Differences between Rune Factory 4 and prior Rune Factory Games
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There are many differences between RF4 and prior games in the series but here are some that deal with weapons.
Allies and their Weapons
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Basically, whenever you talk to some one, even when that individual is officiating behind a counter in a shop, you have the option to ask him/her to accompany you on an adventure. Press the R button during any conversation to obtain the option, which begins with your Character saying, 'By the way...' (There are options to ask the individual for a date as well.) Each Character has his/her own weapon of choice. When you press the Select Button, you will see many tabs at the top of the screen. There is a Friendship/Love tab that has two different pages. One is for people and the other for Pets/Monsters. When you access the description for any Character, you can press the L Button to see that Character's Weapons, Armour and Accessories.
Note, however, that you will NOT be able to see the Weapons/Accessories Menu if you never asked the Character to accompany you on an advanture. It is only when you have made that invitation that the information will be added to the Character's Description.
Every Character has a Weapon type of choice. Usually the default with which he/she is armed at the start is not the best of its kind. Forge better weapons and equipment for the Character and give them as gifts (Choose Hold instead of Equip) to improve their usefulness as allies in battle.
Another reason to equip your Allies is to advance your level of Experience at the Forge and Crafting Table. As with any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, a huge number of items miust be made, again and again, in order to make significant progress. You can make multiple items but a warning here: the default in every case will use the BEST ingredients or materials that you have. In other words, even if you place the least valuable ingredients in each slot, if you make 2 of the item instead of 1, the second will take your BEST ingredients. This can be rather frustrating if you were saving those for something specific.
Your Ability to Craft
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Although any Craft whether in the Kitchen or at the Forge depends upon Experience Level, eating Recipe Breads will add only certain types of Items to your Menus, especially where Weapons are concerned.
You need to make that type of Weapon repeatedly in order to be able to learn new Recipes for it. Even at Forge Level 79, you will not have ANY Gloves Recipes, for example, if you never made any Glove Recipes.
If you have the required Experience Level for forging a Weapon, even if you do not have the Recipe in your Recipe Book, you can choose: 'Do not use Recipe' and then make the Weapon if you know what ingredients must be used to be successful. This is where a Recipes Guide can be very useful.
Once you have made any Recipe successfully, it will be added to your Recipe Book. Note, however, that any item made without a Recipe, even if you know the ingredients that are required, will use far more RP than a comparable item made WITH the Recipe. An example of this is the highest level of Farm Tools that can be crafted at the Forge. With Forge Level 82 and a total RP of 1685, Freya had no trouble whatsoever forging the Blessed Hoe, the Legendary Sickle and the Miracle Axe, as she had found the Recipes for these on the mountain on which Leon Karnak was built. Without the other Recipes in her book, however, the RP required to forge the highest level of Fishing Rod, Hammer and Waterpot was double that of her maximum RP and thus, even with the proper ingredients, she met with failure again and again. The ingredients were transformed into Scrap Metal, which made the entire business a waste of time, energy and materials. If, however, the Item you wish to craft is one that requires a low level of Experience and you have a high Level, there should be no problem in making the Item without having the Recipe in your Book. As previously stated, once made successfully, the Recipe WILL be added to your Recipe Book.
Raising Experience Levels at the Forge
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In any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, the best players always look ahead. It is impossible to make good weapons if you do not have experience at the Forge. Your Shipping List includes every Weapon and Tool. After making one or discarding one that you made previously in favour of a more powerful Weapon or Tool, ALWAYS MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOU FORGE IT TO LEVEL 10 before you sling it into the Shipping Bin. You needn't use good ingredients to make the upgrades. This is where Scrap Metal is very useful. Simply upgrade to Level 10 and then ship it. This will advance your skills at the Forge faster to allow you to make better Weapons. The same holds true of Armour and Accessories.
Choosing Ingredients for Upgrades
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The reason why the game by default will choose the most valuable ingredients to use is because you gain more skill that way but I feel it is better to use those ingredients when one actually wishes to keep the Item in question. In other words, why waste a Chimera Claw on a sword that one only intends to ship? A Level 10 sword will ship for the same value and be added to your shipping list irrespective of its attributes. The only reason to use ingredients with superior attributes is if one intends to give the sword to an ally or keep it for ones own use.
Incidentally, using the same ingredient twice in an upgrade will not increase any attributes. The ingredient will add its attribute to the Item only once but if it is a required ingredient to MAKE the weapon in the first place, it can be used once to upgrade it. So, for example, if you use Iron to make a Breadsword, its attribute of DEF +1 can be added to the weapon should one use Iron to upgrade the weapon to Level 2. Use it again to upgrade the Broadsword to Level 3, however, and you will find that the attributes of the Broadsword remain unchanged.
There are a host of inexpensive Items that can be used to make upgrades when all you intend to do is gain experience at the Forge or Crafting Table. It is not only Scrap Metal that is useful here. You can use Sticks or any colour of Herb to upgrade your Weapons and Armour if you have no intention of doing anything other than shipping the upgraded item.
Wind Barriers
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Rune Prana is difficult, especially if your levels are not that high when you enter the dungeon. I found the Wind Barriers and the Hornets difficult until I made and equipped a Poison Ring against the stingers and wore the Heavy Boots to get through that final wind barrier that takes you to the two Chests. The Chests contained three Greenifier + and the Recipe for Anette's Necklace (which was in my Recipe Book!)
Crystal Mammoth
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You need massive amounts of Defence for this one. I used the various Cores to forge a Smash Blade with good Attack and Defence and it made a world of difference.
Round Stone
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Writer Roland: I went fishing by the waterfall in Yokmir Forest. I found Round Stone there.
Boss Monsters
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You can fight the Boss Monsters again and again. Even the two Guardians at the top of the tower of Leon Karnak will be available for you to 'test your mettle' after you defeat them. So will Sarcophagus. So it is possible to ship the Left and Right Shards as well as the Crystal Skull and then obtain them again.
Best Accessory for Protection
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In my experience, the best Accessory is the Diamond Brooch. I had the Talisman and hated it as it only reversed the effects of Poison and so on very slowly and gradually. Furthermore, a skull appeared over my head while it was working, confusing me and causing me to think I was being poisoned instead. The Diamond Brooch, on the other hand, offers 100% protection against all status ailments. I equipped it in Rune Prana 4 and found that nothing affected me negatively.
Rare Items
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Tips to find a few of the rare items:
Rune Crystals
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Rune Crystal; These are found when you hit a Rune Crystal with your Hammer. They are random and rare. To find a screen with many chances, you can go from the Autumn Field to the east two screens and then north one screen to find a screen with at least six Rune Crystals growing. You are more likely to find them here than on a screen with only one. If you fail, reload.
Love Crystals
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Love Crystals: Gates load randomly in this game but there are two Love Gates specifically to the east and south of Obsidian Mansion. Go east and then south to an area with lily pads. There are two Love Gates here on two screens. One is to the south of the other. Again, go back and forth as long as you can stand it. If too much time is wasted, reload.
WHERE ARE MY MONSTERS?
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I have to confess that I was puzzled by this problem myself, having forgotten some of the ways of Rune Factory! Ashamed, in fact. I expandeda couple of my Barns to be able to tame and house some of the more powerful Monsters, but after using them in my party initially, and having sent them home afterwards, could not find them in any of my Barns. Well, please remember that there can be more than one chamber in a Barn in Rune Factory. If you expand a barn once, go left to find the second room. Your poor, neglected new Monsters will be there, wiating for attention! Incidentally, they may have War Trophies there for you as well that you failed to collect! It is NOT a glitch. It is simply another chamber!
