Making Money in Rune Factory Frontier

A player asked how best to make money in Rune Factory Frontier in the early stages of the game. It is interesting to note there are some fundamental differences between Rune Factory Frontier and other Rune Factory games in terms of the amount of money your character can make by creating items.

In Rune Factory Frontier, you cannot become rich by forging Weapons. The most advanced Weapons tend to ship for no more than 2000G to 3000G. In this respect, the game differs substantially from Rune Factory and Rune Factory 2.

You can make a bit of money by forging and shipping Accessories but only those of the highest levels. A Tiara, for example, has a shipping value of 17170G. A Diamond Ring has a value of 17430G. It is unlikely, however, that your character will have the necessary skill levels to create these items in the first couple of seasons.

Cooked Dishes can be a good source of income early in the game. Two easy Summer Crops can be combined in a Mixer/Blender to create Ketchup, an item that ships for 710G at Level 1. All you need is a Tomato and an Onion.

(When you DO reach the 6th floor of the Lava Ruins, you usually can find a Ketchup by smashing one of the Urns there, as well as being able to catch Lobster and other valuable fish in the little Pool. A high-level Lobster when cooked can be a real powerhouse meal incidentally.)

A Steamed Pumpkin requires nothing more than a Pumpkin and a Pot and ships for 780G.
A raw Pumpkin has almost the same value, however, as it ships for 750G.

Other Crops can provide a good source of income early in the game as well. Cabbage, a Spring Crop ships for 680G. Toy Herb, a Spring flower, ships for 900G. Charm Blue, an Autumn Flower, ships for 710G. These are the most valuable Crops that can be grown in your own Field as they require less than a full season to mature, even without the benefit of increased speed due to Properity.

Remember that Crops of any Season can be grown on Whale Island. You therefore can have the benefit of any of the valuable crops mentioned previously as early as the end of Spring in the 1st year if you are a determined farmer.

You will find that, generally speaking, single harvest Crops are more valuable than multiple harvest Crops.

In Cooking, Cooked Dishes with more than one ingredient tend to have a higher value than those with a single ingredient. If you have a Kitchen expansion, you will be able to make a number of Dishes that ship for over 1000G. Without any expansions, Ketchup is an excellent project.

A Maker will double the value of your Milk, whether you make Cheese or Yogurt from it. Level 2 Milk ships for 72G. Level 2 Cheese ships for 132G and Level 2 Yogurt for 144G. In terms of Energy Values, processing Milk into Cheese or Yogurt does not result in any significant increases in terms either of HP nor of RP with no temporary special effects. It is better to use the Cheese or Yogurt in a Recipe in the Kitchen. With Milk, Yogurt and Honey mixed in a Blender, you can create a Yogurt Drink that ships for 420G and has an Energy Value of HP 25, RP 100, FX 90 sec. Atttack +30, Defence +10. Cheese with Flour and Cooking Oil in a Steamer can make Cheesy Bread, with a shipping value of 450G and energy value of HP 10, RP 175, FX 120 sec. Wind Resistance +15, Stun Defence. With a higher Skill Level requirement, you can boost the HP value of a Cheese Dish by making Cheese Fondue instead with Cheese and Bread in a Pot. Shipping value is 350G, but the HP value is 50 and it has a temporary special effect of boosting your Max HP by 40 points.

If you are obliged to purchase your raw ingredients in the form of Flour and Cooking Oil, you will make no profit at all, as each costs 260G at the local Tavern. You can obtain the same ingredients by exploring dungeons, smashing urns and crates and opening Treasure Chests. Flour, Rice and Chocolate are found quite commonly in the Treasure Chests on the Whale's Fin, an area to which you can acquire access from the very start of the game. The Monsters there may be too powerful for you at the beginning, but they can be avoided.

Fish can provide a good source of income even without access to the special fishing spots in the Dungeons. Although most fish are of insignificant shipping value, Blowfish can have a shipping value of 1000G or more.

Money always is a problem at the start of any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, but you need to remember that there are no time limits to progress. Be patient and do not neglect any of the activities that are open to you. Farming, ranching, fishing, mining, cooking, forging and fighting Monsters all have their own rewards. Balance your life and move forward steadily, however slowly. You will enjoy the game more if you do not pressure yourself to achieve goals too quickly and you will be less likely to miss any events in doing so.