Heartopia is a life sim with all the hard edges smoothed off; if Animal Crossing is a bit too high-intensity for you, Heartopia might just be your next town life simulation of choice. But there is undeniably something about this game in spite of its frictionless feeling; the developers at XD understood the assignment when tasked with making a game so cozy it’s completely safe. And hey, this is one genre where you can actually get away with that.
If you’re taking part in the current Heartopia Closed Beta Test (CBT), you’ll find yourself spending most of your time pursuing one of several different hobbies featured in this early version of the game. Some – like Fishing and Gardening – will unlock quite early, but some of the others – Cat Care, anyone? – require a bit more time and investment.
With only a brief two week window in which to master the good stuff during the CBT, time is of the essence when it comes to opening up every hobby in Heartopia. Read on for an outline of every hobby in Heartopia’s CBT and how to unlock them all.
How to unlock hobbies in Heartopia
The current beta version of Heartopia features seven different hobbies, some of which you’ll unlock as you progress through the tutorial quests (which, in keeping with the cozy town sim genre, consist of a fairly long quest chain).
Regardless of how you come to them, though, new Heartopia hobbies always require a Hobby Expansion Ticket in order to unlock. Hobby Expansion Tickets are rewarded for completing certain specific tasks, and due to their limited uses, are a relatively rare currency.
How to unlock Fishing in Heartopia
You’ll unlock the Fishing hobby in Heartopia during the early stages of the tutorial. During this time, Vanya (the Fishing Hobby Mentor) will visit the player’s house, gift them a fishing rod, and tutorialise them on how to fish.
You’ll be given a Hobby Expansion Ticket to unlock the Fishing hobby, and because it’s still part of the tutorial, you won’t have the option to spend it on anything else.
How to unlock Gardening in Heartopia
Similar to Fishing, Heartopia’s Gardening hobby is unlocked during the tutorial, when Blanc (the Gardening Hobby Mentor) visits the player’s house. Blanc gives you a watering can, planters, several packets of tomato seeds, and a Hobby Expansion Ticket that you’re obliged to expend on unlocking the Gardening hobby in order to continue the tutorial quests.
How to unlock Insect Catching in Heartopia
As you reach the end of the more linear tutorial stages, after progressing to Developer Level 6, you’ll be given a Hobby Expansion Ticket and a “free” choice of new hobby. In practice, this means choosing one of the three hobbies that unlock at Level 6, so first, you’ll be directed to meet the Hobby Mentors for each to learn more.
Your first visit is to Naniwa, who can be found in the garden of their home near the river. Naniwa explains the rules and benefits of Insect Catching (alternatively called Bug Catching in some dialogue), and invites you to return after speaking to the next two Hobby Mentors if you decide you want to unlock Insect Catching as your third and final tutorial hobby.
After speaking to all three mentors, you can return to Naniwa and give them your Hobby Expansion Ticket to unlock the Insect Catching hobby. If you choose one of the other two, then you’ll need to wait until the next time you earn a Hobby Expansion Ticket before you get another opportunity to learn Insect Catching – so choose wisely!
How to unlock Birdwatching in Heartopia
Your second visit as part of the Developer Level 6 hobby quest is to Bailey J, who can be found upstairs at the pet store. Bailey J explains the rules and benefits of Birdwatching, and invites you to return after speaking to the next Hobby Mentor if you decide you want to unlock Birdwatching as your third and final tutorial hobby.
After speaking to all three mentors, you can return to Bailey J and give them your Hobby Expansion Ticket to unlock the Birdwatching hobby. If you choose one of the other two, then you’ll need to wait until the next time you earn a Hobby Expansion Ticket before you get another opportunity to learn Birdwatching – so choose wisely!
How to unlock Cooking in Heartopia
Your third and final visit as part of the Developer Level 6 hobby quest is to Massimo, who can be found outside his café (the cottage in the centre of town with rainbow-lettered chalkboards outside). Massimo explains the rules and benefits of Cooking, and invites you to return after thinking things over if you’ve decided you want to unlock Cooking as your final tutorial hobby.
Having spoken to all three mentors, you can return to Massimo whenever you’re ready and give him your Hobby Expansion Ticket to unlock the Cooking hobby. If you choose one of the other two, then you’ll need to wait until the next time you earn a Hobby Expansion Ticket before you get another opportunity to learn Cooking – so choose wisely!
Note: While there’s no right or wrong choice when deciding what to spend your third Hobby Expansion Ticket on, I highly recommend Cooking, since it synergises well with Gardening and Fishing and allows you to craft dishes that can be eaten to replenish stamina on-the-go!
How to unlock Cat Care in Heartopia
Heartopia has the audacity to introduce you to a cute kitten early on and then not make it immediately clear how one obtains a fuzzball of their own. Well, there’s good news and bad news on that score.
The good news is that pets are absolutely a feature of this game, with kittens available for purchase from the pet store run by Mrs Joan. There’s even a Cat Care hobby!
The bad news is that you need to reach Developer Level 12 before you can purchase a pet, and you’ll need to earn an additional Hobby Expansion Ticket as well, because the three you’re given as part of the tutorial will already be spoken for before you get there.
How to unlock Dog Care in Heartopia
In the unlikely event that you’re not a cat person – or indeed the slightly-more-likely-I-guess event that you simply prefer dogs to cats – then there’s good news. Heartopia’s pet options aren’t limited to just cats, as you can also buy puppies from Mrs Joan at the town pet shop.
Only two downsides present themselves: one, just like with the cats, you’ll need to reach Developer Level 12 before responsible dog ownership becomes an option; and two, Dog Care and Cat Care require a Hobby Expansion Ticket each if you want to unlock them both.
How to upgrade hobbies in Heartopia
By now, you might have realised that Heartopia’s “hobbies” are quite similar to what other life sims would call “skills” – the main difference is that in Heartopia, hobbies are the main event, rather than a way to prove yourself in the pursuit of a more traditional career. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that unlocking a hobby in the first place is only the beginning. Each hobby has multiple progress levels that, once achieved, open up new possibilities, such as more complex and interesting recipes, higher success rates, and other bonuses.
Hobbies in Heartopia can be upgraded by spending a Hobby Upgrade Ticket. These are awarded similarly to Hobby Expansion Tickets, but fortunately are much more common as rewards, meaning that you’re unlikely to ever find yourself short of the ability to upgrade.
However, unlike unlocking hobbies in the first place, upgrading them requires you to satisfy other criteria as well. You’ll also need to earn enough points in your chosen hobby to reach the upgrade cap before proceeding – and this usually requires not only performing hobby actions over and over, but also expanding your Collections (e.g. by catching new fish, cooking new dishes, etc.) to ensure bigger points bonuses.