Building strong relationships and mastering NPC factory builds are key aspects of Little Rocket Lab’s mid-to-late game.
This combined guide covers two essential parts:
NPC Gift Preferences – Everything you need to know about each character’s favorite and hated gifts to boost relationships fast.
NPC House Build Challenges – Step-by-step factory layouts for Act 3 and Act 4 when NPCs offer their homes for mini automation challenges.
Whether you’re chasing achievements like “Someone to Lean On” or trying to maximize output efficiency, this guide will help you do both without wasting time or resources.
Part 1: NPC Gift Guide
Giving gifts is the primary way to increase relationships with characters in Little Rocket Lab.
Each NPC has unique tastes, divided into five preference categories:
| Icon | Category | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| ❤️ | Loves | Strong relationship boost |
| 🙂 | Likes | Moderate relationship boost |
| 😐 | Neutral | Minimal effect |
| 💧 | Dislikes | Small penalty |
| ☠️ | Hates | Major penalty |
Item Categories
These are the main collectible and craftable item groups you’ll encounter:
Bugs – Found near train tracks.
Bread – Purchased from the Bakery.
Collectables – Feathers, Blue Agate, etc. Found at the Shore and Mountain.
Components – Crafted items made via the Assembler.
Flowers – Commonly found across regions.
Foragables – Mushrooms, Hops, etc. Found throughout the map.
Fruit – Strawberries, Blueberries, etc. Grown and foraged.
Gems – Rubies, Emeralds, Amethyst, Diamonds; found in the mines.
Ores – Iron, Copper, Coal; mined and collected.
Seashells – Rainbow, Spiral, and others; found along the Shore.
Quick Gift Reference
| Item Type | NPCs Who Love/Like It |
|---|---|
| Bugs | Watts (Loves) |
| Bread | Toasty (Loves) |
| Collectables | Benson, Carter, Pete, Noor, William |
| Components | Cliff, Pico, Tia |
| Flowers | Dottie, Jamie, Ilonka, Michael, Veronica |
| Foragables | Angela, Jamie, Sabrina, Watts, William, Carter |
| Fruit | Angela, Dottie, Elise, Ilonka, Jamie, Pete, Rebecca, Sabrina |
| Gems | Angela, Cliff, Elise |
| Ores | Scrubs |
| Seashells | Angela, Elise, Veronica, Watts |
NPC Preferences
Below is a detailed breakdown of what each NPC loves, likes, dislikes, and hates.
Angela
Loves: Collectables, Gems, Seashells
Likes: Fruit, Foragables
Neutral: Bugs, Bread, Flowers
Dislikes: Components
Hates: Ore
Benson
Likes: Collectables, Seashells
Neutral: Bugs, Components, Ore
Dislikes: Flowers, Foragables, Fruit, Gems
Carter
Loves: Collectables
Likes: Foragables
Neutral: Flowers, Bugs
Dislikes: Components
Hates: Ore
Cliff
Loves: Gems
Likes: Components
Neutral: Flowers, Collectables
Hates: Bugs
Dottie
Loves: Flowers
Likes: Fruit
Neutral: Foragables
Hates: Components
Elise
Loves: Gems, Seashells
Likes: Fruit
Neutral: Bread, Collectables
Dislikes: Foragables, Bugs
Hates: Components
Ilonka
Loves: Flowers
Likes: Fruit
Neutral: Bread, Foragables
Dislikes: Ores, Bugs
Hates: Components
Jamie
Loves: Fruit, Foragables
Likes: Flowers
Neutral: Bread
Hates: Components
Leo
Loves: Pets, Playing Fetch
Dislikes: Loud Noises
Michael
Likes: Flowers
Neutral: Fruit
Dislikes: Bugs, Foragables
Noor
Loves: Collectables
Neutral: Bread, Foragables, Flowers, Fruit
Dislikes: Gems
Hates: Components
Pete
Loves: Fruit, Collectables
Neutral: Foragables
Dislikes: Seashells
Pico
Loves: Components
Rebecca (The Realest)
Loves: Fruit
Neutral: Bread, Foragables
Hates: Components
Sabrina
Loves: Foragables
Likes: Fruit
Neutral: Bread
Dislikes: Flowers
Hates: Components
Scrubs
Likes: Ore
Neutral: Bread, Foragables
Dislikes: Flowers, Collectables
Hates: Components
Tia
Loves: Components
Dislikes: Flowers
Toasty (The GOAT)
Loves: Bread
Neutral: Components
Dislikes: Waffles
Veronica
Loves: Seashells, Flowers
Neutral: Collectables, Bread, Foragables
Dislikes: Bugs
Hates: Components
Watts
Loves: Seashells
Likes: Foragables, Bugs
Neutral: Bread
Dislikes: Fruit
Hates: Components
William
Loves: Foragables
Likes: Collectables
Neutral: Bread, Gems, Fruit
Dislikes: Flowers
Hates: Components
Part 2: NPC House Build Challenges
During Act 3, after the silo burning event, several NPCs will invite you to build factories inside their homes.
These are mini automation puzzles with unlimited input resources and specific throughput goals.
You can complete them for efficiency or just partial output — either way, products appear outside the home.
Veronica
Inputs:
- Iron Plates ×90pm
Outputs:
- Gears ×90pm
Setup Used:
2× Mk1 Assemblers, belts, splitters.
Tip: Easiest house challenge; use straightforward assembly.
Dottie
Inputs:
- Coal ×90pm
- Iron Plates ×270pm (3 inputs)
Output:
- Steel Beams ×60pm
Setup Used:
- 2× Mk2 Assemblers, belts, splitters, underground belts.
Alternative (by [SkC] Knuckle):
Can achieve 90pm output with tighter spacing and optimized routing.
Noor
Inputs:
- Bearings ×180pm (2 inputs)
- Copper Wire ×90pm
- Gears ×90pm
Output:
- Small Motor ×60pm
Setup Used:
- 4× Mk2 Assemblers, belts, splitters, underground belts.
Tip: Noor’s home is tight; belt weaving is key.
Michael
Inputs:
- Copper Wire ×90pm
- Recyclables ×180pm
Outputs:
- Plastic Scrap (no external output)
- Circuit Board ×30pm
Setup Used:
- 2× Recyclers, 1× Sorter, 2× Mk2 Assemblers.
Tip: You can fit an Item Receiver to collect plastic scraps for future use.
Carter
(Unlocked in Act 4)
Inputs:
- Copper Wire ×90pm
- Iron Plates ×90pm
Output:
- Stator ×90pm
Setup Used:
- 3× Mk2 Assemblers, belts, splitters, underground belts.
Tip: Spacious layout makes routing simple — focus on clean throughput.
Tavern
Inputs:
- Recyclable Computers ×90pm
- Coal ×90pm
Outputs:
- Logic Chips (no external output)
- Plastic Bars ×30pm
Setup Used:
- 2× Recyclers, 1× Chemical Plant, pipes, pipe undergrounds, belts, and a filter splitter.
Tip: Be careful with your positioning — the room can easily trap your player.
Between managing gifts and solving mini factory challenges, Little Rocket Lab offers deep progression systems for both relationship building and automation mastery.
Use this combined guide to quickly identify who likes what, complete every NPC factory efficiently, and move on to building your dream setup across Acts 3 and 4.