InFANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time, you’ve got Lives to lead, Dosh to make, and a million things to collect. And while all that is fun, it also means there’s a good chance you’ll miss some pretty useful stuff early on. We’re talking about things like how to grab a quick pile of Dosh without grinding, why switching Lives immediately makes more sense than sticking to just one, and how to handle gear and healing without making the whole thing more complicated than it needs to be.

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There’s also a surprising amount of strategy when it comes to powering up your buddies or making the most of those seemingly random merchants that wander the map. Whether you’re just starting or poking around after a break, these tips are here to help you avoid some of the more common missteps in Fantasy Life i.

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8You Can Change Your Life at Anytime

But Only to a Life You Have Already Unlocked

In Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, you don’t have to stick with one Life forever. If you feel like changing things up, you just go to the Guild Office and talk to whoever’s there, and you can switch to any Life you’ve already unlocked. That’s the catch. You can’t just jump into a new Life out of nowhere. You need to first unlock it.

The best part is that once you’ve got afew Lives unlocked, switching between them doesn’t require any long process. you’re able to even switch automatically. For example, if you start mining while you’re still set as a Paladin, the game notices and shifts you into Miner mode right away. It’s the same if you begin fishing or gathering, whatever Life that activity belongs to, the game handles it.

Changing Lives FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time

7Level Up Crafting and Gathering Lives as Soon as Possible

So You Can Craft Better Items Quickly

In Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, gathering and crafting Lives don’t level themselves. You have to actually use them. If you ignore them early on, they’ll stay stuck at the bottom while yourcombat Liveslevel up just from regular fights. That’s why it’s a good idea to spend time with gathering jobs like Miner, Angler, or Woodcutter, and pair them withcrafting ones like Blacksmithor Carpenter right from the start.

Let’s say you come across some ore while exploring. If you’ve never touched the Miner Life, it’s just taking up space. But if you’ve already started leveling that Life, you can collect it, then switch over to your Blacksmith role and do something useful with it. The same goes for other crafting Lives. If you’re an Alchemist, you’ll unlock better healing items. If you’re a Cook, you’ll prepare meals that help you stay in the field longer. And once you’ve got decent equipment or support items, it’s easier to handle the tougher battles.

Gathering Life in FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time

6Unlocking All Lives is the Fastest Way to Make Money (Dosh)

You Can Make Up to 10,000 Dosh with This Method

One of the easiestways to level up your Dosh(money) early is by visiting the Guild Office and unlocking every Life that’s available from the start. You don’t have to play through each one or sit through any long intros. Just unlock them, and for every Life you add, you get 1,000 Dosh. There are twelve Lives in total, so walking out with 12,000 Dosh takes maybe a few minutes, tops.

That money comes in handy almost immediately. Not long into the story, you’ll get a quest from Auntie Anne where she asks for 10,000 Dosh. You don’t lose it, though, as she will give it back right after the chat. The idea is to show that you know how to make money and can keep up with what the game’s throwing at you. Once you hand it over, the quest moves on and your balance doesn’t actually take a hit.

All Lives in FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time

5Swimming Doesn’t Eat Up Your Stamina or Skill Points

Unlike Most Games in Its Genre

Swimming in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time feels pretty easy. You won’t have to watch a stamina bar or worry about burning through Skill Points (SP) while you’re paddling around. SP is tied to actions from your chosen Life like mining, fishing, or fighting, and not to swimming itself.

How to Get Aquamarine in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

Complete your Fledgling Miner quests with Aquamarine in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.

You don’t need to press anything special to start swimming, either. Just walk into a lake, river, or any accessible body of water, and your character will automatically switch into swimming mode. From there, you control movement with the same stick you use on land. It’s smooth and automatic, and there’s nothing to equip or activate.

Swimming FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time

4You Can Craft Healing Items with the Alchemist

You Don’t Have to Spend Money on Healing Items

Healing items are something you’ll want to stay stocked up on, and the game gives you a few practical ways to keep your pouch full. You’ll come across Tools Shops in most areas, and they all sell HP Potions under the Consumable section. These shops update their stock as the game moves forward, so what they offer early on will be weaker than what’s available later. But if you’re running low and don’t feel like crafting or foraging, these shops are an easy stop to make.

If you’re trying out the Alchemist Life, you’ll pick up a basic recipe early that lets you make HP Potions using five Healweeds. These herbs are everywhere, growing along paths, tucked near trees, or sitting in open fields. Crafting this way is a reliable method to refill your supply without spending money, and it’s good practice if you plan to lean into the Alchemist Life later on.

3Upgrading Your Buddies' Gear is the Easiest way to Power Them Up

Ensure You Power Up Your Buddies Before Any Boss Fight

Your buddies can actually help you out a lot, especially when they’re properly upgraded. If you want them to hold their own in battle and be more useful during your adventures, upgrade their gear. Giving your Buddies better weapons and armor is a quick way to make them more capable.

How to Get Celestia’s Gift in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

Unlock Strangelings through Celestia’s Gift in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.

It works just like it does for your main character: stronger equipment means better performance. If you’re planning to explore a new area or take on a boss, it’s worth making sure they’re not running around in shabby gear.

2Completing Area Challenges is the Quickest Way to Get More Area Points

Usually Combat or Foraging Tasks

If you’re trying to raise your Area Rank, the most direct approach is to focus on Area Challenges. These show up as red speech bubble icons on your map when you’re near one of the towers that represent each area in Ginormosia. You’ll find them sprinkled across different locations, and they’re usually tied to the kind of Life you’re playing. Some ask you to gather things, others push you into combat.

Instead of slowly building points by picking flowers or fighting stray monsters, you’ll get a noticeable boost to your Area Rank the moment you complete one of these tasks. When your rank goes up in a region, the monsters and gathering spots level up with it. That might sound like it makes things tougher, and sure, it does, but that’s exactly the point. Stronger enemies give you more EXP when you beat them. The same goes for foraging spots, as higher rank ones drop better materials and give you more experience when you collect from them.

1Trade Rare Items with the Traveling Merchant for Cashnuts

He Likes to Roam Around, So Track Him Down Once You Spot Him on the Map

The Traveling Merchant doesn’t stick to a plan. He shows up in random spots all over Ginormosia, and there’s no telling where you’ll find him next; maybe near a riverbank, maybe along a trail. He doesn’t follow a schedule, and the time of day doesn’t matter either. You could bump into him first thing in the morning or after the stars are out. It’s all up to chance. What makes spotting him easier is the map. If he’s around, a small merchant icon appears. That’s your only real clue. Once you see it, you’ll want to head his way sooner than later. He doesn’t stick around long, and once he leaves, he’s gone until he decides to show up again.

He sells items you won’t find in regular shops, and he won’t take standard Dosh for them. Everything he offers is priced in Cashnuts, so ensure you’ve got some saved up. His inventory rotates daily based on the real-world clock, so if he didn’t have anything useful today, there’s a good reason to check back tomorrow.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

How to Get Hyper Healthy Honey in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

Hyper Healthy Honey is an item you need to complete a request in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.