Ni No Kuni Frequently Asked Questions: Deciphering Runes, Taming Green Bunchers, and more

New players to Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch might be surprised at the difficulty level of this seemingly low-stakes RPG. However, very early on many players find themselves lost when it comes to completing both main quests to move the story forward and optional side quests. If you're one of the many people struggling to get through some of these early blocking points in Ni No Kuni, these answers to frequently asked questions should help move you forward.

Once you've got a feel for how the game's quest system works, it becomes easier to figure out how to proceed. Early on, though, it can be a real hassle trying to figure out exactly what the game is asking you to do. Read on for a helping hand as you set out on your epic journey.

I have some bad news, guys. There's no simple way to tame Green Bunchers for the researcher in Al-Mammoon. The other part of the quest, recruiting a Turbandit, was no big deal. Sadly, Green Bunchers just have a bizarrely low chance of being tamable Some players might get them to fall in love with you after just five battles, others will fight dozens on dozens of the unripe bananas with no results.

Although there's no surefire way to recruit a Green Buncher in Ni No Kuni, you can slightly improve the odds in your favor. Killing enemies with a "NICE!" attack is more likely to impress them, so try to aim for those counter-attacks. There's some evidence that finishing off an enemy with an opposing stellar sign will also improve their recruitment rate. Try using Esther's Gogo to bring the Green Buncher down and finish this annoying quest.

Often, Ni No Kuni will send you off to your Wizard's Companion to solve a riddle or get information for quests. The spell book is a fun way to add some interactivity to the game, but the menu you choose chapters from often masks important entries by making the book open up to a chapter past where important information is written.

After getting to Castaway Cove, you'll finally acquire your Alchemy Pot. To utilize it, Oliver and his friends will need to search the Wizard's Companion to open the mysterious artifact up. Choosing alchemy from the Wizard's Companion will instantly open your book up to a number of recipes. To find the answer to the riddle, you'll need to turn a few pages back.

If you don't feel like flipping through the book, your password is "OPEN SAYS-A-ME". Be sure to include all spaces and dashes as written or else it won't work. After you recite the password, you'll be thrust into a boss battle with no warning, so be sure to rest up!

The ghost of a once-famous medium, Horace, is wandering the countryside and is waiting for Oliver and company in each major town you visit. He'll offer you new magic spells in exchange for correctly answering his riddles. The answers to these riddles are often difficult to discern and the answering system is quite finicky. Here are some of the earliest riddles that new Ni No Kuni players often have trouble answering.

The Prince and the Lion Riddle

Horace will ask you to read the fable in your WIzard's companion and then answer which of the four main characters was the third smallest. What the question is really asking is which of the four is the second biggest. Type in "Dragon of the West" exactly as written and you'll earn yourself the Draw Poison spell.

Deciphering the Runes

This one is exceptionally tricky! You'll be asked to find and translate some wizard runes inside of your Wizard's Companion, using the key attached in a separate chapter. Not only is it annoying to flip between the picture and the cipher, but the most obvious runes aren't the real message! They're just a doodle left by the previous owner of the book that say "I smell."

The real message is actually woven into the robe of the wizard pictured. Skip the hassle of translating and just type in "Finest Fiber" to the vacate spell and finish the quest.

Do you have any lingering questions about Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch? Leave a note in the comments section and me or one of your fellow readers will try and help you out.