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The Best Starting Lives
- Paladin
- Mercenary
- Hunter
- Magician
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Best Gathering Lives to Start
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Avoid Starting With Crafting Lives
If you’ve chosen Fantasy Life I: The Girl Who Steals Time, it seems likely that you’re familiar with how typical Role-Playing Games (RPGs) operate. In this game, you design a character and decide on its initial class – whether it’s a fighter, an archer, or a magic user. This decision sets the course for your subsequent 50+ hours of adventure.
Regardless of any adjustments you make to your abilities or gear, you remain essentially the same kind of character you were when you first began playing the game.
In a refreshing twist from the norm, Fantasy Life integrates multiple professions, which it calls “Lives,” into a harmonious and interactive world system.
In this game, you take on the roles of both Farmer and Cook. As a Farmer, you sow seeds and grow crops, while as a Cook, you transform those crops into delicious dishes. Essentially, you run your own self-contained economy. This game caters to various playstyles, welcoming those who enjoy slaying monsters or those who prefer fishing or farming in a simulator setting.
Although I found this feature enjoyable, I recognize that it could potentially be overpowering for beginners. Since there are 14 distinct options, some of which function more effectively as initial choices than others, allow me to offer guidance and help you get started smoothly without encountering unnecessary frustration.
The Best Starting Lives

Although the game gives the impression that each of the 14 lives has equal value, the way the narrative is constructed provides a distinct edge for the Combat Class. This is because the initial quests are predominantly combat-oriented or involve tracking down large groups of monsters. Consequently, starting with any class other than a Combat Life at the outset seems inefficient.
Instead of immediately opting for a combat class, it might be wiser to start with it in the beginning because you have to reach Fledgling Rank first before you can switch to another Life, and this can only be achieved by either going through the tutorial or completing rank up missions specific to that Life.
Another rationale is that advancing the Combat Class simultaneously, makes it simpler to face the primary objective.
As a gamer, now that I’ve highlighted some key benefits of starting with a Combat Class, let me walk you through the four unique Combat Life options within the game. Each has its own strengths, so you can pick the one that suits your playstyle the best.
Life | Playstyle | Weapon | Guild Master | Guild Location |
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Paladin | Melee | Sword and Shield | Cuna | Guild Office and Paladin’s Guild (Eternia Village) |
Mercenary | Melee | Greatsword | Marcen | Mercenary’s Guild and Inn (Eternia Village) |
Hunter | Ranged | Bow | Arche | Southwest of Eternia Village |
Magician | Ranged | Staff | Oz | Magician’s Guild (By the Statue of Goddess Celestia, north of the Main Guild Hall in Eternia Village) |
It’s completely feasible to select a single combat-focused life and progress it until late stages of the game, especially if you want to devote more time to other aspects like farming, mining, cooking, alchemy, or crafting classes. All you really need to do is level up that one combat life adequately so it can handle monsters effectively.
Paladin
As an ardent enthusiast, let me tell you, the Paladin in our Role Playing Game (RPG) is essentially the quintessential warrior I find myself drawn to. This battle-tested class, much like a trusty knight, wields a sword and shield – tools that allow me to inflict damage on adversaries while also providing me with defense against incoming assaults.
Playing this combat life is particularly straightforward because it offers you not just one but two defensive strategies – dodge and block. These options provide you with additional methods to respond effectively when you find yourself in a tight spot surrounded by numerous monsters.
As a Paladin, you’ll acquire unique skills such as the Sonic Slash, a powerful strike that can reach and harm enemies from afar. Over time, as you advance in rank, you’ll also unlock the ability to inflict elemental damage.
Mercenary
In Fantasy Life I, the Mercenary is a frontline combatant who specializes in attacking groups of enemies with a large, two-handed weapon, making it a formidable melee fighter.
Instead of the Paladin’s well-rounded build, the Mercenary is an all-out attack powerhouse, dishing out greater damage to multiple foes with broader attacks, albeit at the cost of being slightly slower due to the mandatory wind-up prior to each blow.
Originally, I was a mercenary. Drawing from my background, I’d recommend choosing this character over the Paladin if you lean towards evasion rather than defense. The dodge mechanism in Fantasy Life is remarkably lenient compared to other games that require precise timing for survival rolls.
Hunter
In simpler terms, the Hunter’s gameplay style is similar to that of a typical archer character. If you enjoy playing roles that attack from a distance, then this character should appeal to you. The Hunter possesses various types of arrows capable of causing different status conditions on enemies, such as poisoning, putting them to sleep, or making them unable to move.
Live’s skill set includes Arrow Rain, an area-of-effect (AoE) charged ability that’s particularly effective against clusters of adversaries. The unique aspect of the Hunter lies in the versatility of their charged attack; it can be blended with the arrow type you currently have equipped. For instance, using Arrow Rain alongside Sleep Arrows increases the likelihood of putting enemies to sleep.
Starting with a character that has range abilities and advancing their level quickly will prove beneficial during the mid-game phase, as you’ll begin exploring expansive maps. Moreover, it’s simply more convenient to eliminate adversaries from a secure distance using this type of character.
Magician
Among all the combat options, the Magician character seems to offer the most enjoyable gameplay experience. You’ll be provided with a Staff for your arsenal, enabling you to cast both single-target and area-of-effect spells. As you progress and level up, an expanded repertoire of spells, Arcane Arts, and various elemental spells will become available to you.
This option is highly convenient, particularly for solo players, thanks to its healing ability in battle. It’s especially beneficial during the initial stages of the game when you’re focusing on preserving your in-game money, or Dosh.
Best Gathering Lives to Start
After discussing all the Combat Lives, you may be wondering if there’s an option to pick a beginning life that isn’t combat-related.
In essence, the game allows that level of flexibility, with no barriers preventing you from exploring most areas, aside from the Farmer and Artist Lives, which can only be accessed by advancing through the storyline.
Indeed, if you’re aiming for a farming-sim style playthrough, I’d recommend opting for a Gathering Life first. By doing so, you can accumulate resources that will be useful for your Crafting Life in the future.
Here’s a list of all the Gathering Lives available in the game and what they do:
Life | Tool Used | Guild Master | Guild Location | What This Life Does |
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Miner | Pickaxe | Meralda | Miner’s Guild (Eternia Village) | Collects ores from deposits. |
Woodcutter | Axe | Leela | Woodcutter’s Guild (Eternia Village) | Collects logs by cutting trees which the Carpenter life can turn into lumber. |
Angler | Fishing Rod | Gramps | Fisher’s Guild (Pier in Eternia Village) | Catch fish which the Cook life can use as a food ingredient in dishes. |
Farmer (Unlocked in Chapter 4) | Hoe | Inaji | Faraway Island | Plant and grow crops. |
I realize I’ve gone into great detail about why Combat Lives could be the wiser decision, but I’m aware that you might be drawn to Fantasy Life I for its intriguing farming and crafting aspects instead.
As a fellow gamer, if you’re planning a peaceful journey without engaging in combat from the get-go, even when faced with early game hurdles, collecting Lifeforce or simply ‘Gathering Lives’ would be an ideal choice for you.
In the game Fantasy Life I, the “gathering” feature operates as a small, strategic game focused on managing your Spirit Points (SP). Various ore deposits, trees, and fish have varying levels and health points (HP) that you must deplete to collect materials.
Regardless if you’re extracting mineral reserves, felling timber, or fishing, an effective method for collecting resources is constantly searching for optimal locations while in the process of gathering.
Strike these optimal points, and you’ll reduce the resource more quickly, increasing the speed at which it diminishes. The swifter you can reduce a deposit, tree, or fish’s health points (HP), the higher your chances of receiving an “Excellent” reward, granting you a greater quantity of materials and bonus items.
Every Life in Gathering possesses the ability called “Sweet Spot Targeting.” With this, you can identify sweet spots by pressing X on your controller while navigating resources. It’s a practical skill that enables you to inflict bonus damage with each strike, enhancing your probability of receiving exceptional loot.
If you’re interested in kicking off the game as a collector, the optimal choice would be the Miner Life. This is because it offers the best opportunity to gather ores early on, which your Blacksmith life can utilize for crafting initial game armor, weapons, or tools that will benefit your other lives.
Avoid Starting With Crafting Lives

Once you’ve dipped your toes into the realms of Combat and Gathering Lives and progressed to the levels of Fledgling or Apprentice, you may find yourself keen to embark on a Crafting Life as your next venture.
Instead of initiating Fantasy Life I with a Crafting Life from the get-go, I’d strongly recommend you consider another option first.
In the game, Crafting Lives operates like the final stage of a production line, relying on the basic resources that are gathered by Gathering Lives to create their products. At the beginning of the game, if you lack these essential resources, you may find yourself in a difficult situation, and even struggling financially due to the high cost of purchasing raw materials from shops.
In other life professions like tailoring or alchemy, players are able to collect raw materials. Nevertheless, in the initial stages of the game, there isn’t much to gather, and it becomes both pointless and tedious to wait for resources to reappear just to craft a single potion.

Once you’ve successfully increased your Gathering Professions and accumulated sufficient resources, delving into Crafting Professions can be incredibly enjoyable. For me, the joy came from creating weapons, tools, or armor as a Blacksmith, constructing furniture as a Carpenter, and even brewing my own Potions as an Alchemist. Not only was it fun, but it also helped me save quite a bit of money in the process.
In essence, Crafting Lives shares similarities with Gathering Lives as they both function as mini-games. However, while in Gathering Lives you’re collecting items, in Crafting Lives, you’ll need to possess the recipes for an item and react quickly to press the buttons on your controller or keyboard to complete a timed sequence game.
Here’s the list of all the Crafting Lives and what they do:
Life | Tool Used | Guild Master | Guild Location | What This Life Does |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alchemist | Flask | Chemmel | Alchemist’s Guild (Eternia Village) | Create different kinds of Potions and Charms. |
Cook | Pan | Cocott | Cook’s Guild and Restaurant (Eternia Village) | Cooks food that can provide healing and stat bonuses. |
Tailor | Needle | Sue | Tailor’s Guild (Eternia Village) | Craft new clothing to be used as an outfit or armor for other Lives. |
Carpenter | Saw | Daiku | Woodcutter’s Guild (Eternia Village) | Turn logs into lumber and craft furniture and tools. |
Blacksmith | Hammer | Hammerhead | Blacksmith’s Guild and Shop (Eternia Village) | Forge weapons, armors, and tools. |
Artist (Unlocked in Chapter 5) | Brush | Paulette | Paulette’s Atelier (Tropica Isles) | Craft decorations and ornaments. |
After checking out all the lives offered in Fantasy Life I, the choice is yours to decide which life you prefer to begin your adventure with!
The charm of this game resides in its flexibility, allowing you to decide and act as you please. Although I might advise that opting for a Combat Life could be the most straightforward route, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution here. Your adventure is yours to shape, and it’s your responsibility to ensure you maximize enjoyment and have a great time immersed in the game at your own pace.
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2025-06-02 17:11