Gaming How-To

Palia: How to Get Into Hekla’s Tent

Reach Friendship Level 3 with Hekla, grab the key from your mailbox, and unlock the tent in Mirror Fields.

Reach Friendship Level 3 with Hekla, grab the key from your mailbox, and unlock the tent in Mirror Fields.

Hekla’s Tent sits in the Mirror Fields, just south of the Mirror Pond Ruins and northwest of Kilima Village. It’s the home of the Galdur Hekla and her Majiri friend Jina, and the door stays locked until you build a friendship with Hekla and receive her key.

Quick answer: Raise your friendship with Hekla to Level 3, collect Hekla’s Key from your mailbox, travel to the tent in Mirror Fields, and press F at the entrance to enter.


What you need before the tent opens

The only thing that unlocks the tent is Hekla’s Key, and the only way to earn it is by reaching Friendship Level 3 with Hekla. The key arrives in your mailbox once you hit that level, so there is no lockpicking, no puzzle, and no separate quest gate to enter the front door.

Note: Hekla’s Key is different from Jina’s key. Jina’s key opens the doors to the right of the tent, not the tent itself. If you have raised friendship with Jina but not Hekla, the door will still tell you that you need a key.

DetailValue
LocationMirror Fields, south of Mirror Pond Ruins
RequirementFriendship Level 3 with Hekla
Key sourceHekla’s Key, delivered to your mailbox
Residents insideHekla and Jina
Entry inputPress F at the entrance

Raise Hekla’s friendship to Level 3

Friendship with Hekla climbs through everyday interactions. You do not need to do all of these at once, but combining them speeds up the process toward Level 3, labeled “Longing.”

  • Talk to Hekla every day to earn daily friendship points.
  • Complete Hekla’s friendship quests as they become available.
  • Give her daily gifts, and prioritize her weekly wants for larger boosts.
Villager friendship screen with the Heart tab showing Level 3 progress and rewards
The friendship menu shows your progress toward Level 3 and the rewards it unlocks. Image: Singularity 6

Once you reach Friendship Level 3 with Hekla, the game hands you the key automatically through the mail. You do not have to buy it or track it down from an NPC.


Collect Hekla’s Key and open the tent

Open your mailbox at your housing plot and read the letter from Jina. Hekla’s Key is attached to that mail, so collect it before heading out.
Travel to the Mirror Fields, south of the Mirror Pond Ruins and northwest of Kilima Village. The Mirror Fields fast travel point puts you close to the tent.
World map open with the cursor near Mirror Pond Ruins marking the tent area
The tent is in the Mirror Fields near the Mirror Pond Ruins on the Kilima Valley map. Image: Singularity 6
Walk up to the tent entrance and press F to unlock it. With the key in your inventory, the prompt reads “Hekla’s Tent” and lets you step inside.

Confirm it worked

You know the door is unlocked when the entrance prompt changes to “Hekla’s Tent” and lets you walk through instead of showing a message that you need a key. Inside, you can chat with Hekla using the G prompt and chat with Jina using the F prompt.

In-game view inside the tent with an F Chat prompt to talk to a nearby character
Inside the tent, the Chat prompts let you talk to Hekla and Jina. Image: Singularity 6

The interior is also where the Potato Shrine quest plays out and where you can find the Mushroom Soup recipe. If the door still refuses to open after Level 3, check that you are holding Hekla’s Key and not Jina’s key, since the two are used for different doors.


Getting inside comes down to consistent daily friendship with Hekla, one trip to the mailbox, and a single press of F at the door. Once you’re in, Hekla, Jina, and the tent’s quests are yours to explore.