Guide: Getting started in Rune Factory 5, newcomer tips

The latest entry in the fantasy farming RPG series, Rune Factory, has arrived today on Switch with Rune Factory 5. While series fans have been well seasoned in the series’ various systems, for first-time farmers we have a few quick tips for getting started.

Rune Factory 5 brings back familiar past systems for players to enjoy, but if this is the first time you’re getting your hands dirty, let’s take a look at some best practices for a good start:

• Check the task board every day. The request system is the easiest way to get all of your tools early on so you can start getting items and crafting.
• Test out different weapon types as you acquire them. There are all sorts of ways to fight monsters, and while a sword is definitely reliable, it may not be best to stick with long term. As you use different weapon types, you’ll raise your skill level in each and learn different moves. These moves can affect the flow of battle, so finding a weapon type that suits your play style with all of its abilities working in your favor may take a while. Don’t be discouraged.
• Don’t ignore farming. As tempting as it is to spend tons of times in the game’s various dungeons, neglecting your farm plot will hurt you later. Harvesting crops with the sickle will yield higher level seeds, which grow higher level crops that sell for more money. You’ll also want to have different food items on hand for later, but don’t feel like this is all you should be doing in game.

• You can go back and kill bosses you’ve fought before once a day. Their item drops are worth decent money at the start. Make sure to go kill them to bank up some cash. Drops are by chance, so you may not get an item every time, but it’s common enough to be worth the effort for sure. Eventually, you will get an ability that allows you to try to catch monsters and grab items. You can use this repeatedly to farm items (and thus, more money) and those same items can be used to tame the monster to add it to your team. Taming a monster can take lots of items, so be certain to collect a decent amount before trying to tame something strong, like a boss monster!
• Be sure to eat! Food is great for recovering your HP & RP, but you also gain stats by eating, too! You can find some really great food items in chests out in the forests and dungeons, so make sure to scavenge every corner. Some food items sell for 2k or more, and food always makes great gifts if you find someone’s favorite dish.
• Not sure what to do when it rains? Use the extra time to go fishing. Rarer and bigger fish spawn when it rains, so this is a great opportunity to rake in some cash if you’ve got the reflexes to catch some of Rune Factory 5’s fastest fish.
• Craft as soon as you can. As you raise your crafting levels you can learn new recipes by eating Recipe Bread. You can find this at the bakery every day, in limited amounts. Definitely strive to obtain as much as you can since having more options never hurts. The more you level up your various crafting skills, the cooler items you can make, so don’t be afraid to burn through any RP you have left before bed by crafting and selling items, weapons, food, and more.

• There are multiple steps involved in crafting items, but the easiest step to miss is obtaining licenses. Without obtaining a license, you won’t be able to purchase the requisite crafting tables for certain types of objects from Palmo. Licenses can be purchased from Eliza, the mysterious doll-like being that sits on the front desk in SEED HQ. Just know you’ll have to have completed a certain number of in-game quests before you’ll have enough points to do this.
• Use the Warp feature! You can warp straight home from dungeons and even while in buildings. You won’t hit your head on the roof of a dungeon like you do in Dragon Quest. This also helps with inventory management: making a quick trip home to empty out your pockets and then zooming back for more monster mashing will make the most of your time and effort.
• Save grasses for fertilizer. Farming is a huge part of the game and healthy soil makes better crops that sell for more. A lot of colored grasses and herbs can be used later on for potion making and more, so keeping some of those in storage won’t hurt. Weeds are pretty fair to just chuck in the fertilizer bin as you pick them up.
• Some of the best items in the game aren’t crafted or bought, but found in treasure chests around the world. This can be a huge help in the early game when resources are limited, so taking the extra time to explore is almost always worth the effort. Pay extra attention to large stone walls that look out of place – some of these are breakable with the right equipment.

• Talk to townsfolk and start giving gifts as soon as you can. Friendship levels are important and you can eventually invite characters to team up with you, taking them into dungeons to help you route enemies. Gifts are also a surefire way to make a lucky lad or lass notice you — if you’re wanting to date any of the eligible bachelors or bachelorettes, getting to know what they like as gifts will help build up their affection fast.
• Enemies in Rune Factory 5 always spawn through gates; these glowing portals will continue to spawn more enemies as long as they’re around, so take them out first to avoid being overwhelmed. While it’s generally okay to fight any monsters that cross your paths, be wary of monsters whose names are displayed in red text. This is a warning that these enemies are significantly higher level with you, and oftentimes are capable of taking you out in one or two hits.
• Be careful if you decide to abandon a sidequest. Your task log can only track a certain number of sidequests at once, so it may sometimes be tempting to cancel a quest you’ve committed to make room for additional tasks. If a task was accepted from the bulletin board near SEED HQ, then don’t worry – you’ll be able to restart it later by accepting it again from there. But if you abandon a quest given to you by an NPC during a direct conversation, you won’t be able to attempt it again if you abandon it.

Are there any other tips or best practices that we missed? Leave a comment below, and have a great time farming and crafting!