Greedy Greedy Gnomes presents a deceptively straightforward achievement list, where the path to completion is less about obscure secrets and more about methodical progression through its charming, puzzle-filled world. While no single achievement is brutally difficult, several are gated behind specific locations, purchases, and later-game content, making a structured approach essential for anyone aiming for a full clear. The most efficient strategy is to treat your first playthrough as a comprehensive exploration, understanding that nearly every achievement can be unlocked on a single map without the need to hastily restart. Two key elements serve as the linchpins for this entire endeavor: the Kalimba, a musical instrument that unlocks multiple critical puzzles, and the keys sold by Quentin, which gradually reveal the map’s secrets and grant access to the endgame dungeon.
Starting Strong: The First Three Achievements You Will Unlock
The opening moments of the game are designed to be intuitive, and the first three achievements will likely come as a natural byproduct of learning the basics. There is no need for advanced planning here; simply follow the initial tutorial prompts and environmental cues.
Easy Money
This is arguably the easiest achievement in the entire game. Upon entering the first house with Gideon and Nora, you will find a pot sitting inside. Interacting with it to break your first pot is all that is required. No special items or preparation are needed; this event is scripted to occur naturally during the opening section.
Entrepreneur
Shortly after the first house, Gideon will provide you with an Invitation. Your next task is to take this invitation to the house directly to the right of your starting location. Knock on the door, enter, and you will find a seller offering your first gnome for purchase. Buying this gnome will unlock Entrepreneur. If the achievement does not trigger, double-check that the gnome has been officially hired into your workforce, as simply interacting with the seller does not count.
Caffeine
This achievement requires a small amount of progression. Continue your playthrough until you have earned enough money to purchase the Inn. Once the Inn is open for business, you will find that Jana, a character present there, has the opportunity to purchase coffee. Select this option when it appears. There is no complex puzzle or hidden requirement; the achievement is tied solely to making this specific purchase at the right time. It is easy to overlook, so make it a habit to check what items your characters can buy after unlocking a new building.
The Kalimba: Your Key to Weather, Cats, and Secrets
Obtaining the Kalimba is a turning point in any achievement hunt. This single item is the conduit for multiple major achievements, including controlling the weather and solving a musical puzzle for a sleepy cat. Its acquisition requires a modest investment and a specific purchase.
First, you must buy the key to the cabin in the forest. This key grants access to a secluded cabin where you will meet Arando, the carpenter. From Arando, you can purchase the Kalimba. Once it is in your inventory, keep it with you at all times; you will need it for several upcoming tasks.
Climate Controller
With the Kalimba in hand, travel to the eastern side of the map, near the shore. You will find a specific area where it is persistently raining. Equip the Kalimba and ensure the clouds are perfectly centered in the interaction area. Then, play the following sequence of notes:
6 → 2 → 4 → I → 7
If entered correctly, the melody will repeat, and the clouds will disperse. The rain will stop, and a new character named Prunila will appear in the area below. The achievement will unlock immediately after the weather has been changed. If the sequence fails, the most common error is that the clouds are not correctly positioned.
Inconvenient
This achievement requires you to wake a sleeping cat using the Kalimba. Travel to the upper-right corner of the map and find the cat. Again, ensure the cat is centered in the Kalimba’s interaction area before playing the following sequence:
1 → 2 → 4 → 5 → 3 → 6
A successful sequence will cause the cat to wake up, unlocking the achievement. The source of this seemingly arbitrary number sequence is a puzzle tied to the dungeon. Defeating five dungeon bosses yields six planks; the indentations on these planks provide the visual clue needed to deduce the correct melody.
The Potion Master: Five Achievements from One Cauldron
The Wizard’s Tower is a hub for several alchemy-based achievements. While the game provides clues for some recipes, the easiest approach is to know the correct ingredient combinations outright. You can complete all five potion achievements in a single session without leaving the tower, making this an efficient grouping.
To begin, purchase the key to the Wizard’s Tower. Enter and climb to the top floor to find Lorak. Speak with him and purchase Permission to use the cauldron. Descend one floor to the cauldron itself. Here are the exact ingredient sequences for each potion:
- Elixir Pecuniae (Greed Potion): 1 → 3 → 2
- Elixir Convinciae (Persuasion Potion): 2 → 1 → 3
- Elixir Herculis (Strength Potion): 3 → 2 → 1
- Rotten Potion: Any incorrect combination, such as 1 → 2 → 3
For the Rotten Potion, the challenge is making a mistake on purpose. Use a combination that is not listed as a correct recipe to create a failed product, which will unlock the achievement.
The final potion, Elixir Incendium (Damage Potion), requires later-game progression. You must first purchase the last key from Quentin to access the Dungeons. Enter the dungeon and defeat one of the bosses inside. This will make a new ingredient available. Return to the cauldron and use this sequence:
4 → 1 → 2
Progression and Exploration: Unlocking the Dungeon and The Guardian
The middle phase of the game revolves around exploration, purchasing all of Quentin’s keys, and collecting a massive number of glowing shards. These tasks are interconnected and should be pursued simultaneously.
The Guest achievement demands that you purchase every single key from Quentin. Some keys require you to have a certain amount of money or to have reached a specific story stage. Regularly return to Quentin as you progress to see if new keys are available. The final key is critical, as it opens the path to the dungeon at the top of the map.
Once inside the dungeon, your goal is to fight through to the boss and defeat it. This will unlock The First Dungeon achievement and is also a prerequisite for the Elixir Incendium potion and the later cat puzzle.
Simultaneously, you should be collecting the luminous shards scattered across the entire map. Interacting with one will begin the ghost quest. The ghost is located in the bottom-right area of the map near the shore and asks you to collect its lost souls. You will need to gather a total of 120 shards to complete this task. Once you have collected enough, a portal will open, leading to the House of Souls. Entering this house fulfills the requirement for The Guardian. This is a time-consuming task, so it is best to collect shards naturally as you explore rather than trying to sweep the map for all 120 at the end.
Late-Game Rituals and Secrets: Sacrifice and Discovery
The endgame of Greedy Greedy Gnomes moves away from simple collection and into narrative-driven puzzles and moral choices. These achievements form a chain, building upon each other in a specific order.
After completing the rain puzzle for Climate Controller, return to the area where Prunila appeared. The Sacrifice achievement requires you to take one of your gnomes to Prunila and sacrifice it. If the game does not allow the sacrifice, ensure that the gnome is not currently assigned to work in a house. You must remove the gnome from its workplace before the option becomes available. After the sacrifice, interact with Prunila again and choose to insult her. This will immediately unlock the Rude achievement.
The most complex chain begins here. First, close all of the prestige in Hell together with Mammon. Once that is done, return to the sleeping cat from the Inconvenient achievement and wake it up again using the same Kalimba sequence. This time, climb the Yggdrasil tree with the cat. Continue climbing all the way to the top until you reach a rainbow bridge. Cross the bridge to discover the secret of the dwarves’ origin, which unlocks Discovery.
Following Discovery, return to the dwarves’ shop and find Gael. The New Offering achievement requires you to sacrifice Gael. After this final sacrifice, you will transform into a dwarf seller. In this new state, interact with the gear icon in the menu and select Save and Exit. This unconventional action will unlock the final achievement in this chain, In Hell.
The Long Grind: The Mayor’s Savings and The Origin
Two achievements stand apart from the main progression paths, requiring a bit of specific hunting and a monumental financial goal. The Mayor’s Savings achievement is a simple hidden object puzzle. Open the Mayor’s house and interact with the nightstand inside. A clue will tell you which tree near the house hides the mayor’s sack. Leave the house and interact with the correct tree to reveal the sack and unlock the achievement.
The Origin requires a considerable dive into the game’s cave system. You must descend all the way to the 100th floor of the cave to find the Midas skull. This is a deep trip, so be prepared for a long exploration session. Interacting with the skull unlocks the achievement.
Retirement: The One Billion Coin Mountain
The Retirement achievement is the most substantial grind in the game, demanding a total of 1,000,000,000 coins – a full one billion coins. This is not an achievement to rush at the start. The most effective strategy is to let your income grow passively as you unlock new parts of the map, hire more gnomes, and complete the other achievements. The counter will climb through the millions to 999M, and the final push to one billion will mark the unlock. By the time you have purchased all keys, completed the dungeon, and explored the late-game areas, the money requirement will feel far more attainable as a capstone to your journey.
