8 things to know before starting Harvestella

Harvestella is Square Enix’s new farm sim RPG. The game is heavily story-based, with the farming element taking a backseat while you’re off exploring the world and crawling through dungeons.

You’ll use a multitude of combat classes to beat up baddies, all while growing crops to cook delicious dishes (or to sell for profit). As you unravel the core mystery — learning where your character and companions come from, and what the deal is with the huge crystals by all the towns — you’ll need to figure out how to make a profitable farm.

There is a lot to do in Harvestella, which can seem daunting at first. Below are some tips we wish we knew before starting Harvestella.

The game is more about combat and dialogue than farming

You will spend the bulk of the game diving into dungeons and completing quests rather than farming. For a while, farming won’t be the priority, especially not for money-making.

Side quests are easy money

If you’re running short on money, go through town and pick up all the side quests you can. Most of the quests in this game involve just running from point A to point B, replete with small combat portions, so the rewards are very worth it. Most quests will reward you Grilla (the game’s currency) and crop seeds for your time.

Fix your kitchen to make delicious food and Grilla

Once you have some extra Grilla, definitely renovate your kitchen. The kitchen will pay itself off, as each town as a tavern NPC who will buy your dishes for thousands of Grilla one time per requested dish.

Making food to restore stamina and hunger is also important for dungeoning.

Image: Square Enix via Polygon

Food is good, but drinks are best for regaining health

Food is great for regaining stamina and hunger, but if you’re struggling to keep your health up in a boss fight, you need to consume drinks. Bringing all food but no drinks will result in your demise, as you can’t eat food once you’re too full. You can, however, keep drinking HP-restoring drinks.

Seasons last 30 days

Harvestella actually uses 30 day seasons, rather than the 28-day seasons you typically find in other farm sims, which you should plan your crops accordingly for. After 30 days, there’s one day of Quietus, where nobody can go outside and all your crops die. After Quietus, the next season will begin.

Remember to actually set your newly acquired jobs and party members

As you add new friends and combat jobs to your repertoire, it’s easy to just dash straight into the dungeon, but don’t forget to actually set up your party and job choices.

Some party members may be added automatically, but sometimes they aren’t, so make sure to double check. You have to manually add jobs to your setup, and you can only have three at the same time.

Image: Square Enix via Polygon

Dungeons are not meant to be cleared in one day

You won’t have the time or energy to complete most dungeons in one day, so don’t feel like you have to. Take it easy and head back home after unlocking shortcuts or teleport points. There’s no need to rush through dungeons, as there aren’t any time restrictions for completing the game’s story.

Make sure to stock up on supplies before a dungeon trip

Before you explore a new dungeon for the first time, you should have Repair Kits, Return Bells, food, and Bombs (if you have them unlocked). You’ll need the Repair Kits to create shortcuts back to the entrance, while the Return Bells will get you back home quickly when the day ends, so those two are absolute must-haves.