In Wand & Order: Tidy up the magic shop! (commonly referred to as Wand and Order), restoring the alchemist's shop involves more than categorizing tarot decks, sorting wands, and aligning potion bottles. The game incorporates traditional housekeeping chores—including mopping mud stains, wiping picture frames, removing cobwebs, and watering wilted plants.
Watering plants is an essential task required to fully clear each stage before you can pass through the portal to the next area. While the task sounds straightforward, many players run into confusion regarding empty watering cans, missed pots, and how to claim the accompanying mushroom speed boosts. This guide details how the mechanic functions, where to find water sources, and how to satisfy every plant objective across all three zones.
How the Watering Mechanic Works in Wand & Order
The single most common issue players encounter when trying to water plants is assuming the watering can is ready to use immediately upon picking it up. Even when empty, the can may display faint droplet particles or fail to produce an error message when you interact with a flower pot, leaving many cleaners to believe the interaction is bugged.
To successfully water plants throughout the shop, keep these basic mechanics in mind:
- Locate the Watering Can: The watering can is typically found inside a supply closet or resting on a nearby counter or desk near the beginning of each zone.
- Fill the Can at a Water Source: Before interacting with any foliage, carry the can to an active fountain or water basin located in the room and press the interact button to fill it up.
- Monitor Water Charges: Once dry, you must return to a water fountain to refill.
- Target the Base of the Pot: Approach a plant and press the interact button. When watered properly, the plant visibly blooms with colorful flowers or sprouts, and your on-screen objective counter in the upper-left corner updates.
- Drop When Finished: You do not need to walk the can all the way back to the closet. Using secondary interaction (right-click on PC) allows you to drop the watering can wherever you stand so you can immediately resume sorting.
Mushroom Speed Boosts and Plant Achievements
Plants in Wand & Order serve dual purposes: they fulfill mandatory cleanup quotas and reward players with critical mobility upgrades.
Mushroom Speed Upgrades
Alongside normal flower pots and decorative bushes, each zone contains a mushroom pot. When you pour water onto the mushroom pot, it sprouts a vibrant red or magical fungus. Interacting with or consuming this fully grown mushroom immediately rewards you with a passive movement speed boost.
Because your default walking speed is relatively slow—and stages expand dramatically from single-room layouts to multi-floor complexes—watering and grabbing the mushroom as early as possible in your run saves significant travel time.
Related Steam Achievements
Official Steam platform data lists two achievements directly tied to your gardening chores:
- Bloom Service: Awarded the first time you water a flower pot.
- Swift Apprentice: Awarded the first time you water a mushroom pot and collect its speed perk.
Plant Watering Objectives Across All Three Zones
Each of the three main environments in Wand & Order raises the stakes by scattering more foliage across broader floor plans.
| Zone Name | Main Sorting Objective | Plant Watering Objective | Key Features & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1: The Archives | ~470 Tarot Cards | Flower pots, wall bushes & 1 mushroom pot | Found around the entrance stairs, side hallways, and back room. Grants your first speed upgrade. |
| Zone 2: The Wand Workshop | ~1,300 Magic Wands | 19 Plants total | Spread across two floors; includes a mushroom pot behind the main counter desk. |
| Zone 3: The Alchemy Lab | 2,200+ Potions & Ingredients | Numerous plants | Distributed across three extensive levels, balcony edges, and tucked-away alcoves. |
Zone 1: The Archives
The Archives serve as an introduction to basic housekeeping. You will find several potted bushes lining the corridors and entrance stairs, as well as a solitary mushroom pot. Experienced solo speedrunners recommend grabbing the watering can from the closet near the entrance, filling it at the fountain, and clearing all plants and the mushroom right after setting up your first shelf.
Zone 2: The Wand Workshop
The Wand Workshop spans two floors and requires you to water a total of 19 plants. Make sure to check behind the ground-floor checkout desk to water the mushroom pot, which provides the second tier of your speed enhancement. Other plants are placed along wall borders, near display cases, and upstairs along the railings.
Zone 3: The Alchemy Lab
The final area is a massive, multi-tiered facility featuring numerous plants. Because the map contains multiple floors and sprawling wings, it is easy to leave one or two plants unwatered. Walkthroughs demonstrate that the most commonly overlooked pots are located on the uppermost balcony ledges, recessed window corners, and along the outer balustrades.
Troubleshooting Common Watering Bugs and Issues
If your plant counter fails to reach completion, review the following troubleshooting steps documented by players in Steam community discussions:
- Can Won't Water Plants: If interacting with a pot does nothing, your watering can is completely dry. Head to the nearest water fountain with running water to refill.
- Counter Stuck at 18/19 in Zone 2: Several players on the official Steam discussion boards have reported an issue in Zone 2 where watering plants in extremely rapid succession caused the final two plants to register as only one, locking the counter at 18/19. To avoid this, pause briefly between watering each pot to ensure the counter increments. If stuck, exiting and reloading may reset unwatered plants or the mushroom state.
- Premature Task Swapping: Players have noted that the top-left HUD prompt may cycle to sorting instructions before you have finished your cleaning chores. Always check your secondary task counter to ensure dirt spots, cobwebs, paintings, and plants are all marked at 100% completion before attempting to step through the exit portal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to water every plant to beat a level?
Yes. Official Steam game descriptions and player reviews confirm that sorting items alone is not enough to clear a zone. You must complete every side objective—including dusting paintings, mopping dirt spills, clearing spiderwebs, and watering all plants—to receive the master's approval and finish the room.
Where is the water source to refill the watering can?
Water sources are designated basins or decorative wall fountains with running water located within each level. Standing next to the fountain and pressing the interact key while holding the watering can refills its reservoir.
What happens if I miss the mushroom speed boost?
You can water and pick the mushroom at any point during your time in that zone. However, doing it early is strongly recommended, as the movement speed increase makes gathering scattered boxes and running between shelves significantly faster.
