances with Harvey at the Flower Dance if neither is dancing with the player. Although they work together, Maru mentions that Harvey is “not really her type.” Maru is also friends with Penny, and the two often sit together on the bench south of the Saloon. They are regarded as two of the most intelligent villagers in Stardew Valley.

Gifts

Giving gifts is a key way to build your friendship with Maru, as you can give her up to two gifts per week, plus one on her birthday, Summer 10, which has an 8x effect on your relationship. The effect of a gift depends on whether it is something she loves, likes, is neutral about, dislikes, or hates. Loved gifts will significantly increase your friendship with Maru.

These include items like the Battery Pack, Cauliflower, Cheese Cauliflower, Diamond, Dwarf Gadget, Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Miner’s Treat, Pepper Poppers, Radioactive Bar, Rhubarb Pie, and Strawberry. Liked gifts also boost your friendship but to a lesser degree. Maru likes items such as Chanterelle, Copper Bar, Iron Bar, Magma Cap, Morel, Oak Resin, Pine Tar, Purple Mushroom, Quartz, and Radioactive Ore. Neutral gifts have a smaller effect, including items like all eggs (except Void Egg), all fruit (except Blackberry, Crystal Fruit, Fruit Tree Fruit, Salmonberry, and Strawberry), Daffodil, Dandelion, Ginger, Hazelnut, Leek, Wild Horseradish, and Winter Root.

Disliked gifts will lower your friendship with Maru. These include items like Blackberry, Common Mushroom, Crystal Fruit, Maple Syrup, and Salmonberry. Hated gifts greatly lower your friendship, such as Holly, Honey, Pickles, Snow Yam, Truffle, and some universal hates. The easiest gifts to give are Cauliflower, which is a loved gift easily grown in your farm, and Copper Bars, which are liked and can be crafted by smelting copper ore in a furnace. By focusing on giving Maru gifts she loves or likes while avoiding those she dislikes or hates, you can quickly strengthen your bond with her.

Heart Events

Heart events are special cutscenes that occur when you reach specific friendship levels with Maru, offering deeper insights into her character and impacting your relationship with her. Each event has its own requirements, such as location, time of day, and weather, and may involve choices that affect your friendship with Maru.

At two hearts, you can trigger the event by entering the Carpenter’s Shop while Maru is there. In this event, you see Maru and her father, Demetrius, testing soil samples in their lab. After Maru steps out, Demetrius talks about how proud he is of her and doesn’t want anything to interfere with her future. If you choose to say nothing, you gain friendship points with Demetrius, but if you mention his behavior, it harms your relationship with him. At four hearts, the event is triggered in the clinic, where Maru accidentally drops a glass beaker. Depending on your response, your relationship with Maru may improve or worsen.

At six hearts, the event takes place in the mountains on a sunny night, where Maru shows you something through her telescope. Your response to what you see will either strengthen or weaken your bond with her. At eight hearts, you can trigger the event in the Carpenter’s Shop, where Maru shows you a project she’s been working on, and you get shocked by her machine. Your response to the incident will influence how Maru feels about you.

At ten hearts, Maru reveals her latest invention, a robot named MarILDA, to you in the Carpenter’s Shop. Depending on how you react to the robot, your friendship with Maru can improve or take a hit. There is also a group ten-heart event, which occurs after reaching ten hearts with all the bachelorettes. If you have a Rabbit’s Foot, the event will involve a gossip session about Mayor Lewis and Marnie. If you don’t, the bachelorettes will express anger at you for dating them all.

Finally, at fourteen hearts, Maru invites you to join her in stargazing to observe a rare astronomical event. The first part of the event takes place in the Farmhouse, where she asks you to meet her in the mountains on the following night. The second part takes place near a telescope in the mountains, where she asks you to make a wish after seeing a comet. While the choices you make during this event do not affect your friendship, they provide an opportunity to connect with Maru.

By understanding these events and making the right choices, you can improve your relationship with Maru and work toward marrying her.

Marriage

Marrying Maru is a significant step in Stardew Valley and requires you to follow specific steps after reaching a certain friendship level. Once you are married, Maru will move into your farmhouse, and your relationship will continue to grow.

To begin the process of marriage, you must reach 8 hearts with Maru. At this stage, Pierre will send you a letter informing you that a bouquet is available for purchase at his shop for 200g. Giving this bouquet to Maru will change her status to “girlfriend” in the Social menu. From here, you can continue to build your relationship with her, increasing your friendship up to 10 hearts.

Once you reach 10 hearts, you will receive a letter from Mayor Lewis explaining that proposing marriage in Stardew Valley is done by giving a Mermaid’s Pendant. This pendant can be bought from the Old Mariner, who appears on rainy days at the beach, near the tidal pools (after repairing the wooden bridge). You must have also upgraded your house at least once to be able to buy the pendant. Presenting the Mermaid’s Pendant to Maru will lead to her accepting your proposal, and your wedding will be scheduled for three days later, with the event postponed by one day if there is a festival.

After the wedding, Maru will move into the farmhouse. A unique room will be added to the right of the bedroom, reflecting her interests in science and invention. Additionally, a small outdoor area will be set up for her to work on gadgets. Maru will also perform various spouse behaviors, including watering crops, feeding animals, and repairing fences. She will give you gifts and help decorate the house. Maru continues her work at the clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays and visits her mother at the Carpenter’s Shop on Mondays.

On rainy mornings, Maru might give you items like a Warp Totem: Farm, Quality Fertilizer, Refined Quartz, a Gate, or a Bomb. On rainy nights, she may offer Rice Pudding, Blueberry Tart, Cookies, or Chocolate Cake. When she stays indoors all day, she might give you gifts like a Cherry Bomb, a Bomb, Fried Mushroom, or Crab Cakes, claiming she found them in her “scrap pile.”

You can have two children with Maru. The gender of the first child is random, while the second child will be the opposite gender of the first.

Married players can trigger a 14-heart event with Maru in two parts. The first part occurs when you enter the Farmhouse between 6:10 am and 5 pm on a non-Sunday and non-Winter day. Maru will tell you about a rare astronomical event happening the next night and invite you to meet her in the mountains. The second part happens when you visit the mountains between 10:00 pm and 1:00 am on a sunny day. Maru and you will stargaze together and witness a comet.

Marrying Maru provides a rich and fulfilling experience, as she brings her unique personality and interests into your shared life on the farm.

Quotes

Maru has a diverse set of quotes that reflect her personality, interests, and relationships with others, evolving based on the season, day, and your friendship level. When you first meet her, she greets you enthusiastically, noting how a new face in town can change the community dynamic. Throughout the game, she shares insights into her life, like how she enjoys taking walks when she’s struggling with a technical problem or how she helps her father, Demetrius, with his scientific work. Maru often mentions her interest in gadgets and inventions, offering to let you tinker with her creations or inviting you to visit when you need building upgrades.

She works at Harvey’s clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays, sometimes remarking on how it’s an easy job but one that’s important to her. Maru also expresses her feelings about her family, particularly her strained relationship with her half-brother, Sebastian. She shares a deep interest in stargazing and often talks about her telescope, especially during the warmer months. When the weather is rainy, she enjoys staying indoors to work on gadgets, though she laments that rain prevents her from stargazing.

Maru’s heart events further reveal her thoughts and feelings, especially as you grow closer. At six hearts, she talks about her logical father and intuitive mother, which sometimes leads to conflict. She even mentions how she works with Harvey, but he’s not her type. By eight hearts, she shares more personal feelings, expressing that she likes working at the clinic but is still unsure about relationships. After marriage, Maru’s quotes become more affectionate, with her often commenting on how much she enjoys living on the farm and spending time with you.

Maru’s interactions during festivals and events show her more social side. Whether it’s the Egg Festival, Flower Dance, or the Luau, she enjoys participating in the community events and sharing her thoughts on the atmosphere. If you’re married, she often includes you in her reflections, from enjoying a meal at the Luau to making small jokes about her snowman during the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies.

Her quotes about her daily life reflect her thoughtful and inventive nature. Whether it’s talking about her latest project in her workshop, discussing farm work, or contemplating how to improve her gadgets, Maru always has something interesting to share. She also expresses concern for her family, especially her father, who can get depressed during the winter months, and her aspirations to create something to help the farm.

As Maru’s friendship with you deepens, she reveals her hopes and dreams, like her desire to be a world-class inventor, and shows care for your well-being, often commenting on how you manage farm life or giving small gifts from her scrap pile. Her quotes offer a glimpse into her growth and personality, making her one of the most relatable and intriguing characters in Stardew Valley.

Movies & Concessions

Maru has several favorite movies and concessions that can help you gain friendship points with her in Stardew Valley. Her loved movies are Natural Wonders: Exploring Our Vibrant World and Wumbus. She likes a range of movies, including It Howls In The Rain, Journey Of The Prairie King: The Motion Picture, Mysterium, The Brave Little Sapling, The Miracle At Coldstar Ranch, and The Zuzu City Express.

When it comes to concessions, Maru loves Star Cookie and Stardrop Sorbet, and she enjoys several others, such as Apple Slices, Cappuccino Mousse Cake, Chocolate Popcorn, Cotton Candy, Fries, Hummus Snack Pack, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jasmine Tea, Jawbreaker, Kale Smoothie, Nachos, Panzanella Salad, Personal Pizza, Popcorn, Rock Candy, Salmon Burger, Salted Peanuts, Sour Slimes, and Truffle Popcorn. Maru dislikes Black Licorice, Joja Cola, and JojaCorn. Inviting her to watch a movie she loves will earn you 200 friendship points, while inviting her to a movie she likes will earn 100 points. Giving her a concession she loves will net you 50 points, and offering a concession she likes will give you 25 points.

Quests

Maru has a single type of quest that she may request, which is posted at the “Help Wanted” board outside Pierre’s General Store. These requests typically involve bringing her a specific item. Completing her request will reward you with 150 friendship points and 3 times the base value of the item in gold.

Trivia

Maru’s portrait shows her wearing glasses, but her in-game sprite does not display any visible glasses. There are three portraits of Maru that do not feature a nurse uniform, and when her dialogue calls for one of these portraits, she will default to the surprised portrait. Maru’s appearance evolved over the years during the game’s development. In version 1.3.32, the red color was removed from the plus sign on her nursing hat. In version 1.6, the Dwarf Gadget was added to the list of items Maru loves, while Chanterelle, Magma Cap, Morel, and Purple Mushroom were added to the list of items she likes. Additionally, in version 1.6.4, eyeglasses were removed from Maru’s beach portraits.

Timeline/History

Maru’s appearance changed over the years during the game’s development. She was first introduced in version 1.0 of the game. In version 1.1, a work area was added behind the farmhouse if Maru was married to the player. Version 1.3.27 added the group 10-heart event, while in version 1.3.32, the red color was removed from the plus sign on her nursing hat.

In version 1.4, the 14-heart event was added, and a glitch was fixed that caused Maru to wear her work uniform after hours on festival days. A bug was also fixed that caused Maru to wear normal clothes inside the clinic after one of her heart events. Version 1.5 introduced beach portraits for Maru. In version 1.6, winter portraits and additional beach portraits were added. The Dwarf Gadget became a loved gift for Maru, and Chanterelle, Magma Cap, Morel, and Purple Mushroom were added to her list of liked gifts. In version 1.6.4, eyeglasses were removed from Maru’s beach portraits.