Marriage candidates vs. everyone else
Stardew rankings usually collapse into two arguments. The marriage-candidate tier list is the loud one, and it's really a personality quiz — Abigail and Sebastian rank on vibe, Harvey and Penny on being genuinely kind, Shane on having the best arc in the game once you push past the first few hearts. The wider villager list rewards writing: Linus, Marnie and Pam do more emotional work than several bachelors combined. There's also a purely mechanical read where the Dwarf and Krobus out-rank humans on convenience. Say which list you're making or Shane defenders will find you.