In the popular farming sim Stardew Valley, the player moves to Pelican Town to escape the monotony of their office job. As well as being tasked with maintaining the farm left to them by their grandfather, the farmer spends their time getting to know the residents of the rural town and has the opportunity to fall in love with and marry some of the residents.
There are a number of characters in Stardew Valley, however, that are off-limits for romance. This could be because they're already married, inaccessible, or otherwise uninterested in dating. Despite that, all of these characters have value to add to the game - be it a heartfelt story, useful recipes, or random gifts.
8 Gunther
Far from being romanceable, Gunther isn't even giftable. This has given him a bit of a mystique in the Stardew Valley community. He's so devoid of heart events, dialogue, and story, that it's easy to let the imagination run wild.
As for his actual role in the game, Gunther is the Museum Curator of the Stardew Valley Archeological Office. This doesn't give him a lot of freedom in the game, as he only ever leaves the museum once - to give the player the rusty sewer key. The most dialogue he has is here and at the start of the game, where he explains that the previous curator made off with the entire collection.
7 Linus
Linus is a homeless man that lives in the mountains of the valley. He considers himself the outcast of the valley, which is generally true, as he spends most of his time alone. Befriending him reveals more of his story and personality, as he slowly warms up to the farmer.
Aside from having an interesting story, Linus is also a useful character to befriend for the Wild Bait recipe. Wild Bait is essentially an upgraded version of standard bait which increases the maximum time before a bite by 62.5% and adds the ability to catch two fish at once. It unlocks once the player reaches his fourth heart event.
6 Wizard
The Wizard (real name Magnus Rasmodius) is a pivotal part of the valley and one that's generally ignored by most of the residents. He adds a certain magical charm to the otherwise realistic farming sim and is the player's guide to the magical world of Junimos.
There's also a popular fan theory (hinted at strongly by canon) that Abigail is not in fact Pierre's daughter, but the wizards. This is all but confirmed by dialogue in the game - from Pierre wondering if Abigail is really his daughter, Caroline talking about 'secret visits' to the Wizard's Tower, to the Wizard himself saying he has reason to believe that one of the residents is his daughter.
5 Sandy
Sandy is the proprietor of the store in Calico Desert, an area that can only be unlocked by purchasing the Vault Bundles in the Community Center (for 43,500g) or buying the Joja Community Development Form (40,000g). While Emily won by a landslide, Sandy was at one point a potential marriage candidate, and many players believe she should have been in the first place.
She's a charming, interesting character that always appreciates visits from the farmer as she's pretty alone in the desert. She is at least giftable and has some heart events that are definitely worth seeing.
4 Gus
Gus is the owner and bartender of the Stardrop Saloon, the only bar/pub in Pelican town, where he also lives. As far as Stardew Valley characters go, he's pretty underrated, spending most of his time behind a bar with little opportunity to socialize.
Despite this, Gus is a warm and friendly character with a lot to offer. He's surprisingly wise, with his five-heart event drawing parallels between cooking a new dish and the player arriving in Pelican Town - he says that a new ingredient could ruin the sauce or create something new and delicious.
3 Evelyn
Evelyn is a sweet old lady that lives with her husband George and grandson Alex near the Stardrop Saloon. She has lived in the valley her entire life, and as such, always has a drop of wisdom to impart to the player. She spends time baking and tending to the garden in the Town Square.
Befriending Evelyn is the only way to get access to the Cookie and Rice Pudding recipes. In addition to this, at any friendship level beyond 0, she will randomly send the player Bread, Chocolate Cake, and Cookies.
2 Robin
One of the first characters the player meets in Stardew Valley, many people have a soft spot for the hard-working carpenter. As well as running the Carpentry Shop out of her home at 24 Mountain Road, Robin is responsible for all the farm's major upgrades, making her a pivotal character in the running of a successful farm.
While she doesn't have too much to offer in terms of heart events, she makes up for it with charming dialogue. After befriending her, she will also randomly send the player 50 wood in the mail, and after seven hearts the player will get a recipe for Pumpkin Soup.
1 Leo
The newest giftable character, Leo was introduced in a major update to the game that added Ginger Island. He certainly has one of the most interesting backstories in the game - his parents were lost at sea, and he was raised by parrots, leading him to believe that he is one.
By befriending him, the player learns more about the abandoned child and can convince him to move out of Ginger Island and into the valley, where he lives near Linus and goes to school with Vincent and Jas. Befriending Leo is one of the most rewarding things the farmer can do, and has the biggest impact on the game besides marriage.
Stardew Valley is available for Android, iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X/S.