Greenkeep · lane defence
Greenkeep beginner's guide: your first week in the garden
By KittyHome · · 3 min read
Your first week in Greenkeep is about three things: clearing story stages to collect plants, levelling a few units instead of many, and growing your village so the battlefield opens up. This guide covers what each currency is for, how levels and potions work, and the order that gets you to raids and team play quickly.
Day one: the Guardian and your first stages
A new account starts with starter plants and 500 coins. The Guardian, the Garden Keeper in the hub, explains each screen the first time you open it and tells you what a level-up just unlocked, then stays quiet once you know your way around. Let it walk you through the first stages of chapter 1.
The story chapters
Story mode has five chapters of ten stages, and each introduces a mechanic before it matters. Clearing chapters is how most plants enter your collection.
| Chapter | Board | What's new | Plants it brings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunlit Lawn | Two seed slots, the basics | Acorn Blaster, Bramble Bulwark |
| 2 | Moonlit Lawn | Night, and the full seed tray | Sunleaf Banker, Storm Tulip |
| 3 | Canal Lawn | Water lanes | Tangle Root, Mangrove Bridge |
| 4 | Mist | Fog from the sixth column out | Lantern Lily |
| 5 | Sky Terrace | The roof | Chestnut Cannon |
Each stage has Normal, Hard and Elite tiers with their own goals, such as keeping the house safe, losing no lane, or losing no more than a few plants. The mission screen lists the goals before you start, and more stars pay more loot and XP. Clear Normal first to move forward, and come back for Hard and Elite when your units are stronger.
Coins, gems and leaves
| Currency | What it buys | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Coins | Potions, upgrades and garden work | Every raid and mission |
| Gems | Unlocks and maps | Stars, daily rewards and competitive play |
| Leaves | Staked on raids | They come back with interest when you win |
Account level and unit levels
- Each account level-up pays a reward of coins, gems and leaves, doubled on every fifth level. You claim it from the celebration right away, wherever you are.
- Your account level caps your units' levels. Account level 10 allows unit level 10, and every two account levels above that add one more.
- A greyed-out upgrade button means you're short on the cost, or the unit has hit the cap for your account level.
- Higher account levels open the multiplayer modes: raids, team matches and the Gold Cup open a few levels in.
Your village grows the battlefield
Your village level decides how big your garden is: more lanes to defend and more columns to plant in. Each step is a real change in how you build, not just bigger numbers.
| Village level | Lanes | Planting columns |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 3 | 2 |
| 4–6 | 4 | 3 |
| 7–9 | 5 | 4 |
| 10–14 | 5 | 5 |
| 15–20 | 6 | 6 |
Potions
Potions are timed boosts. Garden potions speed up production or protect your harvest. Battle potions go into your loadout slots and fire during a fight. Ranked rooms switch potions off, so ranked matches stay fair.
A week-one routine
- Collect your harvest and claim any level-up rewards.
- Upgrade one or two units you use in every fight.
- Play a story stage, or a Hard tier of one you've cleared.
- Check your defence log once raids open: the replays show which lane needs help.
- Read the Garden Codex when a new insect beats you; it lists the counters.
That's a three-to-eight-minute session, which is what Greenkeep is built for. When raids open, read how raids and counters work.
Questions people ask
What should I spend coins on first in Greenkeep?
Upgrades for the few units you use in every fight. Potions help with a hard stage, but levels carry most of the power.
Why can't I upgrade a unit?
Either you're short on the cost, or the unit has reached the cap for your account level: account level 10 allows unit level 10, and every two levels after that add one.
When does multiplayer unlock?
As your account levels up: raids, team matches and the Gold Cup open once you're a few levels in. Story mode is where you get there.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes, with the Android build from greenkeep.org's Download page. The same account and garden work in the browser at app.greenkeep.org.