Linus , an NPC in Stardew Valley, is portrayed as a kind and gentle old soul. He prefers a simple and minimalist lifestyle and can be found living in a tent near The Mountains. He's known for his deep connection to nature and his wisdom about the wilderness. This makes him excellent at foraging for food in the wild.
Linus has a strong appreciation for the natural world and is often seen urging the player to return to nature and learn to survive in the wild of Stardew Valley. While Linus considers himself an outcast of the town, players can build a friendship with him by giving him gifts, and learn from his wisdom by engaging in conversations.
Linus’ Loved Gifts
Giving gifts to NPCs in Pelican Town is the best way for players to boost Friendship levels with the townsfolk. Based on each villager's individual preferences, offering a "Loved" gift boosts their Friendship with the player by 80 points, whereas a "Liked" gift increases Friendship by 45 points
Players can give Linus up to two gifts per week which can raise or lower his Friendship levels with them. An additional gift can be given on his birthday (Winter 3), which has eight times the effect on Friendship.
Linus loves receiving simple gifts. Most of his loved gifts are items that can be easily found by foraging or cooking. Upon receiving a loved gift, Linus exclaims “This is wonderful! You’ve really made my day special.”
Linus’ loved gifts include:
- All Universal Loves in Stardew Valley – Golden Pumpkin, Magic Rock Candy, Pearl, Prismatic Shard, and Rabbit’s Foot
| Loved Gifts | Source |
| Blueberry Tart | Players can cook this subtle and refreshing dish with 1 Blueberry, 1 Wheat Flour, 1 Sugar, and 1 Egg. |
| Cactus Fruit | Foraging in The Desert |
| Coconut | Foraging in The Desert |
| Dish O’ The Sea | Players can cook this warm and tasty dish with 2 Sardines and 1 Hashbrown |
| Yam | Farming in the Fall |
Linus’ Liked Gifts
Linus can often be found wandering around the town and its surroundings, collecting items like berries, mushrooms, and other natural resources. He's known for being very self-sufficient and doesn't care much for material possessions. As such, it’s very easy to find things he likes being gifted. Upon receiving a liked gift, Linus says “This is a great gift. Thank you!”
Linus’ liked gifts include:
- All Universal Likes (except Foraged Minerals and Gems other than Diamond and Prismatic Shard)
- All Eggs (except Void Egg)
- All Milk
- All Fruit (except Cactus Fruit and Coconut, which are loved gifts)
| Liked Gifts | Source |
| Daffodil, Dandelion, Leek, Morel, Spring Onion, Wild Horseradish | Foraging in the Spring |
| Chanterelle, Common Mushroom, Hazelnut | Foraging in the Fall |
| Holly, Snow Yam, Winter Root | Foraging in the Winter |
| Ginger | Foraging on Ginger Island |
| Magma Cap | Foraging in the Volcano Dungeon |
| Purple Mushroom | Foraging in the Mines |
Linus’ Heart Events
Just like all NPCs in Stardew Valley, Linus has unique heart events that offer players an insight into his past. Linus’ heart events are quite simple and easy to trigger.
- Anytime: If players have a Friendship level greater than zero points, they may receive a gift in the Mail from Linus. The gift items include a Catfish, a Largemouth Bass, a Maki Roll, some Fried Calamari, and Sashimi. The chances of receiving this gift increase as the player’s friendship with Linus increases.
- Zero Hearts but >50 Friendship Points: Players cannot trigger this event before Spring 7, Year 1. After this day, if they have 50 Friendship points with Linus, they can trigger this event by entering town on a day it’s not raining between 8 PM and 12 AM. Players will witness Linus finding food inside trash cans around George’s house.
- Three Hearts: Linus sends the player one of his favorite fish recipes, Sashimi, in the mail when their friendship reaches three hearts.
- Four Hearts: Players can trigger this event by entering the Mountain area near Linus’ tent on a day it’s not raining between 8 PM and 12 AM. Linus will invite the player over to his campsite. He apologizes for not trusting them earlier and teaches them how to craft a Wild Bait to use while fishing.
- Seven Hearts: Linus sends the player another one of his favorite fish recipes, Fish Taco, in the mail when their friendship reaches seven hearts.
- Eight Hearts: This event is triggered by exiting Robin’s house between 9 AM and 5 PM on a day it’s not raining. Robin offers to make lunch for Linus, but since he refuses, Robin asks the player if they have something to say. If players say that they’re pleased that Linus is doing well, it boosts their Friendship with him by +250 points.
- BONUS: If Linus catches the player rummaging through the trash, their heart points increase by +5, which typically decreases by -25 for every other villager. However, this is only possible on Winter 15, when Linus is on his way to or from the Night Market.
Stardew Valley is available now for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
