-Maru-portrait-(right).jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=570&dpr=1.5)
Maru is a quiet girl who lives with her parents in the mountains. She is arguably the most intelligent marriage candidate in Stardew Valley, and has a heartwarming route that is a perfect romantic journey for your time in the Valley. Maru is like her dad and loves to create, and is a fan of observing the stars.
Maru's passion easily sets her apart from the rest of the cast. Maru is also a gentle soul who is easy to please. To help you win her heart, the guide below lists her schedule and her loved gifts, as well as her various heart events.
Updated on May 21, 2022, by Gabrielle Huston: Maru is an underappreciated romantic option in Stardew Valley, to be sure! This guide has been updated to ensure you know everything you need in order to win her heart.
Basic Info About Maru
Maru is an intelligent character who, like most characters, appreciates receiving a birthday present. She works part-time at the clinic as a nurse, where she can often be found.
- Birthday: Summer 10
- Home Location: Robin's Shop
- Night Market Visit: Winter 16
- Occupation: Nurse
Maru's Schedule
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Maru does go to work regularly, so this can make her a bit easy to find as she keeps much of the same schedule. She is friends with Penny, so you can often find them together. Maru isn't big on exploring the town or drinking and prefers to spend time at home when she isn't busy.
Gifting to Maru
Maru is easy to get liked gifts for, but her loves will be harder to come by until players reach their first summer. However, she has quite a few of them, giving you some options.
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Loves (+80 points) |
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Likes (+45 points) |
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Neutral (+20 points) |
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Dislikes (-20 points) |
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Hates (-40 points) |
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Dating Maru
Maru is a girl who knows what she wants in a partner; because of this, it can be easy to get dialogue choices wrong. This can cost you the loss of friendship points and can be a bit confusing for players, so here is what will happen with each choice.
Maru's Two Hearts Cutscene
To activate this event, visit Robin's shop while Maru is home.
In this event, she will be helping her dad test soil samples. She will briefly leave you with Demetrius and then come back to inquire what you were talking about.
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Don't say anything |
+10 friendship points with Demetrius
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Say that Demetrius is being weird |
-100 friendship points with Demetrius
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Maru's Four Hearts Cutscene
For this event, visit Maru while she is at work.
You will witness her break a beaker, and she will ask what you think she should do.
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"Just scoop it off the floor. He won't know the difference." |
-50 friendship points |
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"Tell Harvey it was my fault." |
-20 friendship points |
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"Tell Harvey it was an accident." |
+50 friendship points |
Maru's Six Hearts Cutscene
For this event, you'll need to go to the mountain on a sunny day between 9 p.m. and 11:40 p.m.
Maru will invite you to look through her telescope and then inquire as to what you can see.
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"A beautiful planet." |
+30 friendship points |
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"A cold, dark abyss." |
-30 friendship points |
Maru's Eight Hearts Cutscene
For the eight heart event, visit Maru while she is home.
She will be working on an invention and ask you to touch it, but you'll get injured once you do. She'll ask if you're okay.
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"It's okay, it doesn't even hurt." |
+30 friendship |
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"You'd better be [sorry]. This hurts like crazy!" |
-50 friendship |
How To Start Dating Maru
Once you reach 8 hearts with Maru, you'll receive a special letter from Pierre! It informs you that he has a new item available in his shop: a Bouquet. It costs 200g and can be used to declare your interest in someone special.
Buy a Bouquet and give it to Maru as a gift! She'll happily accept (as long as nothing has caused her friendship level to go back down) and her status in the Social menu will change to "girlfriend." Plus, you'll now be able to reach 10 hearts of friendship with her!
Maru's Ten Hearts Cutscene
Visit the Carpenter's Shop between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
This time she will take you to see her complete invention. By the end of her cutscene, her robot MarILDA will go off into space. She'll ask your opinion on MarILDA's departure.
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Tell her you're impressed |
+50 friendship points |
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Tell her you're disappointed |
-50 friendship points
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Mention that Demetrius is "okay" with you two dating |
No effect on friendship |
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Say nothing |
No effect on friendship |
If you choose to be disappointed, you can explain to Maru why, and your response will regain the friendship points you lost or lose you even more:
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"MarILDA's just a piece of machinery designed to act human." |
+50 friendship points |
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"I was just kidding. MarILDA deserves her freedom." |
+50 friendship points |
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"I would've put her to work on the farm." |
-50 friendship points |
Marrying Maru
You have to be at 10 hearts of friendship with Maru to marry her. Once you hit that point, you'll get a convenient letter from Mayor Lewis, informing you that people in Stardew Valley propose by giving one another a necklace: a Mermaid's Pendant.
The Mermaid's Pendant is acquired from a special NPC - the Old Mariner - who only shows up on the beach on rainy days. He stands near the tidal pools, so you'll need to have repaired that wooden bridge. When you talk to him, he'll sell you the Mermaid's Pendant for 5,000g as long as you're still at 10 hearts with Maru and you've upgraded your house at least once.
-Maru-portrait-(right).jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
Present your Mermaid's Pendant to Maru to ask her to marry you. She'll gleefully accept and your wedding will be set for three days later. If there happens to be an event going on in town on that day, the wedding gets pushed by a day.
After a beautiful ceremony with the townsfolk, you and Maru will be transported back to the farm. Maru's unique spousal room will be added to the right-hand side of the house and the outdoor area will get a little machine for Maru to tinker with. As your wife, you can also increase Maru's friendship level to 14.
Marriage Schedule
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Your wife will move onto the farm after the wedding, of course. All spouses spend their time there...
- Watering crops
- Feeding animals
- Watering the animal bowl
- Repairing broken fences
- Giving you gifts
- Decorating the house
- In their unique outside area
- In their unique indoor room
However, they also leave on occasion. In Maru's case, she visits her home on Mondays and works at the clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Maru's Fourteen Hearts Cutscene
All of the marriage candidates have a 14-heart event, and Maru is no exception. It can only be reached if you're married to her, since non-married NPCs will max friendship with you at ten hearts.
For the first part, enter the farmhouse anytime between 6:10 am and 5 pm on any day except Sunday and in any season except winter. Maru will excitedly inform you that there's going to be a comet passing near to Earth.
Anytime after seeing the first part, go to the mountains on a sunny day between 10 pm and 1 am. You'll get to watch the comet together and make a wish!