Think you can convince a budding inventor to wile away their days on your farm? You'll want to know how to romance Maru in Stardew Valley to stand the best chance. Talkative, ambitious, and the daughter of smart and hard-working parents, she's a gifted girl with a bright future ahead of her.
Down below, we'll go over everything you need to know to impress Maru enough to have her become a bigger part of your life. We'll cover her likes and dislikes, where you'll spot her throughout the day, and how her various romance events play out. Say the right thing and you'll boost your friendship status with her even further.
For a few other bits, check out five games like Stardew Valley for when you've exhausted this one. You'll also want to repair the community center and solve the Winter Mystery quest. And for the whole lot, our Stardew Valley walkthrough hub is worth checking out. Our Stardew Valley characters guide works in a similar fashion.
Maru Romance Guide
A curious inventory, Maru spends a lot of her time tinkering with gadgets and projects at the lab by her home, sometimes with her scientist father, or helping her carpenter mother at the family store. Two days out of seven, she works shifts at the Clinic as a nurse.
She's enthusiastic about her future putting her smarts to good use. She's friendly, very chatter, and outgoing. She loves to show off her latest contraptions even if they're not always ready for primetime.
Schedule
Maru's week is split between time spent at home working with her father at the Carpenter's Shop or pulling shifts at the Clinic. Because her house is in the Mountains to the north, she'll spend quite a bit of time commuting into town.
If you can't find her one day and you've unlocked Ginger Island, she could very well have elected to spend time there instead. On rainy days, she'll typically go into the shop in the early afternoon before heading to the lab. If the community center is restores, she'll spend time inside it rather than outside.
Spring
Monday
- 09:00 - At home in her bedroom.
- 10:20 - In the lab.
- 13:30 - At the bench south of the Saloon.
- 18:30 - Back home in her bedroom
Tuesdays and Thursdays
- 08:00 - Heads to Harvey's Clinic for work.
- 16:45 - Leaves work and heads home.
- 18:30 - Spends time in her kitchen.
- 22:20 - Goes to her bedroom.
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
- 09:00 - Spends time in her bedroom.
- 10:20 - Goes to the lab.
- 14:00 - Sits on the bench by the Community Center
- 18:00 - Makes her way to her bedroom back home.
Sunday
- 09:00 - Spends time in her bedroom.
- 10:20 - Goes to the lab.
- 13:30 - Sits on the bench south of the Saloon.
- 18:30 - Heads for her bedroom.
Summer
Monday and Sunday
- 09:00 - Spends time in her bedroom.
- 10:20 - Goes to the lab.
- 13:30 - Sits on the bench south of the Saloon.
- 18:30 - Heads for her bedroom.
Tuesday and Thursday
- 08:00 - Heads to Harvey's Clinic for work.
- 16:45 - Leaves work and heads home.
- 18:30 - Spends time in her kitchen.
- 22:20 - Goes to her bedroom.
Wednesday and Friday, and Saturday
- 09:00 - Spends time in her room.
- 10:20 - Goes to the lab.
- 14:00 - Spends time by the lake easy of her house.
- 19:00 - Heads home to stargaze.
Fall
Monday and Sunday
- 09:00 - Spends time in her bedroom.
- 10:20 - Goes to the lab.
- 13:30 - Sits on the bench south of the Saloon.
- 18:30 - Heads for her bedroom.
Tuesday and Thursday
- 08:00 - Heads to Harvey's Clinic for work.
- 16:45 - Leaves work and heads home.
- 18:30 - Spends time in her kitchen.
- 22:20 - Goes to her bedroom.
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
- 09:00 - Spends time in her bedroom.
- 10:20 - Goes to the lab.
- 14:00 - Sits on the bench by the Community Center
- 18:00 - Makes her way to her bedroom back home.
Winter
The only real deviation to Maru's schedule is on day 16, where she'll spend the morning and early afternoon at home or in her lab. In the late afternoon, she'll head to the Night Market.
Monday and Sunday
- 09:00 - Spends time in her bedroom.
- 10:20 - Goes to the lab.
- 13:30 - Sits on the bench north of the Graveyard.
- 18:30 - Heads for her bedroom.
Tuesday and Thursday
- 08:00 - Heads to Harvey's Clinic for work.
- 16:45 - Leaves work and heads home.
- 18:30 - Spends time in her kitchen.
- 22:20 - Goes to her bedroom.
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
- 09:00 - Spends time in her bedroom.
- 10:20 - Goes to the lab.
- 14:00 - Sits on the bench by the Community Center
- 18:00 - Makes her way to her bedroom back home.
Gifts to romance Maru
To quickly raise your rank with Maru, be sure to give her gifts from the Loved and Liked lists below. Avoid anything in the Neutral, Disliked, and Hated lists unless you're trying to cause a divide or simply get rid of some goods.
Loved gifts
- Cauliflower
- Battery Pack
- Cheese Cauliflower
- Diamond
- Gold Bar
- Iridium Bar
- Miner's Treat
- Pepper Poppers
- Rhubarb Pie
- Radioactive Bar
- Strawberry
Liked gifts
- Copper Bar
- Iron Bar
- Oak Resin
- Pine Tar
- Quartz
- Radioactive Ore
- Universal Likes*
*Except for Honey, Maple Syrup, and Pickles.
Neutral gifts
- Chanterelle
- Daffodil
- Dandelion
- Ginger
- Hazelnut
- Leek
- Magma Cap
- Morel
- Purple Mushroom
- Wild Horseradish
- Winter Root
- All Milk*
- All Fruit*
- All Eggs*
- All Universal Neutral gifts*
*Except Truffle, Void Egg, Blackberry, Crystal Fruit, Fruit Tree fruit, Salmonberry, and Strawberry
Disliked gifts
- Blackberry
- Common Mushroom
- Crystal Fruit
- Maple Syrup
- Salmonberry
- All universal Dislikes
*Except Battery Pack, Copper Bar, Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Iron Bar, Pine Tar, and Oak Resin.
Hated gifts
- Holly
- Pickles
- Honey
- Snow Yam
- Truffle
Heart events when romancing Maru
At every two heart levels, you'll have the opportunity to trigger an event with Maru. The choices made during these scenes can sometimes offer hearty Friendship Point boosts (or even take them away.)
Here are Maru's heart events as well as how to trigger them:
| Hearts | Event |
|---|---|
| Two | Visit the Carpenter's Shop whenever Maru is there. Maru leaves the room to fetch more soil samples, leaving you to converse with her father. Don't throw him under the bus to get a Friendship bonus. |
| Four | Visit the Clinic while Maru is there. Maru causes a mess and asks you how best to explain the situation to Harvey. Have her be honest for a friendship bonus. |
| Six | Visit the Mountain on the evening of a sunny day between 21:00 and midnight. Maru invites you to gaze through her telescope. State that you see a beautiful planet to get a friendship boost. |
| Eight | Visit the Carpenter's Shop when Maru is present. You're accidentally shocked by Maru's latest project. Shrug it off for a friendship bonus. |
| Ten | Visit the Carpenter's Shop between 09:00-16:00. Maru presents her finished project to you. Say that you're impressed by her inventions for a friendship bonus. |
| Ten (Group) | Triggered by entering Haley and Emily's house after triggering the ten-heart event with all available characters. The exact dialogue of the event will differ if you have the Rabbit's Foot item at the time. Otherwise, you'll be called out for dating all the girls at once. They'll then ignore you for a whole week. |
| Fourteen | Triggered first by entering the Farmhouse on a non-Sunday and non-Winter day from 06:10-17:00. You agree to go stargazing in the Mountains on the night of a sunny day, reminisce, and give your thoughts on your future with Maru. |
Married life after you've romanced Maru
Despite living on the farm, Maru will continue her work at the Clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She'll offer helpful resources on rainy mornings, sweet treats on wet nights, and food (or a bomb) on lazy days spent indoors.
On the farm, Maru will occasionally work on her inventions behind the house. Luckily, she won't burn the place down.
Want to learn more? Check out our Stardew Valley Fishing Hub to learn where to find some of Maru's favourite items. And if you want to marry Morris, who's usually out of the running, there's a marry Morris mod out there just like there's one to add Pokemon to Stardew Valley and stay up late, too.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides and Stardew Valley page.