Discover how Gnome Treasure works in Gardenscapes, including pickaxes, hidden gems, event duration, rewards, strategy tips, and the real cost of completing all five stages. Learn when the event is worth playing and how to maximize your rewards without wasting boosters or coins.
Gnome Treasure is one of the most interesting small events in Gardenscapes because it does not simply ask you to win levels. It requires you to use pickaxes, clear blockers, and search for hidden objects under tiles, almost like a mini treasure-hunting event inside the game itself.
The basic idea is simple: you complete match-3 levels, earn pickaxes, and then spend them on the special event board to uncover gems. Once you find all the required items in a stage, you receive the reward and move on to the next board.
What Is Gnome Treasure
Gnome Treasure is a recurring time-limited event. According to the official Playrix Help Center, the event is based on a special currency called pickaxes, which are earned by completing regular match-3 levels. These pickaxes are used to remove blockers from the event board and reveal hidden gems.
Playrix states that the event is divided into five stages, each with different goals and different boards. To complete each stage, all hidden objects required by the game must be found. The same official page also states that the event lasts four days and is available in both regular levels and Golden League levels.
How It Works in Practice
The game does not allow you to dig freely without a cost. Every move on the Gnome Treasure board consumes pickaxes. This means that the real challenge of the event is not only guessing where objects may be hidden but also having enough pickaxes earned from completed levels.
The player completes levels, collects pickaxes, enters the event board, clears obstacles, and searches for hidden objects. When the current stage is completed, the game grants a reward and unlocks the next one. You do not advance simply because you opened enough tiles; you advance when you find everything required by that specific stage.
How Long the Event Lasts
Gnome Treasure lasts four days. This is important because it is not an event that should be treated like a large expedition or a season. It is small, time-limited, and heavily depends on how many levels a player can win within a few days.
It has been reported that the event may sometimes appear slightly later on certain accounts or may not become available to everyone at the same time. This matches the general Gardenscapes practice where some events or event versions are not always released identically to all players.
The Real Cost of Gnome Treasure
The cost is not only visible on the event board. The real cost is the number of levels you must complete to collect enough pickaxes. Completing the event may require a large number of pickaxes, more than 160 pickaxes for full completion. This is not an official number for all accounts, but it clearly shows that the event is not as light as it may appear.
If a player can pass levels easily, especially with active streak bonuses or timed boosters, Gnome Treasure can be completed fairly quickly. However, if the player is stuck on hard, super hard, or challenge levels, the event can become a trap that consumes boosters and coins.
What Players Should Watch Out For
The first thing players should remember is not to view Gnome Treasure as a free reward event. It is not exactly free. If you spend more boosters, more coins, or lose many consecutive attempts in order to earn a reward, the event may cost more than it gives back.
The second thing is not to clear the entire board blindly from the beginning. The goal is not to open every tile. The goal is to find the objects required by the stage. If you have few pickaxes, it is better to think practically: open areas that are likely to contain objects rather than clearing everything simply for the feeling of completion.
The third thing is not to break a winning streak unnecessarily. If you have a strong active streak, timed boosters, or x2 progress from another event, Gnome Treasure becomes much more efficient. Double progress for about one hour helps significantly when trying to complete the event.
Gnome Treasure Rewards
The rewards do not appear to be the same for every player.
This means that no reward screenshot should be treated as a universal rule. Gardenscapes frequently tests different event versions, different reward groups, and different reward economies across accounts. Therefore, the best way to judge Gnome Treasure is to look at the rewards offered on your own account and decide whether they are worth pursuing.
When It Is Worth Chasing
Gnome Treasure is most worthwhile when you are passing levels consistently. If you are on a good winning streak, have timed boosters active, or are playing in the Golden League and can complete many levels without major interruptions, pickaxes accumulate much more naturally.
It is also worth pursuing when your rewards include useful boosters or a significant number of coins. If the reward set available on your account is weak, there is little reason to spend a large amount of resources just to finish the event.
When It Is Not Worth Pushing
It is not worth pushing when you are stuck on a difficult level and every attempt leads to booster usage. If you are spending resources simply to collect a few pickaxes, the event loses much of its value.
It is also not worth pushing when very little time remains and you are still in an early stage. Gnome Treasure is a short event. If time is running out and your progress is limited, it is usually better to collect whatever rewards you can without panic rather than trying to force completion at a high cost.
The Best Strategy for Gnome Treasure
The best strategy is to play it alongside your normal level progression. Do not change your entire game plan for the event. Complete levels as you normally would, collect pickaxes, and use them carefully on the event board.
If you have timed boosters, try to play continuously while they are active. If you have a smooth run through easy or medium levels, the event can progress much faster. However, if you encounter a difficult chain of levels, save your important boosters for the levels themselves rather than spending them to push a short-duration event.
Why Many Players Like Gnome Treasure
Players enjoy Gnome Treasure because it feels different from pure leaderboard events. It is not simply a competition against other players. It contains a small exploration element, creates the feeling of searching for something hidden, and adds a refreshing change of pace between match-3 levels.
This is also why many players view it more positively than events that require endless victories. When the rewards are good and pickaxes can be collected without excessive cost, Gnome Treasure can become one of the most enjoyable small events in the game.
Why Some Players Consider It Weak
The negative side is that the rewards may not always justify the effort. If a player needs to complete many levels to finish the event and ultimately receives only a few coins or boosters, it can feel as though the game is demanding more time than it gives back.
This contrast appears frequently: some players finish it quickly and see it as a valuable bonus, while others believe the rewards are too low for the number of levels required. Both views are understandable because the outcome depends on the reward version, the difficulty of the levels, and how easily a player can progress during that period.
If you would like to see a complete walkthrough of the event from start to finish, including all five stages and the final rewards, you can watch a full completion video in our team’s Facebook group: full Gnome Treasure completion video. Seeing the entire event in action can help you estimate the number of pickaxes required and decide whether the rewards are worth the effort on your account.
Final Assessment
Gnome Treasure is not an event that should be chased blindly. It is a good event when used intelligently: play levels, collect pickaxes, open the board efficiently, and stop when the cost begins to outweigh the reward.
For a strong player, especially during a period of good momentum, it can be fast and rewarding. For a player who is stuck, it can easily become a trap. The right approach is neither to ignore it nor to pursue it at any cost. The best approach is to treat it as a bonus layered on top of your normal Gardenscapes progression.
Sources and Documentation
The official Playrix support page describes the core mechanics of Gnome Treasure, including pickaxes, the five stages, the four-day duration, and its availability in regular levels and Golden League levels: Playrix Help Center for Gnome Treasure.
The Gardenscapes Wiki page summarizes the same core information and notes that the event becomes available from level 26 onward: Gnome Treasure on the Gardenscapes Wiki.
Have you noticed something that isn’t mentioned here? Level differences, changes, or team-related issues? Leave a comment.