Rune Factory 4 Special Dating Guide: all marriage candidates and gifts for romances

True to the original version of Rune Factory 4, relationships and marriage returns in Rune Factory 4 Special. If you’ve played any of the Story of Seasons/Harvest Moon titles then you know exactly what this will entail. However, if you’re new to this system don’t worry, we have you covered and we’ll be providing the best advice to help you woo the candidate of your choice. Please keep in mind that Rune Factory 4 Special does not have any same-sex romance options.

Marriage candidates in Rune Factory 4 Special are easy to spot, as they are given a short animated cutscene prompting their introduction. You can also check if a character is a marriage candidate by going to the Relationship tab and checking if that character has a heart by that name. If they do, then you’re able to romance them. It’s really that simple! Marriage, however, is a little more complicated as you’ll need to enter a relationship with the candidate of your choice and everyone knows a good relationship takes time.

For more Rune Factory 4 Special assistance, head on over to our guides that cover all the License Exam questions and answers, plus our guide on how to get costumes. 

Rune Factory 4 Dating and Marriage guide

In order to initiate a relationship with one of the potential marriage candidates in Rune Factory 4 your Love Points (LP) with them must be at level 7 or 8, depending on the candidate, or they might take it as a joke. The higher your LP is with them means that they are less likely to take it as a joke, however, having multiple girlfriends or boyfriends will increase the chance of your potential candidate taking your confession as a joke. Players can have up to six relationships, but once the player has gotten married all remaining candidates will revert to friends after the player gets married. LP will gain at a slower rate if you are not dating the candidate of your choice at around rank 7, so it’s best to confess early and build up the required LP to get married.

In order to gain LP with characters in Rune Factory 4 Special you’ll need to give them gifts, and you’ll need to give them quite a lot of them to raise their LP to the point that they’ll be interested in a relationship and eventually marriage. Each candidate has their own specific likes and dislikes when it comes to gifts, which can be given to them once a day in order to raise their affection alongside talking to them.

Rune Factory 4 Special Marriage Requirements for Romances

There are some prerequisites that will need to be done in order to get married and we’ll list them below before diving into how you can gain LP with the bachelors and bachelorettes of Rune Factory 4.

• You must trigger the animated cutscene for the candidate. Some characters, like Dolce and Dylas for example, are not immediately given an animated cutscene upon introduction and you may need to talk to them later in order to prompt it. Every marriage candidate will also be given an individual marriage cutscene for their marriage event. Keep in mind that marriage in Rune Factory 4 is permanent and once you are married you cannot get a divorce. This is your life now.

• You must have both a double bed and an engagement ring. If you’re playing as the Princess you won’t need the engagement ring unless you've turned down the proposal of your prospective candidate. The double bed can be purchased from Blossom’s shop once you gain enough Prince/Princess points to expand her shop inventory. The engagement ring can be crafted at the Crafting Table at crafting level 20. The Crafting Table can be bought from Bado after story progression and by obtaining the Crafting License.

• Some bachelors and bachelorettes must be unlocked through story progression. Not all candidates are immediately available, though a good handful of them are, and some candidates even have their progression locked behind story completion. You can read more about that below.

In order to propose to your candidate you must have gone on a minimum of three dates with them, have seen their sub-event, and have their LP at ten or more. For the bachelors of Rune Factory 4, their sub-event will also include them trying to propose to the player character. This can be turned down and you can choose to propose to them later on if you’re still interested in pursuing marriage - as stated above.

Rune Factory 4 Gifts: Special Marriage Candidate Gifts & Likes

This section will contain spoilers so please avert your eyes if you would like to save the surprise of some marriage candidates or story events for your playthrough of Rune Factory 4 Special. Below we’ve compiled a list of all available marriage candidates, their favorite gifts, birthdays and a short synopsis of each character. Keep in mind that in order to maximize the amount of LP gained per day you will have to talk to your candidate once per day and also give them a gift of their liking once per day. Any gift that falls under their likes will do, so don’t worry about not having the same item on hand day after day, variety is the spice of life after all. We suggest that players invest in the Knife cooking tool, which you can get after obtaining the EZ Cooking License (we’ve explained what you need to do in order to get that here), as sashimi is a popular gift for almost all bachelors and bachelorettes.

The list below has been updated to better reflect the candidate's ideal gifts. Bolded items are loved.

Forte Gifts & Likes

“A female knight guarding the town. Inherited her father's title after his death. Stubborn, easily flustered when the subject of sweets comes up, but dependable, and often spoils her younger brother, Kiel.”

• Likes: Omelet Rice, Flowers
• Birthday: Summer 22

Margaret Gifts & Likes

WARNING - Margaret’s romance cannot be completed until Dylas joins your city. This will happen through natural story progression, so just continue the story to unlock Dylas.

“An elf who plays music at the local eatery. Humorless and nosy, but underneath her bossy exterior is a kind girl. Regards Porcoline like a father, but still scolds him when necessary.”

• Likes: Pineapple Juice, Vegetables
• Birthday: Spring 21

Clorica Gifts & Likes

“A butler working in the castle. Falls asleep a lot. Finishes her work quickly by somehow working in her sleep, and can even cook a gourmet meal while sleeping with ease. Just how on earth can she do all that?”

• Likes: Apple Pie, Apple Dishes
• Birthday: Spring 12

Xiao Pai Gifts & Likes

“Works at the inn with her mother, Lin Fa. Mature, but has difficulty showing it due to her tendency to make clumsy mistakes. Feels lonely quite easily.”

• Likes: Crystal Thread, Flowers
• Birthday: Summer 26

Amber Gifts & Likes

“Transformed from a butterfly-shaped monster and now works at Illuminata's flower shop. Loves the warm sun and hates being cold. Her smiles seem to be contagious. Clorica's sleeping buddy.”

• Likes: Mixed Ole, Flowers
• Birthday: Spring 26

Dolce Gifts & Likes

“A girl with a sharp tongue. Good at sewing and can contact ghosts, much to her annoyance. Often makes sarcastic remarks, mostly in the general direction of a certain obsessive ghost, but is actually sweet and warm-hearted.”

• Likes: Pudding, Medicine
• Birthday: Winter 18 

Vishnal Gifts & Likes

“A butler in the castle who has amassed quite an array of knowledge on farming. Trains hard every day to be a full-fledged butler, but his gullible and emotional nature sometimes gets in the way. The oldest son, with many brothers and sisters.”

• Likes: Curry Rice, Vegetable (excluding turnips, do not give him turnips)
• Birthday: Fall 17

Arthur Gifts & Likes

“A prince of Norad. Kind and calm, but sometimes a little overly-predictable. Has unique tastes, and his reports are often so thoroughly accurate that he has been mistaken for a fortune-teller.”

• Likes: Salmon Rice, Turnips
• Birthday: Summer 4

Kiel Gifts & Likes

“Always has his nose in a book. Very gullible and prone to gossip, but even when he's been tricked he's all smiles. Loves his sister, Forte, and often entrusts her with secrets. Well, at least he tries. Everyone else knows the same secret by the end of the day.”

• Likes: Stew, Sweets
• Birthday: Winter 2

Doug Gifts & Likes

WARNING - Doug’s romance cannot be completed until you have completed the second arc of the main story.

“An enthusiastic and easygoing dwarf -- Perhaps a little too easygoing, as he often dives into situations before thinking. Always worried about Blossom, which in turn makes her worry about him.”

• Likes: Tempura Rice, Onigiri
• Birthday: Autumn 6

Dylas Gifts & Likes

“Transformed from a horse monster and now works as a server at Porcoline's restaurant. Quiet and often misunderstood. Doesn't seem to get along well with Doug.”

• Likes: Milk Porridge, Fish
• Birthday: Fall 9

Leon Gifts & Likes

WARNING - In order to unlock Leon you must finish the first arc of Rune Factory 4 Special’s story, otherwise he will not be available to romance.

“A man once sealed in Leon Karnak. Easygoing and loves messing with people, but works hard and secretly helps them out however he can. Has a charismatic aura that causes others to naturally look up to him.”

• Likes: Grilled Lamp Squid, Grilled Fish
• Birthday: Summer 9

And those are all of the available marriage candidates for Rune Factory 4 Special! Once again, marriage is permanent in Rune Factory so make sure to pick your candidate wisely. If you have any further questions feel free to comment below.