Starsand Island Gifts Guide: Universal Gifts & NPC Favorites
Gifting is the fastest daily affection source in Starsand Island after profession quests, and the rules are simple: one gift per NPC per day, five reaction tiers, and a short list of foods and crops that nobody dislikes. This page gives you the universal list, a one-line “what they love” summary for every romanceable character (full lists live on each NPC’s page), the sugar-painting special gift, a quick reference for the friendship-only islanders, and the items that quietly cost you points.
The gift tables are built from the Early Access community data export (last revised August 13, 2026) cross-checked against two independent player-tested guides from February–March 2026; the three agree on well over 95% of entries. None of them has been re-verified against 1.0 yet, so every list here is “EA 0.3–0.7 data, 1.0 re-check in progress”. Where only one of the sources lists an item, it is marked as such.
Reaction tiers and daily limit
| Reaction | Affection | How you know |
|---|---|---|
| Loved | +15 | Distinct delighted line; the item is then logged under Preferences in the Social app |
| Liked | +10 | Pleased line |
| Neutral | +5 | Polite acknowledgement |
| Disliked | 0 | Sources disagree on whether points are also lost — two EA guides say “may lose progress”, others say 0; avoid regardless |
| Hated | 0 (or a loss, same disagreement) | A blunt refusal line |
One gift per character per day; a patch in the 0.3.x series fixed an exploit where repeated gifting counted more than once. Gifts on a birthday trigger a special reaction (birthdays are listed on the characters page). Mentors and Solara also hand out quest rewards, so gifts are the main lever for the other eight romanceable characters. Point thresholds per heart are in the romance guide.
20 universal safe gifts (Liked by all 15 Bond characters)
Checked item by item against the preference export for all 15 Bond characters (the 14 romanceable plus Youfang): every entry below is Liked or better by each of them. Graminova loves the crops and Pasture Grass, so these double as his best cheap gifts.
| Foraged / farmed | Cooked |
|---|---|
| Celeste Berry, Pasture Grass, Dragon Fruit, Green Grape, Strawberry, Apple, Watermelon | Chilled Twilight Salad, Grilled Mushrooms, Plain Noodles, Birthday Cake |
| Water Spinach, Garlic, Leek, Pumpkin, Potato, Cucumber, Peanut, Wheat, Cabbage |
Two notes: the same crops are Loved by several friendship-only islanders too (Marston, Matilda, Sagewood), so a pocket of cabbages covers most of the town. And Moonflower is not universal despite a popular Reddit claim — Graminova and Zephyria love it, most characters like it, but Loren hates it along with Blue Hydrangea and Red Sleep Lily.
What each romanceable NPC loves (one line each)
Items in bold are confirmed at the same tier by at least two sources; the rest are from the data export only. Click the name for the complete Loved / Liked / Disliked / Hated lists and schedule.
| NPC | Loved theme | Confirmed examples | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solara | Fancy desserts | Strawberry Mousse, Tiramisu | Mountain & Sea Skewers |
| Zerine | Raw ore, stone, fragments, crafted ornaments | Copper Ore, Gold Ore, Flamecore Ore, Stone, Luminfrog Fragment, Runebird Fragment, Piggy Bank | Celeb Moth, Glazed Cicada, Mutton |
| Pastelle | Animal feed of every kind | Rabbit Feed, Mega Sheep Feed (export also lists clothing items, likely a data artefact — not recommended) | Steamed Fish, Wishful Heart Cookies, Yangzhou Fried Rice, bugs |
| Graminova | Anything that grows: seeds, crops, flowers | Cabbage, Wheat, Potato, Pumpkin, Cucumber, Garlic, Leek, Moonflower, Pasture Grass, Wheat Seeds, Garlic Seeds | Feather, Veggie Bait |
| Delphin | Flowers (export also lists fireworks) | Blue Hydrangea, Light Blue Hydrangea, Moonflower | Bug Bait, Fiddler Crab, Scallop, Red Beaded Starfish, Pickled Cabbage |
| Zephyria | Moonlit Forest forage | Midnight Herb, Mirage Sunflower, Mirthshroom, Moondew Shroom, Moonflower, Spirit Fruit, Twilight Succulent | Meat Bait |
| Alex | Diamonds | Diamond (export adds Luna Rabbit) | Mutton, Pickled Water Spinach, Glazed Cicada |
| Aurelis | A single item | Aurorite Ore — the only Loved entry in all three sources | Caco Laco, Cooking Oil, Soy Sauce, Strawberry Milk, Pickled Cabbage, Watermelon Jam |
| Loren | Processed parts, ingots, coffee | Bronze, Chip, Tin Ingot, Iron Sheet, Magnet, Mini Reactor, Cappuccino, Iced Americano, Coconut Latte | Moonflower, Blue Hydrangea, Red Sleep Lily — he hates flowers |
| Lunelle | Fabric and leather | Flannel, Leather, Linen (export adds all dyed fabrics, Moonstone) | Chinese Perch and most fish |
| Neona | Raw ore and coffee | Copper Ore, Tin Ore, Runebird Fragment, Iced Americano, Mocha | Caco Laco, Daiquiri, Frost Fizz, Mango Sago, butterflies |
| Serena | Diamonds, sachets, sculptures, ornaments | Diamond (export adds Floral/Soothing/Warming Sachet, Runebird Sculpture, Piggy Bank) | Curio Bowl |
| Stella | Macarons and star fruit | Black Tea Macaron (export adds Star Mango, Star Plum) | No cross-confirmed hated item; export lists ores and arrows |
| Sylvain | Flowers and fireflies | Blue Hydrangea, Light Blue Hydrangea, Moonflower, Twilight Succulent, Yellow Sleep Lily | Frost Fizz, Glazed Cicada |
| Youfang (friendship only in 1.0) | Bamboo | Bamboo, Bamboo Leaf, Fresh Bamboo Shoot (export adds Gold Ore) | Runebird Fragment |
Three pairs of characters share themes, which helps when you mine or forage in bulk: Zerine and Neona both love raw ore; Delphin and Sylvain both love hydrangeas and Moonflower; Alex and Serena both love Diamond. Ore locations are on the ore locations page.
Sugar painting: the special gift
Every romanceable character (and the four crossover guests) has a “Resonance” entry in the data: a sugar painting of themselves.
- Reach 2 hearts and accept the photo invite; take the picture.
- Bring the photo to the sugar-painting stall in the town centre, next to Soluna Cafe Lodge, and pay 100 gold for “Sugar Painting – (name)”. One per day.
- Hand it to the character it depicts.
Player testing in February–March 2026 found the payoff uneven: Aurelis gave about +30, Loren +10, Neona, Serena and Stella +5, Alex reacted neutrally, and Delphin, Graminova, Lunelle, Pastelle and Zephyria played an “adored” reaction without a visible point gain — suspected bug, and a patch in the 0.3.x series did fix sugar paintings “not increasing affinity” for some NPCs. A June 25, 2026 note also fixed Youfang’s photo producing a Neona painting. Treat sugar painting as a fun extra, not a farming tool.
Friendship-only islanders: quick reference
These characters cannot be dated, but their hearts still gate bulletin-board favours and return gifts. Confirmed-by-two-sources items first.
| NPC | Loved (confirmed) | Notes / hated |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce | Insects: Banner Dragonfly, Celeb Moth, Cicada, Mantis, Luminwing / Moonshade / Rainbowing / Solarwing / Swallowtail Butterfly, Glazed Cicada; also Midnight Herb, Moonflower, Twilight Succulent | Liked: Celeste Berry, Jelly, Stone |
| Momo | Jams (Banana, Pineapple, Watermelon) and toys (Blonde Doll, Mini 4WD, Pink Fox Plushie, Sheep Plushie, Yo-Yo) | Hates Veggie Bait |
| Gust | Wooden furniture: Floral Hardwood Chair, Floral Hardwood Dining Table, Hardwood Low Tea Table, Stump Stool, Three-Seater Bench, Wooden TV Cabinet, Matcha Double Bed | Hates Runebird Fragment |
| Hattie | Seeds: Cabbage, Wheat, Pineapple, Red/Purple Sleep Lily Seeds, Moondew Shroom Spores (export adds flowers and fabrics) | Hates Stone |
| Matilda | Leek, Water Spinach, Moondew Shroom, Moonflower, Pasture Grass, Yellow Sleep Lily (export: all pickles and flowers) | Returns pickles for liked gifts; hates Glazed Cicada, Mushroom Soup, Plain Noodles |
| Sagewood | Cucumber, Peanut, Pickled Cabbage, Plainberry, Mirthshroom, Moondew Shroom, Moonflower, Water Spinach | Hates Veggie Bait |
| Regis | Cooked dishes: Baked Potato, Fish Head Tofu Soup, Forest Treasure Bowl, Grilled Chicken Wings, Grilled Mushrooms, Lamb Skewers, Plain Noodles, Chilled Twilight Salad | Hates Glazed Cicada |
| Garrick | Solid-State Battery (export only); Liked: Chicken Feed, Soup Dumplings, Plain Noodles | Hates Glazed Cicada; dislikes Beef Jerky, Negroni |
| Charlene | Diamond, Moondew Shroom, Moonflower, Pink Sleep Lily | No cross-confirmed hated item |
| Marston | Crops and flowers: Celeste Berry, Coconut, Dragon Fruit, Pumpkin, Moonflower, Twilight Succulent | Hates Bug Bait, Glazed Cicada, Latiao |
| Ginger | Toys: Blonde Doll, Pink Fox Plushie, Sheep Plushie | Hates Bug Bait |
| Nia | Flowers: Moonflower (export: all flower types) | Dislikes Aurorite Ore, Softwood |
| Fang | Insects: Banner Dragonfly, Mantis, Luminwing / Moonshade / Solarwing Butterfly, Yellow Dragonfly | Liked: Echo Bean, Midnight Herb, Spirit Fruit |
Common mistakes
- “Ripening Fertilizer IV (Graminova Gift)” — the fertilizer Graminova mails you is Hated by all 15 Bond characters. Use it on crops, never as a present.
- Bait (Bug, Veggie, Meat), fireworks and firecrackers, every fertilizer grade — Hated by nearly everyone, including the fox Octa. Bait is the single most common accidental gift because it sits in the same pocket as fish.
- Glazed Cicada splits the island: Bruce and Fang love it, Zephyria and Youfang like it, and almost everyone else hates or dislikes it. Don’t treat it as a universal.
- Flowers for Loren — the one romanceable character who actively hates Moonflower and hydrangeas.
- Trusting a single video transcript — one community transcript lists Red Beaded Starfish as Loved by Delphin and Copper Sheet as Loved by Zerine; the data export and both player guides have them as Hated and Disliked. This page follows the majority.
FAQ
What is the best universal gift in Starsand Island?
Celeste Berry and Pasture Grass are the two items every tested guide agrees are Liked by all 15 Bond characters, and both are free to pick. Cabbage, Wheat and Potato do the same job and are Loved by Graminova.
How many gifts can you give per day?
One per NPC per day. Talking is separate and always worth at least 5 points on top.
Do hated gifts lower affection?
They give 0 points for certain; two Early Access guides say you may also lose progress while others say no. Sources disagree, so simply don’t give them.
Are the gift lists still correct in 1.0?
They come from Early Access builds 0.3–0.7 and have not yet been re-checked item by item after the August 18, 2026 release. Patch notes so far mention no preference changes; if you find one, the contact page is the place to report it.
Related guides
- Romance & marriage guide — what each heart unlocks
- Characters index — shops, regions, birthdays
- Pets guide — Octa’s favourite foods
- Ore locations — for Zerine, Neona and Aurelis
- Wood & plant resources — Moonlit Forest forage for Zephyria
- Farming guide — crops that double as gifts
Last reviewed: August 23, 2026 — sources: community gift-preference data export (Aug 13, 2026), two player-tested Early Access gift guides (Feb–Mar 2026), official Steam patch notes.
Thanks for the feedback!