While starting a collection of cool minerals, artifacts, and other items might not be something that gives players incentive to donate things to the museum in Stardew Valley, the gifts that players can get from Gunther should be motivating. After all, some of these items are only available through Gunther, and can't be bought or found anywhere else.
Most of the time, Gunther gives out cool decorations, seeds, and useful tools for collecting a certain amount of items for the museum. Some of these rewards are great, but some might not feel that rewarding. Here are the best and worst rewards Gunther gives out.
10 Best: Rusty Key
The Rusty Key is given to the player by Gunther after 60 items have been donated to the Museum. When the player gets it, they're able to unlock the sewers that run under Stardew Valley.
While that might not sound like a good thing, it's actually a really cool area where players can buy items from Krobus, a nice monster who has lots of rare items to give players. Not only that, but players can fish in the sewers, and eventually, a Mutant Bug Lair is unlocked in the sewers too.
9 Worst: Burnt Offering
This item can be put on the wall, but it's not really interesting to look at. Gunther gives this to the player after they've donated 11 artifacts, and 2 of those artifacts have to be the Dwarf Gadget and the Rare Disc.
It seems like oddly specific requirements that have to be met for just a wall decoration. On top of that, the Burnt Offering can also be purchased at the Casino, so it's not like Gunther has a super exclusive item. It can't even be gifted to anyone as a favorite gift either, so fans are stuck with it.
8 Best: Dwarvish Translation Guide
Fans who've seen the mysterious, unreadable gravestone in town or who've met the Dwarf that hangs out in the mines will know how important the Dwarvish Translation Guide is. It's given to players after they donate each of the 4 Dwarf Scrolls, and it allows them to understand Dwarvish speech and writing.
This is helpful for reading the gravestone in town that reveals how players can get the Galaxy Sword, and for buying tools like bombs & potions that are helpful for mining from the Dwarf that lives in the mine.
7 Worst: Lg. Futan Bear
Yes, the bear is pretty cute. However, compared to the more useful gifts that Gunther gives out, it's a little disappointing. It takes up quite a bit of space in the room, and if it's not put right up against a wall, then it's possible that it could hide something from view without the player realizing it.
At least it's a fairly early reward, so it's not too bad, but it's not useful at all. If anyone wants to get their bear a friend, it can also be earned at the crane game in the Movie Theater.
6 Best: Magic Rock Candy
This candy is one of the best food items in the game, but it's fairly hard to get. Players have to give Gunther 90 different items before he gives this gift. The only other ways to get it are to give the Desert Trader 3 Prismatic Shards for them (as if the Shards aren't hard enough to get), or Haunted Skulls in the quarry mine occasionally drop them.
Not only do they give players lots of buffs for a decent amount of time, they're also worth quite a bit of money if someone wants to sell them, and they are a universal love for all villagers. Keep that in mind for romancing if there are a few candies to spare.
5 Worst: Bear Statue
Just like the Lg. Futan Bear, this statue is cute, but that's really the only good thing about it. It takes up even more space than the blue bear that's earned before this one since its height makes it block anything on the walls as well.
Even though this gift should be cool since you can only get it from Gunther, it just doesn't do anything and it doesn't feel like a gift that one should get after working hard to donate 50 items. More than likely, this bear will sit in whatever chest the player puts it in so it's out of the way.
4 Best: Stardrop
Stardrops are one of the most important items in the game. There are only a limited number of them, but whenever the player gets one, they automatically get 34 more points added to their maximum energy, so they can do even more farming, fishing, and mining.
The Stardrop that Gunther gives the player is a bit hard to get, as the player has to finish the museum's collection of 95 items, but it's worth it to have more energy. Plus, players get to see the cool little sequence where the screen turns purple and the character gets to think of their favorite thing.
3 Worst: Obsidian Vase
Not every gift that Gunther gives out is going to be useful, or even do anything at all, but it's incredibly disappointing sometimes when the item can't be used. This vase is even more frustrating because it can't even be used as an actual vase.
Players have to donate 31 minerals to get the Obsidian Vase, but once they place it in their house, they won't be able to put anything in it. It just sits there, looking empty, almost taunting players to put a sunflower or something in it, but it will never be filled.
2 Best: Crystalarium
Without a doubt, this is the best gift that Gunther gives out. The Crystalarium copies any gem that players put in it, which is always going to be helpful. Players can craft more Crystalariums, but it's always nice to get one for free.
When players get one of these, they can use them to help their farm and relationships. Many characters like or love different gems, so it's always nice to make copies for them. Plus, gems are always going to go for lots of money, so it's great to be able to copy them to sell them later. You might have so many gems that maybe you'll even feel like giving some away to friends that need help too.
1 Worst: Triple Shot Espresso
This has got to be one of the most disappointing gifts for the number of items that it takes to get it. When players donate 70 items to Gunther, he rewards them with 3 Triple Shot Espressos. That's it.
Not only can players make this drink themselves with just 3 coffees, it doesn't really do that much for very long. It makes the player a little bit faster and gives them a little bit of energy and health, but the speed lasts for less than 5 minutes, so it's not even an effect that can be used for a long time. Gunther should've just drank these himself.