In My Time at Portia, the player sets up on a journey to restore his/her father’s Workshop and become the number one builder in town. It is a long journey with many winding paths: the player will learn many crafting recipes, gather resources for them, fight all types of creatures, and even do some farming and fishing. On the side, he/she might also fall in love and get married. No matter the final goals or particular interests one sets for oneself, My Time at Portia will offer endless hours of entertainment.

My Time at Portia is a complex game with a lot of depth to it, yet its complexity—though a bit daunting in the beginning—never gets overwhelming. The player will soon familiarise with Portia’s map and what each of its regions has to offer. It will allow the player to set different goals and advance at whatever pace he/she feels comfortable with.

The following guide will walk you through the main mechanics of the game. My main interest was to offer an extensive overview of all aspects of the game, plus some tips and tools that will help you get better and get quicker to your proposed goals. I have drawn mainly on my own play experience, though I am also indebted to the collaborative efforts of everyone who helps creating and maintaining the game’s Wiki. (The cooking recipes and gifting ideas taken from Wiki have all been tested in my run.)

The following guide covers the material available with the 4.0 patch. Most of the data (especially prices) was collected before the update of Feb 13th; though new content related to the latest update has been included, I haven’t revised the prices. I believe that such adjustments (and any future ones) will not alter my overall findings. Besides, anyone can manually adjust those prices in the online version of my spreadsheet. (See also Crafting_Part1)

I have revised the guide to include most of the changes up to and including Alpha 6.0. I’ve put many hours into playing and completing all new missions, while retrieving the relevant data to update the content. And though it remains an enjoyable experience, such endeavour has its drawbacks.

Firstly, the last two major updates have added or even changed the game content in all its aspects. Besides adding new missions, there is a new Abandoned Ruins with different ores and relics; new monsters (whether in the wild or in the new ruins, Ingall's Mine); trees give you new products; stores are stocked with new items etc. This required adding new features in each section of my guide. Just to gather the new data and insert it in its appropriate location is a huge task… and all to be yet rewritten again with future updates.

Secondly, the way Steam publishing works at the moment makes it guide-update unfriendly. Anyone who has published a guide on Steam of decent length has discovered that there is an imposed limit of 8,000 characters (including spaces) per section. This is a ridiculously small number! To keep the sections at minimum (an impossible task for me, hence the splitting of each section into parts), you’re forced to fill each to its maximum allowance. Adding new content to a section means shuffling chunks of text around and adding even more parts to a section. And let’s not mention the formatting tools you’re given to put some order into all this disarray: they are rudimentary at best.

In conclusion, this may be the last time I attempt to update/rewrite my guide. Instead, I shall most probably just update the spreadsheet to include all new recipes and new materials available.

At the beginning of a new game, the player is given a choice of character customizations: gender, hair, face (upper and lower). After the Hair Saloon is open for business, the player has the option to change his/her hair: first time is free; subsequent times the fee is anywhere between 50 gols to 350 gols, depending on how radical the change is relative to the existing hairstyle.

Stamina bar is visible at the bottom of the user interface, under the hotbar.
Stamina is consumed by using tools, gathering from the ground, fishing or fighting. There is no penalty when exhausting all stamina points (SP) or passing out outside the player’s bed at 3 AM.
Stamina can be replenished by consuming stamina-restoring food or sitting on furniture items (including the benches around the Peach and Central Plazas). (See also the sheets for Cooking Set and Drying Rack in the online spreadsheet, link attached in Crafting_Part 1)

• Sitting will restore a few stamina points per in-game hour, making it a feasible solution for the early game play only, when stamina is usually exhausted by midday. Sitting on the Massage Chair (available to buy from the Best Brother for a hefty 7,485g) restores approximately 140 SP/hour. Sitting on benches around Portia restores 10 SP/hour.
  
• The player can also dine in at The Round Table once per day, gaining some SP in exchange for gols. The three-choice menu doesn’t follow the rule of “the more you spend, the cheaper it gets”, to the contrary. 1 SP costs 0.25g for the first menu, 0.375g for the second, and 0.5g for the third and most expensive. Yet, the third menu will restore a reasonable amount of SP to justify the visit to the diner.

• Both stamina and health points (HP) are fully restored when sleeping overnight, once the house has been repaired.

In the early game, there are very few SP restoring items available to the player. Meat restores 1 SP and 10 HP. Apples restore 5 SP, but require a sizeable investment of stamina in kicking the apple trees. Later on, Dried Apples and Dried Apricots are probably the best stamina-restoration food. (With the latest update, mass-producing Dried Apricots is much easier since Sophie now stocks a full stack of 999 sugar at her Ranch per day; money is the only limit.)

Health bar is visible at the bottom of the user interface, under the hotbar.
Health points (HP) are lost in combat with creatures roaming around Portia, in the dungeons, or in the Hazardous Ruins and Ingall's Mine. In the ruins, the player could also loose HP when crushed by boulders or in contact with poisonous water. Losing all HP outside The Hazardous Ruins or Ingall's Mine is game over; the player loses his/her progress for the day and reloads the game. Losing all HP inside the Ruins or Ingall's Mine will restore the health bar in full (but not the stamina bar!), if there are remaining chances for that particular level of the ruins.
Health can be replenished by consuming health-restoring food, such as Herbal Tea (25HP), Simple Ointment (80HP) and various cooking recipes; the latter require specific crafting stations not immediately available to the player. (See also the sheets for Blender and Cooking Set in the online spreadsheet, link attached in Crafting_Part 1) There are also many cheap HP-restoring items available in early game: Meat, Herbs, Spice Berry (10 HP); Red Mushroom (32 HP).
Some shops in Portia, in particular Dr Xu’s Clinic, also offer a few HP-restoring items though, like everything else in the game, it’s a lot cheaper to craft rather than buy them. (See also Portia_Part 3: Dr. Xu's Clinic)

Experience points are gained from multiple sources. Except when fishing, all other actions (chopping trees, mining/quarrying, gathering, kicking, and fighting) will give experience points. Experience points can also be gained from fulfilling commissions (not to be confused with Rep points, which are reputation points counting towards levelling up the player’s Workshop Ranking).

• The Skill Tree

As the player accumulates Exp points, he/she can advance in the skills tree, available to see in the Character Tab or by pressing ‘C’. Levelling up will increase the maximum SP and HP (and will also add Attack and Defence points) and reward 1 skill point to be distributed in the tree. The player can invest the skill points in three main branches (Battle, Gather, and Social), 5 points total per level (except for the final level of each branch where only 1 point can be allotted).
The player starts as Level 1. Though fast paced in the beginning, levelling up will require increasingly more and more Exp points. For example, reaching the next three levels of skill (Lvl2-Lvl4) will require 120, 195 and 283 Exp points respectively, whereas reaching Lvl 45 will require 18,588 Exp points! Upon completing the entire Skill Tree, the player would have reached Lvl 64.

Note: Depending on the player’s strategy and preferences in the game, each main branch has attractive rewards. Yet, there is an argument to be made that some are more profitable than others.
Fighting will remain a recurring activity for the player, whether in early or end game play, since certain resources can only be acquired this way. In this regard, advancing quickly in the Battle branch is quite beneficial. The choice of Attack vs Defence rewards shouldn’t be too ambiguous. The quicker the kill, the lesser the damage. And choosing no stamina consumption when fighting (“Aggressive Stance”) means one less stack of food in the inventory for SP restoration to be carried around.
Spending is probably the second most important “hobby” a player will develop in the game. Soon enough, the money from commissions will not be sufficient to cover the expenditure frenzy the player will inevitably fall into. All the upgrades (workshop, house, land) and home redecorations are very expensive. Most money will be made from crafting items and selling them at shops around town, on days when market price is up. (See also Crafting_Part 1: Crafting for profit) Farming is an alternative but not the most profitable, while also dependent on land availability. This means that after completing the Battle branch, it pays off to take a short detour into the Social branch up to “Business Mind”.
From here onward, it is everyone’s choice. Advancing on the Gather branch has obvious benefits. The benefits from Social seem to be fairly less significant by comparison.

Here is my character at Lvl53 in spring, Year 3:

• How to best and quickly level up

Initially, levelling up will happen automatically while taking commissions and gathering the necessary resources for them. But there will be days when the player can choose how to spend the stamina points. Is it better to go mining, fighting, chopping wood? To some degree, the answer will depend on what resources the player is short of. Otherwise, the table below will give a clue as to which is the quickest road to reaching that elusive next level.
To gain Exp points (other than by fulfilling commissions), the player needs to spend Stamina, which is a given number of points—the first restrictive factor. When stamina can be easily replenished (with stacks of Dried Apples or Dried Apricots), time is the second restrictive factor, though it is more difficult to quantify relative to experience gain. The question then becomes: what is the experience return when investing stamina points in various actions? What is the experience gain per 1 spent stamina point?


Note: The numbers above are taken when the player has fully upgraded tools. Using the Basic Axe and Pickaxe only consumes 2 SP, instead of 5 and, respectively, 3 SP.
*After year 1 and if at Buddy level with Mint, the player will acquire a mini-drill that can only be used when mining (but not for breaking rocks outside the mines!). Not only that it makes mining a breeze, but the stamina spent vs experience gain ratio is extremely favourable.
When it comes to fighting, if “Aggressive Stance” was chosen, then there is no stamina spent when fighting. The Exp points gained in fighting depend on the type of creature fought and its level. For example: killing a Colourful Llama Lvl1 gives 10 Exp, while killing a Desert Hopper Lvl27 gives 22 Exp. Killing a Chemical Dropout at Level 4 of the Hazardous Ruins gives 1,625 Exp, while killing Piggy-Bot 007 in Ingall's Mine gives 2,000 Exp.

Mining, Quarrying and Attacking are the top three candidates.
Though Attacking seems to give by far the most experience points, the creatures available on the map (even in the Hazardous Ruins) are in limited number and far apart, and they don’t respawn instantaneously. Attacking is time consuming which makes it not so profitable. Completing the 1st level in the Hazardous Ruins (with maximum of floors, which is 6, hence maximum of creatures) gives around 320 Exp; completing the 4th level gives around 1,390 Exp. Combined, that means 1,710 Exp in 8 hours. Yet, three runs (9 hours in total) of second level in Ingall's Mine can award over 17,000 Exp, which makes it the second-best option to mining with the mini-drill.
Quarrying and Chopping trees suffer from the same limitations: it takes a long time to travel from one to the next.
Mining is actually the best way to accumulate maximum of Exp points in a given day. Provided the player goes early in the mines and that he/she improved the technique of mining (trying to hit as many rocks in a row without stopping to travel), he/she can easily go through 800-1000 stamina before running out of time in the mines. This translates into 3,200-4,000 Exp points gained in just one day; with the mini-drill the numbers go skyrocket, between 20,000 and 25,000!

Good management of inventory is paramount. From the very first couple of days, the player should start crafting Wooden Storage and keep crafting more, whenever there is a surplus of wood (which, admittedly, seems rather hard). [Later in the game, the player should upgrade all wooden storage to Metal Storage and further to Safety Box, which have increasingly more slots.]
When enough land upgrades have been purchased, the player should aim for the ideal workshop design, or what I like to call "the workshop work triangle" (with reference to the well-known "kitchen work triangle"). Since the primary tasks in crafting involve the Assembly Station, the Worktable and storage, the player should aim for keeping them in close proximity thus cutting down on wasted time and inefficiency.



At the end of the day or early in the morning before going out into the world, the inventory should be emptied and only tools and HP/SP restoration food should be carried around.

Managing the storage is in itself an important task. It is a good idea to have a wooden storage dedicated to each station, according to what that station takes as input and output. This way, the player will easily familiarise with the crafting recipes too.

The player’s inventory can be upgraded, and it should be done as quickly as funds become available (definitely, before tackling “Mission: The Cave on Amber Island”). With the latest updates, the inventory can be increased beyond the next three rows of the first page, with an additional five rows on the second page, as follows:

• 1st row requires 400g to be unlocked;
  
• 2nd row requires 600g to be unlocked;
  
• 3rd row requires 900g to be unlocked;
  
• 4th row requires 1,300g to be unlocked;
  
• 5th row requires 2,000g to be unlocked;
  
• 6th row requires 3,000g to be unlocked;
  
• 7th row requires 4,500g to be unlocked;
  
• 8th and last row requires 6,800g to be unlocked.

From early on in the game, the player should walk around the map in order to familiarise with the surroundings. Wasting as little time as possible when looking for resources or specific buildings, areas etc. will pay off.
Each area of the map (accessed by pressing ‘M’) has its own creatures and resources. (See also Portia_Part 1: Portia Map) Though nothing compares to having firsthand experience of what is where, it can be a bit daunting for the new player to discover or remember where to find specific resources.
The following is not meant as an encyclopaedia of all items in the game, but it should provide a comprehensive overview of how to obtain most resources. It is organised around the player’s main activities. (For a list of all raw materials used in crafting recipes, see also Raw Resaurces in the online spreadsheet, link attached in Crafting_Part 1.)

Gathering refers to gathering from the ground and it doesn’t necessitate using any tools. Such items can be easily identified by the glittering light around them.
What the player gets from each item is self-explanatory. Yet some items will also give a bonus, which is indicated separately, though the probability for getting bonuses varies significantly. Caterpillars are pretty common, whereas diamonds are extremely rare finds.

• Gatherable items respawn every day, though not necessarily in exactly the same spot.

Quarrying refers to breaking various rocks and crystals by using the pickaxe. Small rocks can be broken with a Simple Pickaxe; big rocks and crystals require an upgraded tool.
Different types of rocks give different items, though there is some variation as to what items they give and in what proportion.

• Rocks (small or big) respawn after 2-4 days (not counting the day of harvesting).
  
• Blue Crystals respawn after 2-6 days (not counting the day of harvesting).
  
• Yellow Crystals respawn after 6 days (I haven't tested it; it's an inference based on blue crystals).

Rocks and Crystals respawn in the same spot.

Though it’s impossible to devise a conclusive test, it seems that rocks and crystals have a maturing period after respawning. (The same may apply to trees, especially Apple Trees.) If that is true, then waiting for longer periods between harvests will give a bigger yield. Alternatively, the yield is simply RNG dependent.

The following lists all possible items that I have encountered in breaking a type of rock.

Foresting refers to chopping bushes and trees by using the axe. Bushes, vines and small trees can be chopped with a Simple Axe; big trees require an upgraded tool.
Some big trees can also be kicked before being chopped. Kicking trees before chopping them down will maximize the yield for some secondary items (like rubber fruit and wild cocoons) or will give otherwise unobtainable items (honeybee wax can only be obtained from kicking the double-trunked trees).
Apple trees can only be kicked.
As with rocks, there is a chance for rarer items to drop when chopping a tree, as is the case with Bird Nest. When opened in the player’s inventory, a Bird Nest may give: Feather, Egg, or Data Disc.

• Trees (whether bushes or bigger trees) respawn after 6 days (not counting the day of collection).

All trees respawn in the same spot.


Though it’s impossible to devise a conclusive test, it seems that Apple Trees have a maturing period after respawning. (The same may apply to rocks and crystals.) If that is true, then waiting for longer periods between harvests will give a bigger yield. Alternatively, the yield is simply RNG dependent.


The trees around Portia don’t have official names, though they have a distinctive appearance.
In indentifying a particular type, I’ve tried to be either descriptive, or tag it by its unique items where applicable: see Poplar tree (first picture above, on the left), Cinnamon Tree (second picture above, on the right), Palm Tree (immediately on the left), and Cactus Tree (immediately above, on the right).


The Tree Farm (available after completing “Mission: Saving the Tree Farm”) is another source for wood, though not for any by-products from cutting trees. The resources can be gathered from the box outside the gate to the Workshop, next to the mail; the box will only store resources up to 3 days worth.

The player can check the table outside Dawa’s house on the Tree Farm to adjust the proportion for each particular type of wood (W=wood; HW=hardwood; IW=ironwood), or increase the amount for each in exchange for cash. There is a one-time fee for unlocking the next tier, as follows:

(* I haven’t confirmed the wood amounts for the 500,000g tier, since I didn’t have the available funds, but it is safe to assume that it doubles. Also, it may not be the last tier.)

Though wood is a highly-valued resource in the game, it may not pay off to increase the amount beyond the first tier of 10,000g, at least in the first couple of years. Not only that there is a continuous demand for some of the by-products from cutting trees (especially resin, wild cocoons and rubber fruit), but cutting trees can also help the player levelling up.

Mining refers to gathering resources (stone, various ores, relics etc.) from the three Abandoned Ruins in Portia by using the pickaxe (and, later on, the mini-drill). Mining doesn’t require an upgraded tool, though with upgrades the player will harvest increasingly more resources per hit (doesn’t apply to relics!).

Most areas in the ruins are grey in colour and can be mined for: stone, sand, and soil. Yet in Abandoned Ruins #3, these common resources are found in redish-brown areas (not to be confused with the copper ore areas from Abandoned Ruins #1).
Data discs are acquired simply by mining for either stone or ores, though they can also be bundled together with relics.
Ores are colour coded areas that can be mined for the following:

• Brown areas: copper ore and tin ore (Abandoned Ruins #1)
  
• Dark red areas: iron ore, tin ore and lead ore (Abandoned Ruins #2 and #3)
  
• Teal areas: manganese ore (Abandoned Ruins #2)
  
• Yellow areas: magnesium ore (Abandoned Ruins #3)
  
• Blue Areas: aluminium ore (Abandoned Ruins #3)

In addition, mines can also hold many relics, visible only when using the relic scanner (accessed by pressing ‘F’). Relics can be located anywhere (among stones or ores), but they’ll only be picked up by the scanner within a certain distance. When no relics are picked up by the scanner at the surface, digging deep enough will allow the scanner to reveal them. After the completion of “Mission: The Portia Bridge,” the scanner can be upgraded by paying a one-time fee of 2,000 gols from any elevator-reset board. The upgraded scanner can lock on three relics at a time.

Abandoned Ruins #1 are available from the start of the game. To access them, the player has to pay a weekly entrance fee of 200g (first time on discount for only 80g); to reset the mines the fee is 20g.
Abandoned Ruins #2 are available the day following the completion of “Mission: Bridge to Amber Island”. To access them, the player has to pay a weekly entrance fee of 300g; to reset the mines the fee is 20g.
Abandoned Ruins #3 are available after the completion of “Mission: The Portia Bridge.” To access them, the player has to pay a weekly entrance fee of 600g; to reset the mines the fee is 20g.

The following is a list of possible 1-piece relics to be found in the mines. Among them, the washing machine and the keypad can be donated to the museum (see also Portia Museum).


Note: Though data discs are very much needed in the beginning, they’ll become quite useless midway through the game. They cannot be sold per se, though they can be exchanged at the Research Centre for Research Notes (for which there is no apparent use at the moment). Still, they can be profited from by buying large planter boxes, irrigation flooring and tower from the Church of the Light, which can then be sold for a good price. The restricting factors with this strategy are: the time spent in going up the hill to the Church (except for Tuesdays and Thursdays, when the store is accessible in Peach Plaza), and the daily limited stock.

Besides the above relics, all Abandoned Ruins hold multi-piece relics. When all pieces of a set are acquired, the complete relic can be retrieved either from the machine in the Research Centre or, once 10 items have been donated to the Museum, from the player's personal Recovery Machine.
If using the machine in the Research Centre, the cost for retrieval is anywhere between 1 to 3 data discs. The player's machine uses power stones instead of data discs (or it can be linked to a fire powered generator).

Each Abandoned Ruins holds its own specific type of relic pieces. The completed relic can add Attack or Defence buffs and be placed inside the player’s house (see also Upgrades_Part 2). Any relic can also be placed outside as decorations; NPCs may come admiring them, in which case the player will gain friendship points with them.

The following is a list of possible multi-piece relics to be found in the mines.


Fighting refers to attacking the many different creatures around Portia with a sword. Before crafting a sword, the player can attack creatures by kicking them, though the damage is minimal.

With each upgrade of the sword, Attack points are significantly increased. With update 6.0, the fastest and most powerful weapon in the game is Nova Sword (Attack +200), which can be acquired when first time defeating Digger AI, the Boss of Level 1 in Ingall's Mine. Corps' Hammer (also Attack +200) is much slower and more awkward to use; the player receives it upon initiating "Mission: Rescue in Ingall's Mine" or it can be purchased from Total Tools. Lion's Claw (Attack +150), the only other weapon with more attack points than the Enhanced Iron Sword is equally slow and awkward to use (and, I should add, looking kind of ridiculuous); it can be acquired when first time defeating the Chemical Dropout of Level 4 in the Hazardous Ruins.

Creatures can be encountered in various areas at the outskirts of the town proper, in the dungeons, or in the Hazardous Ruins.

• Outside creatures respawn fairly quickly in the same day (but not instantaneously). Also, entering a building functions as a reset trigger and repopulates the world.
  
• Dungeons are made available only through missions. Once the Boss is defeated, dungeons can no longer be visited.
  
• The Hazardous Ruins are located in the Collapsed Wasteland. Entry in the Collapsed Wasteland is made available starting with Spring 17, Year 1, and only after successfully sparring one of the Civil Corps members: Sam, Arlo or Remington.
  
• Ingall's Mine, the latest Hazardous Ruins to be added in the game starting with update 6.0, is located in the Eufaula desert. Access to it is gained a few days later after the completion of "Mission: Rescue in Ingall's Mine".

Hazardous Ruins are split into four levels, each consisting of anywhere between 4 to 6 floors; Ingall's Mine will also have four levels (each with 3 to 4 floors), though only the first two levels are available with update 6.0. Each level has its own specific floor designs and creatures. Advancing to the next floor requires killing all the creatures on the current floor. The last floor of each level hosts a Boss (Chemical Dropout in the Hazardous Ruins; Digger AI for Level 1 and Piggy-Bot 007 for Level 2 in Ingall's Mine). Most floors, independent of the level, also contain boxes that can be broken with the sword in order to recover the loot, or chests. Ingall's Mine currently has only chests.

Upon entering any level in the Ruins, a certain amount of in-game hours is reserved for its completion. Failing to complete the level does not restore the time.
Once inside Lvl1 or Lvl2 of either the Ruins or Ingall's Mine, time is stopped which makes them the easiest levels. Inside Lvl3 or Lvl4 of the Ruins (and, presumably, of Ingall's Mine), on the other hand, there is a timer indicating how long the player has available to clear all creatures on a particular floor. Defeating creatures and breaking boxes increases the time. At timeout, the player automatically exits the Ruins.

Dying in the Hazardous Ruins is not penalised by loosing progress for the day or exiting the Ruins. Lvl1-2 gives the player 3 chances for completion, while Lvl3-4 gives 1 chance; when all chances are exhausted, the player automatically exits the Ruins. Upon resurrection, the player is restored with a full Health bar.

The Hazardous Ruins can be a daunting experience, especially in the early game when the player hasn’t levelled up too much, doesn’t possess yet a fully upgraded weapon and isn’t familiar with the layout and hidden secrets/puzzles for each floor. Hence, upon visiting the Hazardous Ruins and/or Dungeons, it is a good idea to be well stocked up on HP restoring food.

Because each has its own specific chests and bosses, I'll treat the two Hazardous Ruins separately.

Hazardous Ruins in Collapsed Wasteland

*The welcoming screen of the Hazardous Ruins indicates the prizes rewarded from defeating the boss on each level. The screen isn’t precise regarding the number for each. In addition, with the last two updates (5.0 and 6.0), there are unique prizes for first time defeating the Boss, such as Uniform Jacket (Level 1), Enhanced Iron Sword Recipe (Level 2), Meidi Traditional Hat (Level 3), and Lion's Claw (Level 4).
Because of their reduced duration, Lvl1 is suitable for hunting down small engines, and Lvl2 for gathering tempering liquid (Lvl2 may also have chests with small engines). Though the boss at Lvl2 only drops 2 tempering liquid (instead of the 5 liquids dropped at Lvl3 or Lvl4), Lvl2 has more Plierimps (which may also drop it) than the more difficult levels and can be completed in more runs the same day: for every 3 runs at Lvl3, there are 4 runs at Lvl2. That being said, with the opening of Abandoned Ruins #3, tempering liquid is never in short supply; the same applies for small engines and industrial engines which are now more frequent relics in Abandoned Ruins #1 and #2 respectively.

Some floors in the Ruins can hold chests and boxes containing: copper wire, data discs, dried apples, dried blade fish, industrial engine, lubricant (especially Lvl3), old parts, silicon chipset, simple circuits, small engine, small silicon chip, smoked meat, spring, valve.

Ingall's Mine in Eufaula desert

*The prizes above may not be the same in your run. Also, advanced engine can only be dropped from Piggy-bot 007, but it is not a guaranteed drop in any of the subsequent defeats, thus making advanced engine one of the rarest items in the game.

Some floors in Ingall’s mine can hold brown and/or blue chests.
Chests in Level 1 may drop: condensed power stone, silicon chipset, small dagger, small silicon chip, tempering liquid, nitre.
Chests in Level 2 may drop: condensed power stone, silicon chipset, carving knife, harmonica, multi-function knife.

The following is a list of creatures according to their location and the items they drop when defeated. Some of the items have a higher drop rate than others.

*Four new creatures have been introduced with update 6.0: Cutton Llama, Courteous Bunny, Poppycock and Vampanda (the drops you get from them may vary from the above). They spawn only after all lesser creatures of their kind have been killed in their spawning areas: colourful llama, illusion bunny, pinecock, and respectively panbat.

Fishing can be done in specially designated areas along Portia River and the coastline. The player must have the fishing rod equipped and hold caterpillars in the inventory as bait.

The fishing mini game requires patience most of all. To fish,

1. follow the direction of the fish by moving the mouse right or left (the circle will turn white when in sync);
   
2. when in sync with the fish, click LMB in short bursts (that is, reel in the fish).

Pressing LMB will shorten the distance to the fish; when zeroed, the fish is caught. Yet, when out of sync with the fish (the big circle turns red), the tension will start to increase. The tension is measured by the inner red circle. Depressing LMB will reset the tension bar.
The secret to successful fishing is to only press LMB in short bursts (especially for the difficult fish). Keep an eye on the inner red circle, and don't let it fully encompass the white circle, by depressing LMB.

Fishing may not be seen as a profitable activity: each cast consumes 6 Stamina points, but no Exp points are gained. Yet, fish can sell for good cash, especially the Emperor variety. Each cast reserves 9 in-game minutes, independent of how long (in real time) it takes to catch the fish. With a possible haul of 6 fish/hour, fishing could be a good revenue source. Fish are necessary ingredients for a few cooking recipes that make liked/loved gifts for NPCs or are requested in commissions.

There are eight fishing spots available. At each spot, the player can catch a more common variety of fish and one variety of rare fish, plus some other item.

The Golden Ring is a unique item that can be caught only once and it will start “Mission: The Lost Ring”.

The following is a list of all the items I caught during my fishing sessions. It is not an exhaustive list.

#1. Next to the Bridge to Amber Island: Catfish (+Emperor), Frog Fish (+Emperor), Rusty Iron Pipe/Racket



#2. Amber Island: Banner Fish (+Emperor), Koi Fish (+Emperor), Rusty Iron Pipe/Racket/Shell Necklace



#3. Lake in Collapsed Wasteland: Blade Fish (+Emperor), Wise Fish (+Emperor), Emperor Firefish, Shell Necklace/Racket/Crystal Necklace



#4. North of Portia Harbour: Golden Salmon, Bubblefish (+Emperor), Firefish, Racket/Seagrass/Talisman



#5. West of Portia Harbor: Banner Fish (+Emperor), Lantern Fish (+Emperor), Seagrass/Talisman



#6. Near the Waterfall: Golden Salmon (+Emperor), Goliath (+Emperor), Rusty Iron Pipe



#7. Eufaula Desert, the oasis NE of Ingall's Mine: Golden Salmon, Emperor Blade Fish, King Salmon (+Emperor), Racket/ Shell Necklace



#8. Eufaula Desert, far north on Portia River: Blade Fish (+Emperor), Blue Mackerel (+Emperor), Racket/Shell Necklace/Crystal Necklace



Farming becomes available when Emily initiates “Mission: The Farmer.”
The player can buy seeds from Sophie’s Ranch in exchange for gols or from the store at the Church of the Light in exchange for either small silicon chips or data discs. Plants grow in small planter boxes, in specific seasons; trees grow in large planter boxes (available only from the Church of the Light) in all seasons.

Adding fertiliser to either plants or trees will affect only the yield and not the growth period. Choosing to fertilise or not is a tricky decision. Fertiliser is expensive to craft or purchase. It also takes time to add it individually to planter boxes and check its status periodically.
That being said, with update 6.0, the player can install an automatic fertiliser-distribution system available to buy from the Church of the Light. The system consists of irrigation flooring (to be laid underneath planter boxes, small or large) and an irrigation tower. The system works similarly to the conductive flooring and the fire powered generator. The flooring should be laid continuously from planter boxes to the tower, and the fertiliser is only added to the tower which distributes it to all covered plants.
So, is it worth fertilising? If fertilising is done automatically, which significantly decreases the amount used, then the answer is "yes." Increasing the yield will also keep farming land to a minimum. But when land is no longer an issue, going for more planter boxes works too.

*Crystella Tree produces mainly crystals and, rarely, ruby and/or sapphire. The latter will replace a certain number of crystals from the total yield, though it may not be on a 1:1 ratio. When tested just once, 10 fertilised Crystella Trees yielded 171 crystals and 5 sapphires.

Plants grow in specific seasons, except for Potato Fruit seeds and, more recently, Rainbow Flower seeds, which grow in all seasons and thus are ideal to plant at the end of any season when there aren’t enough days remaining for other season-specific plants.
If planted in the wrong season, plants do not die; they will start growing again when the correct season is reached. To avoid such a waste of time, the wrong plants can be uprooted.

Unless otherwise specified, Ack will harvest and fertilise all your crops, including the trees. You can specify Ack’s responsibilities in the Workshop from the panel inside the house.

With update 6.0, planter boxes can be moved (by pressing "F") without uprooting the plants. All the more reason to start planting trees (at least one of each) as early as possible, without waiting for land upgrades. Crystals and nitre are crafting materials in high demand, and dried apricots will make the player more efficient by extending his/her stamina points available per day.

A few final remarks about farming:
→ After harvesting trees, the message “Wrong Season” will show. This is a bug which the developers will hopefully address. A few in-game hours later, the tree planter boxes will display correctly the time remaining until the next harvest.
→ Potato Fruit and Bamboo Papaya don’t glow when ready to harvest; when planting these, make sure to check the remaining time.
→ Sisal seeds (available to buy from the Church of the Light) produce linen and not plant fibre.
→ Make sure you plant the appropriate seeds for the season! Unlike in other games (say, Stardew Valley), seeds can be planted even if in wrong season, so make sure you don't waste them.
→ If left unharvested, Sisal and Rainbow Flower can make pretty decorations around the workshop. But once Ack is coopted as a helper, he seems not easily convinced by such aesthetic arguments. And setting Ack not to harvest is an expensive trade-off between the artistic and the pragmatic.

Fish can be grown in a Fish Display or a Large Fish Tank... supposedly.

The diagram for the Fish Display can be researched at Petra, whereas the diagram from the Large Fish Tank will arrive by mail on the first day of spring, year 2.

You can add any fish to either devices, and feed it Dough (crafted in the blender or available to purchase from Sophie’s Ranch) or Bugg Egg (a drop from Mr. Ladybug).

Yet my experience, which seems to be shared with many other players, was that fish always die sooner or later. No matter what I’ve tried—vary the fish and keep feed constant, or the other way around—they just don’t survive long enough for me to even understand whether these two devices are meant for farming or simply displaying fish.


The coop and shed can be constructed at A&G Construction for the following materials:

• Coop: 10 wooden board + 20 iron bar + 5 rope + 2,000 gols
  
• Shed: 10 hardwood plank + 10 iron wooden plank + 5 bronze pipe + 5,000g

The coop will house a maximum of 8 animals, chicks or ducklings, and the shed will house up to 12 animals, calves or lambs, all purchasable from McDonald’s store McD’s Jumpin’ Livestock.

During their growing period, the animals will not produce anything. Petting them every day and making sure they have plenty of food will ensure constant growth and happiness, which is measured as a percentage visible above each animal. Chickens and ducks can grow up to 120%, while cows reach their maximum at 116% and sheep at 121%, and stay there whether petted/fed or not.

When matured, petting the animals doesn’t seem to have any benefits; yet feeding them is mandatory for the animals to give any produce. The coop can store up to 30 food items; the shed stores 50.
Almost all food resources are an adequate feed for the animals, though they score different feed quality points. I prefer to feed them flour (processed in the blender from wheat) and/or potato fruit because these crops have a short growing period and score relatively high, 19 points. [To unlock food slots in the feeding panel of the coop/shed, you have to carry that food item in your inventory.]

An animal will give 1 produce/day in addition to which it may also give animal faeces. The animal products may vary: some are more common while others are rarer. The chance for rarer animal products doesn’t seem to be affected by petting or the food quality and it is simply RNG dependent.

• Chickens and Ducks: eggs (common); tail feather (rare)
  
• Cows: milk
  
• Sheep: worn fur (common); fur (rare); delicate fur (very rare)

Unless otherwise specified, Ack will gather all animal products and feed the animals. You can specify Ack’s responsibilities in the Workshop from the panel inside the house.


The stable can be constructed at A&G Construction for the following materials:

• 20 iron bar + 20 stone brick + 5,000 gols

Completing “Mission: McDonald’s Stable” will unlock the possibility to either buy or rent a horse: buying a horse costs 10,000 gols, while the weekly rent for a horse is 500 gols. The player can buy a horse from McDonald’s shed only after he/she has constructed the stable from A&G Construction.

The rented horse is fully trained in all the categories, unlike the horse for sale. The stats for the latter are as follows: Speed 20%; Endurance 30%; Jump 30%; Dash 60%; Loyalty 0%.

The player can train the horse from the interactive panel, on the side of the shed, in four categories (with the exception of Loyalty, as of update 6.0). Each training session takes 10 hours and will add, on average, 4% in the selected category. Aiming to maximize on training—say, twice a day at 7:30AM and 5:30PM—it will still take 5 weeks of training. That is a long time of waiting for a fully trained horse! More realistically, it will take up to 2 full seasons, since it is difficult to organise one’s daily schedule to always be at home at 5:30PM… even a British will skip tea time once in a while.

This is why it is a good idea to purchase both the stable and the horse as soon as possible; it helps that the stable (unlike the shed) has a rather small footprint, and it doesn’t require too many land upgrades to fit in. And while the horse is in training, the player will have to make do with the weekly rented horse.

When the horse is fully trained, it helps to have the stable moved close to the player’s house, so it is immediately available to ride to the Commerce Guild and beat Higgins to the best commission for the day.

At the beginning of the game, the player only has at his/her disposal the Worktable and the Assembly Station. The latter has already the diagrams for a few crafting stations, such as stone furnace, grinder, skiver etc.

New diagrams can be obtained in several different ways:

• A few diagrams will be acquired when new main missions are initiated, in which case they’ll be automatically added to the player’s Handbook.
  
• Some other missions will require a visit to the Research Centre, where Petra will provide the required diagram (usually the next day) in exchange for a certain number of data discs.
  
• Yet, a number of diagrams can be acquired outside the missions as such. After discovering the first data disc, the player is required to visit Petra at the Research Centre where he/she will be invited to “donate” discs to research. For a set of discs (either 5, 10 or 20), the player will receive a new diagram, just not right away. The next day, the player receives a letter from Petra saying that the data corruption on the discs is minimal and that she’ll have the results ready anywhere between 2 to 7 days (more discs require longer waiting time).

Because it is a lengthy process and the diagrams are crucial in completing several missions/commissions, it is very important to acquire as many discs as possible in the early game and donate them to Petra. (The research can be hurried in exchange for various items: power stones, industrial engine etc. To hurry the process, the player has to talk again to Petra by selecting the “Research” tab. Yet, hurrying research is usually very expensive for what the player gains: it seems that each extra item Petra requires only takes 1 day away from the total duration.)

The following is what the player gets when donating for Research (each diagram requires a complete set of discs in its tier). The diagrams are listed alphabetically in their tier and not in the order in which they’ll be acquired. For those who would like to discover things by themselves, the diagrams were blacked out.
5 disks: Blender / Civil Furnace / Cooking Set / Fish Display
10 discs: Advanced Skiver / Comprehensive Cutter / Comprehensive Grinder / Industrial Cutter / Industrial Furnace
20 discs: Electric Furnace / Fire Powered Generator / Recycling Machine

The following diagrams will also require data discs, but acquiring them is part of a mission:
Ded-dee Stop: 3 data discs
Loudspeaker: 3 data discs
Boombox: 5 data discs
Water Engine, Water Storage, Water Wheel: 6 data discs for all three
Construction Crane: 6 data discs
Water Well: 5 data discs
Printer: 5 data discs
Wind Turbine: 5 data discs
Hot Air Balloon and Balloon Platform: 5 data discs

The following diagrams are also part of a mission, but they require no data discs; the diagrams are added automatically once the mission is chosen: Removable Battery, Lift Controls, Lara Model, Bridge Tower, Steel Beam, The Driller, Sand Blocker, Iron Wood Supports, Bus Station, Chimney Roof, Water Tower, Charge Station.

The diagram for Large Fish Tank arrives by mail on the first day of spring, year 2.

There are also two diagrams for the Worktable that can be purchased from stores: Best Brother sells the diagram for Hospital Bed; Total Tools sells the diagram for Windwheel.

There are also 3 diagrams for the Worktable that may or may not be available, depending on your luck: Crystal Statue, Crystal Hourglass, and Dream Lamp. I was not lucky that way, though I know of other players who can craft these items. Though I've reported the problem, I've got no definitive answer from the developers thus far. It's a shame, since they are all profitable receipes; they would also put my excess of crystals to good use.

When money from missions and/or commissions is just not enough, the player can simply sell directly to the merchants in Portia. Everything can be sold: from raw materials to the most elaborate items crafted at the Assembly Station. Some merchants will only buy specialised items: for example, Sophie’s Ranch and Martha’s Bakery buy only food related items. The rest, though, will buy pretty much everything, if they have the cash for it (shown at the top, after the name of their business) and they do have a lot: A&G Company Store, The Round Table, Best Brother, and Total Tools hold between them close to 115,000g in available funds! A&G Company Store, The Round Table, and Best Brother are the best bet, since they're well funded and buy most crafted items.

The question remains: is it better to sell raw materials or invest time and fuel into crafted items? Is it better still to further assemble crafted items into complicated diagrams and thus invest more time? What sells the best?
Evidently, the player will sell whatever he/she has in excess and will try to do so when the market price is up. But sometimes it also pays off to invest time and patience in assembling items, rather than selling individual components. And among these assembled items, some will bring more profit than others relative to selling individually.
I’ve worked out a spreadsheet listing all individual recipes according to their respective crafting stations. For each crafting recipe, I input its sell price, the parts/ingredients price (the combined price of its components) and the net profit gained from selling the assembled recipe rather than the individual components. I’ve also calculated the “profit percentage” for each recipe. This is, if you want, the return on investment. Since it’s impossible to compute the price of fuel in crafting components or the time spent in assembling those components at the Assembly Station, it’s advantageous to know what recipes will give the highest profit. This is “profit percentage”: the percentage of the ratio between net profit and cost price (in our case, the cost of parts/ingredients price).

I have updated the spreadsheet to reflect the new recipes up to and including the release 1.0; I've also updated the prices. Yet, since not too long ago, Google Docs are no longer allowed on Steam Guides. For those of you who still want to use my spreadsheet (as you did in the past!), you can copy and paste in your browser the following link:


As excited as I was with so many new diagrams added to the Assembly Station, disappointment quickly set in. When I worked out the profit percentage for them, I've discovered that none would make me a profit. So I am left with the same handful of items that I like to make in bulk (10, maybe even 20) when I need a lot more money.
These are my preferred assembled items to craft when I manage to gather enough materials; I've indicated in paranthesis the "chocke point" for each of them:

• Industrial Furnace (blood stone)
  
• Industrial Cutter (blood stone)
  
• Advanced Skiver (steel plate, simple circuits)
  
• Fire Powered Generator (marble plank, industrial engine)
  
• Dee-dee Transport (small engine, fibre cloth)
  
• Lift Controls (small silicon chip, industrial engine)
  
• Lara Model (blue leather)
  
• Bridge Tower (hardened clay, strengthened glass, steel plate)
  
• Water Wheel (old parts, iron bars)

[Note: Small and industrial engines are easier now to come by since they're more common in the Abandoned Ruins; also, don't forget to exchange old parts for small engines with the Mysterious Man at the end of the season.]

When I first published the guide, I aimed to mimic the online spreadsheet in the guide as such, by creating endless tables for each crafting station. With the addition of so many new recipes (and I have no reason to doubt that there will be still more in the future), it is a Sisyphean endeavour to update each table with the new content. Hence, I decided to keep only the online spreadsheet for reference, and offer in what follows a short overview of some of the crafting stations that might require further explanation.

Most crafting stations will require some kind of fuel, except for the drying rack and the cooking set.
Except for the electric furnace that requires condensed power stones, all other types of furnace and the grill take wood as fuel. The remaining stations will consume power stones, excluding the comprehensive cutter and grinder which ask for condensed power stones. Once the diagram for Fire Powered Generator is acquired, a maximum of two crafting stations can be linked to 1 generator for alternative source of fuel.

Most stations are very explicit in how to use them, except for the Cooking Set and Fire Powered Generator (not truly a “crafting” station!) which will be explained below. I should also make a few remarks about some of the stations made available with update 6.0.

With update 5.0, the Assembly Station can and needs to be upgraded for crafting large assembled items. The prohibitive factor is not so much the price as its huge footprint. It almost doubles in the required land: whereas Lvl1 occupies 8x8 squares, Lvl2 spreads on 13x12 squares.

Depending on how quickly the player can accumulate wealth, the Lvl2 home (another land-taxing upgrade) may have to be postponed for a while.

The player's first asembled item will be a stone furnace. More powerful furnaces, capable of processing various types of ore can be reasearched from Petra. Up to and including the industrial furnace, each upgraded furnace is still capable to process the recipes of lower rank furnaces. Yet, the electric furnace can only process hard aluminium and stainless aluminium bars. So don't rush putting all industrial furnaces in storage, you still need them!

Unlike their "less comprehensive" counterparts, the comprehensive grinder and cutter process the same recipes from raw ores rather than from crafted bars (where applicable). It takes them longer, yet it significantly reduces the costs of the crafted recipes.

For those who think they've encountered a bug, the answer is no. It's true, the advanced skiver can only craft two items in theory, and only one in practice, since spider's web is no where to be found in the game (or not yet). Yet, the flower carpet is very useful to display in the house for its defence bonus... Or is it? With the latest update, rugs (any type, including the coarse rug from Clothing Store and paw mat from the Mysterious Man) are no longer recognised as furniture in the house. [This is another problem I have reported to the developers and haven't yet received an answer.]

In order to craft a cooking recipe, the ingredients to be added to the Cooking Set have to be in the player’s hotbar. The ingredients have to be added one by one in a certain amount of time (approximately 20 in-game minutes), which makes it rather difficult (but not impossible) for crafting recipes with more than 4 ingredients.

All recipes that I was able to find (by myself or online) and test in game, can be found in the online spreadsheet. You can try experimenting yourselves in combining various ingredients to obtain new recipes.

As of Alpha 6.0, Ack can cook recipes for you. He already knows a few recipes and will learn more as you cook them yourself at the cooking set. Though this eliminates one very expensive ingredient (namely, time), it doesn't necessarily make cooking a profitable enterprise. A lot of the recipes involve buying expensive ingredients from Sophie, and they always incur a loss.

What does it do? Well, it recycles... almost everything, and like in real life, only a few components of the recycled item will be recovered.

More specifically, most of the items that can be crafted at the Worktable (especially furniture and parts) can be recycled here. (In the online spreadsheet, I gave a few examples of recyclable items and their returns.) Yet why would you? The only items I might consider recycling are the metal jar and the jet tube for which there are no apparent uses in the game. Yet! What if I'll need dozens of them for future missions/commissions? I'd rather keep them in storage since they stack in 999.

I advise you don't place the recycling machine next to your Assembly Station or Worktable, since you might accidentally recycle items that are selected in your hotbar (as it happened to me).

The Fire Powered Generator is not a crafting station per se. Rather, it can be hooked up to a maximum of 2 crafting stations by placing conductive flooring tiles on the ground between them, so as to eliminate the need to fuel those stations individually. More importantly, since the generator will take many items as fuel, it is worth using it as an alternative to the expensive power stones that are required by most crafting stations.

Yet, since crafting the generator itself is quite expensive (same with conductive flooring!), using it as an alternative power source works better with some stations than with others. It’s worth mentioning that the generator has a big footprint: another important detail when land availability is scarce.
The generator takes as fuel any of the following: blood stone, power stones, any type of wood (wood, hardwood, ironwood) including wooden planks and hardwood planks.

Before drawing any conclusions about when to use it, let’s see how it works since this may also impact its usefulness.

How the generator works:

• One generator can power 2 stations; both stations and the generator have to be completely and continuously covered by conductive flooring. For example: 6 conductive flooring is needed to cover 1 generator and 2 industrial cutters or 1 generator and 2 industrial furnaces.
  
• The stations should not be powered themselves, in order to draw power straight from the generator.
  
• In order to use the stations, there is a certain order to follow. Firstly, the generator must be fuelled up by pressing LMB when having the fuel type selected in the player’s hotbar. The player is prompted to adjust the quantity of fuel for a specific duration. Secondly, the generator is then powered on by pressing ‘E’. Thirdly, only now the player can go to each of the powered up machines and set up the task.

It is a slightly awkward mechanics when the player doesn’t know in advance how long a particular task will take, unless he/she intends to run the generator continuously, in which case the generator can always be topped up in full.
If used continuously, the generator will most likely waste fuel because, unlike the individually powered stations, the generator won’t stop until it is turned off manually or it completely exhausts its fuel.

Conclusions:
Pros: cheaper, alternative fuel to power stones
Cons: expensive to craft; awkward to use; wastes fuel (but it’s more fuel efficient compared to furnaces)
With the last two updates (5.0 and 6.0), a few adjustments have been made that dramatically influence (in a good way!) the efficiency of the generator. The generators can now be stocked up with fuel up to 8 days and 8 hours; while furnaces and cutters/grinders can process up to 50 and respectively 25 items of a recipe. Depending on the crafting recipe ordered for these machines, 3 days may pass, on average, before the player has to revisit them to order new recipes or to refuel. This is a clear advantage that benefits especially the furnaces and cutters for which there is always something to process. The advantage is even starker in mid to late game, when enough reserves (of both raw and processed materials) have been accumulated in storage, that the player can set all his/her machines of a type on the same task, thus lowering the chance for idle machines and fuel waste.

In my runs of the game (I have two so far), I've used generators only for furnaces and cutters. I find their recipes to be in higher demand for my crafting needs (whether to fulfill commissions or to sell for profit) than those of grinders and skivers. For the latter I rely on power stones (and condensed power stones in the case of comprehensive grinders), of which I have plenty from my endless relic-hunting sessions in the Abandoned Ruins.
In the early game, I usually micromanage the cutter-generator systems by gauging the amount of fuel added to the task being set up. The furnaces, even if set on individual recipes, will run almost continuously, and so are the generators fueling them.

How to gauge fuel consumption according to an individual recipe:
This works for two stations (of the same type) set to craft the same recipe. Just add a bit of fuel initially to power the machines and turn the generator on; set the crafting recipe and see how long it will take to finish; then go back to the generator and power it up for the required duration. (If using hardwood for fuel, as most people do, you may find you need to top up with a bit of regular wood to cover the entire duration. Add 1 to 2 hours worth of fuel extra, to make up for the time spent in travelling between machines to set the tasks.)

I was never fond of the idea to set up a huge crafting area, covered up in conductive flooring, where all stations are amassed. Then throw in a few generators and then... Then what? Either enough generators are built to cover all stations, which is an unforgivable waste of space and, more often than not, a waste of fuel (generators running with idle machines)... Or the number of stations exceeds the number of generators, and decisions have to be made constantly as to how many and what machines can run at a time so as not to lower the efficiency.

At the beginning of the game, the player gains possession of his/her father’s Workshop, which consists of a Lvl1 Worktable, a Lvl1 Assembly Station, a worn-out house (Lvl1), and a small plot of land. The house is easy to repair (with 36 wood), but in order to upgrade it, together with everything else, the player will need lots of cash among other things. The upgrades serve different purposes: an upgraded Worktable will add more crafting recipes; an upgraded Assembly Station allows for large assembled items to be crafted; an upgraded Home will boost the player’s traits (Health, Stamina, Attack, and Defence), and buying more plots of land will give the necessary space to place more stations and do more farming.

The player is ranked according to his/her Experience level and displays certain character traits that can be boosted in many different ways. The most important traits are Stamina, Health, Attack, and Defence, whereas Endurance has an impact on sprinting/dodge-rolling and Resilience affects the resistance to critical damage. The player starts with Lvl1 experience and very low stats in his traits: SP 200, HP 110, Attack 15, and Defence 8. As he/she is levelling up in experience, these will continue to improve. But there are other ways to boost them: by placing furniture in the house, equipping better clothes and additional accessories, befriending certain NPCs.

The Worktable can be upgraded twice from A&G Construction. Each new level will add more crafting recipes.
The Worktable’s footprint remains the same after upgrades, so it doesn’t require bigger space. Yet, it can be moved in a better position, if so desired, from A&G Construction.


As of Alpha 6.0, the Assembly Station can be upgraded in order to craft large asemmbled items.
The Assembly Station can be moved in a better position, if so desired, from A&G Construction.


Home can be upgraded twice from A&G Construction. Each new level will allow for more furniture to be placed inside, having an increased points allowance in each of the following: Health, Stamina, Attack, and Defence. Lvl2 also unlocks marriage.

The footprint for Lvl2 Home is quite big (twice as big as the initial home), and it requires before upgrading to have already purchased at least 2 plots of land (1,500g and 15,000g respectively). Lvl3 Home has the same footprint as Lvl2.
The house can be moved in a better position, if so desired, from A&G Construction.


The player can place as many furniture items in the house (as well as on the veranda outside) as he/she desires and has space for. Some can be placed on the floor, and others hung on the wall. Once a furniture item is placed, its attributes will take effect immediately.
(Note: If a seasonal wallpaper and flooring is used in decorating the house, it is a good idea to buy a spare. Once married, there is a chance that the spouse will wake up one morning with an urge for redesigning. You can either bite the bullet and wait until the appropriate season comes along, or save your marriage and take the spare out of storage.)

It is advisable to place enough furniture items to meet the allowance in each category as quickly as possible. If furniture is placed in excess of the maximum points allowed for any given category, the player will not get credit for the excess points.

There is a check status display on the wall, next to the exit. It will show the allowed maximum points in each category and a list of items placed in the house and the credit for each.

I've included a few images of a fully furnished house.









And here are the stats for it:
(Note: With Alpha 6.0, rugs are no longer recognised as furniture placed in the house; hence, there are no defence points for them. I reported this problem to the developers, but I haven't yet received an answer from them. To avoid living in a house jammed up with wall lamps, defence can be boosted in the meantime with toy robots... at least they are less conspicuous.)

Below is a list of furniture items to decorate the player’s home, organized by attributes. The list is open to changes as new content is added to the game.

The player starts with limited space around the Workshop, but can purchase land upgrades to enlarge it. Buying additional land will expand the fences eastward and northward only.

There are 6 plots for sale, each costing increasingly more: 1,500g; 15,000g; 30,000g; 100,000g; 160,000g; 250,000g.

With Alpha 6.0, the player can change at A&G Construction the appearance of the fence and gate from wood to stone, marble, or back to wood.

• Stone gate: 10 x hardwood plank + 2 x stone pillar + 5 resin +1,000g
  
• Stone fence: 10 x stone pillar + 2 x stone fence + 25 x stone pedestal + 4,000g
  
• Marble gate: 2 x marble fence portion 2 + 10 x marble plank + 10 hardened clay + 2,500g
  
• Marble fence: 10 x marble fence portion 1 + 2 x marble fence portion 2 + 25 x marble fence portion 3 + 8,000g

Initial size of land:



Maxed out land:



My Workshop in spring, year 3, all stations functionally close together.









My "relaxation area," a small park of my own:



How about a view from the balloon?



On top of boosting attribute points through levelling up and home furnishings, the player has two more sources at his/her disposal.

• From the Inventory (accessed by pressing ‘I’), the player can add attribute-boosting items into 6 slots available: 1 for headwear, 2 for clothing, and 3 for various accessories. Headwear and clothing require for the player to have reached a certain experience level; all other accessories can be worn at any time.
  
• Befriending certain NPCs can also give a boost to the player’s attributes, when friendship points with them are high enough. Check “Relation Perks” (in the Social tab) for NPCs where applicable. In some cases, it doesn’t suffice to have a platonic relationship with a NPC, even when the required number of hearts was reached.

Clothing/Headwear

Accessories


Befriending NPCs

From early on, the player should spend any time remaining after exhausting stamina to familiarise himself/herself with Portia Town and its surrounding areas.

Inside the walls of the town, the player will find most of Portia’s business and administrative buildings, NPCs’ houses and other places of interest. Outside the wall, there are main areas with their specific flora, fauna, and ruins.

The player can press ‘M’ to gain access to the enlarged version of the Map. Active missions and/or commissions will be marked with a special sign on the map. There is also a mini map (visible at all times in the bottom right corner of the player’s active screen) indicating through arrows the directions to all active missions.



The map doesn’t draw clear boundaries between all its areas. Dividing the map into the regions listed below is a personal preference. I’ve tried to offer a brief description for each region, with emphasis on the resources specific to them.

Portia Town is enclosed on all sides by a wall or otherwise unsurpassable boundaries.
→ It houses most of its business/administrative institutions and NPCs’ homes, a cemetery and two Abandoned Ruins.
→ On sunny Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Church of the Light Store can be accessed in Peach Plaza in the morning and in Central Plaza in the afternoon.
→ On Sundays, Tody's Fish-o-Rama can be found in Central Plaza.
→ There are a few trees and rocks available to harvest, especially around the ruins and the cemetery. (See also Portia_Part 2: Portia Business and Administration.)

Here is the Portia Town Map detailing the location of all places of interest:



The Tree Farm is located to the West of Portia Town and is enclosed by a wooden fence.
→ Full access to it is gained only after completing “Mission: Saving the Tree Farm”, which unlocks access to free wood from the farm. There is a window of opportunity (after the Panbat infestation is first announced and before completing the mission) when the player can fight Panbats. Afterwards, the Panbats are merely aesthetical.
→The Tree Farm can be harvested for big trees, apple trees, red mushrooms and shaggy mane. There are also a few big and small rocks scattered at its periphery.

West of Portia Town designates the area outside the wall, west of the Peach Plaza entrance and north of Portia Harbour.
→ Sophie’s Ranch and McDonald’s home, including McD's Jumpin' Livestock and Stable, are located here.
→ Completing "Mission: Balloon Bonanza" unlocks a new social event, allowing the player to rent, by himself or with the loved one, a balloon ride over some areas of Portia.
→ There are quite a few trees and rocks along the wall towards the Tree Farm, and a few apple trees.
→ Animal faeces can be gathered on animal grounds, on the pastures around McDonald’s home and further west towards North of Portia Harbour. At the latter location, there are also herbs, spice berry, and fibre plant; plus small and big trees and Illusion Bunnies. Killing all Illusion Bunnies in this area, and further down NW of the harbour, spawns a Courteous Bunny.
→ Portia Harbour is also situated here. The player can fish at two fishing spots (4 and 5): on the pontoon and further west on the coastline. Around the coastline, there are a few shells scattered on the ground.
→ Wuwa spends a lot of time on the pontoon.

South of Portia Town designates the area outside the wall, between Peach Plaza entrance and Central Plaza entrance.
→ It has many items gatherable from the ground: wood, stone, herbs, spice berry, fibre plant, and animal faeces.
→ It has many small and big trees but no rocks.
→ It also abounds in Colourful Llamas and there are a few Snaillobs and Sea Urchins to the South, close to Amber Island. Around there, the player can fish at spot 1.
→ Killing all Colourful Llamas in this are spawns a Cutton Llama.
→ Qiwa spends most of the days fishing on the river close to the wooden bridge; Gale likes to fish here too on Saturdays.
→ Gust can be seen occasionally in spring, painting a landscape, NE to the player’s Workshop.
→ On Saturdays, many of the Hulu brothers are having a picnic to the South, next to Amber Island.

Amber Island becomes available after building the wooden bridge.
→ It is rich in trees, rocks and blue crystals, and a couple gatherable items: resin and coriander.
→ It also has a few Snaillobs and Sea Urchins and the player can fish here at spot 2.
→ There is a cave situated here. After the dungeons inside are cleared, Liuwa can be found guarding the entrance.
→ Tody occasionally comes to fish on the island.

East of Portia designates the area outside the wall, East of Central Plaza entrance up to the Waterfall.
→ It has many trees, including a few apple trees, and rocks, especially along the wall leading to the lift to WOW Industries.
→ Herbs, spice berry, fibre plant and animal faeces can be gathered from the ground.
→ There are higher level creatures too: Panbats, Mr. Ladybug, Colourful Llama and, towards the Waterfall, Sea Urchins and Snaillobs. Killing all Panbats in this area spawns a Vampanda.
→ Close to the Waterfall, the player can fish at spot 6.
→ Many NPCs visit this area at different times of the day. Papa Bear Abu and Oaks spend a lot of time here. Dr Xu, Jack, Toby and occasionally Phyllis like to come here to gather herbs in the early part of the day. In the evenings, Gust and Ginger will usually go for a walk. Also at evenings, Mei and Sam can be seen around the place.

WOW Industries and its surroundings become available after repairing the Bassanio lift.
→ The area is full of many types of trees, including the cinnamon tree.

Collapsed Wasteland becomes available on Spring 17th, Year 1, after successfully sparring one of the members of the Civil Corps: Sam, Arlo or Remington.
→ It has big and small trees, a few blue crystals and many rocks scattered on the shores of the lake situated in the middle. Bamboo Papaya and ginger can be gathered only here.
→ At the lake, the player can fish at spot 3.
→ It is full of higher level creatures: Pinecock, Slurpee and Panbats. Poppycock will spawn if enough Pinecock creatures are killed.
→ Hazardous Ruins are situated here.

The Eufaula Desert will become available late in the game, after building the steel bridge.
→ It has a unique flora and fauna. There are special herb bushes (giving 20 herbs each!), Asteria, chilli peppers, and Chrysanthemum (usually behind Abandoned Ruins #3 and further to the east).
→ The player can also gather animal skeletons and lots of shells.
→ Poplar trees, palm trees and cactuses can only be harvested here, together with brown rocks and yellow crystals.
→ It has two types of creatures: Madcrab and Desert Hopper, both with a high level attack.
→ Abandoned Ruins #3 and Ingall's Mine are located here. The latter will become available after completing "Mission: Rescue in Ingall's Mine."
→ There are also two fishing spots available (7 and 8).
→ Though a rich area to explore, it is also quite vast, with many obstacles that need to be circled round. The player can add one more Dee-dee stop just outside the bridge, but this doesn’t make navigation in the area much easier.
→ Siwa lives here SW of the steel bridge. With the South Block Development, his house will become part of a larger building expansion, including a Motel, which is administered by Yeye, the grandmother of the Hulu brothers.

With the exception of Sophie’s Ranch, all other businesses are located in Portia Town and have daily hours of operation. Mysterious Man is a traveller merchant who first arrives in Portia on Spring 27th, Year 1.


Stores in Portia have a limited daily stock that doesn’t vary; they may also sell seasonal items. Their merchandise has a standard regular price, but it will go up and down according to the market price. Increasing friendship points with the owner of the store, gives discounts to the player. Once a discount is earned, it will be immediately shown in the store’s interactive window.

The prices below were retrieved some time ago and may not be totally accurate. Since any future updates may introduce small adjustments to prices, it is rather pointless to try and hunt them down. Yet, I have tried to include any new items in stock the developers have added.
For these reasons, the prices below are just informative. The detailed stock of each business may serve as a good source of information of what is sold where.

Some businesses in Portia have more than just 1 shop housed on their premises.
The following is a description of each business/administrative place. If more than 1, the daily stock and any other restrictive factors are shown within brackets.

A&G Construction
It is Albert’s and Gust’s business. Here the player can pay for upgrades to Worktable and Home; build Coop, Shed, and Stable; change the appearance of the fence and gate to the Workshop. To the left there is also the Company’s Store, with the following stock (some items are seasonal; one item, Elephant Fountain, is unique and can only be bought once):


Alice’s Flower Shop
Alice sells mainly flowers, including Roses, which are a liked gift for most NPCs, granting 10 friendship points. And since there is only one bouquet in stock, a visit to Alice, right after taking the commission for the day, will become a daily routine.
Heart Knot is gifted in order to confess your romantic intentions. Withered Branch is gifted to break a romantic relationship.


Best Brother
Paulie runs the store. He will also buy almost anything from the player, and has a lot of cash at his disposal to do so.

Church of the Light
Situated on a high peak accessible by a winding path, the Church of the Light offers a beautiful panoramic view of Portia. Nora and Minister Lee spend most of their time here.
On Sundays, most of Portia’s congregation gathers for the service. Among the regulars: Qiwa, Russo, Gale, Higgins, Lucy, Phyllis, Emily, Oaks, Jack, Alice, Presley, Dolly, Molly, Polly, Mars, Carol, Tody (goes later, around 1pm). Sunday service is a great opportunity for gifting NPCs.
There is also a store that take either data discs or silicon chips as currency. On sunny Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the store is also available in Peach Plaza.


Civil Corps
The Civil Corps has 3 members: Arlo (leader), Sam, and Remington. Arlo spends most of the mornings inside, while Sam and Remington patrol Portia’s surroundings. Later in the game, Ack will be given temporary lodgings here.

Clothing Store
Carol’s Clothing Store is next to her husband’s store, Total Tools. She sells HP and SP boosting garments which the player cannot otherwise craft. The player needs to have reached the required Exp level to wear them.


Commerce Guild
Presley runs the Commerce Guild and Antoine helps with processing the out-of-town commissions.
Inside there is a board advertising the commissions for the day: either requested by local NPCs or other cities. The player can fulfil only one commission of this type per day. In addition, some missions are also advertised here. Such main missions can be taken on top of the daily commissions, and there is no restriction as to how many per day. If the player has all the materials ready, he can fulfil them all, the same day, depriving the competition (that is, Higgins) of extra Workshop points.

As of update 6.0, there are no commissions posted on weekend. Instead, on Saturdays and Sundays, between 8am-15pm, the player can inspect various items. The player qualifies for inspections after achieving Level C Workshop. Yet, previously taken commissions can still be handed in.
The inspections consist of a mini game in which the player has to spot, in a given amount of time, any flaws with the item on the right (pressing LMB) when compared to the item on the left. Attention has to be paid to click the exact spot. Taking too long in identifying the flaws or identifying them incorrectly (misclicks also count!) will lower the score. Each successfully completed inspection will award a maximum of 20 Rep points (5 Rep points for each spotted flaw). With 4 items up for inspections each day (and 4 flaws each), this amounts to a maximum of 160 Rep points for the whole weekend. (The player's current Workshop Level may influence the number of flaws that the item for inspection presents. At Level S Workshop, items for inspection present 4 flaws. Lower rankings may ask only for 2 or 3 flaws.) After taking part in the inspections, the player receives a reward the next day in the mail. Here are my rewards so far: Fossil Replica; Oil Brush; Exquisite Fountain Pen; Toy Robot.

The Guild also runs a Workshop Ranking program, rewarding various prizes for the first three places: the rewards are received via email on the first day of the following season.
The prizes may change from one season to the next. Though I had no way of testing it, the rewards may be influenced by the level of the player’s Workshop.

At the beginning of the game, the player’s brand new workshop has the lowest level D. The player will advance to the next tier by accumulating Rep points from fulfilling various missions/commissions. With a higher-tier-ranked Workshop, better paid and more sophisticated commissions will be posted on the board. There are 5 tiers in the Workshop ranking, each requiring increasingly more Rep points in order to advance:


The following rewards were offered in my run, though I should mention that I got the first prize at the end of spring and haven’t relinquished it since. (Otherwise, the prizes may differ.) The prizes offered in a current season are shown on the back wall in the Commerce Guild.


Dr. Xu’s Clinic
Dr. Xu runs the clinic and is helped by Phyllis.
When Phyllis is inside the clinic, interacting with her will offer Acupuncture services: the player can spend 1,000g for redistributing Exp points in the skills tree.
There is also a shop inside the clinic, with different hours of operation (see above).


Hair Saloon
The Hair Saloon will open once the player completes the “Mission: Strange Lenses”, and Sanwa gets back to work as Portia’s barber. Here, the player can choose a new hairstyle, first time free of cost. Any future visits will cost anywhere between 50g to 350g depending on how radical the changes are.

Martha’s Bakery
Martha runs the shop. She’ll also buy farming produce from you. Sometimes in the evening, Lucy is seen at the table outside the bakery.


McDonald’s Ranch
There are two shop at McDonald’s: McD's Jumpin' Livestock and McD's Stable. The player can also play the mini game of Roping, accessible from a sack located near the fence of the pasture closest to his house.
The game will cost 5 Stamina points; the prizes include: milk, meat, plant fibre, and worn fur.

• McD's Jumpin' Livestock

• McD's Stable

Here the player can either rent a fully trained horse (100% in all categories) for a weekly fee of 500g, or buy a poorly trained horse for 10,000g, to be further trained in the player's Stable (see also Resources_Part 7: Stable).

Motel
The Motel is a late development in the game, which will open after completing a series of missions related to South Block development. Though the motel doesn't yet serve a specific purpose, the player can meet here Yeye, the grandmother of the Hulu brothers.

Mysterious Man
Mysterious Man first arrives in Portia on Spring 27th, Year 1. Though he has a shop located near the entrance to the Collapsed Wasteland, the building is always closed.
The Mysterious Man’s store is accessible instead from his interaction window. He has a some items that can be purchased with the local currency (gols), but most other items will cost power stones, old parts, small engines or industrial engines.

The player has to gift his/her beloved a diamond ring in order to marry. For divorce, the gift is a Broken Mirror. Gifting a Sweetheart Cake will allow the spouse to call the player by his/her "pet name."

The Lucky Sack sold by the Mysterious Man is a nice “little trap” for gullible buyers. It advertises relics, but what qualifies as a relic is anyone’s guess. (I’ve bought it only once and inside I found… animal bones. They must have been dinosaur fossils judging by the price!)
Joke aside, the Lucky Sack can hold any of the following: animal bones and skeletons, power stones, old parts, and relic pieces. The sack's contents seem to be randomly allocated at the time of opening; reloading the game and opening them up will give different results. Though I bought a couple of stacks since then, I still find them to be more of a trap than a backup to missing relics. I am missing just two relic pieces from different sets. 40,000 gols and dozens of game loads later, I am nowhere near completing my last two relics.

The Mysterious Man arrives every last Saturday of a season at Portia Harbour. He then walks to town and can be found strolling between Peach Plaza and Central Plaza until he departs Portia on Sunday.


Portia Museum
On the Saturday following the completion of "Mission: Construction Crane," there will be a grand opening of Portia Museum. Here, the player can donate many assembled items and relics in various categories. There is board inside the museum advertising a relic exchange program with other NPCs; new deals are posted every Sunday. (See also Portia Museum)

Portia Town Hall
The Town Hall is Mayor Gale’s base of operation.
Every Sunday, at 7pm, Gale organizes Fireside meetings in the Peach Plaza, in front of the Commerce Guild. When there are important announcements to be made, the player is also invited to attend them, by mail that same morning. Here is a list of people usually attending the Fireside meetings: Gale, Presley, Gust, Antoine, Alice, Higgins, Ginger, Albert, Tody, Martha, Sonia, Polly (though they may vary). This is another good opportunity for gifting NPCs.

Portia School
Lucy is the teacher and Molly, Polly, Dolly, Jack, and Toby are her students.

Portia Times
Mei and Erwa are the two reporters in charge of the local newspaper, Portia Times. Mei is often seen outside, chasing the latest rumours, while Erwa spends most of the time inside.
Outside there is a board where the player can place a one-time only Advertisement that will cost 100g and reward 20 Rep points to the player’s Workshop.

Research Centre
Merlin is the lead researcher of the Centre, and Petra her apprentice.
Any research that involves turning in data discs can be done only through Petra’s interactive window; Petra must be inside.
When new relics are discovered in the Abandoned Ruins, the complete set can be assembled at the Retrieving Machine inside the Research Centre. Retrieving a complete set will cost 1 to 3 data discs.

Sophie’s Ranch
The ranch is run by Sophie, though her granddaughter Emily is always around to help.


The Round Table
Django is the proud owner of the restaurant, whose secret hobby—if we are to believe Sonia, the waitress—is to mix not too fanciful beverages.
The Round Table is in effect more of a conglomerate of smaller businesses. There are three different interactive stands. Just outside the entrance to the restaurant, there is the Shop proper. The stand inside, on the left to the entrance, offers a choice of three different menus for stamina restoration: the player can only consume 1 menu/day, so choose carefully! At the back of the restaurant, the player can choose to play various games, which cost gols and reward badges. The badges can then be exchanged for some recipes and various books; as expensive as the latter are, they make good gifts for some NPCs… but are they really worth it?!

• Shop

• Order for SP restoration

• Badge Exchange

Tody's Fish-o-Rama
On most Sundays, Tody can be seen at a stall in Central Plaza selling his catch of the week. Most of the fish he sells are of the common variety; there is a slight chance he might sell some of the rarest variety too. The stock may vary. I wasn't so lucky to check the prices for the rare fish variety.


Total Tools
Mars runs his store just down from his wife’s clothing store.
No matter how long the player will try to avoid it, he/she will have to work up the courage, sooner rather than later, to buy those expensive upgrade kits and power stones. Otherwise, Mars seems to be a very nice guy, always turning his earnings in full to his wife Carol.

The Portia Museum is situated next to, and attached to, the Research Centre in Central Plaza. The building as such will be constructed after the completion of “Mission: Construction Crane.” On the Saturday following the day of turning in the crane, the player will be invited to attend the opening ceremony of the museum. With this occasion, Mayor Gale will appoint Merlin as the curator of the museum.
From then on and as more and more donations are made to the museum, villagers will come to admire the relics and reward the donor with friendship points. (As of Alpha 6.0, the player seems to be the sole donor interested in expanding the museum’s collection.)

The Museum will put on display various relics and assembled items donated by the player. The donations are made in person: with the item selected in the hot bar, the player has to stand in front of the appropriate display/showcase for the category the item falls in.
Each donation is rewarded with anywhere between 5 to 30 Rep points. On top of Rep points, the player will also be rewarded with various unique items when enough items have been donated. The Rewards can be retrieved from the box on the table across the main entrance.


The Museum extends over two floors each housing specific displays and showcases for specific relic types:

(Note: It is quite difficult to correctly identify the category each relic falls in. Once an item has been donated in its category to the museum, it can no longer be retrieved. The above classification was made according to the description for each, when held in the inventory. I am aware that my classification differs from that of Wiki.)

Here is the Completed Museum Collection bar the last Small Item Artwork, which I was unable to identify so far.









The museum also runs a Relic Exchange Program, where villagers get to advertise various trade-offs they are interested in. The exchanges have a time limit and they reset each Sunday.

Villagers will offer 1 specific relic piece and ask for 1 (or more) pieces in return. The exchange is done at the panel located inside the museum (and not in person to the villager requesting it), and it will reward the player with friendship points. The exchanges may serve as an alternative way of gaining friendship with NPCs, if not otherwise profitable. You have to be quite lucky to acquire the last missing pieces this way. (I’ve been hunting down my last two missing pieces—Monster Toy Piece 2 and Performance Centre Model Piece 1—through weeks of mining, buying whole stacks of lucky sacks, and always checking the new postings… to no avail! I am sure everyone is missing a few pieces of their own. It’s even worse than completing the museum collection in Stardew Valley!)

When the player first arrives in Portia, he/she is caught up from the very first day in the grinding routine of taking commissions, gathering resources and then submitting those commissions just in time to be able to take more commissions the next day… There never seems to be time left in the day for socialising!

But sometimes there is, and it may pay off in the long run. Very early on, the player doesn’t have enough stamina to continue working all through the day. In the time remaining, the player may go and chat with people. Chatting only rewards one meagre point; but doing it often enough, the player will soon learn the daily routine of various characters (NPCs). As time goes on and the player accumulates more and more resources, gifting NPCs their favourite gifts, especially on their birthdays or on festival days, will dramatically improve the relationship with them.

Still, there are real reasons why most players don’t charge full speed ahead into social. Time and gols are the first victims in socialising: post-apocalyptic life in Portia doesn’t differ that much from 21st century life. Chasing down NPCs through Portia takes a long time; it takes even longer to reach a heart with them. It would be easier to know what to gift them, but they rarely confess secret desires. They do so in those mini quests signalled by a red star over their heads, and any such requests indicate loved gifts. Yet, many people have put a lot of time into this and found at least a highly valued gift for almost all NPCs and I am truly indebted to them.

The player can check the current social status with NPCs from the Social tab (or by pressing ‘H’). With romancing candidates, friendship points are measured in hearts, with the rest in stars.
Friendship is scored in a 1 to 10 maximum heart/star meter, where 1 heart/star is worth 100 friendship points. Every other 2 hearts/stars, the player reaches more intimate relationship levels with NPCs:

• Chatting with characters awards 1 friendship point (or more if “Smooth Talk” is unlocked in the skills tree).
  
• Playing Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS) and/or Sparring may also award extra friendship points; note that such activities consume stamina points. (Unlocking “Fair Fight” in the skills tree may award more points when sparring.)
  
• Gifting may award up to 30 friendship points (if the gift is really loved) or it may subtract points (if the gift is hated). Unlocking “The Giver” in the skills tree may reward a few extra points. Gifting people on their birthdays is worth 3 times their value and 2 times on festival days.
  
• Fulfilling a commission posted on the board by a NPC will also reward friendship points. Yet, not all NPCs post requests that way, but only a handful.
  
• Helping with NPCs' Wishlist: a red star will appear over a NPC's head (also marked on the map), when he/she is in need of something. Their desires range from a dish or other, to some other loved gifts, to very expensive or hard to acquire gifts, like Golden Necklace (over 1,000g at Mysterious Man) and The Waiting Girl Musing Box (3,200 badges at the Badge Exchange).
  
• Donating relics to museum or displaying them in the Workshop may attract the NPCs' curiosity; NPCs who stop to admire them will reward friendship points. They will be interested in some relics more than in others. Displaying or donating as many relics as possible will increase the chances that more villagers will be interested in viewing them.

Gifting remains the main tool of boosting friendship, especially when targeting a certain NPC. But with “hard-to-please” characters (like Ginger or NPCs for whom there haven’t yet been found loved gifts), a combination of chat, gift and RPS/spar will be required to increase the relationship points.

A week before The Day of the Bright Sun, on Spring 12 (but only in the first year!), Gale will ask for a gift to be dropped on that occasion. Whatever friendship points are awarded from the gift, they are applied to all NPCs. Good gifts are: Small Satchel awards 15 points; Topaz awards 10 points; Power Stone awards 5 points.

Since there are only two festivals in the year so far, they don’t require a separate section. For those who want to know what to expect though, I’ll drop here a few words.

The Day of the Bright Sun is held every year on Spring 19, starting at 10am. It starts in the Peach Plaza and from there the itinerary is towards the Central Plaza and the entrance into the fields beyond. Presents will be dropped by a flying machine and you have to be very quick to catch them, by pressing ‘E’ (it helps to press the key twice!). Come with an empty inventory, in case you get very lucky and catch a lot of presents. In the second year, you might want to take advantage of the bonus friendship points you get, and come prepared with gifts. The bonus will apply for the entire day, so gift them before and after the celebration, when everybody is gathered in the same place. (I’ve managed to gift all NPCs that way!)

The Winter Solstice is held every year on Winter 23, starting at 10am. The event is held in Central Plaza, where a huge hot pot is installed. People gather around it and a food icon may appear above their head. Adding that ingredient to the hot pot quickly enough (you need to have it selected in your hotbar, just as you would to add it to the cooking set), you gain friendship points with that particular person. Emily also has a food store set up nearby, where you can buy pretty much every food item, plus a few special items unobtainable anywhere else (like chicken, cornball, cumin, layered carrot, rock salt). It pays off to come prepared with an inventory full of food resources (5 of each suffice); buying from Emily’s is expensive.
Because your inventory will be pretty full, any gifting can only be done after the celebration ended. Yet, if you have unlocked enough inventory slots, don't waste the opportunity to gift as many people as possible.
The Hot Pot event is immediately followed by another one: the snowball mini game. All villagers will rush to the fields outside the wall, where the player can choose to take part in the snowball fight. The mini-game is pretty simple: the player has 30 snowballs to hit the other participants who hide behind boulders and win friendship with them. Position the target above their heads and hit with LMB. You can gauge the throwing distance by pressing LMB for longer; a bar will appear in the lower part of the screen. Target only the players who have just come out of hiding and before they hide again. Next day in the mail, Gale will send a few gifts for participating to the snowball fight: lucky cover, red heart knot, snowman with a red scarf.

Below is a table of NPCs’ birthdays and their favourite gifts. I’ve tried to list the gifts with the highest points; if too expensive, I’ve included more affordable alternatives. Where no loved gifts have yet been found, I’ve only indicated Topaz as a universally liked gift. Roses are a more expensive alternative to Topaz.

I know of two universally liked gifts:

• Topaz awards 4p with almost everyone. Exceptions: Martha likes it for 6p; Lee, Petra, Ginger, Pinky, QQ, and Papa Bear Abu are neutral to it.
  
• Roses award 10p.

Ack's birthday is unknown.














Background: “Aadit never talks about his past, but it seems he came to Portia as a refugee from the border area between the Empire of Duvos and Ethea, where there is a constant state of conflict. After arriving at Portia, he found work at the Portia Tree Farm, working alongside Dawa. Aadit is very soft spoken and keeps to himself.”
Relation Perks:

• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

After completing a few quests asked by him, Ack will offer his services with helping the player around the workshop. You can set Ack's responsibilities around the Workshop from the panel inside the house.
Background: As of yet, Ack doesn’t have a background; his birthday, for now, is on Spring 1.
Relation Perks: None

Background: “Albert came to Portia a few years ago when his friend Gust proposed setting up a construction business. As a partner in A&G Construction, Albert is always coming and going to projects all over Portia and the surrounding city-states. In his spare time, he likes to go on dates with ladies and look for love.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: 10% less materials for homestead upgrades
  
• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “A refugee from Lucien, Alice came to Portia with her brother Jack a few years ago. They were welcomed with open arms by the people of Portia, especially Sam, who took it upon herself to look out for the two. Alice eventually set up her own flower shop. She’s thankful to be alive and hates war.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: 10% discount in store
  
• Friend: Gives gifts sometimes
  
• Good Friend: 20% discount in store
  
• Lover: 25% discount in store
  
• Wife: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “A native of Portia, Antoine has always loved being pretty. He feels that even though the world is a difficult place, beauty still has its place. Antoine is also a hard worker. Presley often says that if Antoine didn’t work at the Commerce Guild anymore, he wouldn’t know what to do.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: +3% gols when finishing a commission
  
• Friend: +6% gols when finishing a commission
  
• Lover: +10% gols when finishing a commission
  
• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “Born in the countryside of Portia, Arlo has always had a sense of justice about him. From an early age, he earned a reputation as an excellent fighter and protector of the weak. When he joined the local Civil Corps, he quickly climbed to become the leader. Arlo’s goal is to one day join The Flying Pigs, a world famous guild of adventurers based in Lucien.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: Attack +5
  
• Friend: Attack +10
  
• Good Friend: Critical Chance +20%
  
• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning [Bamboo Papaya with Egg-on-Top]

Background: “As a girl, Carol lived in a house on a cliff overlooking the ocean. She loved that ocean smell and the sunlight glimmering on the waves. She gave all that up though when she married Mars and moved to Portia. She still likes to go on strolls on the beach when she’s not busy. To help augment Mars’ income, she opened up a clothing store in town. Her three daughters look up to her as the perfect role model.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: 10% discount in store
  
• Friend: 20% discount in store
  
• Good Friend: 25% discount in store

Background: “The oldest of the Hulu brothers, Dawa arrived at Portia when the brothers came with their grandmother. Because of his strength, Dawa was able to get a job at the Portia Tree Farm. Through his care, Dawa made the tree farm into a pillar of the city economy.”
Relation Perks: None

Background: “A happy-go-lucky man who claims to be a former knight, although no one’s sure if that’s true or not. Django runs the Round Table restaurant, the biggest dinner in town. He enjoys cooking and talking with his different customers, making him a popular figure in Portia. Django is also the source of most of the rumours in town, but where does he source these rumours… no one knows.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: 10% discount in store or restaurant
  
• Friend: Sends gifts through the mail sometimes [Bubblefish Soup, Seafood Stew Mix]
  
• Good Friend: 20% discount in store or restaurant
  
• Lover: 25% discount in store or restaurant
  
• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “Dolly is the youngest daughter of Mars and Carol; she follows Molly around like a shadow. Dolly doesn’t like to go to school, and often gets into trouble with her teacher Lucy.”
Relation Perks: None

Background: “Dr. Xu grew up in Walnut Groove, where he met a travelling doctor from Seesai, igniting his passion for Seesaian medicine. Dr. Xu followed this master doctor back to Seesai and studied there for many years before returning to the Free Cities. Dr. Xu’s goal is to use what he’s learned in that far away land and help the people of Portia live longer and healthier lives.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: 10% discount in store
  
• Friend: Sends gifts through the mail sometimes [Herbal Tea; Simple Ointment]
  
• Boyfriend: Health +100; 10% discount in store [should be 20%?]
  
• Lover: 25% discount in store
  
• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Emily is one of the easiest characters to befriend, because she has a weekly quest, “Chicken Run”: Emily waits outside the farm, every Saturday between 7am-12pm, for the player to catch 3 chickens. She rewards the player with 5 eggs, 15 friendship points.
Background: “Emily was born in Portia; she is the granddaughter of Granny Sophie. Her parents work in the city-state of Atara, leaving her to look after grandmother and the farm. She’s a cheerful and sunny girl, who took on that challenge with a smile. Emily loves her animals; one often sees her with them.”
Relation Perks:

• Friend: Gives gifts sometimes
  
• Wife: Receive help with domestic work and resource gathering; 25% discount at Sophie’s Ranch

Background: “The second of the Hulu brothers, Erwa arrived at Portia when the brothers came with their grandmother. Because of his good eye sight and hearing skills, Erwa was a natural fit at the local newspaper Portia Times. There he works with Mei to one day make the paper into a respectable one.”
Relation Perks:

• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “A native son, Gale has been working for the Telesis, or embetterment, of Portia for most of his life. When he was young, Gale joined the brief but bloody war between the Alliance of Free Cities and the Empire of Duvos. After returning from the war, Gale married his sweetheart, Liza. Unfortunately, Liza passed away after giving birth to Ginger. After his wife’s death, Gale poured his all into governing his beloved city.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: Receive 10% discount when purchasing land
  
• Friend: Receive 20% discount when purchasing land
  
• Good Friend: Receive 25% discount when purchasing land

When reaching Buddy with Ginger, she sends the player the recipe for Yellow Sapphire Necklace through mail.
Unlike other NPCs, Ginger doesn’t react negatively to “wrong” gifts; yet, she will also not reward liked-gifts with too many points. As she always mentions when chatting with her, she’d rather not receive gifts but have a conversation with everyone.
Background: “Ginger was born in Portia on a stormy night; that same night her mother passed away. The older residents in Portia often comment on how much Ginger reminds them of her mother, both in looks and her kindness. When Ginger was twelve, she suddenly collapsed while walking on a sunny day. Dr. Xu tried many remedies, but none worked. From that day on, Ginger has been getting weaker and weaker. Still, she keeps her head held high, in hopes that one day she’ll be able to walk under the sun again.”
Relation Perks:

• Wife: Gale will come and give you some stipends [2,000 gols] [Ginger may also gift you first thing in the morning: Bamboo Papaya with Egg-on-Top, Bubblefish Soup, Pumpkin Pie.]

Background: “When he was young, Gust always blamed Ginger for his mother’s death, so much so that he left home at a young age and went to study in Atara. When he returned years later, he was a different man. Still quiet and detached, Gust became very devoted to his sister and family. After returning to Portia, he started A&G Construction with his friend Albert.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: 3% less gols for homestead upgrades; 10% discount in store
  
• Lover: 6% less gols for homestead upgrades; 20% discount in store
  
• Husband: 25% discount in store

Background: “Isaac is passionate about philosophy. He feels that in an age where critical thinking is lacking, he is the lone rock standing against the anarchy of chaos. An avid reader of books, Isaac wants to complete his own magnum opus The Oral History of the Age of Darkness before his time is up.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: Gain some Snake Berries after winning at Cross Five
  
• Good Friend: Gain some Snake Berries and Apricots after winning at Cross Five
  
• Best Friend: Gain some Snake Berries, Apricots, and Honey after winning at Cross Five

Background: “A refugee from Lucien, Jack came to Portia with his older sister Alice, a few years ago. They were welcomed with open arms by the people of Portia, especially Sam, who took it upon herself to look out for the two. Jack quickly became friends with Toby and the other local kids at school. He is very considerate and is often being seen helping his sister sell flowers.”
Relation Perks: None

Background: “Minister Lee was sent from the Church of the Light High Temple in Meidi to Portia when he was still a young man to carry out the work of the Church in the Portia region. He strongly believes in the abolition of all dangerous relics from the Age of Corruption. Minister Lee also works tirelessly with the city government to help society in any way possible. He’s well liked in Portia, even by those who oppose his views on relics.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: Sends gifts through the mail sometimes [Mushroom Crepe with Fruit Sauce; Painting; Wall Light]

Background: “The sixth of the Hulu brothers, Liuwa arrived at Portia when the brothers came with their grandmother. Never one to like attention, Liuwa always stayed in the background while his brothers grabbed all the attention. He often helps out Gale by doing all the odd jobs in the city.”
Relation Perks:

• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “Born in Atara, Lucy studied at Vega 5 before coming to Portia to realise her dream as a teacher. She is very good with children, always trying to show them a world that is much bigger than Portia.”
Relation Perks:

• Wife: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “Mars is a native of Portia; his family came with the first wave of settlers around 80 years ago. Continuing his family’s legacy, Mars runs the only tool shop in town. Hardworking and unassuming, Mars is often stressed about money and how he’ll afford a better future for his three daughters.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: 10% discount in store
  
• Friend: 20% discount in store
  
• Good Friend: 25% discount in store

Background: “Martha came to Portia with her husband over ten years ago. After her husband passed away on an expedition to the Peripheries, Martha decided to stay in Portia and raise their son Toby by herself. She is worried that Toby will follow in his father’s footsteps and become an adventurer one day.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: 10% discount in store
  
• Friend: 20% discount in store
  
• Good Friend: 25% discount in store

Background: “McDonald’s family has been raising animals on these lands since the founding of Portia. After he took over, McDonald slowly built his ranch into one of the largest in Portia. Never one to shy away from the spotlight, McDonald is always on the lookout to become famous.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: Sends gifts through the mail sometimes [Fur; Milk]

Background: “Growing up in Atara, Mei had always wanted to be a reporter for the Atara Post. When she finally got in the door, she was sent to the poorly circulated affiliate Portia Times. Choosing to make some lemonade out of the lemons she was given, Mei set out to make the Portia Times a respectable newspaper.”
Relation Perks:

• Wife: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “Once the most promising apprentice at Vega 5, Merlin was kicked out of the city-state for doing forbidden tests. Never one to brood over her mistakes, she made a new start in Portia, becoming the director of the Research Centre. Although Minister Lee often tries to engage Merlin in debates about the ethics of using dangerous relics, she doesn’t really care.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: Sends gifts through the mail sometimes [Spring; Old Parts; Gear]

Background: "An engineer from Vega 5, Mint was brought over by Gale to help with the road to Sandrock. Always reliable and on time, Mint is called upon for projects all over the Free Cities."
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: Received a mysterious gift [Mint will send the mini-drill in the mail; I'm not sure if reaching year 2 is also a prerequisite.]

Background: “The eldest daughter of Mars and Carol, Molly loves to have fun. She wants to leave Portia and live in Atara one day. She takes care of her little sister and is often seen bossing around the other kids of Portia.”
Relation Perks: None

Background: “Born to a wealthy family, Nora is a student at the prestigious University of Atara. Currently she is serving on a two-year mission for the Church of the Light in Portia. Nora is a kind soul who loves to read adventure stories and listen to music. She strongly believes that society should forsake the use of weapons from the past.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: 10% discount in store
  
• Friend: Sends gifts through the mail sometimes
  
• Good Friend: 20% discount in store
  
• Lover: 25% discount in store
  
• Wife: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “Abandoned in the woods as a baby, Oaks was found and raised by Papa Bear. As Oaks reached boyhood, Papa Bear settled down near Portia to give his adopted son a chance to go to school and interact with other humans. Oaks is very naive, but kind and hopeful. He can also talk with some animals.”
Relation Perks:

• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “Not much is known about the bear named Abu except that he adopted Oaks and everyone calls him Papa Bear. He’s a very gentle and intelligent creature that likes to roam around Portia in his favourite bathrobe. Merlin speculates that Papa Bear was a regular bear that came into contact with some chemical agents from the past.”
Relation Perks: None

Background: “Paulie was made fun of as a skinny kid when he was growing up in Portia. This pushed him to become enamoured in building up his body to become the strongest man in the city. Not satisfied with that, he also opened a furniture shop, because that is the manly thing to do.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: 10% discount in store
  
• Friend: 20% discount in store
  
• Good Friend: 25% discount in store

Background: “Originally from Ethea, Petra has been travelling all over the known world. For someone so young, she has seen and learned more than most people do in a lifetime. Petra has only one goal, which is to study relics left over from the past and see if they can bring Telesis to society. She eventually came to Portia to study under Merlin and be closer to the Peripheries, hoping to find computer AIs from the past.”
Relation Perks:

• Wife: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “Born to a very wealthy family in Highwind, Phyllis ran away from home when her family tried to force her into an arranged marriage. Smart and refined, Phyllis chose to pursue a career in medicine. It is her dream to start her own clinic. She hates it when people only judge her by her looks.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: Stamina +10; 10% discount for Acupuncture
  
• Girlfriend: Stamina +15
  
• Lover: Stamina +25; 20% discount for Acupuncture
  
• Wife: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning; 40% discount for Acupuncture

Somewhere between half and one heart, Pinky will come to live with the player: Pinky waits for the player to wake up for the day and usually returns before night.
Background: “No one knows where Pinky came from, but she showed up in Portia one day and stayed. A purr-ty cat that loves interacting with people, she can be found ranging throughout Portia.”
Relation Perks: None

Background: “The middle daughter of Mars and Carol, Polly loves to read and study. She likes to go visit the Research Centre and play board games with Isaac. Polly feels that her sisters need to study more to have a chance at a better life in the future, but she mostly keeps to herself. She wants to get a scholarship from the prestigious University of Atara.”
Relation Perks: None

Background: “Originally born in Walnut Groove, Presley came to Portia with his parents when he was still a young boy. Always looking out for the people around him, Presley was well liked and quickly became a famous builder through hard work and perseverance. When he finally hung up his gears, he became the commissioner of the Portia branch of the Commerce Guild.”
Relation Perks:

• Associate: +1 Rep point after completing a commission
  
• Buddy: +2 Rep point after completing a commission
  
• Friend: +3 Rep point after completing a commission
  
• Good Friend: +5 Rep point after completing a commission

Background: “The seventh of the Hulu brothers, Qiwa arrived at Portia when the brothers came with their grandmother. In the beautiful environment of Portia, Qiwa became attached to fishing. Now, he makes it his goal to capture as many fish in as many places as possible and taste the different fish across the land.”
Relation Perks:

• Friend: Gives gifts sometimes
  
• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

QQ's birthday, for now, is Spring 1.
Background: “The loyal pet of Gust, you never see him too far away from his master. QQ also has a keen sense of smell.”
Relation Perks: None

Background: “Remington was once part of the Lucien Civil Corps before he took an arrow in the knee in a small conflict on the border with Duvos. He returned to his hometown of Portia and joined the local Civil Corps. Always with a smile on his face, Remington takes his job of protecting Portia very seriously.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: Defence +5
  
• Friend: Health +50
  
• Lover: Defence +15
  
• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “Russo fought in the war between the Alliance of Free Cities and the Empire Duvos. He was wounded and saved by Gale during the Battle of Ishtara. After the war, Russo came to Portia to help Gale any way he could, to repay the life debt. When Gale’s wife passed away, Russo became Gale’s butler to look after his friend’s kids, especially Ginger.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: Sends gifts through the mail sometimes

Background: “Sam was always a tomboy, even during her younger days growing up in Portia. She was feared by all the boys her age. Due to her father’s involvement in the war with Duvos, Sam always wanted to enlist in the Civil Corps to protect her city. Rumour has it she fought Arlo to a standstill during her Civil Corps test.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: Resilience +5%
  
• Friend: Resilience +5%
  
• Lover: Resilience +10%
  
• Wife: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “The third of the Hulu brothers, Sanwa arrived at Portia when the brothers came with their grandmother. Due to his skills with scissors, he opened up a barbershop in Portia. The word on the street is that whatever the hair style the customer wants, Sanwa can make it happen.”
Relation Perks:

• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “The fourth of the Hulu brothers, Siwa arrived at Portia when the brothers came with their grandmother. Siwa had the strange ability to withstand enormous heat; people always joked that he was born under the summer sun. Due to his ability to stay cool, Gale asked him to watch over Portia’s power station, which burned power stones.”
Relation Perks:

• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “A native of Portia and a waitress at Django’s Round Table, Sonia loves to be around people. She is good friends with Emily and Antoine, often seen together discussing the latest fashion and tastes. Sonia wants to find a rich gentleman that can sweep her off her feet and take her to see the world.”
Relation Perks:

• Wife: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “Sophie is one of the oldest persons in Portia. She moved to this place almost 50 years ago. Her husband used to explore the nearby Peripheries until his passing. Because her son wanted to live in a larger city, Sophie ran her ranch by herself until Emily’s birth. She is loved by the citizens of Portia and has a very special bond with her granddaughter.”
Relation Perks:

• Buddy: 10% discount in store
  
• Friend: Sends gifts through the mail sometimes [Flour; Salt; Sugar]
  
• Good Friend: 20% discount in store
  
• Best Friend: 25% discount in store

If interacting with Toby while he is kicking apple trees outside the Central Plaza entrance, a mission will be triggered, “Toby’s Apples”. Completing this mission will trigger yet another one on the following morning: “Toby’s Secret Crush.”
Background: “The son of Martha, Toby has a brave and adventurous spirit. He’s always trying to live up to his father’s shadow, a region-famous adventurer. It is Toby’s dream to one day explore the unknown regions beyond The Periphery.”
Relation Perks: None

Background: “A local fisherman, Tody has always lived at Portia Harbour. His family has prowled the seas of Portia since its founding. Tody enjoys peace and quiet and mostly keeps to himself. He is very much against Gale’s plan to expand the harbour.”
Relation Perks:

• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “The fifth of the Hulu brothers, Wuwa arrived at Portia when the brothers came with their grandmother. He always loved the ocean, so it didn’t come as a surprise to anyone when he chose to become a sailor. Wuwa runs now a passenger liner which takes residents to and from Vega 5 and other countries.”
Relation Perks:

• Husband: A chance at receiving gifts first thing in the morning

Background: “Granny Yeye used to run an orchard deep in the mountains by Tall Sky before taking Hulu brothers to Portia, her hometown. Nowadays she runs some of the businesses in the city and is often seen checking on her grandsons.”
Relation Perks: None

From the very beginning of the game, the player is asked to pass some building tests that will grant him/her a Builder’s Licence. Once the licence is obtained, the player can choose 1 Commerce commission per day (posted on the Commission Board inside the Commerce Guild) and various other missions that will become available in time. The latter may be announced through mail, a cut scene, and/or be individually marked on the Map with a special sign.

The Commerce commissions are time restricted and can be posted either by local NPCs (and delivered to them) or other cities (and delivered to Antoine). If a commission is not fulfilled in the allotted time or otherwise it is given up on, the player looses Rep points and/or friendship points with the NPC who originally posted the commission.
Because of the penalties incurred in failing a commission, the player should make sure that he/she knows the crafting recipe involved and can deliver the item on time. This will get easier as the player becomes more and more familiar with the available recipes for each station.
The commissions are quite repetitive (unfortunately!) and they’re requested by the same handful of NPCs only (another minus)… I wish Ginger would be in need of something or other, to boost friendship points with her!

In addition to the Commerce commissions, the player will receive requests to fulfil other missions. Such missions give some context regarding Portia and its villagers, and will help the player advance with the storyline. Missions are usually not time restricted (there are some exceptions) and can be taken on top of existing Commerce commissions.
As mentioned above, missions can also be posted on the Commerce Guild. They can be easily differentiated from the daily commissions, since they have been introduced either through a cut scene or through mail. When more than one such missions are posted on the Commission Board, the player can accept and fulfil several of them the same day, if he/she has all the needed materials. (Multiple requests for the same mission include: Assemble Dee-dee Transport; Let There Be Light; The Portia Bridge I to V; South Block Development I.)

I’ve categorised missions into main and side missions, following personal criteria. Main missions are missions which require crafting something that would benefit the town. Side missions are missions that will benefit only the villager requesting it.

The following is a list of all missions that I’ve encountered in my run. Spoiler Alert: I blacked out the description for each mission and the required materials to complete it.
The list doesn’t necessarily follow the same chronological order that you will encounter in your run. Also, it may not be complete, when it comes to side missions. (It looks like some side missions are only introduced by a special sign on the map and with no other warning; hence, it’s a good idea to check the map once a day. Also, some side missions require not to be married with the NPC who initiates the mission.)


The Fishing Rod
→ Qiwa broke his Beginner’s Fishing Rod. Make a new one for him or he’ll be starving for fish pretty soon.
Rewards: 20 caterpillar; Qiwa +10 friendship; 20 Exp; 20 gols

Mysterious Data Disc
→ I’m not sure what this is. Maybe I should go to the Research Centre and ask around. Talk to Petra
Rewards: Petra +10 friendship; 25 Exp

Mysterious Data Disc 2
→ I’m not sure what this is. Maybe I should go talk with someone at the Church. Talk to Lee
Rewards: Lee +10 friendship; 25 Exp

The Archaeologist
→ Got a piece of something when digging; go to the Research Centre and Ask Petra what it is.
Rewards: 4 Rep; 60 Exp

Furniture Maker
→ Paulie has commissioned you to make some Copper Blades. You’ll need to assemble a Grinder in your homestead to make them. [Materials required: 3 copper blade]
Rewards: Paulie +10 friendship; 30 Rep; 60 Exp; 210 gols

Present for the Celebration
→ The Mayor invited everyone to prepare a present for the town. Please give the gift to Mayor Gale by clicking “Give Gift” before the 18th.
Rewards: friendship points with everyone in town, depending on how much the gift is liked

The Farmer
→ Emily gave you a crafting recipe for a Small Planter Box and some seeds. Learn and craft a Small Planter Box, then plant the seeds. Show Emily the harvest.
Rewards: Emily +10 friendship; 50 Exp; 300 gols

Umbrellas Are Important
→ Recently, there’s been a shortage of umbrellas in town. Mars is asking for your help to gather some materials, so he can make more umbrellas. Tip: High-level Sea Urchins near the waterfall drop the spines. [Materials required: 20 spines]
Rewards: 1 power stone; Umbrella recipe book; Mars +20 friendship; 50 Exp; 200 gols

Chicken Run
I've noticed that after completing "Mission: Emily's Well I and II" or thereabouts, Chicken Run was no longer available for me. (Is it a bug? I don't know.)
→ The chickens in Emily’s farm are running wild, which is causing her a major headache. Help Emily catch all of her chicken back.
Rewards: 5 egg [Subsequent runs of this quest are available every Saturday with increased rewards: 5 eggs, 15 friendship points]

Hazardous Ruins
→ The Hazardous Ruins are dangerous and the Civil Corps regulates who can enter. You must last at least one minute against one of the three current Civil Corps members (Sam, Arlo, Remington) to show that you’ve got what it takes to enter the ruins.
Rewards: Remington +5 friendship; Arlo +5 friendship; Sam +10 friendship; 40 Exp

Strange Lenses
→ Picked up a couple of strange lenses; go to the Research Centre and see if they know what they are.
→ Merlin wants to study the lens; ask her about the result the next day.

Isaac’s Game
→ Isaac wants a Stone Table and two Stone Stools to play his favourite game of Cross Five in the park.
Rewards: Isaac +10 friendship; 20 Exp; 100 gols

Fish for Dinner
→ Mars wants to eat some fish, but doesn’t have the time to go fishing since he’s busy with his shop. Catch some Catfish for him to satisfy his cravings. [2 catfish are required]
Rewards: Mars +10 friendship; 25 Exp; 50 gols

The Lost Ring
→ Inscribed on the ring are the words: “Your golden hair is so beautiful.” Maybe the owner is in Portia; try to return the ring.
→ Talk with blondes.
Rewards: 30 Exp

Emily’s Invitation
→ The weather’s getting hot; Emily invites you to go pick some watermelons at her farm.
Rewards: 4 egg

Sophie’s Basket
→ Help Granny Sophie find her basket. Granny said she went to school before; check there first.
Rewards: Sophie +10 friendship; 20 Exp; 35 gols

The Water Tank
→ Make a water tank for Sophie.
Rewards: 1 Pumpkin Pie; Sophie +10 friendship; 30 Exp; 100 gols

Django’s Sword
→ Django’s sword is worn out; he needs a new one for morning practice. Make one for him.
→ Craft a Bronze Sword.
Rewards: 6 Smoked Fish Roll; Django +30 friendship; 50 Exp; 150 gols

Milk Delivery
→Granny Sophie is a little tired today; help her deliver some milk to Isaac, Qiwa, and Aadit. For the milk to be fresh, it needs to be delivered today.
Rewards: Sophie +10 friendship; 30 Exp; 30 gols

Dawa’s Fish Stew
→ Dawa has a craving for some fish stew; help him make some. According to him, you’ll need to add some fish, eggs, and salt.
Rewards: Dawa +10 friendship; 30 Exp; 50 gols

Toby’s Apples
This mission will only be triggered if interacting with Toby while he is kicking apple trees near Central Plaza entrance into Portia. After completing this mission; another mission (Mission: Toby’s Secret Crush) will be triggered the next day when Toby pays you a visit in the morning.
→ Toby wants some apples, but doesn’t have enough strength to knock them down; help him to get some. [5 apples required]

Toby’s Secret Crush
→ Help Toby pick out a gift for Emily. Click “Send Gift” to Emily when prepared.

Place the Flowers
→ Ack is still locked up for the safety of the town. Help him place some flowers on the grave of his deceased crewmates.
Rewards: Ack +20 friendship; 100 Exp; 300 gols

Power On
→ The electric box powering the game room at the Round Table seems to have shorted; help Django fix it. [Materials required: 3 old parts, 1 small silicon chip]
Rewards: Django +20 friendship; Sonia +10 friendship; 42 Rep; 90 Exp; 300 gols

The Lonely Robot
→ Ack misses his dear Lara very much; try building a replica of Lara based on Ack’s drawing of her. This will ease his pain.
Rewards: Ack +20 friendship; 50 Exp; 200 gols

The Leaky Roof
→ The roof of the Commerce Guild building is leaking during rainy days; Presley wants you to help fix it [Materials required: 1 hardened clay, 1 marble plank]
Rewards: Presley +20 friendship; Antoine +20 friendship; 62 Rep; 90 Exp; 300 gols

Broken Handrail
→ The handrail above the Portia School is old and worn; Dr. Xu is worried that people might fall off and get hurt. Fix it. [Materials required: 3 steel plate, 2 copper wire]
Rewards: Dr. Xu +20 friendship; 92 Rep; 140 Exp; 750 gols

Leaking Pipe
→ The pipe outside the school building is leaking; help Lucy fix the pipe. [Materials required: 1 old parts, 1 copper wire]
Rewards: Lucy +10 friendship; 20 Rep; 300 Exp; 100 gols

The Broken Clock
The clock is located above the main entrance to the school, which can be accessed by climbing the roof.
→ The Portia school building clock is broken; Lucy wants it fixed soon. [Materials required: 1 old parts, 1 copper wire]
Rewards: Lucy +10 friendship; 30 Rep; 400 Exp; 120 gols

A Time for Manly Tea
→ Help the injured Paulie make 3 tea tables.
→ Now Paulie needs your help in making a very manly tea: the spicy tea! Just add chilli pepper and tea in the cooking set. (You can get tea at the Farm store)
Rewards: Paulie +20 friendship; 20 Rep; 1,000 Exp; 2,000 gols

Love Like a Blue Moon
→ Help Albert have a talk with Ginger.
→ Tell Albert.
→ Get “Journey from the East” from the Round Table.
→ Deliver the book to Albert.
Rewards: Albert +50 friendship; 50 Rep; 2,000 Exp; 2,000 gols

Habits of Ginger
I wasn’t able to initiate this mission since I was already married to Ginger at the time of update 6.0. Though I don’t have the official description for it, I looked it up online.
→ Ginger sends the player a letter asking him/her to collect 3 topazes and deliver them to her.
Rewards: Ginger +20 friendship; 350 Exp; 200 gols

Sunset in the Fields
Triggering this mission may be conditioned by a minimum number of hearts with Phyllis. At the time I took this mission, I’ve already had 2+ hearts with her.
→ Phyllis invited you to watch the sunset in the wheat fields tomorrow at 17:00.
Rewards: Phyllis +50 friendship; 500 Exp

Medical Research
→ Phyllis wants you to collect some items for her research on new medicine. [Materials required: 10 venom]
Rewards: 5 simple ointment, 5 simple antidote, Phyllis +10 friendship; 400 Exp; 100 gols

Emily’s Well I
→ Emily has asked you to build a well and a water pump. She would also like a water storage. Talk with Petra about the well and water pump designs. [Petra requires 5 data discs]
Rewards: Emily +22 friendship; 60 Rep; 800 Exp; 2,500 gols

Emily’s Well II
→ Emily wants you to help her build an irrigation system. [Materials required: 4 sprinklers, 1 water storage]
Rewards: Emily +66 friendship; 120 Rep; 1,500 Exp; 3,000 gols


Go to the Commerce Guild
→ New day has come; go to the Commerce Guild to meet Presley
Rewards: Presley +10 friendship; 10 Exp

The Builder Test
→ Make a Simple Axe and a Pickaxe and show them to Presley as part of the Builder Test.
→ Find the diagram of stone furnace in the Assembly Handbook and make one.
Rewards: Builder’s License; Presley +10 friendship; 15 Exp

Register Workshop
→ After getting the Builder’s License, you need to register the workshop at the Town Hall; then you can take on commissions in the Commerce Guild. The Town Hall is located besides the Commerce Guild; go to register!
→ Registration is done; report to Presley.
Rewards: 30 Rep; 30 Exp

Meet and Greet
→ Mayor Gale recommends that you visit all of Portia’s shop owners. They are: Dr. Xu at Dr. Xu’s Clinic, Django at the restaurant, Paulie at the furniture store, Mars at the craftsman’s shop, Carol at the clothing store, Albert at his A&G Construction, and Sophie at her ranch.

Fixing the Fence
→ Dawa needs some wooden boards to fix the fence around the Tree Farm. When collected, take them to the designated area. [Materials required: 5 wooden board]
Rewards: Dawa +10 friendship; Exp 50; 150 gols

Bridge to Amber Island
→ The Civil Corps has commissioned a bridge to connect to Amber Island. Use the Assembly Station to assemble it and then place the parts at the designated bridge spot.
→ Construct a Wooden Bridge Body and two Wooden Bridge Head and place them on the designated spot in the world.
→ The bridge is completed; report to Antoine
Rewards: 200 Rep; 100 Exp; 1,800 gols

Assemble Dee-dee Transport
→ We are in need of a three-wheeled Dee-dee vehicle for the city transportation system. Assemble a Dee-dee vehicle at the Assembly Station, then give it to Antoine.
Rewards: 300 Rep; 100 Exp; 1,800 gols

Diagram for Dee-dee Stop
→ Talk to Petra at the Research Centre about how to make a Dee-dee stop sign.
→ Petra needs 3 data discs to research the diagram for the Dee-dee stop.
Rewards: 20 Exp

The Dee-dee Stops Here
→ With the Dee-dee transport done, the mayor wants to talk with you about building some road signs.
→ The Mayor wants you to install 3 Dee-dee stops around the town.
Rewards: 50 Rep; 60 Exp; 100 gols

Let There Be Light
→ We’re looking to add some street lights in Portia. Please build and install 2 light posts at designated spots in the city and surrounding areas.
Rewards: 50 Rep; 50 Exp; 800 gols[/spoiler

Panbat Infestation
→ Dawa’s Tree Farm is currently closed due to a Panbat Infestation; help him chase off the Panbats.
→ The Research Centre might be able to help resolve the Panbat issue.
→ Collect some data discs for Petra in order to produce the diagram. [3 data discs required for the Loudspeaker; 5 data discs required for the Boombox; 8 data discs required for both]
→ Assemble the item after the Research Centre has produced the diagram(s).
→ Now that the diagram(s) have been acquired, assemble the Boombox or the Loudspeaker.
→ Once the item is assembled, take it to Dawa at the Tree Farm.
→ Put down the Boombox or the Loudspeaker at the designated area and see what happens.
Rewards: Dawa +10 friendship; Aadit +10 friendship; 50 Rep; 100 Exp; 500 gols

The Cave on Amber Island
→ Build the Power Generator and repair the machine inside the cave on Amber Island.
→ Defeat the monsters around this area.
→ The way out of the cave is sealed; try to find another way.
→ Defeat the bandirats!
→ The Rat Prince and the bandirats must be responsible for the thefts in town; defeat him!
→ The power generator is back online and the bandirat thieves have been defeated. Report back to the Mayor.
Rewards: 50 Rep; 200 Exp; 1,000 gols

Saving the Tree Farm
→ Aadit wants an Irrigation System for the recovery of the Tree Farm.
→ Aadit suggests to ask Petra about how to build and Irrigation System.
→ Petra needs some data discs to be able to produce the diagram for the Irrigation System. [Petra requires 6 data discs]
→ Wait for the Research Centre to send the diagram to your mailbox.
→ Assemble the Water Wheel and Water Engine and install them at the designated spots.
→ Next, install the Water Storage and the Sprinklers in the designated positions. [4 sprinklers are required]
Rewards: Dawa +10 friendship; Aadit +10 friendship; 150 Rep; 180 Exp; 1,500 gols

The Bassanio Lift
→ The Civil Corps need the Bassanio Lift to be working as soon as possible. The original lift is in very bad shape, so please repair it. A Lift Controls system must also be installed; the diagram for that is attached.
→ Take some Hardwood Planks, Iron Wooden Planks, and Carbon Steel Bars to the designated location to repair the broken lift. [Materials required: 10 hardwood plank, 5 iron wooden plank, 6 carbon steel bar]
→ The lift has been repaired but it needs new Lift Controls to operate; assemble the Lift Controls and install it. The commission from the Civil Corps contains the diagram for the Lift Controls.
Rewards: Gale +20 friendship; Arlo +10 friendship; 260 Rep; 250 Exp; 3,500 gols

The Poisoned Water
→ The Civil Corps have asked you to fix a pipe beyond the Bassanio Falls to stop the leakage of goo into the Portia River. Some materials need to be collected beforehand. [Materials required: 4 steel plate, 5 welding rod, 2 valve]
→ Materials are collected; bring them to the designated location to repair the pipe.
→ Something happened to knock you into a bind. Try to find out who’s behind it and the polluted river.
→ Having defeated the minions and the Rat King, find a way out of this ruin.
Rewards: Gale +10 friendship; 100 Rep; 125 Exp; 1,000 gols

The Crashed Station
→ The space relic knocked over a tower and created a giant hole on the tower ruins; some monsters came out as a result. The hole needs to be patched as soon as possible! [Materials required: 4 welding rod, 8 steel plate]
→ Arlo and Remington took Ack back to the Civil Corps; go there and see what’s going on.
Rewards: Remington +10 friendship; Arlo +10 friendship; Sam +10 friendship; 150 Exp; 800 gols

Fixing Ack
→ Gale wants you to help fix Ack’s head and leg.
→ Ack is feeling down; bring him a bottle of milk to cheer him up.
→ Try to find something in the Civil Corps building that can be used as Ack’s leg.
→ Try to find something in the Civil Corps building that can be used to fix Ack’s head.
→ Tell Gale that Ack has been fixed.
Rewards: Gale +20 friendship; 50 Exp; 200 gols

The Portia Bridge I
→ We are in need of 6 steel frames for building a bridge across the Portia River to Sandrock. We’ll need this within 3 weeks.
→ Prepare the necessary building materials needed for the Portia Bridge and give them to Albert.
Rewards: Albert +10 friendship; Gale +10 friendship; 200 Rep; 500 Exp; 1,800 gols

The Portia Bridge II
→ We are in need of 10 Hard Clay for building a bridge across the Portia River to Sandrock. We’ll need this within 3 weeks.
→ Prepare the necessary building materials needed for the Portia Bridge and give them to Albert.
Rewards: Albert +10 friendship; Gale +10 friendship; 180 Rep; 400 Exp; 1,500 gols

The Portia Bridge III
→ We are in need of 1 Bridge Tower and 1 Steel Beam for building a bridge across the Portia River to Sandrock. We’ll need this within 3 weeks.
→ Prepare the necessary building materials needed for the Portia Bridge and give them to Albert.
Rewards: Albert +10 friendship; Gale +10 friendship; 250 Rep; 900 Exp; 2,600 gols

The Portia Bridge IV
→ We are in need of 2 Cables for building a bridge across the Portia River to Sandrock. We’ll need this within 3 weeks.
→ Prepare the necessary building materials needed for the Portia Bridge and give them to Albert.
Rewards: Albert +10 friendship; Gale +10 friendship; 80 Rep; 120 Exp; 400 gols

The Portia Bridge V
→ We are in need of 2 Bridge Lamps for building a bridge across the Portia River to Sandrock. We’ll need this within 3 weeks.
→ Prepare the necessary building materials needed for the Portia Bridge and give them to Albert.
Rewards: Albert +10 friendship; Gale +10 friendship; 80 Rep; 120 Exp; 400 gols

McDonald’s Stable
Once the mission is completed, the player will be able to rent and/or purchase a horse from McD’s Stable. To buy the horse, the player has to have a stable constructed in the Workshop.
→ Old McDonald’s stable was damaged by storm; please collect some materials and repair it for him. [Materials required: 5 hardwood plank, 3 iron bar]
→ Now that the stable is repaired, tell McDonald the good news.
Rewards: 2 x calf, McDonald +20 friendship; 10 Rep; 300 Exp; 600 gols

The Eufaula Tunnel I
→ We are in need of 6 iron wooden planks for the ceiling and walls of the Eufaula Tunnel; please help collect them, thanks.
→ Prepare the necessary building materials needed for the Portia Bridge parts and give them to Albert.
Rewards: Albert +20 friendship; 90 Rep; 1,800 Exp; 1,000 gols

The Eufaula Tunnel II
→ We are in need of 2 steel shells for the ceiling and walls of the Eufaula Tunnel; please help collect them, thanks.
→ Prepare the necessary building materials needed for the Portia Bridge parts and give them to Albert.
Rewards: Albert +20 friendship; 90 Rep; 1,800 Exp; 1,500 gols

The Eufaula Tunnel III
→ We are in need of 2 large pipes for the ceiling and walls of the Eufaula Tunnel; please help collect them, thanks.
→ Prepare the necessary building materials needed for the Portia Bridge parts and give them to Albert.
Rewards: Albert +20 friendship; 90 Rep; 1,800 Exp; 1,000 gols

The Eufaula Tunnel IV
→ We are in need of 4 wooden pillars for the ceiling and walls of the Eufaula Tunnel; please help collect them, thanks.
→ Prepare the necessary building materials needed for the Portia Bridge parts and give them to Albert.
Rewards: Albert +20 friendship; 90 Rep; 1,800 Exp; 1,000 gols

The Eufaula Tunnel V
From the moment this mission is initiated and until its completion, Sam and Arlo remain stuck in the tunnel. Don’t take Commerce Commissions requested by them!
This mission will automatically trigger the next Mission: Rescue in Ingall’s Mine.
→ Mint wants you to take a look at the Eufaula Tunnel they are building to give a second opinion on what’s causing the small earthquakes when they drill.
→ A small quake caused the tunnel to collapse. Follow Remington and check out what’s going on.
Rewards: Painting: Distant Mountains; 90 Rep; 300 Exp

Rescue in Ingall’s Mine
→ Go further into the old mine and look for Arlo and the others.
→ Remington is waiting at the entrance to Ingall’s Mine. Enter the mine when you are ready.
→ You need some power stones to activate the door switch. Try finding some power stones around here.
→ The switch has been powered on after you put in the power stones. Try activating it.
Rewards: Remington +20 friendship; Arlo +20 friendship; Sam +20 friendship; Mint +20 friendship; 90 Rep; 1,400 Exp; 1,600 gols

Construction Crane
After its completion, it will take a few days until the Museum is actually built. The following Saurday, you’ll be invited to its Opening Ceremony. Only afterwards the player is allowed to enter the museum and start donating items.
→ Albert needs your help to build a construction crane to construct the Portia Museum.
→ Collect some data discs for Petra in order to produce the diagram. [Petra requires 6 data discs.]
→ Wait for the Research Centre to send the diagram to your mailbox.
→ Now that you’ve got the diagram, assemble the construction crane and give it to Albert.
Rewards: File Cabinet; Albert +20 friendship; 120 Rep; 3,200 Exp; 4,000 gols

The Driller
→ Mint needs a driller to help his crew create a tunnel through the Eufaula desert to Sandrock. Use the diagram in the mail and assemble a driller for him.
Rewards: Mint +20 friendship; 280 Rep; 9,000 Exp; 3,000 gols

A Green Wall
→ Dawa wants you to make some insulated planter boxes. He sent you the diagram by mail. [Materials required: 6 insulated planter box]
→ The insulated planter boxes are ready. Wait for Dawa to give you the poplar trees.
→ Assemble the Sand Blockers and install them in the Eufaula desert.
Rewards: Worker’s Hat; Dawa +10 friendship; Siwa +10 friendship; 200 Rep; 9,000 Exp; 3,200 gols

South Block Development I
→ We are in need of 10 composite wooden boards for the construction of South Block. When you’re done with the order, please deliver it to the Commerce Guild.
Rewards: 90 Rep; 2,000 Exp; 1,000 gols

South Block Development II
→ We are in need of 2 iron wood supports for the construction of South Block; see the attached diagram. When you’re done with the order, please deliver it to the Commerce Guild.
Rewards: 95 Rep; 2,000 Exp; 4,500 gols

The Debt Collectors
→ The Debt Collectors’ Agency from Atara sent a couple of agents to inform you that your father owed them some debt. Go and ask the Mayor to see if he knows what’s going on.
→ Gale sent you to ask Martha about debt related issues.
→ Martha said that the Debt Collectors’ Agency representative in Portia is Isaac. You should ask him about the debt.
→ Isaac concluded that the so-called agents are fakes, and he suggested that you should report this to the Civil Corps.
→ Arlo says he will be there when the fake agents show up again.
Rewards: none [The agent leave behind, in the middle of the road a sack containing Crafter's Toolbox.]

Read All About It!
Mei says she has no money for the moment but she'll reward you later. Around a month later, you'll receive in the mail the amount of 2,000 gols.
→ Find a way to help Mei speed up the production at Portia Times; ask Petra to see if she has something in mind.
→ Petra needs some data discs to research a printing machine. [Petra requires 5 data discs]
→ Now that you have the diagram from Petra, construct a printing press and give it to Mei.
Rewards: Mei +50 friendship; 80 Rep; 2,000 Exp

South Block Development III
→ We are in need of 1 bus station for the construction of South Block; see the attached diagram. When you’re done with the order, please deliver it to the Commerce Guild.
Rewards: 90 Rep; 2,000 Exp; 5,000 gols

South Block Development IV
→ We are in need of 1 chimney roof for the construction of South Block; see the attached diagram. When you’re done with the order, please deliver it to the Commerce Guild.
Rewards: 90 Rep; 2,000 Exp; 3,000 gols

Vehicle Pitstop
→ Albert needs your help to install a water tower and a charge station in South Block. The diagrams are attached to this letter; construct and install them in South Block.
Rewards: Albert +20 friendship; 150 Rep; 4,000 Exp; 5,000 gols

News Camera
→ Mei wants a camera for her newspaper; talk with the Research Centre and see if they can help.
→ If you want Merlin’s camera, you’ll need to go on a date with her.
→ After the date with Merlin, wait and see what she thinks of the date.
→ After the date, Merlin gave you her camera; take it to Mei.
Rewards: Mei +20 friendship; 50 Rep; 200 gols

The Desert Wind
→ South Block is in need of some wind generators to generate electricity; build and install 3 of them.
→ Get the diagram for the wind generators from Petra. [Petra requires 5 data discs]
→ Petra ran into some problems when researching the wind generators and needs more time. She suggests that you go talk with Phyllis, who is from Highwind, a city with many wind generators.
→ Phyllis suggests that you talk with Nora instead, as her family runs a company that constructs the wind generators.
→ Nora has agreed to help Petra with her research; you should wait a bit for the research to complete.
→ Having received the diagram, construct the wind turbine and install it in the designated location in the desert.
Rewards: Albert +20 friendship; Mint +20 friendship; 300 Rep; 12,000 Exp; 30,000 gols

Balloon Bonanza
Once this mission is triggered, a new Dee-dee stop can be crafted and installed near the balloons.
→ Mayor Gale wants to build a hot air balloon ride for Portia and has asked for your help. Find Petra; maybe she can help you figure out what you need. [Petra requires 5 data discs]
→ Assemble the hot air balloon and the landing platform. Install both in the designated area. [Materials required: 1 balloon platform, 3 colossal balloon]
→ Mission completed; report back to Gale.
Rewards: Gale +50 friendship; 200 Rep; 4,500 Exp; 4,000 gols

I thought of adding a final section to my guide that would concentrate most of my findings throughout into a compact list of tips. It is aimed especially at those players who know the basics but would like to, say, brush up their strategy, though I hope others will find it useful as well.

I was reluctant to add it previously for two reasons. In the first place, the game is open-ended: not only that the developers are constantly adding new content, but so far it doesn’t seem to have a final goal. And this means that the game doesn’t regulate (via rewards or punishments) the game play experience. And this further means that a discussion about strategy and tips will immediately be dressed up in the min-max garb. Personally, I think that whatever I choose to do, I should aim to do it the best I can; and this is my source of “fun.” To min-max a game translates for me as playing smart: understanding the mechanics behind, and in so doing devising the best tactics to achieve my goals.
Secondly, I have invested around 250 hours in playing this game, which may not be enough to warrant such conclusive remarks. I am certain there is still much to learn and discover.

Taking into account all of the above, here are some thoughts that you might find useful in your game play. It is definitely a work in progress and I’ll revise it when and if I find anything worth mentioning.

One Day Like No Other
→ In a sense, there is no groundbreaking strategy in Portia, except for the first day (that is, 2nd of spring).

To have the best start, there are a few things that need to be done in a certain order. The player wakes up with reduced stamina and one specific goal for the day: to go and meet Presley. Don’t! ... at least not just yet.
Instead, start gathering wood and stone from the ground, and abstain from picking up anything else. (Managing your stamina in the first day is crucial!) 23 wood and 23 stone are needed to craft 1 axe, 1 pickaxe and 1 stone furnace—and these are the two tests Presley will ask of you. With a bit of luck, you’ll have just about enough stone without any need for a pickaxe.

Look down the road from the workshop towards McDonald’s Ranch for some stone, then look for wood all the way around the edges of your Workshop; then towards the wall and the Peach Plaza entrance and continue along the wall towards the Tree Farm, where there will be more wood and stone. Don’t go for more stone than the required 23.

Go back to the Workshop and craft the two tools, and then go meet Presley. He’ll also ask for a stone furnace. (For some reason, assembling the furnace before Presley asks for it, doesn’t count; at least, that’s what happened to me.) Run back to the Workshop and assemble it; then back to Presley, from here to the Mayor, and then back to the Commerce Guild for your first commission. If you’re in luck, choose the wooden storages commission but nothing else (better wait until the next day, when there is surely someone asking for them).

With whatever stamina you have left, go chop wood from the bushes and small trees and avoid the vines that only give plant fibre. You need another 36 wood to repair the house which should be your priority. Whatever extra wood you have, it can go towards the commission.
In the remaining time, you can either go meet people, chase down treasure chests (some will give you gols or dried apple slices or other “goodies”) or sit on one of the benches to restore a bit more stamina for more chopping!

And there you have it: you have your tools, you repaired your house and you have completed or are close to completing your first commission. This will give you enough gols to access the Abandoned Ruins #1.

Every following day
→ From then on, every day will be pretty much the same.
First thing to do would be to manage whatever inventory was left unsorted from the day before. (For early game, this means that you need to invest a lot of wood in crafting wooden storages for yourself as soon as possible.) And maybe there will still be a few minutes left to refuel some furnaces before rushing to the Commerce Guild. You need to leave the Workshop no later than 7:40AM to make it to the Guild before Higgins does. As of Alpha 6.0, on Saturdays and Sundays, you can take the time off; no commissions are posted. Well, that's it until your Workshop is ranked Level C; at that point, you can and should participate in inspections on weekends.
You want to take commissions every day from the Guild because they help levelling up (in both Exp and Rep points) and also give you the much needed cash. And then there is that rivalry with Higgins (that no one in town seems to openly talk about) on being No.1. Can you overtake him right from the get go? Of course you can! In spring year 1, Higgins averages 20-21 Rep points per day. If you keep taking commissions every day (as much as possible) and also fulfil as many main/side missions as you can, then your Workshop will be No.1 in no time. (As a rookie in my first run, I got first ranking by the skin of my teeth having to also buy the Ad in the Portia Times. In my second run, with a clear outline of my strategy, I got on top with almost a week left for good measure.)

• Have I mentioned this? If I didn’t, then here it is: take commissions every day! Commissions will reward anywhere between 2 to 4 times more gols than if you were to sell that item to the stores. The only commission that I found to incur a financial loss was Emily’s request for bronze axe or pickaxe: the reward doesn’t really compensate for buying the Upgrade kits. The things you do for love… in case you took it to win friendship with her. Better buy some Pumpkin Pies from Sophie in the spring to make friends with her, or else chase after her chickens every Saturday morning.
  
  Otherwise, even when buying power stones for the Removable batteries (a frequent commission in the early game), the commission will still pay off.
  
  But what you really want to take are the Water engine commissions. So make sure you go to the Hazardous Ruins from time to time to stock up on small engines and old parts. (I prefer Lvl2 in the ruins: though it doesn’t reward any engines after defeating the boss, there are many chests that have them; and you’ll also get lots of tempering liquid well ahead of the Portia Bridge missions.) With the increased rate drop as relics, Abandoned Ruins #1 (for small engines) and #2 (for industrial engines) are also a good source. Also, don’t forget to exchange old parts for small engines at the Mysterious Man’s store on the last Saturday and Sunday of each season. If you want some fancy furniture from the Mysterious Man, then you’ll surely spend hours and hours in the Hazardous Ruins to gather all those small and industrial engines, or silicon chipsets. (I should also mention that, come the end of summer, you should buy the diamond ring for safekeeping. It won’t be long before you ask your sweetheart for her/his hand in marriage.)
  
  So, don’t forget, take commissions every day!

• But, don’t take commissions from the Guild that you cannot finish the same day. This means don’t take commissions for which you don’t know what materials they require or whether you have them in storage.
  
  As a rule of thumb (unless you’re in the habit of killing cute looking creatures to pass the time, like slurpees and illusion bunnies), stay away from Furry Scarves and Small Satchels that require delicate fur. Similarly, avoid Crystal Necklaces, Jewellery Boxes, Gunpowder and Bombs, unless you already have the required crystals, nitre and sulphate. It’s not that these four materials aren’t renewable; they are, except it may take a few days before you can acquire them. Crystals respawn within 6 days (with the exception of the first crystal just ahead of the bridge to Amber Island, which seems to respawn every three days) and it is not always guaranteed they’ll give only crystals. Slurpees may seem to be in abundance, but you’ll need 20 delicate furs for just one satchel, plus a long time to process them into quality leather in the skiver. And, again, no guarantee that each slurpee will drop it.
  
  Remember: Completing one commission a day (even if lower rated) rewards you more (gols, Rep and Exp points) than, say, one higher rated commission every other three days.

• Don’t be afraid to buy Power stones or Upgrade kits from Mars. It’s better to keep your machines running, rather than rush to the ruins and pray that you’ll find some. Also, the quicker you upgrade your tools, the more resources you’ll gather with minimum of stamina spent and maximum of experience gained.

• Think ahead! This means you have to keep your stations running at all times, or at least the furnaces. Yes, furnaces (plural!): 4 to 6 furnaces for the early game (more later); you should also double up on the cutters. And, of course, you need to constantly gather resources for them. Try to keep in storage at least 20 of everything, from bars to pipes and slates, to boards, to fibre cloth and leather etc.
  
  In terms of stations, here is what you’ll need from very early on. Start by making at least 2 Stone Furnaces (4 are best: one each for copper, bronze, bricks and glass). Next, you’ll need a Grinder (after you delved into Abandoned Ruins #1 and found 2 old parts). The latter will allow you to make copper blades for the Civil Cutter and bronze pipes for the Basic Skiver.
  
  The following will require various amounts of data discs to research the diagrams, but you should try to get them as quickly as possible. You may find you need them in a different order of priority, but this is how it worked best for me: Civil Furnace, Industrial Cutter, Cooking Set (here I was aiming for the Blender, but the blender seems to come last in the 5-data-disc research category), Industrial Furnace, Blender, Fire Powered Generator, Electric Furnace, and the Comprehensive Grinder and Cutter. (Along the way, you may have to research the Recycling Machine, for donating to the Museum if nothing else.) In the Crafting section, you’ll find hidden information on the data discs research.

• From all the cooking stations, the blender is by far the most profitable to your character. Herbal Tea (or if you have cotton, Simple Ointment) is the way to go for HP restoration when fighting in the Hazardous Ruins or in the dungeons. So make a habit of picking herbs up whenever you see them.
  
  I use the cooking set only for crafting recipes as gifts and not as HP or SP restoration. Check also Crafting_Parts 6: Cooking Set or the spreadsheet. First of all, some common ingredients (like sugar and salt) are expensive to buy from Sophie or they are in limited amount (like lobster meat which is a rare drop from snaillobs). Second, and most important, cooking is very time consuming. I usually have “gift cooking sessions” in the last remaining hours of the night, when I have no stamina left or not enough time for anything else. That being said, Ack can now cook for you, so maybe you may find cooking to be a profitable business.
  
  For SP restoration, I rely on dried apple slices and, later, on dried apricots. I make as many drying racks as I have land available for and allow some days for kicking apple trees in the Tree Farm, after it becomes available. And though dried apple slices do require some investment of stamina, the recipe still pays off. You can get an average of 60-70 apples from the trees inside and immediately outside the Tree Farm. I’ve done the math, and for each 1 SP I invested, I got a return of 3-4 SP available to spend (plus the 2.5 Exp points). When it comes to dried apricots, the only limiting factor is the cash for it, since now Sophie stocks up 999 of everything.

• Try to spend all your stamina for the day, especially in the beginning. Later on, there will be days when you will have to go to sleep with a full bar: whether you were dating NPCs or just running around doing errands. Those will be balanced out by mining or foresting days, when you could easily go through 3 or 4 times worth your full stamina bar, if well stocked up on dried fruit. Stamina left unspent is lost opportunity for levelling up.

• Try to boost you character’s traits as soon as possible. When you reach Lvl5, you should craft your Work Pants and Cloth at the Worktable. Depending on your available budget and the rate at which you level up, you could skip buying the next sets of clothing from Carol until you reach Lvl20 and can afford the Meidi garb.
  
  You can also accessorise: initially, wear whatever you have at hand. Later on, there are two accessories you should always keep on you, especially if you have invested much time and money into becoming buddies with Ginger, and thus got your hand on the recipe for Yellow Sapphire Necklace. Make 3 Jewellery Boxes and 3 Yellow Sapphire Necklaces and switch between them whether you go fighting or mining/chopping. The former will add another 36 SP; the latter will add another 60 hit points to your attack. Yellow Sapphire Necklaces also make much loved gifts for Sonia, Phyllis, and Dawa. See also Upgrades_Part 3: Clothing/Headwear and Part 4: Accessories.

• Another way to boost your character is by furnishing your house. Try to fill in as much as you can in each of the four categories: Stamina, Health, Defence, and Attack. (Attack boosting furniture, though, is only available by assembling relic parts found in the Abandoned Ruins #1 and #2.) Craft whatever you can initially, even if the house will not look the prettiest. Later on, when you can afford to redecorate, you can sell the unwanted furniture. Some of the items also make good gifts.
  
  It is good to upgrade your house early on, though that might not be possible until you have acquired at least the next two plots of land (available for 1,500g and 10,000g respectively), since the upgraded house has a huge footprint and cannot be moved around. If you crafted several stations of each and continuously added more trees (Crystella, Nitra, and Apricot) to your Workshop, you may find that you also need the 30,000g land just to fit everything in.
  
  And speaking of trees… Try to plant one of each as soon as you have some extra data discs and place wherever they fit. With Alpha 6.0, you can move planter boxes, by pressing "F," without sacrificing the plant.

• Upgrading the house is important, but so is building a stable and buying a horse. A fully trained horse will make movement so much easier... and you look so cool, the only horse-rider in Portia! Upgrading the horse will take you around 2 full seasons, if not more. Maybe postpone a bit upgrading the house? Your choice!

• You are always short on money… does it sound like your story? If not, then skip ahead. No, wait a minute, who do you think you’re fooling? Everyone needs money all the time. Even when all missions are completed, there is still something left to do in the game, like buying all land available, and the last plot for sale is 250,000 gols. Try to make that kind of fortune from completing commissions… you’ll grow a beard!
  
  But don’t sell things that are not easily renewable and when you do sell them, try to make a profit. That means don’t sell stone as such, but make it into stone stools or stone tables (if you also have plenty of marble). Check the online spreadsheet in the Crafting section for clues on what to sell and in what shape. You may try to profit from the volatility of the price market, except sometimes the market is not at all volatile: I’ve had a whole season of down prices in my run. For such times, and not only, it helps to have chosen “Business Mind” in the Skill Tree.

• There are some resources you should go to extra length in acquiring. That only means that you should make a habit of harvesting them once a week. After Amber Island and Collapsed Wasteland become available and you have upgraded your tools, you should go weekly to harvest crystals (at both locations) and nitre (only from the big rocks along the middle lake’s shores in the Collapsed Wasteland). And while you’re there, don’t forget to kill the sea urchins and snaillobs roaming around the Amber Island (for spines and lobster meat respectively) and gather the resin and coriander. In the Collapsed Wasteland, keep an eye for slurpees, panbats (for delicate fur and bat’s wing respectively) and ginger.

• Though not a priority very early on, you shouldn’t completely ignore fishing. Fish is used in some recipes that make good gifts. Also, you may find some commissions for rare fish (e.g., goliath, wise fish or blue mackerel), though I should mention that when there are such requests, Django and Sonia (who are the usual suspects) are only interested in the Emperor variety.
  
  When fishing, try to position your character as close to the water as possible. This will reduce somewhat the distance you need to reel your fish in.

• If you already made up your mind about your bride/groom to be, try to win hearts with them as quickly as possible. Why wait, if you’re in love? To do so, it works well to form a daily schedule.
  
  Say you like Arlo. Then, at 7:40AM you leave the workshop with a practice sword in your backpack. You rush to the Guild to take your commission for the day, and then off you go to the Civil Corps to chat and gift Arlo, who is usually practicing inside. If you happen to be a bit late, you’ll find him most probably up north, at the entrance to the Abandoned Ruins #2. Then the day is yours to spend as you see fit.
  
  Or maybe you like a challenge and have chosen Ginger. In which case it is better to go back to your Workshop to complete the commission you’ve just chosen, deliver it, and only afterwards head for Gale’s house with a lemon juice in your hand (available to buy from The Round Table). Ginger comes down from her room after 9AM and it takes time for her to reach the “lucky” corner to the right of the entrance. When standing in this corner or else seated on an armchair, you can also RPS with Ginger for those extra friendship points. But, if it’s raining, then hurry up straight from the Guild to Gale’s house and you might catch her and Gust just as they go down towards the Central Plaza for their stroll. When you finally become buddies (it took me a season or so) and she promptly gives you the much desired recipe for the Yellow Sapphire Necklace, you may think that going on a date will simplify things. You couldn’t be more wrong! First, the earliest play time is 8PM—of course, you suddenly realise, she cannot stand the sun. So you bite the bullet and present yourself at her door; where to go from here? The restaurant play is available until 10PM and the doodles in the sand until 11PM. Off you go to the Round Table, get quickly inside and wait, and wait, and wait some more. Unlike all other NPCs, Ginger doesn’t run, though she may “teleport” herself on short distances. By the time she makes it, the play time there has expired so you can chat a bit under the tree, while trying desperately to hide your frustration. Next time you’ll know better: present yourself at around 6:30 to 7PM at her door; the play time can start much earlier (and this applies to all dates with NPCs) and you’ll have plenty of time to dine with her (I haven’t tried doodling with her, I admit).
  I should add that a few things have changed with the latest updates. If you ride the horse when dating, your companion is riding with you which makes moving between events so much faster. And, most interestingly for Ginger, you can spar... of course, not her directly. Just as with RPS, you can spar three times a day: the first couple with Gust alone (pretty easy to beat), the third time with both Gust and Russo. Remember tht Russo was in the war? I think he was some kind of Green Beret... he does know how to throw a punch! Still, beating both almost guarrantees 2 friendship points with Ginger.
  
  One trivia fun fact: I don’t have much dating experience with other NPCs, but I did decide to take Antoine to dinner one day. I was ready to take his order, pencil and paper in my hand, and guess what? He says he would like a vegetable. A vegetable? Even if I had one on me, I couldn’t have gifted (cooked?) it; I had to choose from Django’s menu. And no, Djongo doesn’t do mundane vegetables, not even classy deconstructed vegetables! So, I chose 5 dishes seemingly involving vegetables just to find out, to my chagrin, they’re all dishes Antoine hated. So, devs please, if you’re reading this, could you make Antoine refine his culinary tastes? Otherwise he is so sophisticated. (I haven’t tried it again since, to see if it was just a bug.)
  It turns out it wasn't a bug, now that I have more experience with dating. It may happen with everyone you take out to dinner; they'll just give you some generic clues rather than list specific dishes. I suppose it's meant to give it a realistic, more in-depth, aura: you go out for dinner a few times and you get to know the person, their favourite dishes, etc. But if you're unlucky as I was and they demand you already know their favourites from your very first date, then check out Wiki for favourite dishes, while also trying to meet the clue they gave you.
  
  Conclusion: whoever you decide to romance, try to chat and/or gift them every day, and do so by linking your visit to them (at a time they are guaranteed to be found at a specific location) to a daily habit (which usually is your trip to the Guild).

• Aside from the love of your life, there are other NPCs that you want to become friends with as quickly as possible. They will either boost your attributes (and you cannot say no to that!) or offer some other beneficial perks, like discounts in their stores. You can check any NPCs’ relation perks in the Social tab (even when they are strangers). Check Social_Part 2: Birthdays and Gifting for tips on gifts.
  
  Some will be “friendlier” than others, either because they are easier to find or because you can gift them loved and not too expensive gifts. I specify in parenthesis the highest level of no-romance friendship required to benefit from all perks; though, some will also offer perks when you romance them.
  
  First among all is Mayor Gale. So what, you might say, he's the mayor and possibly your father in law if you court Ginger. Does that make him a VIP? ... You know nothing, Jon Snow! You want to become Good Friend with him, because he "manages" land taxes in Portia: keep adding to his endless collection of tea tables, and he'll give you discounts on land upgrades. Can't see the connection here, but he surely does... so I'm happy!
  
  Now the rest: Albert (Buddy), Antoine (Friend), Arlo (Good Friend), Alice (Good Friend), Carol (Good Friend) are amongst the “friendliest”: they are easy to find and gift from early on (at least after you can quarry for crystals).
  
  In the somewhat “friend…ish” category, the following enter: Gust (Buddy), Phyllis (Buddy), Dr. Xu (Friend), Paulie (Good Friend).
  
  The rest, though otherwise very lovely folks, seem to want you to open a Michelin star restaurant before they’re willing to know you better: Sam (Friend), Presley (Good Friend), Martha (Good Friend). (After he's had his fair share of venom, Dr. Xu could also make you chase down red mushrooms.) Time to dust off that cooking set of yours! Sam also likes to roam around and she’s never to be found unless you have a commission for her.
  
  Django (Good Friend) suddenly becomes so friendly once you gain access to the Eufaula Desert and, in particular, to Asteria. Until then, your main hope is that he’ll post commissions, though, to be fair, he has a weakness for roasted ribs… and can you blame him?
  
  Mars (Good Friend) will make a fisherman out of you yet. Which is fine I guess since, along with catfish, you’ll also get frog fish as a bonus. I heard that some other not so friendly folks have a sweet tooth for a recipe involving them (Qiwa and Tody).
  
  Isaac (Best Friend) is always last on my list of gift giving. And he should be on top of the list, with his love for reading. He’s also gift-friendly and easy to find, so why am I not his best friend yet? Well, that’s because although I recognise in him a fellow avid reader, my friendship is not completely pure. I want the honey he promises! Never had honey in this game! Don’t know what it does! “Is it nice, my precious? Is it juicy? Is it scrumptiously crunchable?” I wants it! And I can’t get it… I just cannot beat Isaac at Cross Five. So there you have it: this is how one can fail terribly at My Time at Portia.
  Or not! It so happens that my husband (in real life) plays Go sometimes. I know, and he knows that I know, that Gomoku and Go are like distant cousins, however many times removed, but I sweetened the deal with the promise of baking a cake, and he beat Issac for me. Huzza! But my exhilaration was short lived, because there isn't much to do with honey anyway. So you can have golden radish soup, big deal! (I can always bake more cakes for my husband, but I cannot make Emily sell more layered carrots at Winter Solstice.) I thought Papa Bear will reward me with his happy dance when gifted honey, yet he just "aw, aw" back at me, meaning he only liked it. So, thank you Isaac, thank you devs, thank you all for making me spend endless hours in the kitchen. Long live the cakes... without honey!