Artemis

Bug catching with lures

If I'm searching for a specific bug, especially if that bug is rare/epic, I always use a buzzy jar alongside it. That way, when that bug appears, it immediately lets me know in the form of a butterfly symbol at the top of my screen. It might feel like a waste when they'll be spawning so close to you, but it makes things so much easier.

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Best times for bug catching

Even if the bug you're searching for technically appears at any time, it is good to strategize a little.

For example: the cursed raspberry beetle. If you're going to use a lure in an attempt to find it, your best chances lie between 6pm and 3am, when the common blue butterflies stop spawning. That leaves you with only bugs that spook/despawn, and a much higher chance to find something rarer.

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Bug catching with others

Unfortunately for introverts like me, the most efficient way to hunt/catch things in this game is always going to be with others. With that said, there are ways to do it that don't require much conversation, if any.

For starters: you do not have to join any parties. Lures work for everyone on the server. You just won't get extra xp, and I believe creatures are less likely to drop loot if you haven't gotten a hit in before it loses all its health (haven't looked into it enough to know exactly how that works - maybe someone else knows)

If you do decide to join a party, you are not at all required to have a headset, third-party app like Discord, etc. Most of the parties i've been a part of have basically no talking at all because it's too hard to hunt/catch and type. We run around and hunt/catch/fish for fifteen to twenty minutes, say our goodbyes/thank you's and then part ways. It's great.

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Useful House Decor

Up until recently, I had a tendency to just toss everything I got from villagers into my chest rather than finding a spot for it. So, I was missing out on a lot of things that had the potential to be quite useful.

These four pieces in particular are absolutely worth having on your plot, even if you don't feel they fit the vibe (or you can just place them on an unused plot)

#1 - Ancient Rock Garden. A kitsuu leaves a random gift for you each in-game day, consisting of things from meat, fur and spicy pepper seeds, to dispel/slowdown/fine arrows and gold ore.

#2 - Young Silverwing Nest. A silverwing leaves a candy egg in the nest for you once per real life day, which resets at 4:00 AM UTC.

#3 - Ancient Galdur Statue. Leaves an acorn, pinecone, juniper or samara seed once per real life day, including flow seeds if you're lucky / have completed The Gardeners New Oneness quest. Supposedly, the chances of receiving a flow seed increase every time a new tree grows to maturity on the same plot.

#4 - Piksii Grove. Again, leaves one elderwood-related gift per real life day (elderwood lures/arrows/smoke bombs, infected essence, elderflowers/orchids, slime potions, etc.)

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The importance of seed makers

This is also something I've severely neglected to use until recently, mostly because I didn't take the time to really understand how it worked, which meant I was spending money/guild tokens I did not need to spend on seeds that I could easily remake on my own.

For instance: Rockhopper pumpkins. I did not want to spend essence on pumpkin seeds when I need so many for my beloved Tamala's quests, so I visited Badruu's store and bought just one for 350 coins. That pumpkin then goes into the seed maker, and four pumpkin seeds come out when it's done.

If you really want to up your productivity, make sure you've got at least one worm farm in use, as it gives HarvestBoost fertilizer alongside the worms. That means you're getting more crops from the harvest than you normally would.

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Another use for star quality items

Most of what doesn't fall under the category of decor when looking in your chest (plants aside) need to be of star quality for you to place it on your plot. That goes for gemstones, meals, bugs, fish, etc.

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Einar's pebbles

I posted something about these pebbles a little while ago and there were quite a few players, both new and seasoned, who were still unsure of what to do with them. So, for those who aren't aware: they are to be given back to Einar via gifting.

If you click on the gifting option while talking to a villager, you can still alternate between these three sections. His pebbles will appear in the quest category of your inventory (i've already completed mine, so i don't have a photo of the pebbles themselves) and you can give one a day.

As a side note: you'll be able to tell what things have the potential to be gifted to villagers by looking at what's greyed out (though, nothing will be greyed unless you're in the process of talking to a villager and picking out a gift)

You can keep track of the pebbles you've found by looking at the accomplishment in-game and/or ticking them off on the Palia tracker (linked below). Here is how to find all ten.

Hunting for Waveback, Azure, Proudhorned and Bluebristled

When it comes to strategies that I use on all four, I only really have one: Never shoot at them from anywhere that isn't at least on the same level as them. If they're on a hill, make sure you're at the top of it - otherwise you'll only get one or two arrows in before there's nothing but the slope of the ground to hit.

#1 - Azure chapaa

The azure chapaas are by far the easiest to hunt, as long as you've got at least one dispel arrow per chapaa. Walk up close to them with your arrow pulled back and ready. Wait until it spooks and creates its duplicates. Then use your dispel arrow to shoot just one of them. It can be any - doesn't matter if it's the real one or not.

This stuns it for a short period of time, meaning it won't move and there's no duplicates, and gives you just enough time to swap ammo and finish it off with fine arrows (or keep going with dispel, if you've got a comfortable amount)

#2 - Proudhorned Sernuk

I've not come across any "easy" way to hunt these guys, except for trapping them against a corner. Both cliffs and mountains work. Their movements are a lot more predictable when they've only got so many places to run, and as long as you keep hitting them with dispel, they have to escape by foot. Also, by shooting them just as they start darting towards an exit, they're likely to head in the other direction as long as you're not standing behind it.

Obviously this is made harder depending on where they happen to spawn, but it does give you an advantage if you're able to find them in the right place. The easiest hunt i've gotten so far is at C4 / Flooded Steps.

#3 - Bluebristled Muujin

If you do it enough, hunting the bluebristled Muujin becomes quite easy to do on your own. Just be prepared to have a LOT of wood in your inventory when you're done, particularly if you're hunting more than one.

In case you didn't know, muujin appear either after cutting down trees or just roaming in the open. Their special ability is invisibility, and while that sounds like a huge pain in the ass (which it is. don't get me wrong), you can still track their movements by either the health bar or the dirt/grass that they kick up as they run. Not always easy, but it is absolutely doable.

If I find one out in the open, then I shoot it as many times as I can but ultimately just follow it until it climbs into a tree. You can either just go straight to cutting down that tree, or you can cut down the nearby ones first so it takes longer for it to hide. I cut down several of the nearest trees to make sure i have a clearer shot when it runs, but otherwise don't bother.

The next part is the hardest. The moment that tree has been cut, you'll have to change to your bow and arrow as quick as you can and start running after it. Sounds obvious, i know, but my first instinct used to be to grab my bow, stand still and just shoot from where I was standing. In the areas that these guys spawn, that's hardly an affective option.

Waveback Ogopuu

Don't use dispel arrows. That's my only piece of advice. All they do is stop it from spitting slime at you, and those few seconds that it takes to do it is how you get both guaranteed shots and extra time before it disappears.

Slime can also be combatted by the slime potion sold at Tamala's shop.

These four clips below are just a visual representation of what I do. They're not fool proof methods by any means. They're not going to work every time, and particularly with the muujin: it's going to be hard no matter what if you're doing it alone.

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Now for the websites:

Palia Tracker

Allows you to track your progress as you play (bugs, fish, artifacts, recipes, bundles, stickers/emotes, plushes, potato pods)

Has a live clock that matches the in-game one, and every creature is labelled with the times in which they can be found.

Tells you every villager's weekly gifts.

Let's you track your relationship progress.

Shows you profitable items + what they're worth.

Palia Party

A website for ongoing/upcoming parties that are being hosted.

Allows you to sign up for ones that interest you or create your own.

All parties are tagged to show if they're beginner friendly, how many people they need/want, where it's going to be held, when it's going to be held, etc.

If it's a party for cooking, you can choose your station.

Parties can be marked as private, so only people you invite can join.