Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition — 5 Best Tips for Beginners

Spiritfarer is all about dying, and more importantly, the journey one takes to find everlasting peace in troublesome times. As the fledgling ferry master—a young girl who inherits the power to ship lost souls to their final resting places—you must learn to not only accommodate their needs, but assure that their final moments are worth holding out for. A tough gig to take under your wing, for sure, but nothing a few quick tips won’t be able to help with.

So, how exactly do you go about assuring that the souls of the dead will pass over to the great beyond? Well, if you have just started out in the cozy management and adventure sim, then be sure to read on for a few words of advice. Here’s everything you should know before starting your journey.

5. Food & Hugs Are Everything

Your primary objective as a ferry master is to accolade your passengers and see to their ever little need, regardless of how small or unimportant it may seem. For the most part, though, you’ll find that keeping your members’ happiness levels up is as easy as offering them a bite to eat, or even a quick hug to alleviate the stress of passing over to the afterlife. To uncover their favorite foods, you may have to experiment with a few of the key food groups: fruits, vegetables, desserts, or seafood. Once you’ve found the dish that makes them tick, they’ll be sure to let you know, as their mood will suddenly change to Ecstatic. Ideally, you’ll want to feed each of your passengers at least once per day, either at midday, or in the evenings before bedtime.

For the sake of keeping your pantry full at all times, you’ll want to keep a fresh stock of fish from the ocean. To do this, simply head to the fishing spot on the far left side of your ship, and cast your line out. Note that, while you can get a few Herring right from the beginning of your travels, the best fish will pop up after you’ve welcomed your Uncle Atul to the crew. This character is unmissable, and will appear after you’ve completed the tutorials.

NOTE: NPCs won’t eat the same thing twice in a row, so be sure to mix up your recipes and trial new dishes. If in doubt, aim to source some carrots or berries for a few quick snacks, such as Popcorn or Poached Fruit.

4. Visit Shipwreck Sites Often

Without doubt, the best way to gather large amounts of resources at once is to visit shipwreck sites, which can be identified by their gold icons on the map. Once you’ve arrived at one of these sites, aim to crack open the crates that are floating in the sea, as these often contain dozens of valuable items, including Limestone, Maple Logs, and Copper Ore. You can also dive in certain spots, too. To do this, simply head towards the glistening areas in the sea and tap the appropriate action button.

Of course, there’s a good chance that you’ll come across some types of jewelry and other sunken artifacts when out diving, too. However, seeing as jewelry won’t really get you anywhere as a ferry master, you’ll want to offload these items as soon as you’re able to. For the best prices, you’ll want to wait for the traveling merchant, Francis, who visits you along your travels every once in a while.

3. Increase Your Ship Size ASAP

You’ll come to realize rather early on that, to progress deeper into the game, you’ll need to build several, if not dozens of units in your ship. Unfortunately, you’ll run out of room in the initial grid right around the time you’re required to build a Sawmill. Not to worry, though, as a quick trip to Albert’s Shipyard will give you the opportunity to boost your grid size for a set amount of Glims, which serve as the in-game currency.

To earn a sufficient amount of Glims in Spiritfarer, you’ll want to resort to either selling unwanted treasures found in the ocean, or collecting them when passing through a storm. To do this, you will need to analyze your map, and set a course that drifts between the storm clouds. Once in position, you will need to catch lightning bolts in a bottle—a mini-game that will be handed to you by Uncle Atul. If successful, you should, in theory, have two, maybe three thousand Glims per session.

2. Grow, Grow & Grow

At no point during your journey as a ferry master should you remain idle. In fact, you should, in an ideal world, spend most hours of your day doing something, if not for the sake of pleasing another passenger, then for yourself. If you’re not growing something, then you should be fishing for the next day’s banquet, and vice versa. Inventory all maxed out? Speak to the traveling merchant to offload your goodies. Failing that, then head over to a new shipwreck site to salvage new resources and treasures.

Granted, nights can be a little quiet, especially with your ship being inactive and your guests snoozing in their suites. During these moments, you’ll either want to fish out on the dock, or play guitar to your crops in the Field or Garden to help them grow faster. Point is, there’s no rest for the wicked — ferry master included.

1. Take Your Time

To put it out there, Spiritfarer is not a short game. In fact, even if you romped through the main objectives at lightning speeds, you’d still wind up being in receipt of twenty-five, maybe even thirty hours of total play time. But that isn’t to say that you should power through it, as the game itself isn’t one for ushering players to the next objective without a second thought. On the contrary, it invites players to walk with it, and take its stories as they come, no matter how slow or drawn-out they can be.

When it comes to onboarding new passengers, aim to keep the bare minimum, and not, for example, a Noah’s Arc of lost souls. As you’ll be seeing to their every individual need, you’ll want to give them your utmost attention and support, and not let certain NPCs fall through the net for the sake of obtaining an earlier conclusion. Remember, it isn’t a hotel; you’re piloting a ferry, so keep to two or three passengers at a time.

So, what’s your take? Do you have any useful tips for Spiritfarer newcomers? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.