1st Day Walkthrough for Perfect Game in RF2

First of all, for a real Harvest Moon or Rune Factory fanatic, time and energy spent within the game is all that matters. THE REAL CLOCK IS IRRELEVANT! You therefore always try to cheat the clock in the game to maximise your progress there, even if it means that you spend extra time in the real world to do so.

Ironically, as there are no time limits in Rune Factory 2 or indeed most Harvest Moon games, it really is not necessary to do this, but dedicated players usually feel that it is preferable to make the most progress at the earliest opportunity.

You can start by clearing your entire field as soon as you arrive at your new home. DO NOT SPEAK TO MANA OR TO DOUGLAS until you have cleared your entire field. Note that branches need not be chopped with an Axe in Rune Factory 2. As soon as you place them in the woodpile, they become Lumber for building projects. You therefore should collect all branches and throw them into the woodpile that is in the northwest corner of the field.

Ship all Weeds, Wild Grasses and all other items, saving only the following:

18 Medicinal Herbs
9 Antidotal Herbs
9 Bamboo Shoots

If you wish, you can save 9 of each of the coloured Wild Grasses as well. You will have an opportunity to make at least 9000G in the first day by completing Requests so money won't be a problem even today.

When your field is clear of all but the large stumps and boulders and you have thrown all items either into the woodpile or the shipping container, speak both to Douglas and Mana.

She will offer you a Watering Can and Hoe for 100G. If any one wonders what happens if you choose not to buy the tools, the result is similar to that in Harvest Moon games where some one offers you a Horse. You will experience the offer again and again until you finally accept.

Buy the Watering Can and Hoe, then speak to Mana to learn about farming. It is when you ask about planting seeds that she will give you a bag of PINK TURNIP SEEDS.
Time will not begin to run until you name your farm. It will be 8.30 a.m. when you reach the Farmhouse and will remain 8.30 a.m. until you have spoken to Mana. That is why you should clear your field completely BEFORE you speak to her. You need all the time you can save here in order to perform as many Requests as possible on the first day.

There is no point in leaving the farm until 9.00 a.m. when the shops open so go ahead and till your field and plant the PINK TURNIP SEEDS. I would recommend tilling at least 6 plots. If you 'charge' the Hoe by holding down the B Button, you can till an entire plot of 3 x 3 squares in a single use. That means that tilling 6 plots will require that you swing your Hoe only 6 times. If you fail to charge the tool, you will be forced to swing the Hoe 9 times in order to till ONE plot on the field.

This is an important point to note in Rune Factory 2. The initial Tools that you obtain in the 1st Generation WILL accept a charge. Charging your Tools will allow you to perform advanced actions such as watering an entire plot in a single use of the Watering Can and tilling 9 squares with a single swing of the Hoe. It will allow you to chop large stumps with your Axe and demolish boulders with your Hammer, once you receive them.

Before you leave your farm, however, you should enter the Farmhouse to save your game and explore the bookcase to find a Magic Spell in the form of FIREBALL.
From 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. today, your time should be spent in accepting and completing Requests.

The first step is to go to the Bulletin Board in the Square and press 'A' in front of it to initiate an Event with Mana. She will explain the purpose of the Bulletin Board. When the Event ends, you will be able to find her 1st Request on the Board. Accept it and go to the Pumpkin General Store in the East End of Alvarna immediately to initiate the Request.

When you enter any building for the first time today, you will experience a little Event with one or more characters who live or work there. Do not assume that these Events constitute a proper introduction to all the characters who are involved in them. You MUST introduce yourself properly to every character before any Requests from them will appear on the Bulletin Board.

This is another important point to note. The appearance of Requests are based on Heart/Friendship Levels. The 1st Request appears when the Heart/Friendship Level with each individual remains at zero but it will not appear if you never introduced yourself to that character. You then need to increase Heart/Friendship Levels in order to unlock the 2nd Request.

Speaking to an individual daily is sufficient to increase Heart/Friendship Levels slowly but the points gained through dialogue are less than those for a Most Favourite Gift. A Birthday Gift is worth even more, but in Rune Factory 2, there is only one item that each individual will acknowledge as a Birthday Gift.

Many of the designated Birthday Gift items are Cooked Dishes but you will not be able to cook until you reach the 2nd Generation. All Birthday Gift Items are sold by Yue, the travelling merchant, however. On the 1st day of the game, she will be found in the Sainte-Coquille Square to the southwest of the Bulletin Board. 2 Spring is Douglas’ Birthday. If you wish to increase his Friendship by a full level, give him Fried Rice today.

After experiencing the initial Event at the Pumpkin General Store, Mana will give you an Emery Flower to deliver to Rosalind, promising you a reward of 100G. At this point, you will not have met any characters apart from Mana and Douglas.

On the 1st day of the game, characters will be found in locations that may be different from their usual schedule. Furthermore, most of them will remain in that location until 6.00 p.m. This will make it easier to complete their Requests.
With the Emery Flower in your Rucksack, go east. The first building you encounter will be the Bathhouse, closed on Monday.

As you continue east past the Bathhouse, you will encounter two of the Eligible Girls, Julia and Rosalind. Speak to Julia to introduce yourself to her, then speak to Rosalind. After the introduction, you can give Rosalind the Emery Flower. She will tell you to return to Mana in order to complete the Request. Do not do so yet, however. Instead, go further east and enter the Sharper Edge Blacksmith to experience an Event.

Afterwards, introduce yourself to Tanya and Roy. Tanya will give you your first Skill Seal. Skill Seals are the equivalent of ‘Special Attacks’ for specific types of weapons. The one given by Tanya is for shortswords.

You now need to go west again. Your path will take you past the Pumpkin General Store where you can speak to Mana again to complete her Request. After she pays you, you will have a total of 150G. As you will earn far more by completing other Requests, you may wish to wait before you buy anything with the money.

Your goals now for today are to obtain as many Tools and as much money as possible by completing Requests. Your final goal for the day is to place an order for a Monster Barn with Mayor Byron. For that, you will need 50 Lumber and 5000G. With only 150G to your name at present, you may doubt that you will be able to accomplish this but performing a few Requests will place both adequate money and Lumber at your disposal before 6.00 p.m.

As you need to meet the individuals before they will make any Requests, you now should walk west, entering each building along the way to experience Events and introduce yourself to characters afterwards.

To the left of the General Store is the Alvarna Clinic. Here you will experience an Event with the doctor of Alvarna, Natalie, her daughter Alicia, her son Ray and a young patient named Cammy. Cammy will leave the Clinic before the end of the Event but you will have a chance to introduce yourself to Natalie, Ray and Alicia. Alicia is another Eligible Girl.

Afterwards, continue west through the De Sainte-Coquille Park, passing the Bulletin Board and introducing yourself to the travelling merchant, Yue, in the southwest. Do not take any Requests at this point.

Instead, continue west into the West End of Alvarna. The first building you enter is the De Sainte-Coquille Manor, a huge mansion owned by the richest family in Alvarna.

Here you will experience an Event that involve the entire Sainte-Coquille Family and their maid Cecilia. Herman is the head of the family and Max and Rosalind are his children. Alicia will enter the Mansion in the middle of the Event. When the Event ends, you will need to introduce yourself properly to Max, Herman and Cecilia. Cecilia is another Eligible Girl. The Rewards for completing the 1st Request by Herman and Max are large sums of money so it is vital that you introduce yourself to them now.

It is easier to continue west to explore all of Alvarna rather than returning to the Bulletin Board to take another Request. You will be less likely to ignore an introduction to a character if you do it this way.

Continue west therefore to the Eagle Inn. Here you will experience an Event with Egan, the elvish owner of the Inn, his son Jake and Celicia. Jake and Cecilia both will leave before you have a chance to speak to them. This is a case where you must not assume that the Event you experienced ‘counted’ as an Introduction where Jake is concerned. In order to introduce yourself to him, you will have to return to the Smithy where he works. For now, however, introduce yourself to Egan and then continue west.

The next stop is the Church, where you will experience an Event with Gordon, the minister of the Alvarna Chapel and Barrett, son of the Mayor. Gordon’s oldest daughter, Dorothy, another Eligible Girl, will enter to speak to Barrett before he leaves. Introduce yourself both to Gordon and Dorothy after the Event ends, then go through the door at the back of the church on the west side. This is where the bedrooms are located. You will find Cammy, the little girl who was weeping at the Clinic, in the middle bedroom. Introduce yourself to her, then leave the Church, continuing west to the Mayor’s house, the last building in the West End.

Here you will experience an Event between Barrett and his father, Mayor Byron. Once again, Barrett will walk out before the Event ends, making it impossible for you to meet him properly.

Introduce yourself to Byron, then leave the building. You now have met every one apart from Jake and Barrett. They both are rivals for the affection of Eligible Girls in the game but as both have a Tool to offer as a Reward for completing their initial Requests, the sooner you can meet them, the better.

To the right of the Church is a pathway that ascends northward. Take it and you will find yourself in Cherry Blossom Square. This was where the game began in the little alcove in the southwest with the Cherry Tree.

In the northwest corner of this screen, you will find Barrett in front of a bench. Speak to him now for a proper introduction. He will be neither friendly nor courteous but you now will be able to find his Request on the Bulletin Board.
After your introduction to Barrett, take the stairway to the south again and continue east past the Inn and Mansion to the Bulletin Board in the De Sainte-Coquille Park.

Instead of going all the way to the Smithy now to introduce yourself to Jake, however, as that would require a trip to the farthest eastern end of Alvarna, accept Rosalind’s Request as the Mansion is close and the Reward is good. She offers a Reward of 2000G to bring her a LAMP GRASS from Trieste Forest.

By now, it should be about 10.30 a.m. Return first to your Farmhouse to save your game. I always recommend frequent saves, especially at the start of any game with a large map. If you become lost, you can reload and try again.

It is fairly easy to find the first Dungeon in the form of Trieste Forest, ruled by Spring. From your farmhouse, take the little stairway in the west that leads north to Alvarna North Square. Here you will see a narrow pathway leading further north. Take it and you will find yourself at the Falling Star Path, a crossroads that leads to three out of the four seasonal dungeons in Alvarna.

When you reach the Crossroads, you will experience a little Event with Mana, warning you of the dangers in the dungeons and giving you directions to each of the three.

Go right and save at the purple crystal Save Point at the entrance to Trieste Forest. Go north through the entrance. Immediately you will see a little mound or hill in the centre of the Spring Clearing. Go to the right of it and you will find the LAMP GRASS. Collect it and leave, returning to the Mansion. The quickest path of return is to go west to the Crossroads, then walk directly south until you reach the fountain (and Bulletin Board) in the centre of De Sainte-Coquille Park. Now go west to the Mansion. You will receive 2000G.

You need 5000G to order a Monster Barn. As the De Sainte-Coquille family is the richest family in Alvarna, their Requests tend to yield good monetary Rewards. With money in your pocket now, you can accept Herman’s Request.

This time, you can cheat a little by going to the Pumpkin General Store even before you accept Herman’s Request. Buy one bowl of Rice there. If this is your first experience at the General Store with purchasing items, you need to be aware of the fact that many of the itmes are sold in stacks of 9. Separate 1 portion of Rice from its stack BEFORE you buy it. One bowl of Rice costs 270G.

Return to the Bulletin Board and accept Herman’s Request, then go further west to the Mansion. When you speak to Herman, he will request Rice. Without being obliged to make another trip, you can give him the bowl of Rice in your Rucksack. He will give you 3000G and a MILKER.

The MILKER will serve to remind you of the fact that you need to order a Monster Barn. You almost have enough money for one but you still need Lumber. If you accept Max’s Request next, however, you will have money both for the Monster Barn and for some Seeds for your farm. You could spare the funds for a portion of Fried Rice from Yue to give to Douglas for his birthday if you wish to raise his Friendship early in the game.

You may have to introduce yourself to Jake before Max’s Request even appears on the board. Run all the way east to the Smithy and do so now, then race back to the Bulletin Board.

The Bulletin Board now will be packed with Requests from villagers and Requests both from Jake and from Max should have been added. Accept Max’s Request and go west to the Mansion again to speak to him.

Here is a list of all the initial Requests that appear on the Board:

Douglas: Request for Bull Horn (Trieste Forest); Reward: 100G
Alicia: Request for Fortune (Mansion); Reward: -100G
Ray: Request for Medicinal Herb (Clinic): Reward: 50G
Natalie: Request to find Stethoscope (Mansion, upper floor): Reward: EMPTY BOTTLE and 200G
Cecilia: Request for Ruby (Trieste Forest): Reward: Pet Glove and 100 Lumber
Egan: Request to Taste Dish (Inn): Reward: Clippers
Rosalind: Request for Lamp Grass (Trieste Forest): Reward: 2000G
Herman: Request for Rice (General Store): Reward: 3000G and MILKER
Yue: Request for Honey (Trieste Forest): Reward: Daikon Radish Seeds
Cammy: Request for Class (Church); Reward: Toyherb Seed
Gordeon: Request for Amethyst (Blessia Island): Reward: HAMMER and 400G
Roy: Request for Cheap Cloth (Trieste Forest): Reward: STEAMED BREAD
Tanya: Request to defeat 5 Orcs: Reward: Axe and 500G
Barrett: Request for Book (Church): Reward: Fishing Pole
Byron: Request to find Barrett (Cherry Blossom Square): Reward: Empty Bottle
Dorothy: Request for Amulet (Docks): Reward: 100G
Jake: Request for Pendant (Trieste Forest): Reward: Sickle
Max: Request to deliver Spinach (Smithy): Reward: 4000G

Max will give you a portion of spinach to deliver to Jake. Return to Max for a generous Reward of 4000G.

If you did not purchase Fried Rice from Yue for 3780G as a Birthday Gift for Douglas, you will have considerably more money but even if you did, you should have 5100G now.

Now you need 50 Lumber before you can order a Monster Barn but there is another requirement as well. Without a Pet Glove, you will be unable to tame any Monsters. The option to order a Monster Barn will not appear, therefore, until you have a Pet Glove.

Fortunately, Cecilia’s 1st Request will yield both 100 Lumber and a Pet Glove, so accept that next.

Cecilia will be found in the Mansion as well, so return there to speak to her. She will tell you to bring her a Ruby from Trieste Forest without hurting any Monsters.
This will be your second trip to Trieste Forest. Go to the Crossroads and then go east. Go north then into the Forest and go through the first screen to the second. The Ruby will be located in the southeastern corner of Aegis Falls. To reach it, you must go north first to the point where the path branches off into two directions. Go southeast and you will see the Ruby on the ground next to two Rocks. Collect it and race back to the Mansion to give it to Cecilia.

Cecilia will give you a Pet Glove as a reward and instruct you on how to use it. She then will tell you that you will not be able to tame Monsters until you have a Barn. She will advise you to speak to Byron to order a Monster Barn. Finally, she will give you 100 Lumber to help you achieve this goal.

Now you can go directly to Byron to order a Monster Barn, but if you wish to kill two birds with one stone, accept Byron's Request from the Bulletin Board first.

When you speak to Byron now, you will see two options:
I want to talk to you.
I want to build a barn.
Choose the second option and he will give you the price for a Barn: 5000G and 50 Lumber. You will have to choose the option again if you actually wish to order one. Do so, and after that business is completed, choose to speak to him. When you do, the Request dialogue will be initiated and he will ask you to find Barrett for him.

If you recall, Barrett last was seen by the park bench in the Square but if it is after 1.00 p.m., he now will be found at the pier at the East End of Alvarna. Speak to him there, then return to the Mayor for your reward in the form of an EMPTY BOTTLE.

You may feel that your day’s work consists of nothing more than rushing back and forth down the main road of Alvarna and in fact, this is the case to some extent. By performing these errands, you should become familiar with the location of the various businesses and homes in Alvarna as well as the relationships between some of the characters.

Having ordered a Monster Barn and completed Byron’s Request, you now should concentrate on acquiring a full set of Tools. Accept Barrett’s Request now and go all the way back to the Pier at the East End to speak to him.

Barrett will tell you that he lost a Book and suggest that you search in the General Store and the Church. In fact, the Book will be found in the central aisle of the Church, so simply go there to fetch it. When you give it to Barrett, he will reward you with a Fishing Pole.

It probably will be at least 3.00 p.m. when you complete this Request. You still lack an Axe and a Hammer. When you complete Tanya’s 1st Request, you will obtain an Axe, but when you complete Gordon’s Request, you will obtain both a Hammer and 400G from him. As you may wish to buy some Seeds before the end of the day, it probably is more important to complete Gordon’s Request now.

Accept the Request on the Bulletin Board and then go back to the Church to speak to Gordon. He will ask you to find an Amethyst on Blessia Island and give you a Hammer to perform the task. Note that, should you fail to complete this Request now, you still can keep the Hammer, but you will not receive 400G.

Blessia Island can be reached only by ship. Go south from the position of the bulletin Board and then continue along the pier until you find a boat at the end. Mana now will appear to speak to you about Blessia Island.

When you reach Blessia Island, you will find a Save Point to the left of the entrance. Always save your game BEFORE you enter any dungeon. The items found by smashing Rocks with a Hammer always are random. If you fail to find an Amethyst when you smash the Rocks in the dungeon, you can reload your game to try again.
You will find two Rocks to your right as soon as you enter Blessia Island dungeon. Although you can use your hammer or Hoe as a Weapon, it is quicker to avoid combat at this point. Smash the Rocks. If you find an Amethyst, take it and leave.
Return to the Church now to give the Amethyst to Gordon. He will give you 400G and will not ask for the return of the Hammer.

It should be about 4.30 p.m. now. If you wish to buy a Recovery Potion at the Clinic or Seeds from the General Store, you should do so now.

The Empty Bottle given to you by Byron is needed to create a Recovery Potion. You need 3 Medicinal Herbs and 300G as well. You can eat Medicinal Herbs raw to recover your Energy at this point in time, however. Until you begin to explore the Caves in earnest, you may wish to spend your cash on Seeds and a simple Weapon instead.
If you buy no other Seeds today, you at least should purchase one bag of Grass Seeds. Monster Feed is prohibitively expensive. You will have a Monster Barn tomorrow and be able to tame your first Monsters if you can afford to feed them.
A Monster needs one portion of Feed per day. One portion of Feed costs 400G. One bag of Grass Seeds costs 300G. As Grass will take 9 days to mature, it would be best to plant some immediately.

As you pass the Bulletin Board on your way east to the General Store, you can accept one more Request before the end of the working day at 6.00 p.m.

Accepting Tanya’s Request will result in the acquisition of an Axe, but you really should have a Weapon before you try to defeat 5 Orcs. A Broadsword will cost 1200G and it is a necessary purchase. If you did not buy Fried Rice for Douglas’ Birthday today, you still should have sufficient funds to purchase a Broadsword. If not, although you probably could use a Hoe or Hammer on the Orcs in a pinch, you may wish to wait until tomorrow to accept Tanya’s Request.