Tools

**Tools** are items given to the Apprentice by Book, Coppertop, and Elderkin. These Tools are used to help cultivate the Worlds created from World Seeds by clearing The Withering's corruption and planting and nurturing new life. Some Tools are used to harvest Resources which can then be broken down into Essences, sold to the Everkin for EverKoin, or used to fulfill Resident Requests.

The order in which the Tools are dsplayed can be controlled from the Key Items tab in the Inventory menu. To change the order in which the Tools appear (in both the Tool select wheel and the associated hotkeys), first one Tool must be selected, then a second Tool, which causes the two Tools to swap places. By this means all the Tools can be re-ordered.

## Axe

The **Axe** is one of the first tools the Apprentice will receive from Book and Coppertop. It is used to clear both wooden debris and stone rubble corrupted by The Withering, as well as to chop down fully-grown trees for Wood that can either be sold to Chopkin for EverKoin or broken down into Essence. Sometimes Wood is also used to fulfill Residents' Requests.

## Bug Net

The **Bug Net** is given to the Apprentice by Elderkin, the eldest and wisest of the Everkin. It is used for catching Insects, which can then be sold to Catcherkin, the bug-catching Everkin, for EverKoin. Captured Insects can also be placed in Nature Reserves. Occasionally, a Resident will make a Request for a specific Insect.

Insects are skittish and will flee when the Apprentice approaches too closely. Catching Insects uses the mechanic *Sneaking*. By equipping the Bug Net and holding down the **Sneak** button while moving slowly towards the Insect, the Apprentice can get close enough to trigger the Bug Catching icon and sound effect, which are the cue to release the Sneak button and catch the bug. Note that jumping or falling, even the slightest bit, will break the Sneak mechanic and startle nearby Insects.

One of the many Festivals involves catching Insects; this can most easily be accomplished in Where-Ever, where time does not pass, or in a Nature Reserve, where Insects spawn continuously on a rock surface.

## Fishing Rod

The **Fishing Rod** is also given to the Apprentice by Elderkin. It is used to catch Fish and, occasionally, other items. Fish can be sold to Fisherkin, the fishing Everkin, for EverKoin. Fish can also be placed in Nature Reserves.

Fish are skittish, and will flee from the Apprentice if they get too close in the water, even being able to pass through terrain to avoid the Apprentice, so the Apprentice cannot simply pick them up (if a Fish flops out of the water and lands on the ground, it can sometimes be picked up then, but this will not count toward the caught-Fish statistic for a World).

Fishing is a mini-game in Grow: Song of the Evertree which allows the Apprentice to catch Fish from enough distance not to startle the Fish. Fish can appear in any body of water on Alaria, or in a Pond or Lake on any World grown by the Apprentice; this includes water in Caves both on Alaria and on Worlds, although Cave-caught fish do not count toward the caught-Fish statistic for a World.

To catch a Fish, the Apprentice must be standing nearby with the Fishing Rod equipped, then either press or hold the button for casting. Pressing will simply fling the bobber a short distance from the Apprentice in the direction they are facing. Holding it down will instead give a target area that the Apprentice can aim for, and releasing it will cast the bobber close by the targeted area. The player can then use their movement keys or joystick to slowly drift the bobber towards the desired target. Landing it too close or moving it too quickly afterwards will cause nearby Fish to flee away from the bobber, though they will return slowly. Fish are attracted to the bobber, and will slowly move towards it until one is close enough to strike it, which starts the second part of the mini-game.

At this point, a red arrow appears over the fish, indicating which direction the Apprentice needs to move (using the usual movement keys, button, or joystick) in order to fight the Fish as it struggles to get away. The arrow will turn green when the Apprentice is moving in the correct direction. Keeping the arrow green is key to catching the Fish quickly, while failing to do so for long enough will allow the Fish to escape. Once the Fish has been worn down, it will get closer and closer to the Apprentice, eventually getting reeled in and picked up. The Apprentice will then have the choice of throwing the Fish, setting it down or putting it into their backpack and adding it to their inventory. Credit for catching a Fish is given as soon as the Apprentice has it in hand, so accidentally throwing it away won't cause the player to lose progress in any Fish-related goals, although such escaped fish cannot be used to fulfill a Resident Request unless caught again.

The Fishing Rod can be used to also catch items from pools of light that can be found in pools of water in Caves or on Worlds. The mini-game is handled the same way, except the pool doesn't move, so the Apprentice must aim the bobber into the center of the pool of light to initiate the catching mechanic. Despite the item not being alive, the Apprentice must still follow the arrows' direction correctly in order to reel it in. There are two colours of pools of light: Light and Dark. The light pool is a brilliant white, while the dark one is a purplish colour similar to The Withering. Both are accompanied by a jingling noise until the item has been caught and the pool of light goes away. There does not appear to be any difference in the loot tables for either colour of pool of light, but the Apprentice can acquire Keys, Building Upgrades and many other items from these pools. Sometimes all that results is a piece of Junk, which can be sold to Junkin for EverKoin.

One of the many Festivals involves catching Fish, and this can most easily be accomplished in Where-Ever, as time does not pass there.

## Hand

The **Hand** is not a tool, per se, so much as the Apprentice's bare hands, which they use to harvest various types of Stinkweeds that appear on Worlds. When the Apprentice approaches the Stinkweed they must pull it out either by tapping or holding a specific button (whether this is accomplished by tap versus hold is controlled in the game's Settings). Once the Stinkweed is removed, it may spawn a seed plot. The Stinkweeds may be broken down into Essence or sold to Chopkin, the cooking Everkin, in Where-Ever.

The Hand is also a good choice when collecting items such as Nuts and Fruit -- having the Mallet equipped can lead to accidentally smushing the Fruit or Nuts instead of collecting them -- or trying to care for Critters; it is *required* when adopting a Critter, and when releasing a World from the Evertree.

## Mallet

The **Mallet** is another starting item given to the Apprentice by Book and Coppertop. It is used to clear both stone rubble and wooden debris corrupted by The Withering, as well as to remove the Wither corruption from some Insects by stunning the encasing goop. It is also used in Mining to break Boulders and Rocks, although breaking Rocks yields no rewards. The Mallet may also be used to break Nuts on Shrubs, and Fruit which has fallen to the ground, though it again gives no Myora or items for doing so. Finally, the Mallet is used to solve certain Puzzles found throughout Alaria and on some Worlds.

The Mallet may be used on:

## Seed Bag

The **Seed Bag** is another tool given to the apprentice by Book and Coppertop. This tool is used to plant seeds in seed plots on Worlds. A seed plot may spawn in the open and be easily seen, or it may be covered by Withering grass or debris, which must be cleared before the seed plot is revealed.

A seed plot that needs a seed planted in it will appear as a mound of dirt. After a seed is planted, a generic seedling appears, and this sprout will display an icon indicating that it needs to be watered.

## Sickle

The **Sickle** is used to cut Grass and Withering grass on Worlds. The Withering grass can appear as a single bunch of brown-and-purple grass with glowing tips, or two or three bunches can be clustered together. When cut, the Withering grass will spawn a small amount of Myora, but does not drop any other Resources.

Grass always appears in clumps of three, and when harvested with the Sickle, yields one Fodder per clump and (sometimes) a single Grass Seed. Grass Seeds can be broken down for Essence, or grown in the Town Square, which will change the appearance of the grass in the entire District it was planted in. Theoretically, the Grass Seed should grow the same pattern and colour of grass found on the World it came from; however, as of January 2022, this function does not appear to be working as intended.

## Speech Bauble

The **Speech Bauble** is a passive Tool given to the Apprentice at the start of the game by Book and Coppertop so that all three can communicate over long distances. It can be found in Key Items in the Apprentices Inventory, but does not appear in the Tool Selection Wheel. Its mouseover text in Inventory view indicates that there is a match-3 game on the Bauble.

## Watering Can

The **Watering Can** is also given to the Apprentice by Book and Coppertop, and it is used to water plants that have been planted by the Apprentice using the Seed Bag. Once a plant has been watered, either a clock will appear, which means the plant must grow overnight, or a Song note will appear, which means the Apprentice must sing the Song of Myora to grow the plant one more stage before the clock symbol appears.

## Song of Myora

The Song of Myora, while used to tend the Worlds, is not a Tool, per se; it is instead a skill the Apprentice learns. After watering some plants or clearing the Wither corruption from some Critters, a Song icon will appear, indicating that the Apprentice must Sing the Song of Myora, using the appropriate button, to either grow the plant further or clear more corruption from the Critter.

## Bumbershoot

The Bumbershoot is the multicolored parasol or umbrella which deploys automatically when the Apprentice falls from more than a slight height. Unlike a real umbrella, the Bumbershoot functions like a parachute to slow the Apprentice's fall, allowing for a safe landing. The Bumbershoot also allows the Apprentice to make use of Bumbershooters to reach otherwise-inaccessible areas both in Alaria and on Worlds planted in the branches of the Evertree. There is no way to enable the Bumbershoot other than falling at least a short distance, and like the game's user interface options, it disappears when Photo Mode is engaged. Two round protrusions on the top of the Bumbershoot, along with a design of two pink circles and a white arc painted onto the back side of the Bumbershoot, combine to create the appearance of a cartoon face when the Apprentice is facing away from the game 'camera'.

## Notes

* Detritus (both stone rubble and wooden debris), Withering grass, and Withered Insects do not display vertical rays of light when far away from the Apprentice, unlike other tasks the Apprentice needs to attend to on a new World. The Apprentice must use the "Find Work" button (G key on PC) for guidance in finding these Withered items.
* The Mallet cannot be used on a Shrub. When the icon appears near a Shrub it is actually the Nut on the Shrub that can be smushed. It is not worthwhile to smush the Nut, as nothing drops from it.
* Fruit which has fallen to the ground can also be smushed with the Mallet, but this is likewise not worthwhile.
* Tools on the PC are hotkeyed to the corresponding numbers on the keyboard. The mouse wheel can be used to cycle through the tools in order as well, as can the Z and X keys.
* The first tools give by Book and Coppertop are also known as the Alchemist Tools, the basic tools needed to take care of a World.