How long?

[mrchucho]

OK, I'm really enjoying Rune Factory, but I'm almost 90 hours into it and wondering what I've gotten myself into... I'm a week away from ending my first year and I've beat the Green Ruins. I'm definitely a "talk to every NPC", "read every sign", "open every chest" kinda player, but I'm worried that I'll need to invest 300 hours in this!

Am I crazy? How long does an "average" playthrough last?

[Sinrevi]

I think that depends on the person. I think I was around 100 hours when I "finished" the game (as in defeated the final boss). But my gamefile was over the 300 after doing other stuff (marriage, child, friendship with other villagers etc)

[Boy_Tomo_Chan]

Yeah, its a pretty long game. A problem with it is that it takes a while to get strong enough to clear the other dungeons. I'd work on improving your crafting stuff and equipment as much as possible though, that'll make it so you don't have to level as much and thus won't take as much time away from you :D

[mrchucho]

Yeah, its a pretty long game. A problem with it is that it takes a while to get strong enough to clear the other dungeons. I'd work on improving your crafting stuff and equipment as much as possible though, that'll make it so you don't have to level as much and thus won't take as much time away from you :D

Interesting. I hadn't thought about it that way. I enjoy crafting, but focused more on cooking than smithing. I'd occasionally venture into the Lava Ruins or higher up into Whale Island, only to be wiped out after a few encounters.

Do most people focus on "farm life" then on the dungeons or the other way around? Or maybe a mix of both?

[Boy_Tomo_Chan]

Honestly a mix is best, farming gets you lots and lots of cash. I myself always grow like 100 turnips during spring! and by going to dungeons you can improve your watering can with materials you get...so faster watering for your crops!

Oh and when entire areas of runeys die, it suddenly takes longer to grow your crops. You didn't ask that, but hey something good to know :D

[mrchucho]

Honestly a mix is best, farming gets you lots and lots of cash. I myself always grow like 100 turnips during spring! and by going to dungeons you can improve your watering can with materials you get...so faster watering for your crops!

Good to know!


Oh and when entire areas of runeys die, it suddenly takes longer to grow your crops. You didn't ask that, but hey something good to know :D

I think I knew that, but how do I replenish runeys in an area? I tried to move some from one place to another, but that just seems to move the problem!

[Boy_Tomo_Chan]

...I...honestly never figured it out! :D I'm sure theres a gamefaqs thing on it...

[mrchucho]

...I...honestly never figured it out! :D I'm sure theres a gamefaqs thing on it...

Oh I'm sure gamefaqs is ALL ABOUT that! ;) I've actually avoided gamefaqs for Rune Factory, though. One, I was worried I'd start obsessing over stats. And, two, I was really enjoying just figuring things out on my own. Of course, during 90 hours of playtime I've had plenty of chances to experiment!

I'll check for a Runeys FAQ, though. Thanks!

[Boy_Tomo_Chan]

Yeah, the runeys was a bit silly in this game too. I've heard that if all your runeys die, theres no way to get any of them back. No crops will ever grow again, and it'll be always raining o_o

[Sinrevi]

I forgot when, but I think somewhere in the month you get some free Runeys.

[mrchucho]

It's odd because, if you go by the books in the Library, Runeys should replenish when your crops mature. I know something similar happens in the dungeons, but I saw no appreciable difference in Runey population after my above-ground crops matured.

Also, each zone has a Runey icon which, I think indicates an increased likelihood of spawning that type of Runey.

I wish I didn't have to worry about Runeys, but I'm afraid I'll be hamstrung if I don't...

[Darth-Paper-Boy]

Runeys are pretty much the only real problem with the game. Such a pain to manage the things. Also, if you feel like doing a lot of repetitive tasks, fishing can easily replace farming as a main source of income once you get the teleports to the bottom of dungeons going.

[Ragnawind]

It's odd because, if you go by the books in the Library, Runeys should replenish when your crops mature. I know something similar happens in the dungeons, but I saw no appreciable difference in Runey population after my above-ground crops matured.

Also, each zone has a Runey icon which, I think indicates an increased likelihood of spawning that type of Runey.

I wish I didn't have to worry about Runeys, but I'm afraid I'll be hamstrung if I don't...
Only the crops in your field affect runey production. There is also a catch to that. They only appear in the Homestead, and in the Homestead, Runeys don't decrease on their own. You need to have 9 crops fully harvestable or grass and you will recieve 1 if a random type of Runey each day you have one set of 9 crops or grass ready to be harvested.

[mrchucho]

Very interesting. So, is there a good way to replenish Runeys in zones besides your Homestead? Short of slowly spawning them in your homestead and moving them, of course.

[Ragnawind]

Very interesting. So, is there a good way to replenish Runeys in zones besides your Homestead? Short of slowly spawning them in your homestead and moving them, of course.
There is, but it can be tedious. First, you will need to make a grass area have the following, I believe it was this amount of each: 60 water, all the rocks you can, no trees and a small amount of grass. The next day, you will gain a massive amount of grass. Keep these grass stored. You will also need a lot of all types of Runey in order to make an area other than the Homestead Prosperous. You will need 35 of each in the area for it to be prosperous. When you can make an area prosperous, drop some extra Grass Runey in the area. While an area is in prosperity, it will produce random amounts of Random Runey in that area except for grass which is depleted by 2 each day while in prosperity. This will help you to keep the grass producing area stocked to make more grass. Continue until all areas are in prosperity, EXCEPT the Homestead. NEVER let the Homestead become prosperous when all other areas are prosperous, if you do, you WILL NOT gain the benefits of the prosperous areas.