Rune Factory 4 Special Beginner’s Guide: Tips and Tricks for New Players

by bmichaellogan / Game Guides, General Guides / 18 Nov 2021

The Rune Factory 4 port has finally arrived on Windows PC and other platforms like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 after more than half a decade of waiting. However, this isn’t just any port; this is the Rune Factory 4 Special port released only in Japan for the Nintendo Switch system in 2019 before its global release in 2020.

Fans wanting the experience of Rune Factory 4 will be delighted to learn many of its features are coming back, such as marriage and dungeon exploring. However, the key features of Rune Factory 4 Special are crafting and farming. Before you can dive into this Harvest Moon-like role-playing game, there are some beginner tips and tricks you should follow for Rune Factory 4 Special.

Focus On Relationships

A major feature of Rune Factory 4 Special is the focus on relationships. You can befriend, date, and marry in the game. You can befriend people around the town and pull up a dialogue option to have them join your party as a companion for battling, farming, and general exploration.

However, besides Forte, who you can invite at the beginning of the game, the other potential companions around the town will need to get to know you a little more before they’ll consider joining you on your adventures. Fortunately, you only need to raise your relationship level to 3 before you can ask them to join you as a companion.

If you want to build your relationship past level 3, then you’ll start getting into the dating and marriage feature of Rune Factory 4 Special. Expect to spend several seasons with a potential mate before seeing if they’ll tie the knot with you. You want to start early with relationships because marriage in Rune Factory 4 Special can be a frustrating process for some. But it’s worth getting married in Rune Factory 4 as you get food, depending on who you marry, and a potentially powerful companion for your adventures.

Not All Monsters Are Bad

Monsters come in all shapes and sizes in Rune Factory 4, and for some reason, the smallest ones, such as these chicken and sheep-like creatures, are considered monsters. Fortunately, much like real-life farming, some of these monsters are capable of being tamed, which can yield important items to progress your farm.

While not all tamed monsters produce items, you can use them for helping around the farm. Tamed monsters can help with chores such as planting and harvesting crops. You can’t just sit back and watch these creatures toil away with no management at all. They will become fatigued if their HP drops too low. If the tamed creature’s HP drops to 0, then they’ll no longer be of service to you. Healing the monster or rotating them out with another monster keeps your monsters healthy enough to work.

Don’t Ignore the Request Box

The request box, also known as the mailbox in front of your house, has a name: Eliza. It’s easy to get so caught up in building relationships, combat, and tending to your farm that you’ll forget to pick up a daily side quest from the box. Eliza provides you with repeatable requests, personal requests, and requests you can unlock after meeting certain criteria.

The request box has plenty of use for you in Rune Factory 4 Special, as it gives you various rewards and items when completing requests.

There’s no shortage of things to do once you start up Rune Factory 4 Special. It’s easy to get lost wanting to do multiple things at once. Following these beginner’s tips for Rune Factory 4, Special will keep you on track towards a great relationship, a healthy farm, and a rewarding virtual life.

bmichaellogan

Freelance copywriter, graphic designer, and medical professional who moonlights as a gamer. Gaming has always been a passion that I wanted to share with others through my writing.
View all posts