First Generation Bestiary Guide

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Although there is little one can do in terms of the actual 'story' plot in Rune Factory 2 in the 1st Generation, I decided I should complete all aspects of my Guides before I moved onto the 2nd Generation. Two important aspects of the game are the acquisition of all necessary tools and a complete Bestiary. I have completed both now.

Monsters are a vital aspect of both Rune Factory games. They serve many purposes, from providing all Ranch products and acting as helpers on your farm to being a source both of transport and War Trophies. A War Trophy from a Monster often will be the object of one of the Requests on the Bulletin Board. Although the individual who makes the Request will tell you precisely where to find the War Trophy in question, it saves time and energy if you have saved items in advance in your Cabinet.

Knowing which Monsters will water crops and which will harvest them can be useful as well. If you intend to grow as many crops as possible both on your own field and in the plots in the Cave/Dungeon areas, it is most helpful to have a Monster working for you on your farm.

Monsters who neither produce any Ranch Products nor can be trained to work on the farm nonetheless may be useful companions in a fight. All Monsters can be commanded to accompany your character when he goes to any Cave/Dungeon and they automatically will fight by your side against both enemies and Monster Generators. Some Monsters are more powerful than others and some have far better attack strategies than others.


In the 1st Generation game, there is one Monster who will act as a Transport Animal, and in fact, it is one of my own personal favourites in the wild animal kingdom. You can ride a Wolf both in the original Rune Factory and in its sequel although the Monsters bear different names in each game.

The Silver Wolf whom you can ride happens to be one of the best fighters to have with you in combat as well. In the 1st Generation game, he is powerful enough to take out any Monster Generator with a single pounce. He can fell any Monster enemies with one or two blows. His attacks are very well-aimed as well. There are other types of Monsters who may be powerful but less adept at aiming their attacks precisely.

I have included screenshots of my best Silver Wolf. One shows the Monster Options Menu that appears when you have taken the Monster from the Barn. As you can see, one of the options for the Silver Wolf is to 'Get on its back.' Another screenshot shows my character riding the Silver Wolf through Cherry Blossom Square. The last screenshot shows both screens in the Trieste Forest Cave/Dungeon Area. Note that a detailed map of the Cave/Dungeon appears on the top screen. Among other things, it shows the location of any tillable land in the area.

When you are mounted, you neither can fight nor use farm tools. Dismount to use your Watering Can in any Cave/Dungeon area. The Monster will wait patiently by your side until you complete your chores. (Farm work is 'beneath' a Wolf!) As stated previously though, the Wolf is very useful even when your only purpose in visiting the area is to tend to the crops. He will take out the Generation instantly while you defeat the enemy it spawned, saving you time.

One cautionary note that I will make certain I include in my General Guide is the potential effect of combat on Crops. Using any weapon where a Crop grows may destroy the Crop as surely as if you used a Sickle on it. In the beginning of the game, when my attention was directed solely towards the threat any Monster posed, I inadvertantly destroyed a couple of my Crops by fighting the Monster on the plot where they were growing. If you do not have 9 squares filled with fully ripened Crops or Flowers, a Rune Point will not appear. By allowing my character to flail about with his weapons on the farming plot in the Cave or Dungeon, I lost a chance to create a Rune Point...

To be honest, in the 1st Generation, you may find that you have far more Rune Points than you can use. It is only later that you will be able to make every Rune Point count.

My Caves and Bestiary Guide now is complete for the 1st Generation game. It gives the name and specific location of each Monster, the time of day when it appears, a full description of its skills or Products and the War Trophy it drops.