Palia: The Gardener’s New Oneness Quest Guide

The Gardener, the towering Galdur machine inside the Temple of the Roots, stops being able to perform his Oneness once his factory goes quiet. Einar and Hekla think that is why he has gone quiet too, and they send you off to find him a replacement hobby. What follows is a short but errand-heavy quest that touches fishing, cooking, a village-wide chat tour, and the game’s tree-growing system.

Quick answer: Finish the Vault of the Roots bundles, talk to Einar when he appears at your Housing Plot, bring The Gardener 1 Kilima Catfish and 1 Cream of Mushroom Soup, collect Oneness ideas from the marked villagers in Kilima Village, then plant an Acorn on your plot, water it to maturity, and report back for the Temple of the Roots Tree and 10 Renown.

The Gardener’s New Oneness unlock requirements and rewards

This is a villager quest handed out by Einar, and it only becomes available once the Vault of the Roots work is done. Completing the vault’s bundles is the trigger — after that, Einar walks over to your Housing Plot, usually standing near your mailbox, and starts the conversation himself.

Detail	Value
Given by	Einar, at your Housing Plot
Prerequisite	Completing the Vault of the Roots bundles
Items consumed	1 Kilima Catfish, 1 Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1 Acorn
Rewards	Temple of the Roots Tree, 10 Renown, 20 Friendship with The Gardener
Added in	Build 0.178

Tip: pick up a spare Acorn before you even start. It is needed for the final objective, and having one already sitting in your bag saves a round trip later.

Where to get the Kilima Catfish and Cream of Mushroom Soup

The Kilima Catfish is a common fish that bites at any hour, so there is no window to wait for. Cast into the ponds around Kilima Village — Mirror Field Ruins, Leafhopper Hills, and the Mayor’s Estate all work — and use Worms as bait.

The Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe comes from Hekla. She hands it over during Jina’s Friendship level 4 quest, Cheer Up, and it can also be found inside her tent once you reach Friendship level 3 with her. Cook one serving, then check your inventory and pull both items out of storage before you set off — the quest counter reads 0/1 for each until they are actually on you.

Palia inventory screen open on the backpack tab showing tools and stored items — The backpack tab of the inventory, where you confirm the catfish and soup are carried rather than left in storage. Image: Singularity 6

Reaching The Gardener inside the Temple of the Roots

Fast travel to Bahari Bay and head for the Temple of the Roots. The quest tracker keeps the objective visible on the right side of the screen the whole way there.

Palia quest tracker showing The Gardener's New Oneness objectives during travel to Bahari Bay — The on-screen tracker for The Gardener’s New Oneness while crossing Bahari Bay toward the temple. Image: Singularity 6

Enter the ancient ruins and use the Flowstone Gate to the Hub. From the hub, take the Flowstone Gate to the Gardener, which drops you straight into his chamber instead of making you walk the temple again.

Walk up to the console table and interact with the orb at its center to start talking. Work through the dialogue options and hand over the fish and the soup.

He turns both down. Fishing and cooking do not land, but he does realize he is drawn to making things, and asks you to find him something creative to try instead.

Quest tracker highlighting the Return to The Gardener objective in Palia — The tracker highlights “Return to The Gardener” once the fish and soup are in hand. Image: Singularity 6

Every villager Oneness suggestion in Kilima Village

Leave the temple and head back to Kilima Village. The map places markers on Ashura, Auni, Badruu, Hassian, and Tish, and each one has a different idea about what a creative Oneness might look like. Talking to Auni is the point where the objective visibly updates for most players, but the ideas are gathered as a set.

Palia quest tracker showing the unchecked objective to ask villagers for Oneness inspiration — The objective to ask creative, hardworking villagers for Oneness inspiration sits unchecked until you make the rounds. Image: Singularity 6

Villager	Suggested Oneness
Badruu	Gardening
Tish	Furniture making
Ashura	Woodcutting
Auni	Bug catching, via the Bug Scouts
Hassian	Hunting

Einar is worth a stop if you pass him, though the answers that matter come from the marked villagers. Once you have made the rounds, the quest points you back to the temple.

Palia character walking a village path with the Oneness inspiration objective on screen — Making the rounds between marked villagers in Kilima Village with the objective still active. Image: Singularity 6

Choosing gardening and growing the Acorn to maturity

Return to The Gardener and run through the ideas. The correct dialogue choice is highlighted, and gardening is the one that catches his interest. He asks you to demonstrate by growing an Oak Tree yourself.

Get an Acorn if you do not already have one. Acorns drop from chopping large Sapwood trees, which are common around Kilima Village, including near the Housing Plot entrance. The drop is chance-based, so a few trees may be needed.

Go back to your plot and plant the Acorn anywhere you have space. Water it, then keep watering it on subsequent days. Trees take noticeably longer to mature than crops, so this is the part of the quest that stretches across real-world sessions.

Once the sapling has become a full Oak Tree, travel back to the Temple of the Roots and speak to The Gardener one last time.

How to confirm the quest completed

The final conversation is the confirmation. The Gardener reacts to the grown tree, decides gardening suits him, and talks about restarting the factory. The quest closes out there and pays 10 Renown, 20 Friendship points with The Gardener, and the Temple of the Roots Tree.

The Temple of the Roots Tree is a decorative item you can place anywhere on your Housing Plot. It cannot be watered or otherwise altered, so treat it as furniture rather than as a plant.

Why the quest will not start or progress

Einar never shows up at your plot: the Vault of the Roots bundles are not finished. Completing the vault is what puts him on your doorstep.
The item counters stay at 0/1: the catfish and soup are sitting in storage rather than your inventory. Move them into your bag before speaking to The Gardener.
He has nothing new to say: you went back before finishing the villager rounds. He has a separate early-return line for that. Talk to the marked villagers first.
The tree objective will not tick: the Acorn has to reach full maturity, not just be planted. Keep watering it and check back on later days.

Nothing here is difficult, but the pacing is entirely dictated by that Acorn. Plant it the moment the objective unlocks, keep the watering can handy, and the rest of the quest is a couple of temple trips and a walk around Kilima Village.