Bad Page Link Corrected

I must apologise for the error that caused the Cooking Guide to be placed on the Page that should have contained the General Guide and Walkthrough. Thanks to a player's comment, this has been corrected, although it should have been done sooner. I really did need a break. I hope to be able to update the guides for Grand Bazaar and Rune Factory 3 soon.

Note that my Guides all are published on IGN but this site was created in order to give readers a convenient location for all my Guides on my own site. Not very convenient when the wrong guide is copied onto the wrong page...

Example of a Complex Request from RF3

Requests in RF3 can serve a number of purposes. The initial Requests provide your Character with necessary tools. As other Requests are posted, they will serve a wide variety of functions. They can be tutorials about specific aspects of the game. They can provide your Character with details about the preferences of another Individual or his/her History. They can be nothing more than entertainment with a Reward at the end of it. When completed successfully, they will increase your Friendship Level with the Requester as well as allowing you to move forward to the next Request in that Character's Sequence.

Often, Requests will test your Character's Skills or knowledge. Here is a complex Request by Karina. As you will see, the questions about Fruit and Wolves test your Knowledge of Privera Forest. The other Questions will determine whether or not Karina will request a Masu Trout or a Mushroom from you and whether or not you will obtain any Reward.

What is particularly clever about this Request is the way you will be forced to provide Karina with an Orange or a Grape if you tell her erroneously that you can find these Fruits in Privera Forest!

All Responses and their Results are included here:


Karina's Dungeon Information Request


Karina: I need to talk
I want you to tell me something...
Reward: Varies according to your responses
(Can be an Accessory, Ingredient or Seeds, inter alia)
Details: Tell her about the Dungeons
N.B. If you choose the wrong Fruit, she will ask you to bring it to her. If you choose Fishing, she will request a Masu Trout. If you choose 'eating from the ground', she will request a Mushroom.

Freyr: What is it?

Karina: I was hoping you could tell me about the dungeons around here.

Freyr: The dungeons? Why?

Karina: Just because. (I don't feel like explaining.)

Freyr: Well, for starters, they're more like wild areas than dungeons.

Karina: I see. Well, whatever they are, I've got some questions about them.

The music now changes.

Karina: What are they like?

Your choices now:

They're not so bad.
They're full of monsters!

If you choose: They're not so bad.

Karina: Huh. (Even with all the monsters? Maybe monsters aren't so bad once you get used to them.)

If you choose: They're full of monsters!

Karina: Well duh. (Even I knew that much.)

Whichever you chose:

Can you find anything special in Privera Forest?

Your choices now:

Apples.
Oranges.
Grapes.

Choose: Apples.

Karina: I see. (I guess those are pretty good.)

If you choose: Oranges.

Karina: Huh? There are Orange Trees in the forest?

If you choose: Grapes

Karina: Hmmm... (No way.)

Whichever you chose:

Karina: Is there anything in particular that you like to do in the dungeons?

Your choices now:
Not really.
I like fishing.
Eating food off the ground.

If you choose: Not really.

Karina: Really? (But you spend so much time in them...)

If you choose: I like fishing.

Karina: Really...? (That sounds relaxing...)

If you choose: Eating food off the ground.

Karina: Really...? (That's kind of gross.)

Whichever you chose:

Karina: Then when are dungeons tough?

Your choices now:

Never really.
When I'm surrounded by monsters.
When I'm hungry.
When there are puzzles.

If you choose: Never really.

Karina: Wow. You must be pretty strong. (Or maybe he's just being macho.)

If you choose: When I'm surrounded by monsters.

Karina: Sounds like you're pretty popular. (Although that's not a good kind of popular, I guess.)

If you choose: When I'm hungry.

Karina: Hmmm. (All those monsters around and he's just worried about his stomach?)

If you choose: When there are puzzles.

Karina: Oh. Does he have trouble figuring them out?

Whichever you chose:

Karina: Most importantly, are there wolves in Privera Forest?

Your choices:
I've never seen one there.
Probably?
There are. Many.

If you choose: I've never seen one there.

Karina: Oh, I see. (Hmmm...)

If you choose: Probably?

Karina; That's what I thought. (That's a little scary.)

If you choose: There are. Many.

Karina: Many? (That's really scary.)

The music changes again.

If you chose all the first responses:

Freyr: That's about all I know.

Karina: Hmmm... I see. Thanks. (Not really, though.)

Freyr: But why so many questions?

Karina: Just because. Anyway, thanks. I learned a lot. (Now I'm one step closer to city life.)

Freyr: ?

Request completed.

No reward, when all responses were the first ones.)

If you chose all the second responses:

Karina: Anyway, now I feel like eating an Orange.

Freyr: Oh yeah? I get that craving sometimes too.

Karina: Yeah. (If only some one would get one for me...)

Freyr: Wh-What...?

Karina: Oh, I'm just saying... (That seemed like a pretty obvious hint.)

Freyr: ... You want me to bring you an Orange?

Karina: Yes. (Yay!) Oh... You said you like fishing?

Freyr: Yes.

Karina: Then could you catch a Masu Trout for me? Now that I think about it, I've never had a fresh-caught fish.

Freyr: Okay.

Karina: Thanks.

If you give her an Orange.

Karina: Thanks.

Freyr: No problem. ... YOu're not eating it?

Karina: I don't feel like eating this anymore...

Freyr: *sigh*

Karina; So you said you'd bring me... ... a Masu Trout. Well, I'll be waiting... (I'm getting kinda sleepy...)

Give her the Masu Trout.

Karina: Hey, Freyr. I was dreaming about being a cook.

Freyr: You were sleeping again...?

Karina: But then I dreamt I was the fish. I saw the chef raise up his big knife...

Freyr: That sounds kind of traumatising.

Karina: Eek! It's still alive?!

She makes some motions, then:

Karina: I think I'll take it back to the water. (I guess catch and release fishing is more my style.) Oh, great.

N.B. She will leave the Masu Trout on the ground, so you can collect it and dispose of it yourself, either by shipping it or cooking it.

Freyr: *phew* I think that's it.

Karina; Here, for everything you did today. Thanks for everything. I learned a lot. (Now I'm one step closer to city life.)

Freyr: ?

Request completed!

Reward: Charm, Lv. 4

If you chose all the third options, now:

Karina: By the way, do you ever get the urge for a Grape?

Freyr: Yeah, I get that sometimes.

Karina; Yes. (I want to eat a Grape.)

Freyr: ...

Karina: ... (Maybe we just had some come in...)

Freyr: Grape, right?

Karina: Hm? You'll get one for me?

Freyr: I felt like if I didn't, something bad would happen.

Karina: That's not true. (But not out of the question.)

Freyr: Well, just wait here.

Karina; Okay. Oh, wait a second. (Now that I think about it...)

Freyr: What?

Karina: Eating off the ground is fun?

Freyr: Oh, I was kidding.

Karina: Really? (Oh... boring.) I was really interested in trying a fresh Mushroom.

Freyr: Oh yeah? And?

Karina: Well... (Isn't it obvious?)

Freyr: Okay. I'll get one for you.

Karina; What?

Freyr: Just wait here.

Karina: Oh, okay... (I'm glad he caught on.)

Gave her Mushroom.

Karina; Hm...? (Eveyrthing's foggy.) Is this a poisonous Mushroom?

Freyr: What?!

Karina: You said you like eating stuff off the ground, didn't you? Well, open up. (I dare you to eat this.)

Freyr: H-Hey! I won't eat just anything I find!

Karina; So you said you'd bring me... ... A Grape. Well, I'll be waiting... (I'm getting kinda sleepy...)

Give her a Grape.

Karina: Thanks.

Freyr: You're welcome.

Karina: Hey, Freyr.

Freyr: What?

Karina: YOu ever feel like you really wanted something, but once you have it...?

Freyr: Meaning...?

Karina: I don't need any more grapes.

Freyr: Just eat it.

Karina: Oh, great.

Freyr: *phew* I think that's it.

Karina: Here, for everything you did today. Thanks for everything. I learned a lot. (Now I'm one step closer to city life.)

Freyr: ?

Request completed!

Reward; Chocolate

If you chose: Apples, When there are puzzles, Fishing and No wolves:

Karina: You said you like fishing?

Freyr: Yes.

Karina: Then could you catch a Masu Trout for me? Now that I think about it, I've never had a fresh-caught fish.

Freyr: Okay.

Karina: Thanks.

Give her a Masu Trout.

Karina: Hey, Freyr. I was dreaming about being a cook.

Freyr: You were sleeping again...?

Karina: But then I dreamt I was the fish. I saw the chef raise up his big knife...

Freyr: That sounds kind of traumatising.

Karina: Eek! It's still alive?!

She makes some motions, then:

Karina: I think I'll take it back to the water. (I guess catch and release fishing is more my style.) Oh, great.

N.B. She will leave the Masu Trout on the ground, so you can collect it and dispose of it yourself, either by shipping it or cooking it.

Freyr: *phew* I think that's it.

Karina: Here, for everything you did today. Thanks for everything. I learned a lot. (Now I'm one step closer to city life.)

Freyr: ?

Request completed!

Reward: Turnip Seed x 9

N.B. It is very possible that the Rewards are chosen randomly and that your Character might receive a different variety of Seeds or Accessory for the same Responses. After going through all of the possible Responses once, I had to move on!

Simple Requests and Date Events and Rare Items

My ambition is to include the text of all Events in my Characters Guide and to include basic information about all Requests in the Requests Guide.

While reloading Requests to see if they varied, I discovered that Simple Requests not only can be completed again and again but can give different Rewards and even consist of different dialogues.

As indicated in my Guides, there are three basic types of Requests in Rune Factory 3: Ordinary Requests, Simple Requests and Battle Requests. Ordinary Requests are the Requests that can be completed only once, that often depend on Friendship or Heart Level and/or having completed prior Requests in a specific sequence. They can be Courtship or Date Events or can disclose details about a Character's likes and dislikes or personal history.

Simple Requests can be an opportunity to obtain rare Items or are a method by which your Character is tested on his abilities to cook or find specific War Trophies. Simple Requests disclose personal information about the Character who initiates them or can be a method by which information about the village or other Characters is given.

Battle Requests are familiar to players of all Rune Factory games. In Rune Factory 3, they are initiated usually by Wells or Shino. They are an opportunity to raise combat skills as well as making the player familiar with the screens where specific Monsters are to be found.

Players who are looking for rare items should try to accept Simple Requests. For example, a Simple Request by Daria for Dried Sardines (her Most Favourite Gift) can result in a reward of any of the Gold Crop Seeds, although results are random. If you are patient, you can reload until you receive the Seeds you need.

The items sold by Yue, as well as those that appear as 'Special Deals' at the Smithy or the Crops that are sold at the General Store are based on the Items your Character has shipped for the most part. You will not be able to find Weapons or Accessories that are far superior to those that could be created or used by your Character at his present Skills Levels. In like fashion, Cooked Dishes sold by Yue are those that your own Character COULD prepare.

Incidentally, it appears that Yue is more akin to subsidiary Characters in RF3 than to the Main Characters. She does not appear in the Relationship Menu

The Date Events that occur at 7 Hearts in Rune Factory 3 can be initiated by using the 'Invite' option with any Eligible Girl who has attained 7 Hearts. In some cases, there is more than one Date Event for a specific Eligible Girl although the questions that are asked usually will not vary. You can experience a Date Event at 7 Hearts with a specific Girl only once each day but you can experience it more than once on different days. It is probable that you will gain points only when you experience the Date Event for the first time, however.

My Rune Factory 3 Goals and Guides

I owe players an apology because I have had various computer problems that have made it almost impossible for me to update my files in an organised fashion during the course of the past month. I am working my way through various solutions and hope to have all the Guides updated within the next couple of days.

I have made a few discoveries as usual by beginning a new game and have been obliged to revise some of the information in the Guides accordingly. I always suspected that the numbers that appeared next to a Recipient did not have anything to do with FP, but allowed myself to be persuaded initially that they did. They are Energy values, pure and simple, and the reason why this matters in RF3 is because Characters can join your 'party' to fight with you as companions and allies in the Dungeons once you attain Level 3 Friendship with them. Like Monster companions, edible Items restore their Energy levels. A Spell will work both on your Energy Levels and on those of any Monster or non-Monster* Companion. (I would have written 'Human' Companion, but with Elves, half-Elves, Univir, Dwarves and Half-Monsters in the mix, non-Monster seemed to be more accurate.)

Small but wonderful improvement in RF3

In Rune Factory 3, your Character will be able to open any doors, including the Refrigerator and Storage Box, as well as savhing his Game at any save point while holding an Item in his hands! Huzzah! In previous Rune Factory and Harvest Moon games, one usually could not do this. For example, in Rune Factory 2, one could not take the boat from the island while holding an item without losing the Item in question. Items held in the hands automatically would be tossed if your Character attempted to open a door, save his game or otherwise interact with objects. It is a minor detail but a welcome improvement in terms of controls.

My Personal Early Choices in RF3

Players often ask for my advice in terms of Arms and Equipment as well as Monster
Companions. The items and companions I choose tend to remain constant in all Rune Factory games. In Rune Factory 3, I would recommend the following:

For Weapon: A short sword and shield. The first decent Shortsword that usually can be found in Special Deals even early in Spring is the Steel Sword +. You then can find the Aquasword... When you are able to do so, make or buy Defender, then Durandel. Good shields can be made early in the game but make certain always to equip one. When you can make or obtain it, the Chaos Shield is excellent protection.

For Accessories: Even the Handknit Hat offers decent protection early in Spring. When you are able to make or purchase a Fancy Hat, that is superior headgear. ANY footwear is recommended, but Water Shoes are useful in the Vale Dungeon. Strider Boots and Sneakers become available fairly early and can be upgraded to become decent in terms of both types of Attack and Defence.

The nature of upgrading Weapons and Accessories in Rune Factory 3 means that almost any item can be modified to become whatever you wish it to be. I prefer a well-balanced Weapon and Equipment in terms of Attack and Defence, so I tend to upgrade equally across the board in terms of physical Attack, magic Attack, physical Defence and Magical Defence. I have been wearing an upgraded Happy Ring as it is supposed to increase the probability of obtaining War Trophies from Monsters but I do not know how effective it is in this respect. With the upgrades I made, the Level 10 Happy Ring has the following stats:

Happy Ring, Level 10: ATK +13, DEF +15, MGC ATK +16, MGC DEF +18, INT +2.

Not bad for an Accessory with NO Attack or Defence at Level 1!

The Fancy Hat begins at Level 1 with DEF +45, MGC DEF +45
In upgrading it, therefore, I added Attack and Magic Attack.

Secret Shoes were my earliest footgear with:

Secret Shoes: DEF +20

As soon as the Strider Boots became available, however, I made certain to obtain those. What I like about them is their balance in terms of all necessary attributes:

Strider Boots at Level 1: ATK +25, DEF +25, MGC ATK +25, MGC DEF +25

Sneakers are higher in ATK, but have no other attributes. Sneakers at Level 1 have: DEF +32

Bone Boots have higher protection with: DEF +68

Like the Sneakers, however, that is ALL they offer. I personally preferred to upgrade my Sneakers by adding more ATK, MGC ATK, DEF and MGC DEF.

The Chaos Shield has: DEF +18, MGC DEF +50

Where Weapons are concerned, I always favour a Shortsword mainly for its speed and the fact that it can be used in conjunction with a Shield. The Dual Blades may look cool but, if you compare their potential with that of any Shortsword, you will see that they are inferior Weapons. Hammers and Axes are very powerful but slow in the extreme. A Spear offers a longer reach and is good for defence as it keeps foes at a distance, but again, it is far slower than a Shortsword and you can gain your Defence by carrying a good Shield.

Compare the first Dual Blade, the Short Dagger with a simple Broadsword:

Broadword: ATK +5

Short Dagger: ATK +6

The first Shield is the Small Shield, which provides DEF +6 at Level 1. A Broadsword with a Small Shield therefore is: ATK +5, DEF +6, which is far superior to the Short Dagger with only one more ATK point and NO Defence.

The Steel Sword usually can be obtained almost at the start of the first Spring and it doubles the Attack points with +10 ATK. I always opt for the Steel Sword with the best Shield I can obtain until I am able to find the Elemental Swords such as the Aquasword and the Windsword. In RF2, you only could obtain an augmented Steel Sword in the form of the Steel Sword + by trading with another player. In RF3, it should appear in Special Deals in the first week in Spring. It is a very potent blade for a beginner:

Steel Sword +: ATK +21, MGC ATK +5

When it appears, I snap up the Defender which has ATK +63, DEF +15, but in all honesty, it is not as important in RF3 as it was in previous games, as you should have your own Forge by the time the Defender appears and should be able to make better Weapons, either by upgrading a simple Shortsword like the Steel Sword + to Level 10 or by making more advanced Shortswords.

Interestingly enough, the Backscratcher, which was a Request Reward in RF2, is available at the Smithy quite early in Special Deals, and one should not sneer at the humble tool as it falls into the category of a Shortsword and its stats are amazing.

Backscratcher: ATK +27, MGC ATK +48

Remember that these are nothing more than very early recommendations for a beginner. When the game progresses, I favour different Weapons and Equipment, but always a Shortsword and Shield, even when my Character graduates to the best items.

As far as taming Monsters is concerned, remember that the War Trophies that a Monster drops in the dungeons usually is its Most Favourite Gifts and one can tame a Monster quickly by returning a War Trophy to it. The first Monsters to tame when your own Skill Levels are high enough probably should be a Cluckadoodle and a Buffamoo, for the sake of the Eggs and Milk that they leave in the barn as offerings each day. With a Steamer, you can make Pudding from any Egg:

Pudding: HP Rec +40%, RP Rec +80%, HP Max -20%, VIT +10, INT +8%

Note that Maximum HP will decrease by 20% when you consume Pudding, but it does a good job of restoring Energy apart from this.

With one Yellow Grass and any size of Milk in a Mixer, you can make Medium Cheese, which is amazingly useful as it will restore your RP by 75% at Level 1:

Medium Cheese: RP Rec +75%

If you have a Pot, you can make Hot Milk with any size of Milk:

Hot Milk: HP Rec +120, RP Rec +25%, HP Max +30, VIT +2

Remember that any food you consume has a time limit in terms of its effects. All of the items mentioned here have a short duration of 3 Hours but there are other food items that last 6 or even 12 hours. The items that last 12 Hours tend to require multiple ingredients, such as Pizza and Doria. They are among the most valuable food items in terms of shipping value, so you may wish to ship those and use less valuable, simpler items for Energy Recovery.

For HP Recovery, you should purchase the Cure Tome and then the Cure All Tome. When they appear, Medipoison, Mediparalyse and Mediseal are far more useful than any Medicines or Food for curing any status ailments as they take no space in your Rucksack and use very little RP.

With a Pharmacy, you can make Recovery Potion and Healing Potion to restore HP as well as other potions to cure Status Ailments, but frankly, the Magic Spells are more practical as all potions take space in the rucksack. The Pharmacy is most useful for making the spices and herbs used in cooking such as Sour Drop, Heavy Spice and Mixed Herbs. This is not the concern of a beginner, however.

The next Monster to tame should be one that can be used as Transport as well as providing good battle support in combat. I always favour the Silver Wolf. The Hunter Wolf is more powerful but the Silver Wolf can be tamed at lower skill levels. The Silver Wolf leaves the gift of a Wolf Fang in the Barn each morning, and this is an excellent material for upgrades as it adds ATK +4, MGC ATK +4 to any Weapon or Accessory.

Taming Monsters in RF3: Monster Most Favourites

A couple of players suggested that I include each Monster's Most Favourites in my Bestiary and Dungeons Guide, but after doing a little research, I believe that you will find all the information you need in the War Trophies that each Monster drops. It is very easy to tame a Monster by giving it any War Trophy item that it dropped. For example, I was able to tame a Blackbird instantly by giving it one Branch. The same held true with respect to various Orcs. I will continue to perform tests, but I am fairly certain that you will find it easiest to tame any Monster by giving it an Item that it drops as a War Trophy.

Here is another example of the use of a War Trophy dropped by a Monster as the Gift by which to tame him: At Level 42, Freyr was able to tame a Hunter Wolf with 4 Wolf Fangs given by his tame Silver Wolf. The Wolf Fang is a War Trophy common to both Wolf types in Rune Factory 3. When Freyr attempted to tame the same Hunter Wolf using food items such as Ice Cream and Dumplings as well as a random Fire Crystal from a smashed generator, it was a far more difficult and time-consuming task.