Dave the Diver Guide: In the Jungle Villager Favorites and Farming

Building friendships in the new In the Jungle DLC unlocks crucial story progression and increases your tips at Bancho Grill. Focus on buying out Rimbo’s shop daily for shared gifts like Comics and Game Consoles, and serve villagers their favorite dishes to maximize your profits and relationship levels.

Why You Can’t Ignore Utara’s Friendship System

The new relationship mechanics in the In the Jungle expansion aren’t just a fun side activity. Earning the trust of the 22 locals in Utara is entirely mandatory if you want to push the main narrative forward. If you try to brute-force your way through the fresh content without making friends, your progress will hit a brick wall.

Handing out random junk works in a pinch and gives you a tiny bump in affinity. If you really want to see those relationship meters soar, though, you need to hand over their absolute favorite items.

The perks go way beyond just unlocking the next story mission. When you run Bancho Grill in the evenings, cooking up meals using a villager’s preferred ingredient guarantees a massive tip. Planning your menu around who is currently sitting at your tables is the fastest way to rake in serious cash.

Complete Villager Favorites Chart

We have compiled every confirmed gift and preferred dish ingredient for the new characters. Keep in mind that a few of these are still being verified and will be updated as the community tests them further.

How to Farm Gifts Efficiently

Trying to track down the perfect item for over 20 different people sounds exhausting, but you can heavily streamline the process. You just need to build a few daily habits.

• Visit Rimbo’s shop every single day. The inventory rotates daily and is packed with household items, collectibles, and toys. Buy out everything you think you might need so you aren’t scrambling later.
• Target the nerds first. Villagers like Gesang, Eka, and Bima all love Comics and Game Consoles. Stocking up on these items at Rimbo’s lets you knock out multiple friendships using the exact same inventory run.
• Scour the lake bottom. While diving for your nightly menu ingredients, keep your eyes peeled for Pearls and Gold Jewelry. These are essential for Chandra and Harta. They spawn less frequently than shop items, but you should easily snag a couple per dive.

Chaining Quests and Maximizing Bancho Grill

Eventually, you will hit friendship levels three and four with certain locals. When this happens, they often reward you with unique gift items. You can then turn around and hand those rewards directly to other villagers to boost their affinity.

Prioritizing side quests is a huge time-saver. Completing these favors often yields gifts instead of the standard cash payouts or restaurant decorations. If you map out your social interactions, you can create a domino effect where making one friend gives you the exact item you need to win over the next.

Don’t forget the power of the restaurant itself. Fishing for dish ingredients like Moonlight Gourami for Kinah does double duty. You get a direct friendship bump and a fat stack of cash when they dine at Bancho Grill. Always check your dining room before service starts and adjust your menu on the fly to match who showed up.

For more tips, walkthroughs, and everything else covering the game, check out our full collection of guides.