Game of Thrones Winter is Coming: Friendship Guide

Royal lords can send gifts to your commanders in the Tavern to increase their Loyalty level (Friendship level) with you. Familiar(Grey)->Friendly (Green) ->Close(Blue)->Intimate->Faithful(Purple).
Each commander has a favorite gift type. If you go to Tavern and open Friendship for a commander, you will see their favorite item at the bottom, below their name. For example, Theon prefers “Food” and Sansa prefers “Dessert”.
Sending commanders their favorite type of gifts will provide double points on leveling up them.
And reaching certain Loyalty levels (Friendship level) will grant you different bonuses:
Aptitude: Provides Speed Up Items
Finance: Provide extra Gold Dragons
Command: Provide extra troops based on your highest unlocked troop tier
Combat: Provide total Attack, Defense and health
Leadership: Increase your Army Size and Rally Size

Notice: If your Combat Rate is higher than your enemy’s, you can get a bonus of total Attack, Defense and Health which is based on the difference of your Combat Rate. If your enemy has a higher Combat Rate than yours, then he can get a bonus based on the gap between your Combat Rate. In other words, having a high Combat Rate yourself means the enemy gets less from his bonus.

Let’s take Sansa as an example here. According to the stars of each quality, it can be seen that she provides 4 points for Aptitude, 4 points for Finance and 3 points for leadership every time when she gets leveled up. E.g. Her stats at level 11 can be Aptitude 60, Finance 61 and Leadership 48. When you send dessert (Lemon Cake:200 points) to her, she can get 200*2 friendship points for leveling up.

If you prefer battles against other players, you should focus on those commanders.
★★★★★: Jon, Daenerys, Cersei, Baelish, Sandor, Arya, Jaime
★★★★: Theon, Seg, Robb, Sinara, Kevin, Sheila, Meranda, Leana, Andrea
★★★: Melisandre, Leila, Barret, Raymond, Russell, Haley, Mengo

If you are a casual player and prefer to get more gold dragons and hastens every day, you should focus on those commanders.
★★★★★: Tyrion, Margaery, Varys, Melisandre
★★★★: Sansa, Raymond, Jeane, Feis, Leana, Gorell
★★★: Merrel, Arslan, Soren, Chris, Kravras, Robert

You can obtain gifts by opening friendship chests or exchange certain types of gifts by using Valor Points in Valor Shop during Alliance Conquest event. The higher-quality chest is, the better gifts you can get.

Here are a few ways to get friendship chests:

1. Rewards from Elite Trials

2. Rewards from Expedition against Rebel Leaders

3. Rewards from Alliance Conquest or exchanging certain types of gifts in Valor Shop (This way to get chests might be changed in the following updates)

4. Using diamonds to exchange friendship chests in VIP Shop (It could be refreshed regularly)

5. Proof of Loyalty (Weekly Pack)