Mock Wedding to Leonel in Rune Factory 2

Unfortunately, I made this very quickly, but I did promise to share ALL the Mock Wedding Events so here is the Event with Leonel:

'The Big Cook-Off' in the 2nd Generation of Rune Factory 2

In the 2nd Generation of Rune Factory 2, you will experience most of the same Festival Events as in the 1st Generation but there is a new Contest in the form of the Big Cook-Off. In the 1st Generation, the Festival that occurred on the same day was the Fishing Contest.

In your first year in the 2nd Generation, you may have insufficient levels even to cook the dish that Herman designates as the entry successfully. After all, you will have had less than two full seasons to practice. In my game, the designated dish was 'SEAFOOD PIZZA'. It may be the same dish in every game. The 'SEAFOOD PIZZA' requires Level 43 Cooking Skill.

Fortunately, SEAFOOD PIZZA is a dish that Yue sells. I bought one from her and saved it for the Contest to see if the game would accept it as a valid entry.

In fact, the dish was accepted. The first time I entered it, I won an 'honourable mention' with second place. The prize was a FUR SLEEPING BAG. With second place, every one congratulated me as though I actually had won the Contest. I was rather surprised by the enthusiasm every one demonstrated. Serena and Sera won 1st place and Leann was awarded the 'participation prize' with 3rd place.

I did not save the results. I returned to a point two days before the Contest and played through it again. On this occasion, the same dish won only the 'participation prize' with 3rd place and Leann won 1st Place. The consolation prize is a POTATO.

With POTATO in hand, people behaved rather badly, in my view. They spoke with absolute scorn of my lack of cooking expertise. Orland went so far as to declare that I shouldn't have entered if I had no potential to WIN the Contest...

I had saved the game at 6.00 a.m. this time. I replayed the Contest four times and each time, the result was identical.

The results apparently are loaded into the game at 6.00 a.m. on the day of the Contest in terms of the 'scores' for Leann and Serena and Sera. The only variable that remains is your own score, which would depend on the Level of your Dish, I daresay.

If I had been able to connect to another player via Wi-Fi, I could have traded the purchased dish back and forth, thus raising its level and guaranteeing 1st Place.
In all honesty, I was rather surprised to have won 2nd place with a Level 1 SEAFOOD PIZZA purchased from Yue.

Here's the Event with both results:

Defeating Fiersome in Rune Factory 2

Your character in the 2nd Generation can save the world from destruction only if he or she defeats the ancient Dragon Fiersome. When you have succeeded in this, you will see the traditional announcement to the effect that this is 'The End'. Is it really the end of the game, however? As most veteran Harvest Moon players know, 'The End' in Harvest Moon seldom represents anything more than an opportunity to view the credits...

Here is 'The End' Event, where your character defeats the dragon Fiersome:

Marrying Orland in Rune Factory 2

Despite the fact that your character obviously is considered to be a 'child' in the
2nd Generation, players continue to ask if he/she can marry some one and have children. The answer is a definitive 'No'. Romance, however, definitely is NOT excluded and as every one knows, romantic dreams and fantasies become part of our psyche at a very early age.

Furthermore, playacting is very much a part of childhood and indeed a part of human behaviour at any age. When I reached 8 hearts with Orland the day after I chose him as my partner for the Dance Festival, his final Request appeared on the Message Board and I knew it would lead to the Mock Wedding.

In my heart, I always suspected Orland ultimately would capture my heart, although Leonel is as beautiful as an angel and appeals to me aesthetically as well. Roy is hilarious but he is one boy I always will think about strictly in terms of friendship, although I will post his mock wedding event as well...

One doesn't break the habits of a lifetime easily. Guys with long blond hair and supercilious attitudes who secretly include you in their exclusive circle always exerted an odd power over me, quite apart from my lifetime fascination with Elves.

Here is the Mock Wedding with Orland. I posted the Dance Festival Events yesterday. His consummate grace and that lovely cape swinging about as he moved on that occasion sealed MY fate.




I should like to learn a little wisdom one day, to resist that pull of the brooding, tormented soul, knowing full well that some one who behaves discourteously towards the world at large ultimately will not be transformed into a different being simply because he is in love with you... Well, never mind all that. The beauty of Harvest Moon is that we can follow our hearts' desires without suffering real-life consequences.

Next on my list for romance is sweet Leonel. I never thought he looked like a girl. He looks like a beautiful choir boy and if Orland did not exist, I could promise myself happily to him...

One does have to remind oneself that these are MOCK weddings, even in Harvest Moon. My character may lose a day with each Wedding Event, but she regains control next to her mother in the farmhouse bedroom. One does wonder, however: Precisely WHAT does occur during that 'lost day' after the ceremony ends???

Oddly enough, you lose an entire day if you go through the ceremony with the Twins but with Orland, only the remainder of the current day.

Dance Festival in the 2nd Generation

Unlike the 1st Generation, your character in the 2nd Generation only can dance once on the occasion of the Dance Festival. Your choices of partner if your character is a girl are Leonel, Orland and Roy.



Although the dance itself is the same in each case, each expresses his own personality a little in the course of the event.

Marmalade and Marriage in the 2nd Generation

At 6 Hearts, the Twins' Final Request appeared on the Message Board in the 2nd Generation of Rune Factory 2. I knew of this Request, of course. As your character is not old enough to marry, 'romance' in the 2nd Generation leads at the most only to make-believe events at the Altar. If you are a boy, the candidates for a 'pretend marriage' are Leann, the Twins (Sera and Serena) and Cammy. If you are a girl, the candidates for romance are Leonel, Orland, Roy... and Sera and Serena!

There is a reason why Sera and Serena's Event is included in the girl's game as well as the boy's game in the 2nd Generation. It is centred on the fabled Stoller Chalice, a secret item in the original Rune Factory. Furthermore, Sera and Serena are completely confused about the meaning of marriage. Having heard that weddings involve 'Toasts', visions of toasted bread and marmalade dance in their heads.

When I experienced their Request Event as a girl, they first asked me if I liked them and when I declared that I did, sent me off to ask Leann about the Stoller Chalice. Leann told me graciously but rather offhandedly that I could have the legendary item, and I returned to the Twins with the Stoller Chalice in hand.

We then were spirited almost immediately to the Church, where Gordon presided over a mock wedding. It is a charming and rather hilarious event. I have to say that Gordon, although he showed himself to be a very good sport by presiding in the Chapel over the extraordinary 'Event', could not keep a straight face. After asking me if I were willing to take Sera and Serena as my 'wives', he loudly remarked: 'Kids and their games these days… Ha ha ha!'

Even if you are interested romantically in one of the boys, it would be a pity not to be able to experience that magical moment when your character actually HOLDS the Stoller Chalice in her hands. As in the 1st Generation, the game is most fulfilling when one experiences as many events as possible. In order to do this, you must accept and complete ALL Requests.

The best part of this event for me was the addition of the Stoller Chalice into the game.

Leann first describes its power: 'If a husband and wife drink water from it on their first anniversary, they are said to be granted eternal happiness!'

She then describes its history: 'My father bought it from some one quite a while ago. The former owners had fought over it, then made up... But then they had another big fight, and then they made up again... This went on, and on and on... It was an heirloom in their family, apparently, but in the end, it caused so much friction that they decided to sell it. That's how my father came to own it.'

My character then remarks: Me; Wow, that thing kinda sounds like a lightning rod for trouble, but do you think I could borrow it?

Here is the 'Toast and Marmalade' Event with Sera and Serena:

Growing Gold Crops in Rune Factory 2

In order to grow the rare Gold Crops in Rune Factory 2, you must have access to the Seasonal Chambers on the 5th Floor of the Palermo Shrine and you must have the Inquisitive Waltz Spell. The Inquisitive Waltz really is the KEY to many items in Rune Factory 2, from the Broken Hilt to a Gold Pumpkin.

To use the Inquisitive Waltz, you must clear the chamber of ALL Monsters, and destroy the Generator(s). You then equip the Spell and activate it. The Tame Monster accompanying you will search for hidden items.

I made a video about this, which shows the process. I added it to another post, but here is the link again:



The video shows the Trieste Forest but the process is the same everywhere.

On the 5th Floor of the Palermo Shrine, you will find a Chamber for each of the Four Seasons that contains a Garden. Here you can grow Crops. Indeed you MUST grow Crops in order to unlock the final mystery of the Shrine...

Apart from this, however, each of these Chambers contains a hidden item point that can be discovered using the Inquisitive Waltz.

Here is a new video specifically about the Gold Pumpkin:



As always, when the Inquisitive Waltz is used, you only have a chance of finding a rare item. Most of the time, you will obtain ordinary items... The rare items in the Seasonal Gardens are the elusive Gold Crops. Use your Seed Maker to convert a Gold Crop to seed and then plant the seeds to grow Gold Crops yourself!

Special Birthday Gift Items for the 2nd Generation

I wrote a post previously that gave each of the Special Birthday Gift items for characters in the 1st Generation but thought that the list of the 2nd Generation characters and their Birthday Gift items would be helpful as well. This information IS included in my little Rune Factory Calendar Guide. Actually the Calendar Guide is one of my mini-guides, giving information quickly about a specific aspect of the game. Players may find it helpful to print it out, as it displays all birthdays with the designated Special Birthday Gift Item in brackets after the individual's name. (You will find the link on the right side of this page.)

The Birthday Gifts for each of the 1st Generation characters can be purchased from Yue. As most of these items are 'Cooked Dishes' or Accessories, I believe this was done in order to allow players to give them to the characters before they themselves had the ability to make items in a Workshop.

The 2nd Generation items are Cooked Dishes and Accessories but you will be obliged to make them yourself if you wish to 'gift' a 2nd Generation character. The list is as follows:

Leann, 27 Winter: Sapphire Ring
Leonel, 3 Summer: Mixed Juice
Orland, 15 Winter: Fried Sunsquid
Sera and Serena, 29 Autumn: Marmalade

A player asked how one could discover an individual's birthday in Rune Factory 2. In fact, in the 1st Generation, the character will tell you the date when he/she reaches a specific heart level. As soon as this occurs, the date will be added to the Calendar on the wall of your Farmhouse.

Where 2nd Generation characters are concerned, however, ALL their birthdays will be included on the Calendar from the start of the 2nd Generation.

As I explained in an earlier post, if you give the designated Birthday Gift to an individual on any day other than his/her actual birthday, you will be told that the character loves the item but would rather have it on his/her birthday.
You may notice that the items that Roy and Cammy loved best when they were younger children no longer are their favourites in the 2nd Generation. I still need to discover if the Special Birthday Gift item for each remains constant through both generations.

A similar situation occurs both in Harvest Moon DS and Harvest Moon Cute DS with respect to the characters such as Kate and Hugh who become young adults in the course of the game. Their favourite items change as they become more mature.

Boss Monsters in the 2nd Generation of Rune Factory 2

I made this little video tutorial very quickly, but hope it will help in guiding players through some of the initial 2nd Generation goals that lead to the entrance to the Palermo Shrine:



Remember that you need ALL Fragments from all four Stone Tablets before Barrett will be able to talk about the Dragon Break spell.

Your Child in Rune Factory 2

I am receiving so many questions about this that I felt it might be useful to create a post about it.

In Rune Factory 2, when your wife becomes pregnant shortly after your marriage, you will have the opportunity to choose the gender of your Child. You can choose to have a boy or a girl or leave the choice to 'destiny' (50% chance either way obviously).

There are only two possible Children in this game: a boy and a girl. Their appearance is set. Marrying a half-elf will not affect that.

The game where the appearance AND personality of your Child will vary according to your choice of spouse is Tree of Tranquility. In THAT game, there is an individual child for each character.

Even in ToT, however, when you choose to start a 2nd Generation game, the Child will revert to the default character of either gender. It is only in the 1st Generation of ToT that your child will have an individual appearance and personality based on your choice of Spouse.

In the following, you can see both the Girl and the Boy characters on the 2nd Generation Start Page. I added some of the Outfit changes for the Girl as well.



(If any one ever wonders why the camera is so jumpy and the movements of my character so clumsy in videos, it is because I am left-handed and everything is designed for right-handed users.)

2nd Generation Flower Festival

In the 2nd Generation, you can meet each of the candidates for Romance consecutively to view the Cherry Blossoms on the occasion of the Flower Festival. I believe this may explain the odd anomaly in the 1st Generation whereby your character could ask three girls in succession to view the blossoms with him, but then could ask no others after that.

Here is the Event with each of the 'bachelors' and the dialogues of the girls:



As in the 1st Generation, speaking to every one on the day of any Festival raises heart levels. Speaking to any candidate for Romance raised both Love and Friendship levels.

Monster Behaviour in 2nd Generation of Rune Factory 2

This information is included in my Guides now but I thought it might be useful to add a post about Monster Behaviour in the 2nd Generation.

First of all, your Tame Monsters from the 1st Generation are inherited with their existing Heart Levels by your Child and, as 9 years has passed between the end of the 1st Generation and the start of the 2nd, they have become far more skillful in the interim. When you begin the 2nd Generation game, any Tame Monsters who work as 'fieldhands' will be able to perform efficiently and two Monsters from the 1st Generation set to the task of watering your Crops can cover the entire field each day.

As far as Monster Companions in the Caves are concerned, there are advantages and disadvantages to their presence. If you are trying to tame a Monster, you must take care that your Ally doesn't defeat the Monster you almost have succeeded in taming! Instead, lead him/her to the Generator or to the other variety of Monster on the screen, then send him/her home quickly before the attack on your own taming target occurs.

Spells used in the Caves/Dungeons work both on you and on your Monster Ally. If your Monster is poisoned, therefore, you can use Medication to cure him/her. The same is true with respect to Cure and Escape. When you use Escape, it is your character who actually is affected by the Spell, I believe. Your Monster will arrive next to you simply because he/she follows you everywhere.

When you are in hostile territory, therefore, you need to be aware of your Monster's status at every moment if you want to keep him/her with you. When HP reaches zero, the Monster Ally simply will return to the Barn, but that may be inconvenient if you were hoping to use his/her aid again in the same visit to the Caves.

Finally, when an Altar/Stone Guardian requires the defeat of a specific number of Monsters as its 'price', any Monsters defeated by a Monster ally appear to count towards the total. I need to test this again, though, because I was fighting at the Ally's side and may have delivered some of the blows myself...

Monsters in the 2nd Generation of Rune Factory 2

Some players expressed some concern that, if they spent too much time in the 1st Generation polishing their Skills, they would not find the 2nd Generation challenging enough in terms of combat.

Let me assure these players that this will NOT be the case by any means! I did not have my combat levels quite at maximum when I moved forward to the 2nd generation in my test game but, even so, my Skills were more than decent both in regular Weapons and in Magic. Nonetheless, there are Monsters in the 2nd Generation who could 'knock my socks off' as it were. I could defeat any Monster ultimately but it wasn't easy in every case.

It does appear that one will meet with the best success if one follows the Seasons in terms of exploring 2nd Generation Caves. That is how the game intended progression to occur and it does make sense, although you can change the order if you like. As a matter of fact, in my very first day in the 2nd Generation, I walked to the northern screen in the Trieste Forest rather carelessly and thereby encountered the 'Boss' Monster in the form of the Terror Tree. I actually was able to defeat him without any of the 2nd Generation Magic Spells like Cure... and indeed it does not affect the plot much to do things out of order. I didn't save the result, however, as I wanted to experience dialogues with characters BEFORE I bested that particular Monster.

There are 'ordinary' Monsters who can be more challenging than the 'Boss' Monsters actually. It is even more challenging when you wish to tame a Monster rather than defeat it.

The Blackbirds in the 2nd Generation will destroy stumps on your field for you but they are both very vicious and fast, with multiple attacks that can reduce your HP to zero in an instant if you fail to use 'Cure'. While engaged in petting them to try to tame them, you must endure punishing attacks. They are very useful, however, until you are able to increase your Forging Skills to the point where you can upgrade your Tools. Recipes in general take time to learn, as neither Mana nor Barreet will teach more than two lessons each day and the holiday is a true holiday in terms of School attendance. (I use the term 'Recipes' not only for Cooked Dishes but for the Forge and Pharmacy.)

I am updating my Rune Factory 2 General Guide with 2nd Generation material as quickly as I can. Among other things, I have added to the Bestiary...

It is only in the 2nd Generation that you can encounter the adorable Chipsqueek Monster. It is fitting that he was chosen as the plush toy for Rune Factory 2.

N.B. The miniature sword in the photograph has a damascus steel blade and carved mammoth ivory handle. I'm afraid that the blade has been neglected a little and needs to be both oiled and sharpened! It is a 'working' sword of tempered Damascus, even if it is sized for a pocket princeling or pocket Valkyrie.

Easy Lesson for Cooking in Rune Factory 2

Having vowed to myself that I would not spend any more time on videos, I somehow persuaded myself that a little tutorial to help players obtain all the upgrades necessary for Cooking and Forging as well as a brief lesson in completing a successful dish might be useful. Here is Freyashawk'e Easy Cooking tutorial:



Much has been added to my Rune Factory 2 General Guide in terms of 2nd Generration information. The updated version should be published shortly.