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Life simulators do a great job of letting you meet characters, while JRPGs bring fun mechanics for combat, so why not combine them both? Various Daylife by Square Enix combines these two genres and lets you interact with party members. Spending time with them will affect your Affinity, and you'll enjoy multiple benefits.

Related: Various Daylife: The Best Jobs, Ranked

However, the game doesn't clarify Affinity when you start, so what do you need to know about the system? Learning about Affinity will help you maximize the system and use it to make your characters more powerful as you go on Expeditions, so ensure you understand how it works.

What Is Affinity?​​​​​

The player spends time with Gilda and gains MP and Charisma experience in Various Daylife.

Affinity refers to the relationships you have with other characters. The more time you spend with people and interact with them, the more your Affinity builds.

The game shows your relationship with those characters as four clovers. Each time a clover piece glows, you increase an Affinity level with that person.

What Does It Do?

Gilda unlocks her special attack, Heavens Bamboo Cut, after spending time with the player in Various Daylife.

You get a cutscene with that character each time you increase an Affinity level. For example, if you spend time with Bruno, he may show you the Cathedral or do something with you. You then learn more about them as a character and their background, revealing more about the world's lore.

If you don't care about the lore, you can enjoy some battle benefits when you build your Affinity. Each time you level up, the character will unlock a new skill they can use in battle.

For example, spending time with Gilda will unlock Heavens Bamboo Cut. You can also get powered-up versions of moves by improving your Affinity. Each character gets different moves from the level-ups, so you'll want to spend time with every character.

You can unlock each character's Job when you first spend time with them. Go out of your way to interact with your newest party members to make those Classes available as soon as possible.

How To Increase Your Affinity

Gilda talks with the player while the player thinks about inviting her to the market in Various Daylife.

You can increase your Affinity by spending time with other characters. You must approach the party members, pick an activity, and enjoy their company. As you spend time with them, you'll increase each Affinity level and get the benefits mentioned earlier.

While you can go on Expeditions with people, that won't impact your relationship with them, so focus on spending time with them. Each one will increase your Affinity while offering some stat experience.

Where You'll Go

The Cost

The Experience Gained

Dining Hall

9000

HP and Constitution

Tavern

6000

MP and Charisma

Restaurant

16000

HP and Constitution

Market

14000

Strength and Agility

You'll unlock more activities as you complete Expeditions. For example, you can visit a flower garden with a friend after discovering it in the plains.

Some party members prefer certain activities over others, so you'll have to experiment and see what they like.

Affinity will help you become closer with characters, learn their Jobs, and gain new skills. If you plan to succeed in this game, you must spend time with party members and increase your Affinity. As you do so, you'll enjoy the benefits and make combat easier whenever you continue the story.

Next: Various Daylife: Beginner Tips