Upgrading tools is a staple of games in the farming sim genre, and the system has made its way to Fae Farm. Players braving the game's mines and dungeons, or just looking to be more efficient at various tasks, will want to learn about the different upgrades they can unlock for everything from their axes to their critter-catching nets.
These upgrades aren't limited to just efficiency, either. Like in Stardew Valley, most of the tools in Fae Farm have unique abilities that are unlocked from Iron level onwards, which make using them even more satisfying. These range from flinging axes to performing area-of-effect moves with the pickaxe and shovel. And these are all provided by an NPC that's easy to miss.
Upgrading Tools in Fae Farm
The process of upgrading tools can only be accessed after completing Chapter 2. During the third chapter, players will get the key to the Saltwater Mine, where they'll find an abundance of copper ore, stone, and coal: everything they need to start upgrading their tools. It's a strange choice on the game's part to not show players where their tools are upgraded, but they can access the tool upgrading menu by talking to the NPC 'Cinder' at her usual spot in the docks.
To turn the copper ore into useable copper ingots, players will first need to craft a Stone Forge on their farm. This requires 25 Stone and 10 Coal, both readily available in the Saltwater Mine and becoming more common the deeper players go. Upon crafting the forge, a Copper Ingot can be smelted by using 10 Copper Ore and 2 Coal. Each starting tool requires 1 Copper Ingot and 100 Florins to upgrade when talking to Cinder.
After upgrading to Copper, players will find that some resources can now be broken, where their starting tools were too weak to do so. Further upgrades (Iron, Feyrite, Silver, Orichalum, and Gold) will repeat this process and make players more efficient in general.
Upgrading Non-Metal Tools in Fae Farm
Players have likely noticed their inventory filling up with other kinds of tools, the type that increase their hobby XP or provide a way to deal with threats. These are upgraded separately in the ways listed below.
- Fishing rod: At fishing level 3, 5, and 7, purchase new rods from Eddy the fisherman.
- Critter net: At critter catching level 3, 5, and 7, purchase new nets from Mel the beekeeper.
- Magic staff: The staff will be upgraded naturally as players progress through the story.
Fae Farm is available now on PC and Nintendo Switch.