While making the rounds and introducing yourself to all the villagers in Pelican Town, you’ve likely come across a young man with spiked blond hair, often with a guitar or a skateboard in his hand. This is Sam, one of the 12 eligible marriage candidates in Stardew Valley.
Who is Sam?
Sam, short for Samson, as he’ll reveal once you’re good friends, is a young man who lives at 1 Willow Lane in Pelican Town with his mother, Jodi, his father, Kent (who will return from fighting in the ongoing war on the first day of your second year), and his little brother, Vincent. He’s a kind-hearted musician and skater who enjoys playing pool at the Stardrop Saloon on Fridays and skateboarding where he’s not supposed to on any other day of the week. Striking a balance between ne’er-do-well and fun-loving sweetheart, Sam would be a great best friend or husband.
Sam’s Schedule
Below you’ll find an exhaustive timetable for Sam’s schedule on a given day, depending on circumstances. It’s important to note that rain overrules ALL other schedules for a given day, no matter the season, therefore these options are listed first. Sam may choose a variety of activities on a rainy day, so keep an eye out for how he starts his day to determine which schedule he is following.
Spring Schedule
Raining, Option 1
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and stands in his bedroom in front of his dresser.
- 11:00 AM: Plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 3:00 PM: Plays his handheld video game in his house.
- 5:00 PM: Stands in front of the dresser in his bedroom.
- 6:30 PM: Stands in front of his desk.
- 8:00 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Raining, Option 2
- 10:00 AM: Wakes up and walks around his room.
- 11:00 PM: Walks around the house.
- 2:00 PM: Leaves his bedroom to go to The Stardrop Saloon. When spoken to, he may quip, “Nothing like an ice cold Joja Cola on a sopping wet day, huh? Just kidding. Hehehe.”
- 7:40 PM: Leaves The Stardrop Saloon to return home.
Raining, Option 3
- 9:00 AM: Sam wakes up and stands in his bedroom in front of his dresser.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his house to stand on the bridge near the Museum.
- 4:00 PM: Leaves the bridge to stand under the tree in front of Emily and Haley’s house.
- 7:00 PM: Walks home, enters his room, and stands in front of the bookshelf.
- 9:30 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Monday and Wednesday
- 10:00 AM: Sam gets out of bed and stands in the middle of his bedroom.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his bedroom and starts to walk to work at JojaMart.
- 12:50 PM: Arrives at work at JojaMart and begins working.
- 4:00 PM: Finishes work and begins walking home.
- 6:00 PM: Gets home. He goes into his bedroom and stands near his bookshelf.
- 9:30 PM: Goes to bed.
Monday and Wednesday, Community Center Restored
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and lays in bed for a while.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his bedroom and walks to the Museum.
- 4:00 PM: Leaves the museum and walks home.
- 6:00 PM: Arrives at home, and stands at the bookshelf in his bedroom.
- 9:30 PM: Sam goes to sleep.
Tuesday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and stands in his bedroom.
- 10:40 AM: Playing guitar in his bedroom.
- 2:00 PM: Leaves his house and stands near Mayor Lewis’ house.
- 6:30 PM: Sam goes home.
Tuesday Spring 9, and Tuesday, Spring 23
If you have fewer than six hearts with Penny, Sam’s Tuesday schedule is different on these days.
- 9:00 AM: Wakes up and walks around his room.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his room and walks around town.
- 4:00 PM: Continues walking around, now playing a handheld video game.
- 7:00 PM: Heads home.
- 9:30 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Thursday and Sunday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and stands in front of his dresser.
- 10:40 AM: Plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 1:40 PM: Leaves home and stands near the bush southeast of Mayor Lewis’ house.
- 6:30 PM: Begins walking home.
- 7:50 PM: Arrives at home, enters his bedroom, and stands in front of his desk.
- 9:30 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Friday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his home and walks to town to skateboard.
- 3:00 PM: Walks to The Stardrop Saloon to play pool.
- 9:20 PM: Leaves The Stardrop Saloon to return home and go to bed.
Saturday
- 8:00 AM: Sam wakes up and walks outside to stand under the tree in front of Haley and Emily’s house, near the river.
- 11:00 AM: Walks around town and plays his handheld video game.
- 12:30 PM: Leaves town and goes home to play guitar in his bedroom with Sebastian.
- 3:00 PM: Hangs out in his bedroom with Sebastian.
- 6:00 PM: Leaves his house to stand near the river in front of his house with Sebastian.
- 7:40 PM: Returns to his bedroom.
Summer Schedule
Raining, Option 1
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and stands in his bedroom in front of his dresser.
- 11:00 AM: Plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 3:00 PM: Plays his handheld video game in his house.
- 5:00 PM: Stands in front of the dresser in his bedroom.
- 6:30 PM: Stands in front of his desk.
- 8:00 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Raining, Option 2
- 10:00 AM: Wakes up and walks around his room.
- 11:00 PM: Walks around the house.
- 2:00 PM: Leaves his bedroom to go to The Stardrop Saloon. When spoken to, he may quip, “Nothing like an ice cold Joja Cola on a sopping wet day, huh? Just kidding. Hehehe.”
- 7:40 PM: Leaves The Stardrop Saloon to return home.
Monday and Wednesday
- 10:00 AM: Sam gets out of bed and stands in the middle of his bedroom.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his bedroom and starts to walk to work at JojaMart.
- 12:50 PM: Arrives at work at JojaMart and begins working.
- 4:00 PM: Finishes work and begins walking home.
- 6:00 PM: Gets home. He goes into his bedroom and stands near his bookshelf.
- 9:30 PM: Goes to bed.
Monday and Wednesday, Community Center Restored (includes Summer 17, Sam’s birthday)
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and lays in bed for a while.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his bedroom and walks to the Museum.
- 4:00 PM: Leaves the museum and walks home.
- 6:00 PM: Arrives at home, and stands at the bookshelf in his bedroom.
- 9:30 PM: Sam goes to sleep.
Tuesday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and stands in his bedroom.
- 10:40 AM: Playing guitar in his bedroom.
- 2:00 PM: Leaves his house and stands near Mayor Lewis’ house.
- 6:30 PM: Sam goes home.
Tuesday, Summer 9, and Tuesday, Summer 23
If you have fewer than six hearts with Penny, Sam’s Tuesday schedule is different on these days.
- 9:00 AM: Wakes up and walks around his room.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his room and walks around town.
- 4:00 PM: Continues walking around, now playing a handheld video game.
- 7:00 PM: Heads home.
- 9:30 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Wednesday, Summer 17, Sam’s birthday, Community Center Not Restored, NOT raining
- 10:00 AM: Wakes up and walks around his room.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his bedroom to walk to JojaMart with Jodi.
- 12:50 PM: Arrives at JojaMart with Jodi.
- 4:00 PM: Leaves JojaMart to return home.
- 5:50 PM: Arrives at home and walks around his room.
- 9:00 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Wednesday, Summer 17, Sam’s Birthday, Community Center Not Restored, Raining
- 10:00 AM: Wakes up and walks around his room.
- 11:00 PM: Starts playing guitar.
- 3:00 PM: Leaves his bedroom to stand in the kitchen playing his handheld video game.
- 5:00 PM: Walks back to his bedroom.
- 8:00 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Thursday and Sunday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up to walk around his bedroom.
- 11:00 AM: Plays guitar.
- 1:40 PM: Leaves home with Vincent to walk to the firepit on the beach.
- 7:00 PM: Returns home with Vincent.
- 9:00 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Friday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his home and walks to town to skateboard.
- 3:00 PM: Walks to The Stardrop Saloon to play pool.
- 9:20 PM: Leaves The Stardrop Saloon to return home and go to bed.
Saturday
- 10:00 AM: Wakes up and stands in his bedroom.
- 2:00 PM: Stands in his bedroom with Sebastian.
- 6:00 PM: Leaves his bedroom with Sebastian and stands under the tree in front of his house, by the river.
- 7:50 PM: Sam arrives home and goes to bed.
Fall Schedule
Raining, Option 1
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and stands in his bedroom in front of his dresser.
- 11:00 AM: Plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 3:00 PM: Plays his handheld video game in his house.
- 5:00 PM: Stands in front of the dresser in his bedroom.
- 6:30 PM: Stands in front of his desk.
- 8:00 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Raining, Option 2
- 10:00 AM: Wakes up and walks around his room.
- 11:00 PM: Walks around the house.
- 2:00 PM: Leaves his bedroom to go to The Stardrop Saloon. When spoken to, he may quip, “Nothing like an ice cold Joja Cola on a sopping wet day, huh? Just kidding. Hehehe.”
- 7:40 PM: Leaves The Stardrop Saloon to return home.
Monday and Wednesday
- 10:00 AM: Sam gets out of bed and stands in the middle of his bedroom.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his bedroom and starts to walk to work at JojaMart.
- 12:50 PM: Arrives at work at JojaMart and begins working.
- 4:00 PM: Finishes work and begins walking home.
- 6:00 PM: Gets home. He goes into his bedroom and stands near his bookshelf.
- 9:30 PM: Goes to bed.
Monday and Wednesday, Community Center Restored
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and lays in bed for a while.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his bedroom and walks to the Museum.
- 4:00 PM: Leaves the museum and walks home.
- 6:00 PM: Arrives at home, and stands at the bookshelf in his bedroom.
- 9:30 PM: Sam goes to sleep.
Tuesday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and walks around his room.
- 10:40 PM: Plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 1:20 PM: Leaves his house to walk to The Forest, southwest of Leah’s cottage.
- 7:00 PM: Begins to walk home.
- 9:00 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Tuesday, Fall 9, and Tuesday, Fall 23
If you have fewer than six hearts with Penny, Sam’s Tuesday schedule is different on these days.
- 9:00 AM: Wakes up and walks around his room.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his room and walks around town.
- 4:00 PM: Continues walking around, now playing a handheld video game.
- 7:00 PM: Heads home.
- 9:30 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Thursday and Sunday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and walks around his room.
- 10:40 PM: Plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 1:20 PM: Leaves his house to walk to The Forest, southwest of Leah’s cottage.
- 7:00 PM: Begins to walk home.
- 9:00 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Thursday, Fall 11
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up to go to his doctor’s appointment at Harvey’s Clinic. He’ll complain, “I gotta go visit Uncle Doctor today… Great.”
- 11:30 AM: Walks to the clinic for his checkup and plays video games in the waiting room.
- 1:30 PM: Gets his checkup in the back room from Harvey.
- 4:00 PM: Leaves the clinic to walk around town.
- 9:00 PM: Sam returns home and goes to bed.
Friday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his home and walks to town to skateboard.
- 3:00 PM: Walks to The Stardrop Saloon to play pool.
- 9:20 PM: Leaves The Stardrop Saloon to return home and go to bed.
Saturday
- 8:00 AM: Sam wakes up and walks outside to stand under the tree in front of Haley and Emily’s house, near the river.
- 11:00 AM: Walks around town and plays his handheld video game.
- 12:30 PM: Leaves town and goes home to play guitar in his bedroom with Sebastian.
- 3:00 PM: Hangs out in his bedroom with Sebastian.
- 6:00 PM: Leaves his house to stand near the river in front of his house with Sebastian.
- 7:40 PM: Returns to his bedroom.
Winter Schedule
Monday and Wednesday
- 10:00 AM: Sam gets out of bed and stands in the middle of his bedroom.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his bedroom and starts to walk to work at JojaMart.
- 12:50 PM: Arrives at work at JojaMart and begins working.
- 4:00 PM: Finishes work and begins walking home.
- 6:00 PM: Gets home. He goes into his bedroom and stands near his bookshelf.
- 9:30 PM: Goes to bed.
Monday and Wednesday, Community Center Restored
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and lays in bed for a while.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his bedroom and walks to the Museum.
- 4:00 PM: Leaves the museum and walks home.
- 6:00 PM: Arrives at home, and stands at the bookshelf in his bedroom.
- 9:30 PM: Sam goes to sleep.
Tuesday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and moves around his room.
- 10:40 AM: Plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 1:20 PM: Leaves home to visit The Stardrop Saloon.
- 7:00 PM: Returns home from The Stardrop Saloon.
- 9:00 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Tuesday, Winter 9, and Tuesday, Winter 23
If you have fewer than six hearts with Penny, Sam’s Tuesday schedule is different on these days.
- 9:00 AM: Wakes up and walks around his room.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves his room and walks around town.
- 4:00 PM: Continues walking around, now playing a handheld video game.
- 7:00 PM: Heads home.
- 9:30 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Wednesday, Winter 17
- 10:00 AM: Wakes up and walks around his room.
- 10:40 AM: Plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 5:00 PM: Attends the Night Market.
- 12:00 AM: Sam goes home and goes to bed.
Thursday and Sunday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and moves around his room.
- 10:40 AM: Plays guitar in his bedroom.
- 1:20 PM: Leaves home to visit The Stardrop Saloon.
- 7:00 PM: Returns home from The Stardrop Saloon.
- 9:00 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Friday
- 10:00 AM: Sam wakes up and walks around his bedroom.
- 11:00 AM: Same leaves his bedroom and walks into town to go skateboarding.
- 3:00 PM: Walks to The Stardrop Saloon to play pool.
- 9:20 PM: Sam leaves The Stardrop Saloon to return home and go to bed.
Saturday
- 8:00 AM: Sam wakes up and walks outside to stand under the tree in front of Haley and Emily’s house, near the river.
- 11:00 AM: Walks around town and plays his handheld video game.
- 12:30 PM: Leaves town and goes home to play guitar in his bedroom with Sebastian.
- 3:00 PM: Hangs out in his bedroom with Sebastian.
- 6:00 PM: Leaves his house to stand near the river in front of his house with Sebastian.
- 7:40 PM: Returns to his bedroom.
Married Schedule
While married to Sam, he will only leave the farm on Mondays and Fridays. The rest of the time he can be found within the farmhouse or out back skating on the half-pipe that he will install behind the farmhouse.
Monday
- 6:00 AM: Sam is at home in the farmhouse.
- 8:00 AM: Leaves the farm and heads to his family’s house at 1 Willow Lane.
- 9:30 AM: Arrives at 1 Willow Lane and stands in the kitchen.
- 11:00 AM: Stands in the living room.
- 3:00 PM: Leaves his family’s home to return to the farmhouse.
- 10:00 PM: Sam goes to bed.
Friday
- 6:00 AM: Sam is at home at the farmhouse.
- 8:00 AM: Leaves the farmhouse and heads to his family’s house at 1 Willow Lane.
- 9:30 AM: Arrives at 1 Willow Lane and stands in the kitchen.
- 11:00 AM: Leaves the house to skateboard.
- 11:50 AM: Skateboarding south of the Saloon, near the benches.
- 3:00 PM: Walks to The Stardrop Saloon.
- 9:00 PM: Leaves the Saloon to return to the farmhouse.
- 11:00 PM: Sam arrives at the farmhouse and goes to bed.
What Does Sam Like?
All villagers have gifts that are Loves, Likes, Neutrals, Dislikes, and Hates. A loved gift will earn you 80 Friendship Points with your intended recipient, liked gifts earn 40, neutrals earn 20, dislikes cost -20, and hated gifts cost a painful -40 points. It’s important to be mindful of what your friends don’t like to avoid conflict. Luckily, Sam isn’t as pick as some of the other villages, and there are a handful of gifts to give Sam.
If you’re looking for a gift for Sam, his favorite things are Cactus Fruit, Maple Bars, Pizza, and a gem called Tigerseye. He’s also the only villager in Pelican Town who likes Joja Cola, so if you find yourself with a surplus, he’s not one to turn them down.
Loves
There are four gifts that Sam loves in Stardew Valley: Cactus Fruit, Tigerseye, Pizza, and Maple Bars.
Cactus Fruits can be found in Calico Desert once you complete the Vault room of the Community Center and get the bus running again. Achieving this will run you a total of 42,500g, but the resources found in the desert will make this seem like chump change. Cactus Fruits can also be grown from seeds purchased from the Oasis. Tigerseye can be found by cracking open Magma Geodes and Omni Geodes at Clint’s shop. Frozen Geodes and generic Geodes will not contain this particular gemstone.
Pizza is a Cooking item made with one Wheat Flour, one Tomato, and one Cheese. You’ll get the recipe by watching The Queen of Sauce on Spring 7 of Year 2, or by purchasing the recipe from The Stardrop Saloon for 150g. Pizza is also available in The Stardrop’s Saloon’s regular stock for 600g and may appear in Krobus’ shop on a Saturday. Maple Bars are also a Cooking item, comprised of one Maple Syrup, one Wheat Flour, and one Sugar. Your only method of receiving this recipe is through watching The Queen of Sauce, so be diligent about checking your TV on Summer 14 of Year 2, or you may be crossing your fingers for a rerun.
Sam also loves all Universal Loves, which include the Golden Pumpkin (obtained from the Spirit’s Eve Festival maze), Pearls (obtained from the Mermaid Show at the Night Market or through Fishing Ponds), Magic Rock Candy (obtained from the Desert Trader in exchange for three Prismatic Shards), Prismatic Shards, and Rabbit’s Feet.
Likes
Sam is the only villager you will encounter in Pelican Town that will tolerate being gifted Joja Cola; every other villager treats it as a Hated gift. This is extremely useful if you find yourself hooking Joja Colas while attempting to fish, as they don’t provide much energy when consumed and only sell for a paltry 25g.
Sam also enjoys all Universal Likes gifts, with a few exceptions:
- He likes all Eggs, except for Void Eggs and Dinosaur Eggs.
- He likes all Artisan Goods, except for any variety of Mayonnaise or Pickles, which Sam specifically hates.
- He likes all Cooking items, except for Maple Bar and Pizza, which he loves; Fried Egg and Bread, which are Universal Neutral gifts; and Strange Bun and Seafoam Pudding which are Universal Hated gifts.
- He likes all Flowers, except Poppies, which are almost universally hated (and despite Sam having severe allergies to pollen)
- He likes all Foraged Minerals except Quartz, which Sam specifically dislikes. Therefore, he likes Earth Crystals, Frozen Tears, and Fire Quartz.
- He likes all Fruit Tree Fruits except Banana and Mango, which he is neutral about. Therefore, he likes Cherries, Apples, Peaches, Pomegranates, Apricots, and Oranges.
- He likes all Gems except Prismatic Shards, which are almost universally loved.
- Sam dislikes all vegetables, except Hops, Tea Leaves, and Wheat which are Universal Neutrals, and Unmilled Rice which is a Universal Dislike. He also likes Life Elixir and Maple Syrup.
These gifts will earn you 40 Friendship Points with Sam, so they’d make for a great gift if you have any extra lying around.
Neutral
Sam’s list of Neutral gifts is mercifully short, though a bit scattered:
- Sam is neutral about all Fruit, except for Cactus Fruit, which he loves; Fruit Tree Fruit, which he likes; and Salmonberries, which he dislikes.
- He is neutral about all Milk with no exceptions.
- He is also neutral about all Universally Neutral gifts, including Bread, Clams, Coral, Duck Feathers, Fried Eggs, Hops, Nautilus Shells, Rainbow Shells, Roe of all types, Squid Ink, Sweet Gem Berries, Tea Leaves, Truffles, Wheat, and Wool.
As these gifts only grant 20 Friendship points with Sam, it’s best to save them for dire situations or avoid them as gifts entirely.
Dislike
This is a lengthy list, but an important one to remember; gifting Sam anything on this list will lose you 20 points of Friendship, or possibly more with applicable multipliers:
- Sam specifically dislikes a numerous number of Foraged items, including all varieties of Mushrooms (except Red Mushrooms, which he hates), Daffodils, Dandelions, Ginger, Hazelnuts, Holly, Leeks, Quartz, Salmonberries, Seaweed, Snow Yams, Wild Horseradish, and Winter Roots.
- He dislikes all Vegetables, except Hops, Tea Leaves, and Wheat, about which he feels neutral.
- He adheres to the Universal Dislikes rules, with a few exceptions:
- Sam hates all Building Materials and Artifacts, all Bombs, all Crafted Floors and Paths, all Fences, all Fertilizer, all Fish except Clams, which are neutral, and Carp & Snails which he hates, all Geode Minerals except Tigerseye, which he loves, all Geodes; all Seeds, including Tea Saplings, Acorns, Maple Seeds, and Pinecones, all Sprinklers; and all varieties of Tackle.
- He also dislikes Bone Fragments, Cinder Shards, Cave Carrots, Driftwood, Field Snacks, Jack-O-Lanterns, Oak Resin, Oil, Pine Tar, Qi Fruit, Rice, Solar Essence, Spring Onions, Tea Sets, Unmilled Rice, Void Eggs, Void Essence, and Wheat Flour.
The only exception to the Universal Dislikes list is that Sam hates all Metal Goods, including Coal, Copper Ore and Bars, Iron Ore and Bars, Gold Ore and Bars, Iridium Ore and Bars, and Refined Quartz.
Hate
This list is absolutely crucial to commit to memory; any of these items will decrease Friendship with Sam by 40 points, and even more when multipliers apply.
As mentioned previously, Sam specifically hates all varieties of Mayonnaise, Pickles, and all Metal Goods, specifically Coal, Copper Ore and Bars, Iron Ore and Bars, Gold Ore and Bars, Iridium Ore and Bars, and Refined Quartz. He also adheres to the Universal Hates list, and hates all of the following:
Sam hates all Bait, all Fossils, all Monster Loot, except for Solar and Void Essences, which he dislikes, all Trash, except for Driftwood, which he dislikes, and Joja Cola, which he likes.
He also hates Artifact Troves, Bug Steaks, Carp, Crab Pots, Dragon Teeth, Drum Blocks, Energy Tonics, Error Items, Explosive Ammo, Fairy Dust, Flute Blocks, Grass Starters, Green Algae, Golden Coconuts, Hay, all Journal Scraps, Monster Musk, Muscle Remedy, Oil of Garlic, Poppies, Qi Seasoning, Radioactive Ore and Bars, Red Mushrooms, Sap, Sea Urchins, Seafoam Pudding, all Secret Notes, all Slime Eggs, Snails, Strange Buns, Sugar, all varieties of Totems, Torches, Treasure Chests, Void Mayonnaise, and White Algae. Whew!
Most Efficient Gifting
Sam’s Loved Gifts are relatively easily obtainable, so don’t waste your Universal Loves on him. If you’re not worried about cost and would rather rack up Friendship Points with Sam ASAP, go for the Pizza route; you can stock up at the Saloon for 600g apiece and space your gifts out over time. They say homemade is always better, but not necessarily in this case. Using the lowest quality ingredients, your homemade Pizza will be worth 396g, which doesn’t take into account the cost of a Mill or the cost of keeping Cows.
Base quality Cactus Fruits are definitely Sam’s most cost-effective gift, as they’re worth a measly 75g when shipped, but you won’t really be concerned about money by the time you reach the Desert. If you’re feeling truly frugal and are willing to wait to seduce Sam, hoard your Omni and Magma Geodes and try to hunt down some Tigerseye. They’re only worth 275g when sold, and can be acquired fairly early in the game.
If you want to take the truly lackadaisical route, give Sam any spare Joja Colas you catch while fishing, and spring for a Pizza on his birthday or for the Festival of the Winter Star. Throw him a high-quality Cactus Fruit once in a blue moon and he’ll be a happy guy. What else did you expect from the laid-back skater boy?
A Note on Gifting Multipliers
There are two factors that will affect the effect your gift has on the recipient: Special occasions and quality. If the gift you’re giving is one that can be assigned a quality, i.e. silver, gold, or iridium, this quality will boost the effect of the gift, whether positive or negative. It multiplies as follows:
- Normal = x1 multiplier, +0% effect
- Silver = x1.1 multiplier, +10% effect
- Gold = x1.25 multiplier, +25% effect
- Iridium = x1.5 multiplier, +50% effect
Special occasions include the Festival of the Winter Star and birthdays. When gifting your “Secret Friend” an item at the Festival of the Winter Star, the special occasion will provide a x5 multiplier on the points earned from the gift. Birthdays provide an x8 multiplier.
As an example, if you’re giving Sam iridium quality Mayonnaise, which he hates, it will cost you -60 friendship points instead of the usual -40. Doing so on the Festival of the Winter Star will cost you a painful -300 points. This can be used to your advantage, however; give Sam an iridium quality Cactus Fruit on his birthday for a whopping 960 friendship points, nearly 4 hearts for a single gift.
Sam Marriage Guide
How to Marry Sam
Just like in real life, marriage in Stardew Valley is achieved by showering your intended lover with gifts in order to raise their friendship rating, measured in hearts. Once you’ve reached an adequate friendship level, you’ll propose a courtship with the gift of a bouquet, then propose with an elusive Mermaid’s Pendant and be married three days later. Every young farmer’s dream come true…
To marry Sam, you will need to get him to ten hearts of friendship, a total of 2500 friendship points. These points are easily earned if you know where to look for them, simply follow our friendship guide above. In order to actually seal the deal and get married, you’ll need at least one farmhouse upgrade so Sam will have some space to sleep. This can be accomplished by purchasing the upgrade from Robin.
On top of all this, you’ll also need to see all of your intended’s Heart Events in order to marry them. Once you’ve reached the 8 Heart Event, you’ll need to buy a Bouquet from Pierre’s to show him you’re serious. The shop will begin to sell these after you get any bachelor or bachelorette to eight hearts. Simply purchase one and bring it to Sam to show your commitment. This will not count as one of your gifts for the week.
To actually marry Sam, you’ll need to purchase a Mermaid’s Pendant as a sign of true love. This can be done by speaking with the Old Mariner on any rainy day at the beach, across the small wooden bridge. You’ll need to repair it with 300 Wood before you can reach this area. The Old Mariner will sell you a Pendant, and from there, there’s nothing left to do but pop the question.
Once you propose, you’ll be married three days later, and Sam will move into the farmhouse.
Should You Marry Sam?
As far as marriage candidates go in Stardew Valley, Sam is pretty laid-back and still helpful around the farm. All spouses may do farm chores for you on random days, such as feeding animals, mending fences, or watering crops, but Sam is pretty good about doing all of this and also keeping a positive and self-assured attitude. Whereas Elliott might be a little dramatic, and Harvey might be a little clingy, when all you really want is for them to water the pumpkins, Sam’s happy-go-lucky attitude is ideal for your partner on the farm.
All Sam Heart Events
Heart Events are cutscenes that occur once you reach a certain number of hearts with a bachelor or bachelorette. Heart Events occur as milestones for friendship with all villagers, but all marriage candidates have a 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 Heart Event, as well as a 14 Heart Event once you’re married. There are certain requirements that must be met in order to complete each event, so let’s take a look at all of Sam’s Heart Events to make sure you’ll be in the right place at the right time.
2 Heart Event
After you have reached two hearts of friendship with Sam, enter his house at 1 Willow Lane anytime he is there. The cut scene will begin with Sam and Sebastian in Sam’s bedroom playing music. Your player will walk in and interrupt his music session, and Sam will address you. He tells you that he and Sebastian are having trouble deciding on a genre of music that their band should perform. He will ask your opinion about a music question. Your options will be any of those pictured below.
None of these answers affect your friendship with Sam, but your choice will be reflected later in Sam’s 8 heart event. Once you give your answer, Sam will be overjoyed with whatever choice you make, realizing that whatever you have selected is the perfect genre for the band. Sebastian reluctantly agrees, Sam thanks you, and the cutscene ends.
3 Heart Event
When your friendship with Sam has increased to a level of three hearts, enter the Beach on a sunny day between 7 AM and 3 PM in any season except Winter. Be sure to do this during Year 1, or you’ll miss out on this particular event.
The cutscene will open with Sam and Vincent playing on the beach. The brothers are discussing their father, Kent, who is currently deployed in the ongoing war. Vincent asks his brother if their father will come home, and mentions overhearing people talk about the casualties caused by the war. Sam tells him this is nonsense, and that their father will return without a doubt, and Vincent resumes playing in the sand. Sam, addressing you, notes that he feels bad for getting his brother’s hopes up, perhaps falsely, that their father will come home, and asks for your opinion.
No matter your answer, it will not have an effect on your friendship with Sam. He’ll tell you that you have a point one way or the other, then change the subject to his band, noting that Sebastian intends to recruit Abigail as their drummer. The scene ends here.
4 Heart Event
When your friendship with Sam has reached four hearts, enter his home anytime he is there to trigger his 4 Heart Event. The scene will open with Sam in the kitchen. He will greet you and offer you a snack. As he is retrieving it from the fridge, he drops an egg on the floor. Jody will hear the egg crack and will walk into the kitchen upset and demand to know what happened. Sam insists that you tell the story, and you’ll be given the dialogue options below.
The first will lose you 10 friendship points with Sam, the second will gain you 50 friendship points with him, and the last will lose you 50 friendship points. None of the options will affect your friendship with Jody. No matter your choice, Jody will thank you for your honesty, and Sam will insist he will clean up the mess. This is where the scene ends.
6 Heart Event
Once you’ve racked up six hearts of friendship with Sam, enter the Pelican Town Square from any entrance between noon and 4 PM. Sam will be skateboarding, and as you enter the scene will grind across the flower box on Emily and Haley‘s house at 2 Willow Ln. Mayor Louis will catch him and scold him for skating on private property. Louis will notice your observation of the situation and ask for your opinion. You’ll receive the dialogue options below.
None of these options will have any impact on your friendship with Sam or with Louis. Should you choose the first, Sam will be unhappy and claim he will never skateboard again. The second will cause Mayor Louis to become frustrated with you and remark that he believed you to be more mature than this, but he will ultimately apologize to him and tell him to be more careful in the future. The final option will result in Mayor Lewis simply telling Sam he doesn’t want to see it happen again, and Sam asking you if you saw his rad trick. The cut scene is here.
8 Heart Event
When you reach eight hearts of friendship with Sam, he will appear on the doorstep to your farm between 6 AM and 8 AM. He tells you excitedly that his band has a gig in the city, and would love for you to go with him. He requests that you come to the Bus Stop at 4 PM that day to take the bus to the city. Enter anytime between 4 PM and 7 PM to trigger the heart event.
Taking the bus to the city does not require you to have the bus repaired by completing the vault bundles in the community center. The band will play their show, and Sam will give you a special shout-out for choosing the genre of songs that the band plays that evening. Everyone takes the bus back home, and Sam thanks you again. Note that no time will pass during the Heart Event, so if you enter the bus stop at 4 PM, it will still be 4 PM when the cut scene is over.
Once you’ve reached the 8 Heart Event with Sam, you’ll be able to buy him a bouquet from Pierre’s. You won’t be able to buy the flowers until you reach eight hearts.
10 Heart Event
Once you reach ten hearts, you’ll receive a letter from Sam, saying you need to enter Pelican Town on a sunny day between 8 PM and midnight.
You’ll meet Sam outside his house, where he’ll sneak you into his room to speak privately. He spills his guts and tells you he’s falling for you. When Jodi knocks on the door, he hides you in his bed and wards Jodi off. When she’s convinced he’s not up to anything and walks away, you’re presented with the option to get out of Sam’s bed or to stay put. If you choose to get out, you can either choose to get closer to Sam, in which case he kisses you, or you can head for the window and reject him. If you stay in bed, Sam crawls in with you and kisses you. None of these options have any effect on your friendship with Sam.
At this point, if you decide not to reject sam, you’ll need to present him with a Mermaid’s Pendant. You can purchase it from the Old Mariner on any rainy day at the beach. Once you give the gift to Sam, you’ll be married three days later.
14 Heart Event
The 14 Heart Event is as high as you can go with Sam, and it will take place in four parts. To kick things off, you’ll need to enter your (twice upgraded) farmhouse between 6:10 AM and 5:00 PM. Sam will say he feels like he’s been lazy since he moved in with you, and he wants to find a job in the music industry.
Three days after Part 1 occurs, enter the farmhouse between 6:10 AM and 5:00 PM. Sam gets a job offer in the mail writing music for a kid’s TV show! He doesn’t seem thrilled. You can choose to respond in a number of ways, none of which will affect your friendship with your husband, nor alter the outcome of the event.
Three days after Part 2 occurs, same thing; enter the farmhouse between 6:10 AM and 5:00 PM. Sam plays you what he’s written for the show on his acoustic guitar. He’s pleased about how the job is going.
Four days later, same time, same place: Farmhouse, 6:10 AM to 5:00 PM. You, Vincent, Jas, and Sam are in Sam’s room in the farmhouse. Your husband plays a video of the song he’s written. The kids love it, and Sam is ecstatic. He thanks you for supporting him, and gifts you Sam’s Boombox so you can listen to the song any time you please.
A Note on Friendship Decay
An important thing to remember while going about your daily activities is that your friendship with the other villagers in Stardew Valley will decay if you go a day without speaking to them. In Sam’s case specifically, if you are not officially dating yet, meaning you have not given Sam a bouquet to initiate a courtship, going a day without speaking to him will cause a friendship decay of -2 points per day. If you have given him a bouquet, the decay will increase to -10 points per day. Once married, the decay that occurs if you skip a day without speaking to your spouse is a whopping -20 points per day, so be certain to chat with your spouse before you head off to start your farm chores.
Sam’s Questions
On a random Wednesday, most likely fairly early on in your friendship, Sam may ask you a question about a song he’s planning to write. He’ll ask you what he should write about, and your answer could earn or cost you some friendship points. The choice is fairly clear, however. The options you are given are:
- Farming, mining, and chopping wood
- A city in the sea
- Trains
- Choose anything. It’ll be terrible anyway
If you are extremely astute, you may have figured out that the final option will cost you some friendship points with Sam, -50 to be exact. All three of the first options will earn you 30 friendship points apiece, so this is a pretty easy one to not screw up.
Sam’s Quest
Like several of the other marriage candidates in Stardew Valley, the only quest that Sam will ever be involved in is an occasional request he may post to the “help wanted” board in the middle of pelican town. His request will be for a random item, and the reward for bringing it to him will be three times the amount of gold the item is worth and 150 friendship points with Sam.
