Viva Piñata 100% guide

Open your first resident Whirlm's information, go to its basic info page and change its name. The achievement unlocks when you confirm the new name.

Open the label option for your garden and create and save a custom label. It unlocks when the label is saved. Your label is also stamped on piñatas raised in your garden.

Grow 5 different plant species to maturity. Each species earns its Grown to Maturity award once, so five carrots only count as one. Water them; fertiliser is not needed. Your starter carrot and turnip seeds, plus the free seeds Seedos gives you as you level up, cover this quickly. Track it under Journal > Player Awards > Plant Awards. It unlocks when the fifth species reaches maturity.

Grow 25 different plant species to maturity. The game has about 30 plant species, counting trees and weeds, so plant every new seed type as soon as Seedos gives it or Costolot's stocks it. Seed holes made with the Seed Head shovel from level 5 make planting quicker. This finishes gradually through the mid and late game as new seeds unlock.

Full bonus growth means a plant has received all three fertiliser stages. Buy fertiliser from Costolot's, or make it by directing a resident Taffly to a piece of fruit. Later, Ivor's Special Mix and Cocoadile tears also work. This also counts per species: each species earns its full bonus growth award once, so it must be 5 different species. Most small plants take all three doses straight away; trees and bushes need their successful doses spread across their growth stages. Weeds such as thistle, poison ivy, toadstool and the Venus piñata trap cannot be fertilised. Watch for the bonus-growth sounds and check Plant Awards. It unlocks after the fifth species reaches full bonus growth.

The same, for 25 different species. Only about 27 species can be fertilised, so this leaves almost no slack: give every new fertilisable species, including every tree and bush, all three doses the first time you grow it. The gem tree is the exception: it reaches full bonus growth from one successful fertiliser dose during its second budding stage. From level 20, Ivor's Special Mix works on any fertilisable plant, so use it for late cleanup instead of matching fertiliser colours.

Make 5 species resident. Whirlm, Sparrowmint, Mousemallow (a turnip attracts it), Bunnycomb (a carrot) and Syrupent (grass) all come early. Piñatas bought from Paper Pets also count. It unlocks when the fifth species becomes resident.

This needs 50 different species to have been resident at some point. The tally never goes back down, so you can sell a species after it counts. Each Flutterscotch colour has its own Resident award and counts as a separate species. Bought piñatas from Paper Pets and piñatas fetched by Gretchen count, and a tamed sour counts through its sweet form (Crowla, Sherbat and so on). Make every new species resident as you work through the game. It will finish in the late game, after Swanana, Fizzlybear, Parrybo, Eaglair, Elephanilla and Roario become available between levels 27 and 38. Counting each Flutterscotch colour, there are about 69 species that can become resident, so you have plenty of leeway.

This set reaches exactly 50 without any species gated above level 35. Each window of this guide explains how to get them:

• Early wild species (16): Whirlm, Sparrowmint, Mousemallow, Bunnycomb, Syrupent, Taffly, Mothdrop, Pretztail, Fudgehog, Lickatoad, Newtgat, Quackberry, Raisant, Squazzil, Buzzlegum, Arocknid.
• Evolutions (8): Candary, Reddhott, Salamango, Juicygoose, Lackatoad, Twingersnap, Fourheads, Zumbug.
• Paper Pets (8): Cluckles, Kittyfloss, Rashberry, Barkbark, Goobaa, Pudgeon, Ponocky, Moozipan.
• Flutterscotches (10): White, plus Red, Green, Blue, Pink, Black, Brown, Yellow, Orange and Purple.
• Tamed sours (8): Shellybean, Sherbat, Crowla, Profitamole, Macaracoon, Cocoadile, Mallowolf, Bonboon.

Spares you will pick up anyway include Swanana, Sweetooth, Pigxie and Horstachio. Aim for about 55 in case one of the set gives you trouble.

After taming each sour, check the Journal for that species' Resident award. Taming should count, but if the award is missing, meet the resident requirement the Journal now lists for that species.

The legitimate route needs a Buzzlegum with a hive, a Moozipan or a Goobaa. The faster route is to buy produce from Costolot's. A jar of honey is in stock from level 3 for 500 coins. Buy it and place it in your garden. If it does not unlock straight away, pick the honey up again. Wool and milk appear in Costolot's later and work the same way.

Master Romancer for a species means having 7 of that species living in the garden at the same time. Romancing is the usual way, but bought, fetched, evolved and colour-variant piñatas all count toward the 7. Do not sell or lose any until the award appears, and keep predators that eat that species out of the garden. Sours and the Dragonache cannot earn the award.

Start with Whirlms, then use easy early species such as Sparrowmint, Mousemallow, Bunnycomb and Syrupent. The achievement unlocks when you hold 5 Master Romancer awards. You need 5 of them before the Sour Macaracoon can be tamed later, so finish this before level 24.

Keep earning the award for every species you rotate through. The achievement unlocks at 20 species. Shortcuts:

• From level 8, Paper Pets sells species such as Cluckles, Rashberry, Barkbark, Goobaa, Pudgeon, Ponocky and Moozipan. Buying 7 at once earns the award, and you can sell them back at a small loss.
• Once Gretchen Fetchem is open (level 7 at the latest), she can fetch any species that has been resident before. Romance a pair, have Gretchen fetch the rest, and finish with one more romance.
• Each Flutterscotch colour has its own Master Romancer award, which makes them cheap award fodder. Gretchen only fetches white Flutterscotches, so recolour them yourself.
• Piñatas away at a factory party do not count until they return, and unhatched eggs never count.

Earn the Horstachio award along the way. Seven Horstachios at once is what later attracts the Chewnicorn.

A reliable set of 21:

• Paper Pets (8): Cluckles, Kittyfloss, Rashberry, Barkbark, Goobaa, Pudgeon, Ponocky and Moozipan, as each unlocks. Kittyfloss and Barkbark fight, so never hold both at once.
• Evolution pairs (8): earn the award for 7 Sparrowmints, then turn all 7 into Candaries for a second award. Do the same with Taffly and Reddhott, Newtgat and Salamango, and Quackberry and Juicygoose. Evolve plain-coloured piñatas, not variants.
• Cheap wild species (5): Whirlm, Mousemallow, Syrupent, Mothdrop, Bunnycomb.

Extras if needed: Horstachio, Fudgehog, Shellybean, Pretztail, Raisant, Squazzil, or any Flutterscotch colour.

Protect a species while you build to 7:

• A wild Pretztail comes at night once a Cluckles or Bunnycomb lives in the garden, and eats one.
• Lickatoads and Arocknids eat Tafflies.
• A Fudgehog eats Whirlms.
• Buzzenges eat Candaries. Evolve all 7 Candaries in one sitting and sell them once the award pops.

A garden holds about 32 piñatas, visitors included. If romance hearts stop appearing or no new visitors arrive, sell or crate some piñatas.

Each species has three colour variants, made by feeding a specific item. The requirements appear in the Journal once you have discovered them. Whirlm eating a turnip is the earliest. A variant cannot be changed back, and each variant needs its own piñata; recolouring a second piñata the same way may not add to the count. Flutterscotch colours do not count as variants. The safest approach is one variant on each of several different species. It unlocks after you make 5 variant piñatas.

Some variants slash a piñata's value. Every Eaglair and Galagoogoo variant, for example, drops it from 4,500 to about 100. Never recolour a piñata you plan to use for Piñata Value or Piñata Value Master.

Make variants for every species you rotate through, before selling it. It unlocks at 20 variant piñatas. Doing this while chasing Master Romancer is efficient, because variants also count toward the 7.

Safest route: put one variant on each of at least 20 different species. Seeds and flowerheads are different foods, so feed exactly the form listed. Re-direct the piñata if it ignores the item. Cheap recipes, with the level the item becomes available:

• Whirlm: turnip → purple (2). Watercress seed → green (8).
• Syrupent: buttercup flower → gold (2).
• Taffly: buttercup seed → yellow (2).
• Mothdrop: daisy flower → yellow and white (2).
• Sparrowmint: thistle flower → purple (2).
• Mousemallow: daisy flower plus bluebell flower → pink (5).
• Fudgehog: bluebell seed → blue (5).
• Shellybean: corn → yellow (5).
• Pretztail, Candary, Newtgat and Kittyfloss: bluebell flower → blue.
• Quackberry: bluebell seed → blue (try the flower if the seed is ignored).
• Lickatoad and Cluckles: bluebell seed → blue.
• Squazzil: watercress seed → green (8).
• Sherbat: chilli seed → red (11).
• Rashberry: poppy seed → red (12).
• Arocknid, Goobaa, Pudgeon and Horstachio: bluebell flower → blue.
• Reddhott: bluebell seed → blue.

Bluebell seeds are cheap and cover many of these, so keep a stack.

This unlocks when you reach gardener level 10. It comes naturally through the opening route.

Buy a Cluckles from Paper Pets. After any romance, move the delivered egg off the landing spot and direct the Cluckles to it. It unlocks when the Cluckles hatches the egg. If it refuses, make it happy first. Keep it around to speed up your romances, but sell it before a Pretztail moves in, since Pretztails eat Cluckles.

Any flower in your garden attracts Tafflies. Once one is resident, buy a piece of fruit or pick one from a tree, drop it in the garden and direct the Taffly to it. The Taffly sprays the fruit into a pile of fertiliser coloured to match the fruit. It unlocks when the Taffly produces fertiliser. This is known to be inconsistent, so repeat it with another piece of fruit if it does not appear straight away.

Evolve 2 species. The two easiest are:

• Reddhott: buy a torch, direct a Taffly into the flames, then put it out with the watering can before it gets hurt.
• Candary: feed a Sparrowmint a buttercup flower.

It unlocks when the second evolved species appears. The Reddhott sells for around 2,000 coins, which makes the Taffly-torch trick the best early money method. Keep a couple of Lickatoads resident so wild ones do not eat your Tafflies.

Evolve 8 species. These eight evolutions are exactly the ones that count:

• Reddhott: Taffly set on fire and put out.
• Candary: Sparrowmint fed a buttercup.
• Salamango: Newtgat fed a chilli.
• Juicygoose: Quackberry fed a gooseberry.
• Zumbug: Horstachio fed a blackberry and a daisy.
• Lackatoad: Lickatoad fed a nightshade berry, then hit with the shovel before the poison takes hold. Nightshade is only sold from level 23.
• Twingersnap: romance Syrupents (their romance needs them to eat a Lickatoad) and watch their egg. It gives a few small hops, then three bigger ones. Hit it once with the shovel on the third big hop. Hitting it too early can destroy the egg.
• Fourheads: the same trick on an egg from two romanced Twingersnaps.

Flutterscotch colours and the Pigxie do not count. Work through them as each species becomes available. Evolving resets a piñata's accessories, variant and value, so never evolve a piñata you have dressed up.

Keep a few Syrupent-family piñatas (Syrupents, Twingersnaps and Fourheads) resident from here on. Five of them attract the Macaracoon at level 24, it eats Syrupents to become resident, and a Twingersnap is the easiest way to tame the Sour Bonboon at level 35.

Hire a Sprinkling as soon as the Inn opens. It unlocks when she starts work in your garden.

Once your Sprinkling has arrived, select her, open her menu and rename her.

The Sour Sherbat visits from level 10. Bart can turn a pumpkin into a Jack-o'-Lantern; let the Sherbat eat it to tame it. With the Shellybean, that is two blocks, and the achievement unlocks when the second block is added.

Ten hours of real play time across all gardens. It will unlock around here or soon after without any effort.

Your garden expands automatically at level 11, and this unlocks with it.

Hire a Gatherling from Arfur's Inn at level 12. It unlocks when he arrives. He may pick up bait you leave out for piñatas, so dismiss him afterwards if he gets in the way.

A beggar starts appearing around level 12. His visits can be irregular, so keep an eye out. Give him a total of 1,000 chocolate coins. You can pay in instalments: a partial payment just sends him away for a few days, so keep paying each time he returns. Do not hit him with the shovel. It unlocks when he becomes Ivor Bargain the trader. His shop sells many of the upgrades needed later, so do this as soon as he appears.

Hold 25,000 coins at once. Coins are shared across all gardens. Good money sources from here:

• Taffly-to-Reddhott evolutions, sold on.
• Newtgat to Salamango with a chilli, sold on.
• Chillies planted in seed holes and fertilised three times, sold at full growth.
• Selling species and their houses after finishing them.

It unlocks the moment your balance reaches 25,000.

Hire a Weedling from Arfur's Inn at level 14. It unlocks when he arrives.

From level 14, Langston at Piñata Central sends party requests for particular piñatas. Accept a request, place the crate, put the requested piñata in it, and it gets sent to a party and comes back. Turning down a request has no penalty, so only accept ones you can fill. Gretchen can fetch species that have been resident before. It unlocks after 5 completed requests.

Keep accepting requests you can fill. It unlocks at 20. Requests come regularly, so this normally finishes long before the late-game achievements. Sending a piñata to a party also raises its value, which helps Piñata Value later.

Hire a Watchling at level 16. It unlocks when he arrives. Watchlings help keep sours and Ruffians at bay. Safest route: once this has unlocked, dismiss any Watchling or Night Watchling before you attempt Mallowolf Howl later, so nothing chases Ruffians off before your Mallowolf can.

The Sour Crowla visits from level 15. Place a bird bath and have it drink a bottle of medicine to tame it. That gives you a third Tower block and makes the Crowla resident straight away.

Do not call Doc Patchingo and do not buy the Dastardos Scarer before these two achievements. The Scarer only delays Dastardos. Make one of your piñatas sick, for example by hitting it with the shovel. Wait for Dastardos to arrive, then direct the Crowla at him. It unlocks when the Crowla distracts him. Be quick, because a sick piñata Dastardos reaches gets broken open.

Use the same setup with the Sherbat you tamed at level 10. If you have two sick piñatas or enough time, do both in one visit. It unlocks when the Sherbat distracts Dastardos.

The shovel heads are:

• Seed Head: free at level 5.
• Pond Head: free at level 7.
• Treecutter: free at level 15.
• Chocolate Sniffer: 540 coins from Ivor, from about level 12.
• Dastardos Head: 2,520 coins from Ivor, from level 20.

The Dastardos Head is the last head. Buy the Chocolate Sniffer once Ivor's shop opens, then the Dastardos Head at level 20. The achievement unlocks when you buy the Dastardos Head.

The garden expands for the second and final time at level 21, and this unlocks with it.

Once the Sour is tamed, sweet Macaracoons can visit. A Macaracoon visits when 5 Syrupent-family piñatas (Syrupent, Twingersnap or Fourheads, in any mix) are resident, and becomes resident by eating 3 Syrupents, so keep spares.

With a resident Macaracoon, wait until night to be safe. Select it, choose the Romance Sweet icon in its menu, and it leaves the garden. When it returns with a Romance Sweet, select the alert that appears and choose to view it. It unlocks when the Macaracoon brings you the sweet. Requests often fail, and repeated requests make it unhappy. Keep it happy and try again on another night, or have Gretchen fetch a fresh Macaracoon. A new garden is the last resort.

Buying the One Pour Wonder alone unlocks this. Ivor sells it from level 24 for 4,125 coins. The other cans (Tin and Gold from Costolot's, Glass and Everpour 5000 from Ivor) are optional; they only add Tool awards and some experience. It unlocks when you buy the One Pour Wonder.

The Diggerling is available at Arfur's Inn from level 26 for 2,420 coins. Hire him as soon as he is listed. It unlocks when he arrives for his shift and takes the contract. A mine from Willy is not needed for this achievement.

The Pigxie is the only cross-species romance. Both Swanana and Rashberry must be resident with their own romance requirements met:

• Rashberries need a rotten hazelnut, a rotten chilli and a rotten gooseberry, plus a Rashberry house. Rot food instantly by tapping it with the shovel.
• Swananas need 30% water, a Swan Fountain, a diamond choker, 3 water lily flowers and a Swanana house.

Then buy the Mystery House from Willy. It should be offered once both species have been resident. Safest route: if Willy does not offer it yet, romance each species normally in its own house first, which you need for Master Romancer anyway. Then direct a Rashberry to a Swanana. If they refuse, feed both a Joy Sweet from Ivor and try again, or try the Swanana as the one directed. If they still refuse, romance a Rashberry pair and a Swanana pair normally once, then get one of each ready again and retry the Mystery House. It unlocks when the cross romance is completed. Keep at least one Pigxie, because the Sour Mallowolf eats one to be tamed.

The Sour Cocoadile visits from level 28. Give it 16% water and let it eat 1 Sweetooth (from level 21) and 2 Swananas. That is your sixth Tower block.

Once tamed, sweet Cocoadiles can visit with 16% water and 6 Quackberries resident. They become resident at 19% water after eating 3 Quackberries, so keep spares. Plant a cheap, fast plant such as a flower or a chilli and direct the Cocoadile to cry on it while it is young. The tears count as one dose of fertiliser. It is reported to unlock as soon as the Cocoadile cries on a growing plant. If it has not unlocked, finish fertilising that plant through its remaining stages with more tears or ordinary fertiliser; it unlocks at full bonus growth at the latest.

With the Shellybean, Sherbat, Crowla, Profitamole, Macaracoon and Cocoadile, the Tower has 6 blocks. It unlocks when the sixth is added. If a taming stalls, you can buy a block for coins instead, but tame the Cocoadile normally because you need the species.

The handles go Iron (level 6), Bronze (13), Silver (around 23) and Gold (28), all free when you level up, plus a Platinum handle Ivor sells from level 30 (about 1,125-1,250 coins). Check the achievement as soon as the Gold handle arrives at level 28, because it is reported to unlock then. If it has not unlocked, buy the Platinum handle from Ivor at level 30.

The Sour Mallowolf visits from level 32. Feed it a Pigxie to tame it, giving you a seventh Tower block. Sweet Mallowolves then visit when 6 Rashberries are resident, and become resident by eating 3 Rashberries. Keep extra Rashberries from Paper Pets or Gretchen.

With a resident Mallowolf, no Captain's Cutlass and no Watchling, wait for a Ruffian to appear and direct the Mallowolf at him. It unlocks when the Mallowolf scares him off. If a Ruffian never comes because of your garden setup, start a new garden. Have Gretchen fetch a Mallowolf there and wait.

Once this has unlocked, the Captain's Cutlass is safe to place.

With a resident Chewnicorn, hit another piñata with the shovel to make it sick. Wait until the Chewnicorn's horn is glowing, then direct it at the sick piñata straight away. It unlocks when the Chewnicorn heals the piñata. Do it before Doc Patchingo or Dastardos reaches the sick piñata.

Gardener level 50. It is one of the last achievements for most players. Every new resident, romance, Master Romancer award, variant and fully fertilised new plant type gives experience. Higher-level species give more. It unlocks when you reach level 50.

Hold 100,000 coins at once. Do this before buying expensive decorations. Farm chillies, Reddhotts and Salamangos in a spare garden, and sell finished species with their houses and any high-value piñatas you no longer need. It should unlock the moment your balance reaches 100,000. It can be delayed, so if it does not pop straight away, keep playing for a while before spending.

Garden worth is the total value of everything in your current garden, shown in the Journal. Valuable piñatas and expensive items push it up quickly. It unlocks at 25,000, which you will usually pass before Swanana's 20,000 requirement or shortly after.

After Wealth Master and Mallowolf Howl, spend your coins on Captain's Cutlass statues from Ivor (11,000 each) and other expensive items. How many you need depends on the rest of the garden; expect somewhere between three and nine. It unlocks when garden worth reaches 100,000.

Press Y on a piñata to see its value. It rises with the species' base value, accessories from Paper Pets, factory party trips, age and being overjoyed. A Roario is worth 5,500 on its own and meets this as soon as one is resident. An Elephanilla (base 4,500) crosses 5,000 with a few accessories or a Joy Sweet. It unlocks when one piñata reaches 5,000. Protect it from Professor Pester while you work on it.

The same, for 10,000. A high base value is the key. A tamed Bonboon or a Roario dressed in the most expensive accessories gets close. A Bonboon in the top accessories is reported to reach about 9,900, and a factory party trip then pushes it past 10,000. Feed a Joy Sweet before checking for the overjoyed boost. It unlocks when one piñata is worth 10,000.

An adult Dragonache is reported to be worth about 11,000 and to unlock this on its own. That is not confirmed, and a Dragonache cannot wear accessories or be sold. Only consider it if you already have one, and only after all your sour taming is finished.

50 hours of real play time across all gardens. If everything else is done first, you will need to idle for the rest of it. Check your total in the Journal under Player Status.

• Use a spare garden so nothing in your main garden is harmed.
• Sit inside a menu, such as Costolot's buying screen with an item placed but not bought, or the Tower of Sour menu. This stops pop-up messages pausing the game.
• Stop the controller turning off and the console idling out. Use a wired controller or change the console power settings.
• After your first long idle session, check Player Status to confirm the play time went up before leaving it for longer.

It unlocks when the play-time total reaches 50 hours.