Rune Factory 5 features a wide array of skills for players to learn across all of the farming, fighting, mining, and furniture building you’ll be doing as you grow your farm and improve the lives of your fellow villagers. Much like previous games in the Rune Factory series, you’ll need to repeat activities a lot to increase your skill in them, which in turn can unlock additional abilities.

Related: Rune Factory 5 - All Cooking Recipes

As you play Rune Factory 5, you’ll notice a ‘Skill Up!’ notification accompanied by a cheerful sound to denote your level in a skill is increasing. When you’re just starting out, you may be unsure of what exactly is raising each skill, how to increase them further, or how many skills there are to unlock in total. To give a clear understanding of all Rune Factory 5’s skills and how to increase them, we’ve created a table showcasing everything you need to know about all the game’s skills below.

All The Skills In Rune Factory 5

Rune Factory 5 Farming Skill

There are a number of skills that branch off of each major activity that can be undertaken in Rune Factory 5. Broadly speaking, these could be organized into different categories such as skills learned from farming, skills learned from combat, and crafting skills. Rune Factory 5, however, makes no such distinction. Instead, assigning skills to specific actions in one long list.

As you’ll soon notice after increasing your skill level in one of these areas, you can sometimes gain additional abilities, such as Dash Attack, Charge Attack, and Ultimate Attack gained by increasing weapon-based skills. The primary benefit of increasing skill levels, however, is to incrementally raise key attributes.

Most skills are improved simply by repeating the activities they’re connected to. Some specific skills, however, can be increased via multiple methods, which we've noted below.

Skill Name

What It Improves

How To Increase

Farming

  • This is a general skill that improves the use of all farming tools such as the hoe and sickle. Reduces RP used for use of these tools.
  • Increases RP and VIT.

Farm: grow crops effectively by tilling soil, watering plants, and harvesting crops.

Mining

  • Reduces RP used when using the hammer to mine ores.
  • Increases RP and VIT.

Mine: mine materials such as ores and gemstones from rocks.

Logging

  • Reduces RP used when using an axe to chop wood.
  • Increases RP and VIT.

Chop wood: obtain lumber from tree stumps using an axe.

Fishing

  • Reduces RP used when fishing using a rod.
  • Makes it easier to catch fish.
  • Increases RP and VIT.

Fish: catch fish using a fishing rod.

Taming

  • Increases your chance of successfully taming a monster.
  • Raises INT.

Interact with monsters: Taming, brushing, and giving gifts.

Cooking

  • Increases the total number of recipes that can be used when cooking.
  • Raises RP and VIT.

Create food with the Cooking system.

Forging

  • Increases the total number of recipes that can be used when forging.
  • Raises RP, STR, and VIT.

Create weapons and tools using the Forging system.

Crafting

  • Increases the total number of recipes that can be used when crafting.
  • Raises RP and INT.

Create furniture using Crafting.

Chemistry

  • Increases the total number of recipes that can be used in chemistry.
  • Raises RP, INT, and VIT.

Create potions using Chemistry.

Searching

  • Increases RP and INT.
  • Makes you more likely to find good items.

Find items and chests when exploring.

Sleeping

  • Increases HP, RP, STR, INT, and VIT.

Get enough sleep by resting in your bed every night.

Walking

  • Increases HP, RP, STR, INT, and VIT.

Walk. (Every step you take counts towards increasing this skill).

Bathing

  • Increases HP, RP, and VIT.

Bathe in the local bathhouse, The Blue Moon.

Eating

  • Increases HP, RP, STR, INT, and VIT.

Eat food items (this includes meals prepared using cooking, food given to you, and food items that are found).

Throwing

  • Increases damage done by throwing.
  • Reduces RP consumption of throwing.

Throw things at enemies, or throw the enemies themselves.

Defense

  • Increases HP and VIT.

Increases when hits are taken from enemies.

Resist Poison

  • Raises poison resistance.
  • Increases INT and VIT.

Increases when poison is applied to enemies or when you are poisoned.

Resist Seals

  • Raises resistance to seals.
  • Increases INT and VIT.

Increases when you seal enemies or are sealed by enemies.

Resist Paralysis

  • Raises resistance to paralysis.
  • Increases INT and VIT.

Increases when you apply paralysis or are paralyzed by an enemy.

Resist Fatigue

  • Raises resistance to fatigue.
  • Increases INT and VIT.

Increase when you apply fatigue or are fatigued by an enemy.

Resist Sleep

  • Raises resistance to sleep.
  • Increases INT and VIT.

Increases when you apply sleep or are put to sleep by an enemy.

Bartering

  • Increases INT.

Increases by shipping items.

Catching

  • Improves ability to 'catch' enemies.

Use the 'catch' function.

Leadership

  • Increases STR and INT.
  • Increases party damage.
  • Decreases party damage taken.

Lead a party of adventurers.

Short Sword

  • Increases Short Sword damage.
  • Decreases RP use.
  • Increases RP and STR.

Use Short Sword in combat against enemies.

Long Sword

  • Increases Long Sword damage.
  • Decreases RP use.
  • Increases RP and STR.

Use Long Sword in combat against enemies.

Spear

  • Increases Spear damage.
  • Decreases RP use.
  • Increases RP and STR.

Use Spear in combat against enemies.

Axe & Hammer

  • Increases Axe/Hammer damage.
  • Decreases RP use.
  • Increases RP and STR.

Use Axe or Hammer in combat against enemies.

Dual Blades

  • Increases Dual Blade damage.
  • Decreases RP use.
  • Increases RP and STR.

Use Dual Blades in combat against enemies.

Fist

  • Increases Fist damage.
  • Decreases RP use.
  • Increases RP and STR.

Use Fist weapons in combat against enemies.

Fire (magic)

  • Increases damage from Fire magic.
  • Decreases RP usage.
  • Increases INT, M.ATK, and M.DEF.

Use Fire magic.

Water (magic)

  • Increases damage from Water magic.
  • Decreases RP usage.
  • Increases INT, M.ATK, and M.DEF.

Use Water magic.

Earth (magic)

  • Increases damage from Earth magic.
  • Decreases RP usage.
  • Increases INT, M.ATK, and M.DEF.

Use Earth magic.

Wind (magic)

  • Increases damage from Wind magic.
  • Decreases RP usage.
  • Increases INT, M.ATK, and M.DEF.

Use Wind magic.

Light (magic)

  • Increases damage from Light magic.
  • Decreases RP usage.
  • Increases INT, M.ATK, and M.DEF.

Use Light magic.

Dark (magic)

  • Increases damage from Dark magic.
  • Decreases RP usage.
  • Increases INT, M.ATK, and M.DEF.

Use Dark magic.

Love (magic)

  • Increases amount healed from Love magic.
  • Decreases RP usage.
  • Increases INT, M.ATK, and M.DEF.

Use Love magic.

Next: Rune Factory 5 - Beginner Tips