Heartopia's progression is basically a two-layer system:
- Unlock the hobby (so it appears in your hobby list)
- Upgrade the hobby (so it becomes stronger and unlocks features)
This page covers unlocking: what you need, where to go, and what's actually "gating" you.
For leveling and the upgrade ticket flow, see Upgrade Hobbies.
The two tickets you'll hear about
Unlock a new hobby
Hobby Expansion Ticket
Used to unlock a new hobby with its mentor. The scarce ticket: you get them via D.G. / Developer level rewards and some quest milestones.
- D.G. (Developer's Guild) level-up rewards
- Quest milestones (varies by patch)
Level up a hobby
Hobby Upgrade Ticket
Used to level up a hobby after you've filled its progress meter. Much more common than Expansion Tickets.
- Daily requests, town activities
- Hobby progress and game milestones
How unlocking works (the real loop)
- Open your Watch / Menu → Hobbies
- Identify what is currently unlockable for your D.G. (Developer) level
- Earn/claim a Hobby Expansion Ticket
- Visit the mentor NPC for that hobby
- Hand in the ticket → hobby becomes unlocked
You're not "choosing forever" when you pick a hobby. You're only choosing the order you unlock them in — you can still unlock everything later once you earn more Expansion Tickets.
Unlock timeline (what unlocks when)
Heartopia currently has 7 hobbies. The early ones are essentially "tutorial-locked", then you get a choice set, and finally pets. (Exact "level numbers" can differ between community guides and patches, so treat these as *milestones*.)
| Hobby | Mentor / NPC | When it becomes available | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fishing | Vanya | Very early (tutorial) | Usually your first Expansion Ticket is spent here. |
| Gardening | Blanc | Early (soon after Fishing) | Often the second "required" unlock. |
| Cooking | Massimo | Mid (first "choice" milestone) | Commonly recommended first for profit/synergy. |
| Insect Catching | Naniwa | Mid (choice milestone) | Great for collections and quick sell loops. |
| Birdwatching | Bailey J. | Mid (choice milestone) | Exploration/collection focused; has strong utility upgrades. |
| Cat Care | Mrs. Joan | Late (pets milestone) | Required before Dog Care in most guides. |
| Dog Care | Mrs. Joan | Late (pets milestone) | Usually requires starting Cat Care first. |
Why you sometimes feel "stuck"
Your D.G. level progress is typically shown by Contribution Medals (or a similar progress indicator), and you can only earn a limited amount per day via requests — so you can't brute-force the next ticket instantly. That's the intended pacing.
If you're waiting on Expansion Tickets, don't idle: level the hobbies you already have, push collections, and do town requests. Those tend to feed back into D.G. progress and upgrade-ticket income.
Recommended unlock order (practical, not moral)
A common "efficient" order is:
- Fishing (required)
- Gardening (required)
- Cooking (first choice)
- Insect Catching
- Birdwatching
- Cat Care → Dog Care
Why Cooking first: it uses outputs from Fishing + Gardening and tends to generate reliable money/value early.
