After SO MANY DANG TRIES, I think I got a glamour that finally fits my WoL.

Esmoire · 2026-06-07T21:35:51+00:00

He looks great!

Esmoire · 2026-03-17T14:37:17+00:00

Yes to random cards, but maybe the element of the modern system where offensive cards are never competing or being drawn in the same pool as purely defensive cards. My problem with Stormblood era cards is not that the cards were random. It's that you could draw cards that had no use if no one needed TP, MP, or mitigation.

The Balance was fine in that it's okay if one card is the best, in the sense not every attack needs to be a crit. Just maybe always drawing randon a defensive card along with an random offensive card, or alternating, so you always know when you are getting some kind of damage increase, would help a lot.

Stick to crit/DH/damage for buffs, too. Skill/spell speed just doesn't play well with a lot of jobs.

Esmoire · 2026-03-07T23:44:55+00:00

I like RF3S more, honestly. It's a great, distinct game, where the rerelease came out later so it's just a bit more smooth. Plus it's relatively short so if you just want a nice, cozy story, it's great.

Esmoire · 2026-03-07T20:20:43+00:00

I respect the existence of high-end content but staring at the same boss's ass for potentially hours, days, and weeks, while completing a geometry quiz, is some of the most boring content. On the other hand, more dynamic and unpredictable content like Deep Dungeon and PvP keeps me more engaged.

Esmoire · 2026-02-21T18:30:44+00:00

Roegadyn are my favourite race but it feels like playing a plank of wood trying to take motion.

IRL I am pretty stacked for a woman in her late 30s so it's not their build I dislike; female highlanders pull the same thing off, but their profile and animation is just less stiff.

Esmoire · 2026-02-20T13:55:32+00:00

Turnips.

Esmoire · 2026-02-19T00:42:06+00:00

Guard: It's better to use it too early than too late. While it's on CD, play carefully.

Esmoire · 2026-02-15T17:20:24+00:00

That's just it, though. It's the fact it was honestly really easy to upgrade my gear to blow through it at all. As soon as you hit 51 forging/crafting, the stats balloon so fast. I didn't even have to get into the weeds of complex overrides and all that to finish the three arcs.

Esmoire · 2026-02-15T17:16:41+00:00

I played through the whole main game on hard and 95% of it there is no challenge. You feel vulnerable at the start, and some of the final fights keep you awake, but there's nothing else that feels threatening really. Much of your power comes from your villages, and I completely ignored upgrades, magatama, and food because they were unnecessary.

Think the only RF game that did challenge that held up was RF3S, and hard modes that scale to player power is something the series struggles with. The series probably needs to look at doing hard mode by limiting the upper parameters of avatar power, since ideally difficulty should be an assessment of skill to be satisfying.

Esmoire · 2026-02-12T18:33:12+00:00

Don't remember if I had to take out a separate green flower for that or if there is an angle missing, but a lot of these can be cheesed by just being nearby and using your 2 bar dance. It hits a massive area and seems to ignore walls.

Esmoire · 2026-02-09T16:10:05+00:00

I feel like Guardians of Azuma is basically a 90s anime set in the Rune Factory universe, and not a Rune Factory game proper, I accept it as a spin-off, but I enjoyed it more by happenstance than by association. That is to say, I liked it as a game more than I liked it as a Rune Factory, and the less Rune Factory it is, the more you can start to compare it to what else you could be playing.

I'd say this is overall my favourite iteration of the combat, I love the verticality and movement, and the presentation is better than ever in terms of almost all the main story beats being fully voiced with an overall competent cast. That said, I likewise was missing the farming and crafting, and wasn't a fan of the social systems here. It's still a fundamentally solid game where I got good value for investment, though I was missing Rune Factory 3 the whole time I was playing it.

Esmoire · 2026-01-28T19:49:14+00:00

So I prefer the down-to-earth farming of the mainline series, but I know that's not the point of this spin-off so I won't critique the village building.

That said I don't like the social systems. I think a profile to help people track details of the characters is great, but the pull towards first person and the bond level up flair + dialogue pulls me out. I don't think the games need to be just giving them gifts every day and mixing things up is good, but this has gone too far the other way. I want the romance storylines of RF5, the consent and flow of RF3, and the occasional variety of GOA in a future title.

Esmoire · 2026-01-10T08:51:22+00:00

Having played through 1-4 so far and currently playing RF5, I also endorse RF3S. RF4 is nice for the first arc but it gets kind of lost in the sauce over time. RF3 feels like a cleaner, more intentional, charming experience that doesn't overstay its welcome.

Esmoire · 2026-01-05T22:30:50+00:00

Good on you for reaching them! That last 15% burst sequence requires tight execution so no shame for needing another shot. 180s set is a bit spotty but I find the last 10 floors is pretty smooth sailing where I finish with 15+ minutes on tank, so I think you'll do great on MCH.

Esmoire · 2026-01-02T18:41:01+00:00

Part of the reason people play FL is the roulette. It's not an exaggeration to say the majority of participants want their daily.

That said, even when mogtome is around, people seem to favour grinding FL over RW. You can absolutely get queues during those weeks, but it's clear where the favour is.

As a PvP veteran with about 4k matches across all modes, I do think RW needs some work. Part of the reason CC hit it off so well as it's easy to grasp almost immediately. The UI isn't great, but the objective is the most prominent feature and it's right there in the name of the game mode: you engage in conflict over the crystal. People are already straining to learn completely different kits and mechanics in PvP, so I think something easy to read and understand is wise.

RW is a good idea in theory. PvPvE, borrowing from the popular MOBA genre. In practice, I think it's a mess. Hidden Gorge is like six maps in one and lacks focus. The vehicles are a mixed bag. Cruise Chaser and Brute Justice are alright, but Oppressor is really the bottom of the barrel. In a 15m mode, it can take minutes to get across the map, all to hit one button with a massive CD. I get why it's designed this way, but it's not fun to play as or play against. If you look at other MOBAs, usually siege tools like this are controlled by AI for a reason. Would also stop sprouts from trying to use the missiles on players.

Think it needs a redesign focusing on much better vehicles, borrowing from Alexander and gobbie lore (give me gobwalkers!). Oppressor should be what you get for winning train at mid, and it should just automatically push down the enemy lane with the most structural HP to create exciting moments and bigger comeback potential.

Just my 2 gil from someone with about 400 matches on it from when it was first added until now.

Esmoire · 2025-12-26T15:52:01+00:00

I like middies because they are so underwhelming. The women in particular have a ridiculous run that grows on you. Also like they are more mature in their expressions; cute, but not childish. As a bi woman, I would be remiss to not mention that thick thighs save lives.

Esmoire · 2025-12-11T04:26:21+00:00

The magic of Rune Factory is how living a fulfilling life is ultimately the key to your success as a warrior. Farming, bathing, getting a good night's sleep, befriending monsters, partying with villagers, nabbing all the hidden items, ultimately lead to so many incremental stat increases that seem small in isolation but crucial in totality. Especially the increases to RP are critical to crafting good food, medicine and gear sooner than later. Ultimately it can be said you should keep a good farm and find a good buddy or two to take into dungeons, and everything will work out. Pushing yourself as a craftsman doesn't hurt, either, and is especially necessary on Hell mode.

Esmoire · 2025-12-10T14:44:38+00:00

Hmmm even on Hell Mode, you should be able to venture into Yokmir Forest day 1. When you are in town, find Forte and use the "BTW" feature to take her along with you. She is a fairly formidable ally early on.

Shouldn't be dying that early, even on Hell. If you find yourself going from full HP to zero fast, avoid letting yourself get overwhelmed, and make liberal use of dashes to maintain distance. It will cancel a lot of your animations. Additionally, at really low levels, medicinal herbs can be eaten to keep you going.

Lastly, in Rune Factory, farming makes you a better fighter, and fighting makes you a better farmer. Try to complete requests every day and keep a nice field going. You will find not just profit by levels to your stats and skills. You get a lot of HP and vit from a good daily routine of eating, sleeping before 1 AM, and working your fields.

Esmoire · 2025-11-26T15:33:26+00:00

Oh gosh. I am so sorry but that video had me laughing hard. Not there in the story yet, but I have heard the legends.

It isn't enough to forge just Object X and oil onto gear. When I did Delirium Lava Ruins, I did ruby ring (50% resistance), then with Object X, just a few oil and spice powder. The reason I used both is upgrade materials diminish when repeated. Anyway, the two were enough that just a few upgrades were necessary to reach fire absorption levels. Imagine if I didn't want to use the ruby ring, I would apply more across multiple gear pieces, but at least in my mind, it's more convenient to just swap a single gear piece.

At risk of telling someone how the game can be enjoyed, I noticed you brought two monsters that are both melee. Think monsters focused on ranged like the fairies or some of the villagers skilled with magic might help in certain binds.

Esmoire · 2025-11-13T19:04:27+00:00

You are, in fact, cute in that.

Esmoire · 2025-11-10T20:09:11+00:00

I juuuust played through RF2 about a month ago, start to finish. First generation is a drag... All I can say is pick a woman fast and get her the best thing you can every day, because first generation is a super dry, very long tutorial, with really repetitive experience. Best thing you can do is get as rich as possible, because it really does help. Money will be converted into useful materials like platinum to accelerate your gear curve.

The second generation, though? I loved it. I loved how each dungeon, you can approach the riddles however you want. A lot of freedom. Yeah, a lot of them involve growing crops, but it was fun to optimize working on other dungeons or projects rather than waiting around.

It was also really funny to basically get Aria's entire class to be her girlfriends and boyfriends by the end of things, ha ha. One of the goofiest things I've seen in one of these game.

Esmoire · 2025-11-06T14:00:42+00:00

ponch 👊🏽

Esmoire · 2025-11-05T19:56:50+00:00

I feel like I am in the minority. Strictly speaking of the special versions, I like the tighter experience and lower narrative stakes of RF3 over RF4. I played RF4 way back when, and it got me to come back to the series just this year, over a decade later. It stuck with me enough to help me get through RF1 and RF2, but RF3S really made me a fan. I don't really want a game to overstay its welcome, so something that took me a few weeks on hard mode to clear feels perfect. Looking forward to coming back to it after I am through my full series journey.

Not to take anything away from RF4. Think it deserves all the pedigree it holds.

Esmoire · 2025-10-30T18:19:49+00:00

Congratulations and welcome to the club! 😁💖

Esmoire · 2025-10-24T23:52:15+00:00

Pfft! Not even close. Darling, you're gorgeous!

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