Rune Factory 5 from Xseed Games and Marvelous is finally available in the West on Nintendo Switch. If you’ve not gotten it yet, read my Rune Factory 5 Switch review here. The newest entry in the series has some interesting changes to the core gameplay while retaining many aspects of what I love about Rune Factory 4. Rune Factory 5’s combat is fun, but it can be a bit confusing at first. Hopefully this guide will help you understand the basics of combat, upgrading, and more in Rune Factory 5.
How to lock on to enemies in Rune Factory 5
You can press the right stick to lock on to an enemy during combat. Once locked on, you can then use the right stick to switch targets.
How to equip weapons in Rune Factory 5
Access your bag through the menu by pressing + at any time in-game. Use R to navigate to your bag tab, and then select the equipment you want to use to equip said item.
Equip the Beginner’s Crest in Rune Factory 5 for good early bonuses
On the same menu as before, use the L or R buttons to navigate to the Ranger Notes tab. Scroll down to SEED Crests and equip the Beginner’s Crest if available to you here. This gives you added VIT and lets you use the baths for free. This is only for newcomers and will not work once you raise your rank.
Where to buy armor in Rune Factory 5
You can buy equipment in the True Strike Smithy.
How to unlock Rune Abilities in Rune Factory 5
You can buy Rune Abilities if you have a lot of money, or find them in chests across dungeons.
How to use Rune Abilities in Rune Factory 5
Equip a Rune Ability to either X or Y button in the equipment menu. You also need the corresponding weapon equipped. These use up your RP (rune points) but help a lot in combat because they are very powerful. You will also be able to upgrade this to equip more Rune Abilities to R + a face button through Saint Eliza after spending points. Make sure to check back often for any upgrades you can afford here.
How to change difficulty in Rune Factory 5
Talk to Saint Eliza in the SEED outpost where you live on the ground floor to change the difficulty at anytime.
How to perfect dodge in Rune Factory 5
As in other action games, if you dodge by pressing the R button right before an attack hits you, you perform a perfect dash. This slows down time a bit letting you perform a perfect dash attack.
Recruit NPCs to join you when you go to dungeons
When you’re talking to an NPC, press the L or R button (shown above) to invite people to join you on your adventure or confess your love. If you aren’t close enough, your request(s) might get denied.
Stock up on healing items before going into a dungeon in Rune Factory 5
If your HP gets reduced to 0 in battle, you will be taken to the clinic and have to pay a fee. Avoid this by stocking up on healing items and eating before heading to a dungeon. Make sure you save as well before entering a dungeon.
Use your skills and abilities more to level them up in Rune Factory 5
As you use skills and abilities more, you level the skills up. After you have raised a specific weapon’s skill level, you can perform charge attacks by holding down the B button.
How to respawn a boss in Rune Factory 5
Bosses respawn in the same dungeon the next day at the same area. You can use this to try and grab items from them through spell seal, or just take them on for additional experience.
Save before bosses in Rune Factory 5
Before a boss or important encounter in a dungeon, you will notice a save point. Make sure you save here before jumping into the boss battle.
Hopefully these beginner’s tips help you out in the early hours of Rune Factory 5’s combat.
Rune Factory 5 is out now on Nintendo Switch.
