Rune Factory games usually have a clothing change option. Sometimes, outfits can be purchased at a local shop. Some outfits in past games have been prizes in contests. In Rune Factory 4, you can purchase the Clothing Shop option with Princess Points. You then will find a Clothing Shop outside the Forest, to the right of the exit gate from Selphia.
Outfits sold initially include:
Festival Wear:
Bathing Costume:
Wearing the Bathing Costume on Beach Day probably gives a small boost of Friendship with all Villagers.
Night Wear:
Pajamas: 980G
Costumes:
Chipsqueek Body Suit: 24000G
Wooly Body Suit: 24000G
Selphia Soldier: 36000G
Sechs Soldier: 36000G
Colour Changes:
Blue Sky: 2800G
Red Passion: 2800G
Fruity Lemon: 2800G
Green Forest: 2800G
Persian Pink: 2800G
Fruity Orange: 2800G
Dark Wings: 2800G
In other Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games, each of the eligible Girls and Bachelors has a favourite colour. If you wear that colour while 'meeting and greeting' that individual, you can obtain a Friendship/Love Boost. I cannot imagine this game is any different in that respect.
Thursday 30 January 2014
Wednesday 22 January 2014
Dressing for Success in Early Spring, 1st Year
In any Rune Factory game, your chances of success against any Enemy are determined primarily by your Weapons, Armour and Accessories as well as your Experience Levels. If, in early Spring of the first year, you can obtain or create the best Weapons, Armour and Accessories possible at that stage, you will have no problem with any of the hostile Monsters, including Boss Monsters.
One of the most fortunate discoveries that Freya had in the very first week was the Invisible Stone which she found by mining Rocks in Yokmir Forest. She was not certain what to do with it at first, but after purchasing the Forge, created an Invisiblade, an incredibly powerful Short Sword at that point in the game.
One can find a number of Weapons, pieces of Armour and Accessories in Chests throughout the Dungeons but I doubt that the Invisiblade ever will be one of these. Freya did find a Round Shield that was an improvement over the Small Shield she had initially. She found a Shirt in a Chest in a Cottage near the Water Ruins but soon afterwards found a Vest in a Chest that was far superior. Ultimately, she purchased the Crafting Bench and was able to create a Cotton Shirt and, when she had Bronze, actual Mail.
Suggested Weapons, Armour and Accessories:
Invisiblade: 800G
Buy: 18320G
Required Level: 16
ATK 150, MGC ATK 5. Diz 6
Round Shield:
Vest: 20G
Buy: 1300G
Required level: 8
DEF 9, MGC DEF 2
Ingredients: Cloth/Skins, Furs
Cotton Cloth: 125G
Buy: 4980G
Required Level: 12
DEF 18, MGC DEF 11
Ingredients: Old Bandage x 2, Spider's Thread
Mail: 206G
Buy: 9200G
Required Level: 16
DEF 36, MGC DEF 18
Ingredients: Bronze, Liquids
One of the most fortunate discoveries that Freya had in the very first week was the Invisible Stone which she found by mining Rocks in Yokmir Forest. She was not certain what to do with it at first, but after purchasing the Forge, created an Invisiblade, an incredibly powerful Short Sword at that point in the game.
One can find a number of Weapons, pieces of Armour and Accessories in Chests throughout the Dungeons but I doubt that the Invisiblade ever will be one of these. Freya did find a Round Shield that was an improvement over the Small Shield she had initially. She found a Shirt in a Chest in a Cottage near the Water Ruins but soon afterwards found a Vest in a Chest that was far superior. Ultimately, she purchased the Crafting Bench and was able to create a Cotton Shirt and, when she had Bronze, actual Mail.
Suggested Weapons, Armour and Accessories:
Invisiblade: 800G
Buy: 18320G
Required Level: 16
ATK 150, MGC ATK 5. Diz 6
Round Shield:
Vest: 20G
Buy: 1300G
Required level: 8
DEF 9, MGC DEF 2
Ingredients: Cloth/Skins, Furs
Cotton Cloth: 125G
Buy: 4980G
Required Level: 12
DEF 18, MGC DEF 11
Ingredients: Old Bandage x 2, Spider's Thread
Mail: 206G
Buy: 9200G
Required Level: 16
DEF 36, MGC DEF 18
Ingredients: Bronze, Liquids
Tuesday 21 January 2014
Initial Review of Rune Factory 4
Rune Factory is my favourite game series, even more than Harvest Moon, because in the real world, I collect edged weapons and I love the ability to forge Weapons. I love the combat against Monsters who can be quite cute and never are killed but rather can be tamed to work alongside your Character or sent back to their original world. I liked the plots of earlier Rune Factory games.
Rune Factory 4 does share most of the characteristics of its predecessors but suddenly, a new, peculiar element has been introduced in the form of the Obsidian Mansion. This is a Dungeon that reminds me more of Castlevania than Rune Factory. I am not certain that I really like it in this context. It is a very attractive old haunted mansion and special effects are magnificent, including wonderful flashes of lightning, BUT.... Why is this part of Rune Factory? It really does not fit, in my view. I know that games exist in their own reality and that developers can shape that reality to suit their particular whims and fancies at any point in time, but it would be interesting to discover how other fans of the series feel about the Obsidian Mansion. I think it detracts from the integrity of the series.
Rune Factory 4 does share most of the characteristics of its predecessors but suddenly, a new, peculiar element has been introduced in the form of the Obsidian Mansion. This is a Dungeon that reminds me more of Castlevania than Rune Factory. I am not certain that I really like it in this context. It is a very attractive old haunted mansion and special effects are magnificent, including wonderful flashes of lightning, BUT.... Why is this part of Rune Factory? It really does not fit, in my view. I know that games exist in their own reality and that developers can shape that reality to suit their particular whims and fancies at any point in time, but it would be interesting to discover how other fans of the series feel about the Obsidian Mansion. I think it detracts from the integrity of the series.
Friday 3 January 2014
At the Start, Simple Tips
The Rune Factory series is based on Harvest Moon. A senior member of the staff at Natsume once described the series as 'Harvest Moon with Weapons' and indeed, that is an excellent description. If you are unfamiliar with Harvest Moon, Rune Factory will require more learning, but if you played Harvest Moon, you will be able to apply the same principles of philosophy and general actions to the game.
The most important underlying principle of Harvest Moon is Friendship. Helpnng others is the means to success. Amassing Gold will not avail if you ignore people. In Rune Factory 4, for example, you can obtain Tools at the Forge for a price, but you can obtain the SAME tools by completing Requests from other characters. Furthermore, the Request option, so vital to any Rune Factory game, is a method by which Friendship Points are gained.
Begin, therefore, to complete Requests as soon as the option appears. The first Request will give you a Storage Box. The next will give you an Axe. A Calendar will be given to you to facilitate your friendship ratings with other Characters. By giving the proper Birthday Gift to each Character, Friendship will be increased enormously.
In the first and second week of Spring, you can obtain the basic Hammer, Cheap Fishing Pole, a Brush and a Fodder Box by completing Requests.
One caveat with respect to these or any Rewards: Items placed on the ground or even the floor of your room will vanish after a few moments. With my expanded Rucksack full, I picked up the Cheap Pole and took it to my room. I put it down for a moment in order to store some other items, but then forgot about it briefly. When I wanted to equip it and looked for it, it had disappeared. Furthermore, the 'Lost and Found' option did not activate and no one brought it to me. I had to purchase another one at Bado's Forge for 1500G.
Communication may not be as effective as a preferred gift but it does boost friendship. Meet and greet EVERY ONE on a daily basis if possible.
On 4 Spring, you will be given your first tip with respect to birthday gifts:
Ventuswill: Today, 4 Spring, is my birthday. For a present, I'd be pleased with Pancakes.'
For Medicinal Herb: Oh, Medicinal Herb. It's not the best birthday present... but it's better than getting naught at all, I guess. My thanks.
In the first Spring, it is highly unlikcly that you will be able to make a Pancake for Ventuswill, but as you can see, she was happier with a Medicinal Herb than she would have been had Freya given her no gift at all.
By 4 Spring, you will have the option to purchase a simple Refrigerator from Procoline, but you will need 30 Lumber. It is best NEVER to ship any Branches. You can collect them from the first day of the game, then store them temporarily until you obtain an Axe from Forte when you complete her Request.
Many of the tips given here are applicable to the entire series. A good way to find Items at the start of any Rune Factory game is to visit any 'dungeon' and then move on and off any given screen until a Chest appears. Remember that slashing a Chest or otherwise using a Weapon on it by pressing the B Button will destory it and its contents. Always use the 'A' Button to investigate. The Chest will open and vanish, leaving the contents on the ground for you to collect. Almost anything can appear randomly in a Chest, including Weapons, Tools, Cooked Items and Cooking Bread. It may be more tedious than fighting monsters but it gives better results, especially late at night when your RP is exhausted.
TIPS FOR OBTAINING BUILDING MATERIALS
If you can resist the temptation to resist shipping everything you find when you clear your field on the first day of gameplay, store your Branches until you obtain the Request that will give you an Axe. Every branch is needed to create sufficient Lumber for your many building projects.
You can find many large rocks in the Forests that can be crushed with the Hammer to make Material Stone, but in the first two dungeons, there are few branches on the ground. What you can do, however, is defeat Monsters in order to force them to drop Branches and Lumber as Trophies. The little red Ants often drop Lumber while the Chipsqueeks drop Branches. Note that the Chipsqueek when tamed will give Fur instead.
TIPS FOR OBTAINING VALUABLE ITEMS
After defeating the Ambrosia Monster, one still can return to her little glade once each day to defeat her and obtain Ambrosia's Thorns, an Item with a nice shipping value at the start of the game. Note that she does not always drop the Thorns. Save your game before you enter her glade. If she drops nothing, reload and battle again.
SHIPPING LIST
In this game, whenever you access an Item in your Rucksack or in the Cooking Menu, you can see if you have shipped it previously or not. Any Item that has not been shipped will have a notation: Unshipped.
FISHING:
You will obtain a Cheap Pole in one of the early Requests that can be obtained in the first fortnight of the game. Fishing is fairly simple, no different from any other HM or RF game. Often you will see the shadows of an elusive King Fish. You will not be able to catch it, but trying to hook one will increase your Fishing Experience. Buy the Kinfe from Porcoline as soon as possible in order to be able to make Sashimi. As soon as you have a Knife, you will find more success from Cooking Breads that you purchase.
RESTORING ENERGY
As in any Rune Factory game, once you have exhausted all RP, you will begin to lose HP at a rapid rate with every action you undertake. Most Cooked Dishes restore both HP and RP. There is no point, therefore, in eating a Cooked Dish unless you have lost a little HP as well as all RP. Make certain that you do not dip too low on the HP bar or you will end up in the Clinic, but it usually is safe to lose at least a quarter of your total HP before you resort to a Cooked Dish, thereby restoring both all HP and some RP as well. Otherwise, you will waste the HP effect of the Dish.
In the dungeons, you will find the little blue flowers that, when whacked with a sword or sickle, will reveal some RP.
When harvesting items on your Field, you randomly can find RP as well.
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR DAY
In some of the Harvest Moon/Rune Factory games, you are urged to go to bed by midnight or before 1.00 a.m. In RF4, you need not go to bed before 5.59 a.m. on any day. Make certain that you DO go to bed then, however, or you will greet the next day with a cold! Energy will be restored fully even if you do go to bed as late as 5.59 a.m., by the way.
SOIL QUALITY AND SEED QUALITY
The game will tell you that you can use a Sickle or other Tool to destroy a ripe Crop in order to receive upgraded Seeds from it instead of the Crop. In point of fact, harvesting any Crop randomly may produce a bag of upgraded Seeds as well as giving the actual Crop. It therefore appears to be more profitable simply to HARVEST your Crops. Save your game before you harvest any Crop. If you fail to receive a bag of Seeds with your Crop harvest, simply reload. In early Spring, when I harvested Level 1 Turnips, I received a bag of Level 2 Turnip Seeds with my harvest. If I were to use Sickle or Sword on the Crop, I would not receive anything better!
As for Soil Quality, this deteriorates at an alarming rate compared to other Rune Factory games. In order to discover the Soil Quality of any plot (containing four squares), you need to equip the Magnifying Glass. In my game, however, once I had harvested Crops from any plot, the Quality of the Soil diminished from 94% to 64%. Placing one Withered Grass anywhere on that Plot and then using the Hoe on it increased the Level to 94% again.
HARVESTING FODDER
It is here that Rune Factory 4 differs substantially from other games in the series. In the past, one used the Sickle to harvest Fodder. Now, if you use your Sickle, you will obtain upgraded Seeds but NO FODDER. Fodder must be lifted from the field manually. It then will regrow. Take the Fodder intot he Monster Barn and place it manually in the Fodder Box the same way you place your Lumber and Material Stone.
If you go to the location of the Mamadoodle (Cluck Cluck Nest), you can find an entrance to a room that is hidden. It contains at least 7 or 8 pieces of Fodder as well as some Chickens. Sometimes Withered Grass can be found here as well. You simply can evade the Mamadoodle to access this room. Incidentally, there are a number of chambers that contain Mamadoodles as well as random amounts of Fodder in the nesting complex.
FORAGING
Apart from the Chests that randomly appear on any screen that usually has Monsters on it, there are Crates that are screen-specific and which can be destroyed once each day. The Items within the Crates, like those in the Chests, are random. Moreover, there are specific screens in the Dungeons where Items such as Bamboo, Coloured Grasses, Medicinal Herb and Antidote Grass can be found. The Items are linked to those specific screens, although the actual number that may be found on any given day may change. Once collected, you will not find any more on that screen until the next day. In particular, early in Spring, you may benefit by exploring the Northwest portion of the Dungeons to find Bamboo Shoots, as they can be cooked with Rice to create Bamboo Rice. It gives good Energy Recovery as well as Cooking Experience and can be shipped or given as a Gift as well.
The screens with Medicinal Herb and Antidote Grass as well as the one that always has Bamboo are on Selphia Plain. For the Medicinal Herb and Antidote Grass, take the first path to the west from the Castle. For the Bamboo, take the second path to the left.
ESCAPE
Don't forget to use your Escape option. This is a speedy shortcut that can take you home, to another portion of a Dungeon or simply can allow you to escape from a tricky situation in battle. There will be a few screens that, once entered, cannot be left until the Monster is defeated. Ambrosia's Glade is one of these. They tend to be the screens that contain a Boss Monster. Other than that, though, you can use Escape almost anywhere. In the Dungeons in RF4 there are little twinkling lights that denote a teleport shortcut to another chamber or area in the same Dungeon. These are useful as well.
You can unlock the Airship quite early in the game, but it will take you only to specified destinations that are save points, usually at the entrance to a dungeon. Furthermore, it will take you to places you have explored previously and not to unexplored locations.
FORGING:
Forging, like Cooking, is essential to any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. In this game, in particular, items you have made yourself are differentiated from found Items with a Star. You may see the word ORIGINAL in the description as well if you made it yourself. Gifts to others are worth more and far more acceptable if you made them yourself. The shipping value may be the same, but it it obviously is important to make items whenever you can.
Where Forging is concerned, you will be able to uupgrade your existing Items at once but will not be able to use many Materials. Every Materials has a Difficulty Rating. This is related to your level of Experience at the Forge or Crafting Table.
Some of the Items you can use almost immediately are most of those found in the first dungeon such as:
Fur: Difficulty 1, VIT 1 Diz Res 1%
Stick: Difficulty 2: ATK 1
Iron: Difficulty 2, DEF 1
Cheap Cloth: Difficulty 2, DEF 1 Crt Res 1%
Arrowhead: Difficulty 3, STR 1
Amethyst: Difficulty 4, M. DEF 1
Insect Jaw: Difficulty 4, ATK 2
Insect Horn: Difficulty 7 ATK 3
Insect Carapace: Difficulty 7, DEF 1 Psn Res 15%
Spore: Difficulty 8, M ATK 2
Blade Shard: Difficulty 9, STR 2
There is an interesting new aspect to forging and crafting in that the requirement for an ingredient often gives a choice between two Materials. For example, if you wish to make a Broadsword, you will need either a piece of Iron OR a piece of Bronze. For a Cutlass, you will need Bronze, but the second Material is 'Claws and Fangs' which means that you can use a number of different items, from Insect Jaw to Panther Claw. You can make the Weapon with the less powerful Material. It is possible that the result will not be affected at all. For example, a Level 1 Cutlass has ATK 58 Diz 6. A Broadsword has ATK 5 Diz 6 irrespective of whether you used Bronze or Iron to forge it. Interesting... so where does the difference, if any lie? The selling price is identical as well.
If you are fortunate enough to find an Invisible Stone, do not ship it. Even at a fairly low level, Freya was given the Recipe for Invisiblade by eating Weapon Bread and the Invisible Stone is a required Ingredient for that Weapon. You will need Insect Jaw (or another Claw/Fang item) and an Elemental crystal (Earth or Water are found easily at this stage) to craft it.
To find one, look for an Ore stone similar to those that yield Iron but a bit smaller. The ore stone will be black/grey in colour and usually will be on a screen with Woolies. Some players claim to have found it on the save screen before Ambrosia's Glade. Will test both.
FERTILISER BIN
Do not count on the Fertiliser Bin to restore full health to your Fields. You can place it anywhere on your Field and it will restore Health to the Plots a little but it is mainly a convenient place to throw Weeds. It is the Withered Grass that will restore significant health to your Plots. Place a piece of Withered Grass on any plot and hit it with your Hoe and you will find that your Field has recovered quite a significant percentage of health.
The most important underlying principle of Harvest Moon is Friendship. Helpnng others is the means to success. Amassing Gold will not avail if you ignore people. In Rune Factory 4, for example, you can obtain Tools at the Forge for a price, but you can obtain the SAME tools by completing Requests from other characters. Furthermore, the Request option, so vital to any Rune Factory game, is a method by which Friendship Points are gained.
Begin, therefore, to complete Requests as soon as the option appears. The first Request will give you a Storage Box. The next will give you an Axe. A Calendar will be given to you to facilitate your friendship ratings with other Characters. By giving the proper Birthday Gift to each Character, Friendship will be increased enormously.
In the first and second week of Spring, you can obtain the basic Hammer, Cheap Fishing Pole, a Brush and a Fodder Box by completing Requests.
One caveat with respect to these or any Rewards: Items placed on the ground or even the floor of your room will vanish after a few moments. With my expanded Rucksack full, I picked up the Cheap Pole and took it to my room. I put it down for a moment in order to store some other items, but then forgot about it briefly. When I wanted to equip it and looked for it, it had disappeared. Furthermore, the 'Lost and Found' option did not activate and no one brought it to me. I had to purchase another one at Bado's Forge for 1500G.
Communication may not be as effective as a preferred gift but it does boost friendship. Meet and greet EVERY ONE on a daily basis if possible.
On 4 Spring, you will be given your first tip with respect to birthday gifts:
Ventuswill: Today, 4 Spring, is my birthday. For a present, I'd be pleased with Pancakes.'
For Medicinal Herb: Oh, Medicinal Herb. It's not the best birthday present... but it's better than getting naught at all, I guess. My thanks.
In the first Spring, it is highly unlikcly that you will be able to make a Pancake for Ventuswill, but as you can see, she was happier with a Medicinal Herb than she would have been had Freya given her no gift at all.
By 4 Spring, you will have the option to purchase a simple Refrigerator from Procoline, but you will need 30 Lumber. It is best NEVER to ship any Branches. You can collect them from the first day of the game, then store them temporarily until you obtain an Axe from Forte when you complete her Request.
Many of the tips given here are applicable to the entire series. A good way to find Items at the start of any Rune Factory game is to visit any 'dungeon' and then move on and off any given screen until a Chest appears. Remember that slashing a Chest or otherwise using a Weapon on it by pressing the B Button will destory it and its contents. Always use the 'A' Button to investigate. The Chest will open and vanish, leaving the contents on the ground for you to collect. Almost anything can appear randomly in a Chest, including Weapons, Tools, Cooked Items and Cooking Bread. It may be more tedious than fighting monsters but it gives better results, especially late at night when your RP is exhausted.
TIPS FOR OBTAINING BUILDING MATERIALS
If you can resist the temptation to resist shipping everything you find when you clear your field on the first day of gameplay, store your Branches until you obtain the Request that will give you an Axe. Every branch is needed to create sufficient Lumber for your many building projects.
You can find many large rocks in the Forests that can be crushed with the Hammer to make Material Stone, but in the first two dungeons, there are few branches on the ground. What you can do, however, is defeat Monsters in order to force them to drop Branches and Lumber as Trophies. The little red Ants often drop Lumber while the Chipsqueeks drop Branches. Note that the Chipsqueek when tamed will give Fur instead.
TIPS FOR OBTAINING VALUABLE ITEMS
After defeating the Ambrosia Monster, one still can return to her little glade once each day to defeat her and obtain Ambrosia's Thorns, an Item with a nice shipping value at the start of the game. Note that she does not always drop the Thorns. Save your game before you enter her glade. If she drops nothing, reload and battle again.
SHIPPING LIST
In this game, whenever you access an Item in your Rucksack or in the Cooking Menu, you can see if you have shipped it previously or not. Any Item that has not been shipped will have a notation: Unshipped.
FISHING:
You will obtain a Cheap Pole in one of the early Requests that can be obtained in the first fortnight of the game. Fishing is fairly simple, no different from any other HM or RF game. Often you will see the shadows of an elusive King Fish. You will not be able to catch it, but trying to hook one will increase your Fishing Experience. Buy the Kinfe from Porcoline as soon as possible in order to be able to make Sashimi. As soon as you have a Knife, you will find more success from Cooking Breads that you purchase.
RESTORING ENERGY
As in any Rune Factory game, once you have exhausted all RP, you will begin to lose HP at a rapid rate with every action you undertake. Most Cooked Dishes restore both HP and RP. There is no point, therefore, in eating a Cooked Dish unless you have lost a little HP as well as all RP. Make certain that you do not dip too low on the HP bar or you will end up in the Clinic, but it usually is safe to lose at least a quarter of your total HP before you resort to a Cooked Dish, thereby restoring both all HP and some RP as well. Otherwise, you will waste the HP effect of the Dish.
In the dungeons, you will find the little blue flowers that, when whacked with a sword or sickle, will reveal some RP.
When harvesting items on your Field, you randomly can find RP as well.
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR DAY
In some of the Harvest Moon/Rune Factory games, you are urged to go to bed by midnight or before 1.00 a.m. In RF4, you need not go to bed before 5.59 a.m. on any day. Make certain that you DO go to bed then, however, or you will greet the next day with a cold! Energy will be restored fully even if you do go to bed as late as 5.59 a.m., by the way.
SOIL QUALITY AND SEED QUALITY
The game will tell you that you can use a Sickle or other Tool to destroy a ripe Crop in order to receive upgraded Seeds from it instead of the Crop. In point of fact, harvesting any Crop randomly may produce a bag of upgraded Seeds as well as giving the actual Crop. It therefore appears to be more profitable simply to HARVEST your Crops. Save your game before you harvest any Crop. If you fail to receive a bag of Seeds with your Crop harvest, simply reload. In early Spring, when I harvested Level 1 Turnips, I received a bag of Level 2 Turnip Seeds with my harvest. If I were to use Sickle or Sword on the Crop, I would not receive anything better!
As for Soil Quality, this deteriorates at an alarming rate compared to other Rune Factory games. In order to discover the Soil Quality of any plot (containing four squares), you need to equip the Magnifying Glass. In my game, however, once I had harvested Crops from any plot, the Quality of the Soil diminished from 94% to 64%. Placing one Withered Grass anywhere on that Plot and then using the Hoe on it increased the Level to 94% again.
HARVESTING FODDER
It is here that Rune Factory 4 differs substantially from other games in the series. In the past, one used the Sickle to harvest Fodder. Now, if you use your Sickle, you will obtain upgraded Seeds but NO FODDER. Fodder must be lifted from the field manually. It then will regrow. Take the Fodder intot he Monster Barn and place it manually in the Fodder Box the same way you place your Lumber and Material Stone.
If you go to the location of the Mamadoodle (Cluck Cluck Nest), you can find an entrance to a room that is hidden. It contains at least 7 or 8 pieces of Fodder as well as some Chickens. Sometimes Withered Grass can be found here as well. You simply can evade the Mamadoodle to access this room. Incidentally, there are a number of chambers that contain Mamadoodles as well as random amounts of Fodder in the nesting complex.
FORAGING
Apart from the Chests that randomly appear on any screen that usually has Monsters on it, there are Crates that are screen-specific and which can be destroyed once each day. The Items within the Crates, like those in the Chests, are random. Moreover, there are specific screens in the Dungeons where Items such as Bamboo, Coloured Grasses, Medicinal Herb and Antidote Grass can be found. The Items are linked to those specific screens, although the actual number that may be found on any given day may change. Once collected, you will not find any more on that screen until the next day. In particular, early in Spring, you may benefit by exploring the Northwest portion of the Dungeons to find Bamboo Shoots, as they can be cooked with Rice to create Bamboo Rice. It gives good Energy Recovery as well as Cooking Experience and can be shipped or given as a Gift as well.
The screens with Medicinal Herb and Antidote Grass as well as the one that always has Bamboo are on Selphia Plain. For the Medicinal Herb and Antidote Grass, take the first path to the west from the Castle. For the Bamboo, take the second path to the left.
ESCAPE
Don't forget to use your Escape option. This is a speedy shortcut that can take you home, to another portion of a Dungeon or simply can allow you to escape from a tricky situation in battle. There will be a few screens that, once entered, cannot be left until the Monster is defeated. Ambrosia's Glade is one of these. They tend to be the screens that contain a Boss Monster. Other than that, though, you can use Escape almost anywhere. In the Dungeons in RF4 there are little twinkling lights that denote a teleport shortcut to another chamber or area in the same Dungeon. These are useful as well.
You can unlock the Airship quite early in the game, but it will take you only to specified destinations that are save points, usually at the entrance to a dungeon. Furthermore, it will take you to places you have explored previously and not to unexplored locations.
FORGING:
Forging, like Cooking, is essential to any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. In this game, in particular, items you have made yourself are differentiated from found Items with a Star. You may see the word ORIGINAL in the description as well if you made it yourself. Gifts to others are worth more and far more acceptable if you made them yourself. The shipping value may be the same, but it it obviously is important to make items whenever you can.
Where Forging is concerned, you will be able to uupgrade your existing Items at once but will not be able to use many Materials. Every Materials has a Difficulty Rating. This is related to your level of Experience at the Forge or Crafting Table.
Some of the Items you can use almost immediately are most of those found in the first dungeon such as:
Fur: Difficulty 1, VIT 1 Diz Res 1%
Stick: Difficulty 2: ATK 1
Iron: Difficulty 2, DEF 1
Cheap Cloth: Difficulty 2, DEF 1 Crt Res 1%
Arrowhead: Difficulty 3, STR 1
Amethyst: Difficulty 4, M. DEF 1
Insect Jaw: Difficulty 4, ATK 2
Insect Horn: Difficulty 7 ATK 3
Insect Carapace: Difficulty 7, DEF 1 Psn Res 15%
Spore: Difficulty 8, M ATK 2
Blade Shard: Difficulty 9, STR 2
There is an interesting new aspect to forging and crafting in that the requirement for an ingredient often gives a choice between two Materials. For example, if you wish to make a Broadsword, you will need either a piece of Iron OR a piece of Bronze. For a Cutlass, you will need Bronze, but the second Material is 'Claws and Fangs' which means that you can use a number of different items, from Insect Jaw to Panther Claw. You can make the Weapon with the less powerful Material. It is possible that the result will not be affected at all. For example, a Level 1 Cutlass has ATK 58 Diz 6. A Broadsword has ATK 5 Diz 6 irrespective of whether you used Bronze or Iron to forge it. Interesting... so where does the difference, if any lie? The selling price is identical as well.
If you are fortunate enough to find an Invisible Stone, do not ship it. Even at a fairly low level, Freya was given the Recipe for Invisiblade by eating Weapon Bread and the Invisible Stone is a required Ingredient for that Weapon. You will need Insect Jaw (or another Claw/Fang item) and an Elemental crystal (Earth or Water are found easily at this stage) to craft it.
To find one, look for an Ore stone similar to those that yield Iron but a bit smaller. The ore stone will be black/grey in colour and usually will be on a screen with Woolies. Some players claim to have found it on the save screen before Ambrosia's Glade. Will test both.
FERTILISER BIN
Do not count on the Fertiliser Bin to restore full health to your Fields. You can place it anywhere on your Field and it will restore Health to the Plots a little but it is mainly a convenient place to throw Weeds. It is the Withered Grass that will restore significant health to your Plots. Place a piece of Withered Grass on any plot and hit it with your Hoe and you will find that your Field has recovered quite a significant percentage of health.
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