Rune Factory 4 – how to marry Doug

Doug is a rather difficult candidate to get in Rune Factory 4…you can’t get his LP above 3 unless you have cleared story arc I and II (basically most of the main story). Here’s what I recommend to get him fast.

I didn’t see you use that fancy sword once, Douggie.

Note: steps 1-3 are optional. Skip to 4 for the actual stuff.

1. Set your difficulty to easy (if you really want to speedrun his marriage, that is. Otherwise not necessary, you can skip to the next one)

If you want to get his LP cap off as soon as possible, I recommend you set the game’s difficulty to easy. (Go to the room with lots of trophies) You have to clear both main story arcs, and the bosses you have to face are difficult to beat if you want to rush and get things done as fast as possible.  Second arc requires some puzzle solving, so look at tutorials if you want to get through fast. But don’t spend all your time on battles! Do some farming to earn some cash. You’re going to need it later on.

2. Pump your cooking & fishing skills

Make dishes that requires the same skill level as your current level is the best way to do this. This is why I mentioned that you should earn cash and do farming. You need money to buy ingredients and farm vegetables for making food. Why, you ask? Doug’s favourite dish, Tempura bowl, requires cooking skill level 72. And remember, you have to get his LP above 7 if you want to date him. Giving him a bit of rice everyday and talking is going to be pretty time consuming. You also need a lot of shrimp. If I remember correctly, there was a shrimp-only pond in Idra Cave, second floor. (the spring cave near Sechs Territory) This is the place where you can pump a whole lot of shrimp to make Tempura to put on top of rice. Oh, and you need some money to buy rice, which cost 100 each unless on sale.

3. Dote on your Field Dungeon

Field dungeons are the best way to get Love Potions. Seriously. I went there a couple of times, give Doug a bottle a day and his LP went up in no time. Besides love potions, you can find a whole variety of stuff there from food to medicine to weapons. I’m a short swords user, and I usually make my own stuff, so I don’t find the bats, axes, and scythes very appealing, but it’s worth a visit. Another useful thing you’ll find there is a potion called Invictus. It’s very useful for fighting bosses with higher levels. You can also find high quality food there which will boost your stats for the whole day. And it’s a great place to pump your EXP too, and will make your journey of love easier. (Well, that was cheesy…) After you’ve got your LP above 7 and a few good gears and some cash, good luck asking him out. I’m not sure if it is a thing or not, but I pressed confess right after I gave him a love potion and he said yes…and that was on my first try asking him.

4. Trigger Doug’s random events

Two random events are necessary to trigger Doug’s marriage event. Yes. You can force random events to happen. First, check that there are no ongoing events or slumber party on your diary. These events can be triggered regardless of LP. (BUT forced triggering will require you to get Doug’s or at least one other even participants LP above 3)

First, I’ll cover Shiny Memories.

Participants: Blossom, Doug, Xiao Pai, Arthur, Porcoline, Margaret, Ventuswill

To force this event to happen, take Doug and another participant to your room and go to sleep. That other person must have high LP. I can’t remember how high, but if not enough, he or she will need to go home when you go to bed. (If you want to trigger it with the cap still on, choose two people in the event that is not Doug.) Sleep, wake up next morning. If both of your people say they have something to do means you have triggered an event. If not, soft reset and do it again.

Here are the steps of the actual event:

1. Go the entrance of the your house, you will see an event with a bird. Examine the top right side of your house to investigate the bird nest.
2. Next day, speak to Blossom.
3. Next day, find Xiao Pai near your house to see an event.
4. Next day, go to the Grocery store to see an event.
5. Next day, go to the Diner to see an event.
6. Next day, go to Arthur’s room to see an event.
7. Go to grocery store to see an event. Follow Doug to the entrance of your
house.
8. Next day, go to the entrance of your house, then speak to Blossom later.
—

Doug’s Secret

Participants: Blossom, Doug, Margaret

1: Talk to Blossom.

2: Talk to Doug.

3: Go to the general store at night and attempt to enter.

4: Follow Doug. After he vanished, talk to Margaret.

5: Try to spy on Doug the next evening, and watch a conversation between him and a traveler.

6: Spy on Doug for a third evening, and watch the event play out.

7: The next day, talk to Blossom. After you’re done, hurray! All you have to do now is clear the story, get Doug to date you, and wish for the best of luck.

Thanks Rune Factory Wikia for the information! They have beautiful maps. Visit them sometime.

5. Triggering the marriage event itself

Doug’s marriage event is called A Very Special Ring. You need his LP at 10 or above, seen the two random event, been on a date at least 3 times, and a lot of patience. The method of triggering varies from person to person. Some just waited. What I did was force trigger the event using Doug and Clorica. It took me a week of continued sleeping (luckily I had the rainbow watering can to save time and profit) and took a whole lot of resetting. After you’ve finally triggered his marriage events, you just have to complete the steps to see the adorable cutscene worthy of your efforts.

So, I hope my mini(?) tutorial is useful. Thanks for sticking around!

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