First of all, I want to emphasize that this is not one of those “tips” articles that spits out the obvious. “Don’t forget to water your plants!” “Different recipes have different power-ups!” Like, duh. Some tips guides are written by people who seem like they have never played the game.
On the other hand, I’m hoping to fill this article with tips and tricks I wish I knew when I started. Things that you might not realize until it’s too late.
Read my Harvestella review: Cozy or Not? An Honest Harvestella Review.
Quick Intro: What is Harvestella?
Harvestella is an action-adventure JRPG with farming and life sim elements, leaning more towards “dungeon crawler” than “cozy farming sim.” Nonetheless, the farming elements will undoubtedly be a draw for players who like a little cozy on the side of their combat. The game boasts a beautiful world with cities themed by season, and secret areas scattered around the map. You will collect an eclectic cast of characters, from priestesses to mercenaries, and band together to help a time traveler find her way back home. Your farm will provide more of a supporting role, allowing you to make money and harvest crops for stat-boosting recipes.
Harvestella is the perfect game for fans of the series Rune Factory, as they share a lot of similarities. With its engaging mix of combat, resource management, exploration, and social stories, Harvestella offers a digital escape for players to duel in perilous battles, nurture virtual land, forge relationships, and regain lost memories—and, of course: save the world!
7 Harvestella Tips for Beginners
Without further ado, here are my tips for anyone brand new to Harvestella:
1. You Do Not Need To Buy Seeds Early On
I don’t know about you but in any farming sim (or partial farming sim, a la Harvestella) I stock up on a wild amount of seeds right away. It’s an easy way to make some quick cash early on. However, the seed packs in Harvestella are quite expensive and farming is actually a background mechanic, so there’s no rush to pack the fields full right away.
The Mayor of the town will send you seeds in the mail periodically. So don’t forget to check your mailbox. The faerie on your farm will remind you. Plus, as you explore you will get seeds in treasure chests. That means you can make free money if you just wait until these tidbits come your way naturally.
Soon you’ll have enough money to shop seeds to your heart’s content but early on, when you’re broke, it might be helpful to hold off.
2. Beware: Animals Don’t Pay Off Right Away
You will eventually be able to get two types of animals, the Cluffowl and Woolum. These will provide you with eggs and milk daily. However, they are quite expensive to feed. Animal feed costs 100 gold each and each animal eats one feed bundle a day.
Along with that, eggs and wool sell for about 50 gold each until you get your animals’ friendship levels up. So you could be losing 50 gold a day per animal, which is a lot of you overload your coop and barn right away.
Instead, work on raising each animal’s heart level before you adopt too many cuddly critters all at once. The higher the heart level, the better quality produce. This will ensure you are making a profit when you sell them.
Eventually you will be able to turn vegetables into feed, which cuts your costs considerably.
3. Combat is Easy, so Build a Party You Love
The combat in Harvestella is a considerable part of the game. But it is also really, really easy. You will eventually meet new team members and by socializing with them, you can raise their stats so that they are stronger in battle.
You might be tempted to optimize your party based on who you are closest with and has the most combat bonuses. But there is really no need. Feel free to pack your party with your favorite characters, rather than the strongest ones.
4. Heine’s Storyline Hides a Special Clue
You’ll meet Heine in Shatolla, a beautiful town by the sea. He is the stereotypical anime flirt, which might turn you off and make you not want to pursue his storyline right away.
Not only does his storyline redeem him somewhat, it contains a really cool hint to the origin of the world. I won’t spoil anything, but it’s something that shouldn’t be missed.
You will most likely have time to complete all character storylines as you play, but just in case you don’t, I wanted to highlight this.
5. Romance and Dating is Possible…After the Main Storyline
Dating and marriage mechanics are popular in farming sims. As a (partial) farming and life sim, I immediately wondered “Can you get married in Harvestella?” Yes. Sort if. Once you’ve completed the main storyline, you will be given the opportunity to confess your feelings to your special someone. But it is not a huge element of the game at all.
Each of your teammates has a storyline that you can complete for combat bonuses and item rewards. There aren’t really any romantic hints in the cutscenes and your dialogue choices don’t influence the story at all.
6. Unlock the Waterside Biome and Visit It Every Day
The Waterside Biome is a farming area where the field is submerged under water. Certain crops can only be grown here. You can find the path to it on the bottom east portion of your farm map.
Unlike the Cave Biome, which requires story progress to unlock, you can just walk up to the Waterside Biome right away. In the corner of the area, there are two mining spots. Be sure to visit them every day!
One of them occasionally spits out Monolite Fragments, which are needed for many useful items (including a bell that returns you home instantly). Later in the game, you will be absolutely flush with them. But early on this is a super easy way to farm them daily.
There are combat areas that have similar mining areas but if you don’t want to spend the stamina fighting, this is an easy alternative.
7. Don’t Bother with the Sprint Mechanic
Unlike some farming sims, sprinting drains stamina in Harvestella. A lot of stamina. And stamina doesn’t replenish unless you eat a meal or get a power-up with stamina regen.
Even holding the sprint button for a second of two can really take a chunk out of your stamina bar. You really can’t do anything without stamina, including foraging, tending your garden, or combat.
Even though sprinting might be nice when you are in a hurry, it’s just not worth wasting the stamina before you can fill your backpack with replenishing meals.
Between long in-game days, relatively few daily tasks, social storylines not typically using any time (a few do), and quick travel options, you probably won’t need the sprint button anyway.
Conclusion
These are my insider tips to getting started in Harvestella. Hope they helped you avoid some of the mistakes I made early on!
Stay cozy, friends.
You Might Also Like: Best Cozy Games Rated Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam