Set on a haunted island that is described as “ever-changing”, Cozy Grove is a life-sim where players are put into the shoes of a Spirit Scout. This scout can craft items, gather materials, and befriend local spirits as they go about their adventure. Reminding several players of games like Animal Crossing, the game is more about creating an ideal world to live in as opposed to fighting any particular antagonist.
Players are encouraged to make friends, complete side quests, and bring joy back to the island. But as with any game, money is a necessary component to buy items and upgrades from merchants inside the game. But how exactly is money gained on a haunted island? And what is the best way to collect said money?
Collect Badge Rewards in Cozy Grove
Serving as the game’s achievement system, players have the ability to earn several badges while playing through the game. Obtained when the player meets certain criteria such as collecting a certain number of fish or completing a certain quest, the player will obtain a badge that can be converted into a physical prize. Sometimes this prize is an item, but it is usually money.
But this money doesn’t appear in the player's money count automatically. Players will first have to open the badge menu and claim the badge reward before they officially gain anything. At the beginning of the game especially, collecting these badge rewards can be fairly lucrative as new players will likely be meeting a lot of badge criteria just by playing the game.
Deal with Imps and Bears in Cozy Grove
Spirits and other adorable creatures are located all over the island, and several of them want the player to give them something. Usually in the form of food or raw materials. But two creatures that stand out for money-making purposes are imps and spirit bears.
Imps are a tricky breed to deal with. Players will often see them in the peripheral of their screen, avoiding the player. But it is not uncommon for these imps to request food via speech bubble. If the player collects the requested item and gives it to the imp, the imp will give the player something in return. While this ‘something’ can be items the player may not need, imps may also give the player money as a reward as well. Bear in mind that when this guide says to “give” requested items to the imp, players should really just throw the item in the imp’s general direction. Imps will always avoid the player, so trying to physically hand over the item will only result in the imp running away.
The bears operate similarly to the imps, but their requests can occasionally be harder to accomplish. These requests can range from time-sensitive fetch quests to delivering crafting items, but players can usually expect a cash reward regardless. But money isn’t the only reward, fulfilling these bear requests is actually required to restore light to certain parts of the island. And the more bears the player helps, the more other spirit bears will appear. Meaning that players can continually complete their requests to earn more money as time goes on.
Donate to Captain Snout in Cozy Grove
Players of the game were quick to catch on to the existence and function of Captain Snout. Available as early as the second day after completing a few quests, Captain Snout is willing to give the player money if they help him expand his item collection. He will accept fish, cooked meals, flowers, etc. He will basically accept anything the player can find on the island. This makes donating to Captain Snout one of the most lucrative activities in the entire game.
Even when Captain Snout doesn’t give the player money, he still gives out items that can translate into money later. Did he give the player a recipe? The results may vary, but several of them will allow the player to craft items that can sell for a lot of money. Did he give the player gems? They are useful components on their own, but they can also be converted into money by using the recycling feature.
Use Flamey to Burn Items in Cozy Grove
He may not give money directly to the player, but Flamey is still incredibly useful when players want to make some more cash. But when Flamey burns an item, he can convert that item into a new item. Either by transforming it into a cooked item or by reducing it into crafting components. For example, he can turn fish into charred fish bones or a chestnut into toasted nut flower.
A lot of these items have a higher value than the initially burned item, so using Flamey in this way is a good method to obtain items that either be sold to Mr. Kit at his shop or donated to Captain Snout. It should also be noted that burning items to cook them may be necessary to fulfill requests made by imps and spirit bears.
Cozy Grove is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.