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Objectives

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Objectives are additional tasks that the player must meet either to obtain a specific reward or continue and complete the level. In Plants vs. Zombies, it arguably applies on I, Zombie Endless, some Mini-games, and Achievements. In Plants vs. Zombies 2, a window appears when starting a level, listing each objective for that level. After the level is finished, a similar window appears, with a checkmark next to each objective.

Note that in Plants vs. Zombies, the word "objective" is not explicitly used, and the relevant information can be found on the I, Zombie Endless, Mini-games, and Achievements (PvZ) pages. As such, this page will primarily focus on objectives in Plants vs. Zombies 2.

History[]

The concept of having additional tasks on a level aside from the main objective originated from I, Zombie Endless and iOS and Android versions of Seeing Stars of PvZ where the player must carry over at least 50 sun to continue the level and streak and place all Starfruits to complete the level, respectively. It also appeared in some Mini-games, such as Beghouled and Seeing Stars and Plants vs. Zombies: Journey to the West. A third feature that could be considered "objectives" is various Achievements: No Fungus Among Us, Pool's Closed, Blind Faith, Grounded, Wall-Not Attack, Sproing! Sproing!, Chilli Free, and more.

From versions 1.0 to 1.6 of PvZ2, the regular levels could be replayed to earn stars after completing the Ultimate Battle. Each level had 3 sets of bonus objectives: if the player completed a level with the objectives, they would earn a star, so they could earn up to 3 stars for each level. If the player failed any objective, they could still finish the level, but they wouldn't earn a star and a money bag is instead obtained. At the end of a level is a notification that the player obtained the star if completing all objectives or missed if failed one of those. Additional stars could be earned from the Ultimate Battle and Brain Busters, which did not have any bonus objectives. 15 stars were needed to unlock Pirate Seas, and another 15 were needed to unlock Wild West.

In the 1.7 update, the world map was completely reworked, removing stars from the game. However, some bonus objectives became separate levels. For example, the first star in Wild West - Day 1 had the objectives "Spend no more than 300 sun" and "Don't lose any lawn mowers." This level was converted into both Wild West - Day 1 and Wild West - Day 11: the latter has the extra objectives (though 300 sun was increased to 500, and the lawn mowers objective was removed in 1.9). Objectives now became the equivalent of missions in other games since the said update where they are mandatory to complete them as failing will result in losing the level.

When Far Future was added to the game, objectives were used in their own levels, rather than duplicates of other levels. This trend continued for all subsequent worlds. In Lost City - Day 8, an objective was used in a Brain Buster for the first time; this idea was then used in Neon Mixtape Tour - Day 9, Jurassic Marsh - Day 7, and Jurassic Marsh - Day 19.

Eventually, some worlds got expansions. These levels often use objectives; again, in both regular levels and Brain Busters. Notably, objectives were combined in ways never seen previously. For example, this was the first time Save Our Seeds levels had additional objectives (Ancient Egypt - Day 32, Wild West - Day 29, Far Future - Day 29, and Jurassic Marsh - Day 36). It was also the first time a single level was simultaneously multiple Brain Busters (Pirate Seas - Day 32, Wild West - Day 28, and Wild West - Day 34). While not all expansions have Ultimate Battles, some of the Ultimate Battles use objectives too (Pirate Seas - Day 27 and Jurassic Marsh - Day 39).

When Penny's Pursuit was added, it came with new objectives, along with a new and returned use for objectives. Unlike Adventure, most objectives are optional in Penny's Pursuit similar to before 1.7 update (including endangered plants, but not mold colonies as they are now unplantable since 1.9 or timed levels). For each bonus objective completed, the player earns a Perk Upgrade.

Brain Buster Objectives[]

Main article: Brain Busters

Most Brain Busters have a corresponding objective. This essentially just means to complete the Brain Buster, but additional objectives are sometimes included. Here is a list of Brain Busters and the corresponding objectives:

  • Mummy Memory: Match symbols to destroy the zombies
    • Mummy Memory does not exist in modern versions of the game, but this was the objective used in older versions.
  • Cannons Away: Reach the target score
    • In modern versions of the game, this objective is displayed at the end of the level, but not the start. In older versions, the objective was displayed at the beginning too, except in Pirate Seas - Day 3 (which is now the only Cannons away level and was moved to Pirate Seas - Day 12).
  • Not OK Corral: Survive the zombie attack
    • Unlike most objectives, this one is only displayed at the end of the level, not the start.
  • Sun Bombs: Survive while Sun Bombs fall
  • Dark Alchemy: Survive while evil potions boost zombies
  • Bulb Bowling: No objective
  • Beghouled: No objective
  • Last Stand: Plan your defense and defeat the zombies
  • Save Our Seeds: Survive and protect the endangered plants
    • On levels with Puff-shrooms, the objective is instead "Survive and keep the Puff-shrooms alive"
    • Some Piñata Parties have endangered plants without explicitly stating either objectives mentioned above. If these plants are eaten, removed, or destroyed by any means, the player will still lose the level.
  • Locked and Loaded: Survive the zombie attack with the given plants
    • In some levels, especially in expansions, this objective is mistakenly omitted.
  • Special Delivery: No objective

Survive the zombie attack with most plants picked for you[]

It is debatable whether or not this objective counts as a Brain Buster. It is essentially a partial Locked and Loaded: the game pre-picks most plants, but the player can choose the last few. This objective is used in the following levels:

Additionally, some levels pre-pick at least 1 plant without explicitly using this objective.

Non Brain Buster Objectives[]

For these objectives, the player must complete a specific task besides surviving the zombie attack. They were used to obtain stars in regular levels before 1.7.

Survive without planting on Dave's mold colonies[]

Main article: Dave's mold colonies
Four tiles with Dave's mold colonies on them

Four tiles with Dave's mold colonies on them

For this objective, some tiles are occupied by Dave's mold colonies: they act as lawn obstacles since the 1.9 update therefore it is impossible to plant on these tiles.

From 1.0 to 1.8, the objective was formerly "Don't plant on Dave's mold colonies" as they were used to be plantable which will invalidate the star from 1.0 to 1.6 and caused the loss of a level from 1.7 to 1.8.

This objective is used in the following levels:

Don't let the zombies trample the flowers[]

Main article: Flowers
A tile with flowers in the middle of it

A tile with flowers in the middle of it

For this objective, there is a line of flowers, either directly along a column or between 2 columns. If a zombie passes on top of these flowers, the player loses the level, but crossing the flowers while airborne does not count. Additionally, if the flowers are directly along a column, it is possible to plant on the flowers (for example, Spikeweed), which nullifies them.

This objective is used in the following levels:

Produce at least X sun[]

The level shows an icon, which indicates how much sun the player needs to produce total, and how much they have produced so far. Any sun produced through the following means counts towards the objective:

Most notably, sun falling from the sky does not count towards the objective. When sun is produced, it immediately counts towards the objective, even before it is collected. Then, it can be spent without counting against the objective.

Sun production is usually one of the easiest objectives. Just plant as many sun producers as possible, and play slowly to give them time to produce sun. If you reach the final wave and have not yet produced enough sun, you can use walls or other means to stall the last zombie until you have produced enough sun.

This objective is used in the following levels:

Spend no more than X sun[]

Unlike Last Stand, the player starts with a normal amount of sun and can produce more; they simply can't spend more than the limit. An icon shows how much sun the player has left to spend. Note that it is still possible to hold more sun in the bank than the limit, then overspend which can cause the loss of a level. Therefore, it is important to watch the sun limit, especially when it runs low.

This objective is used in the following levels:

Never have more than X plants[]

No more than the specified number of plants can be on the lawn at once, but any plants that are Shoveled or destroyed no longer count towards the limit. An icon indicates how many more plants can be on the lawn.

If the limit is reached, it becomes impossible to plant more plants until existing ones are removed. Some interactions that would normally create more plants don't, such as Lily Pad Plant Food or Spore-shroom duplication. However, Witch Hazel can still creates Puff-shrooms and Toadstools, and Holly Barrier can still launch berries, causing the loss of a level.

If multiple plants are on the same tile, this counts as multiple plants. For example, if a Lily Pad has another plant on it, this counts as 2 plants. If multiple Pea Pods are stacked, each individual Pea Pod counts towards the limit, instead of the whole stack counting as just 1.

This objective is used in the following levels:

Don't lose more than X plants[]

If a plant is destroyed by any means, including the Shovel, this counts towards the plant loss limit. An icon shows how many plants the player has left to lose, and losing more than the limit will cause the loss of a level.

Single use plants (such as Cherry Bomb or Stallia) also count towards the plant loss limit, so these should be used very carefully, or not at all. If the player chooses a single use plant in the seed selection, a warning message appears upon starting the level. Note that some single-use plants can still be used for their Plant Food effects (such as Iceberg Lettuce or Shadow-shroom), which does not count as losing a plant.

This objective is used in the following levels:

Defeat X zombies in Y seconds[]

At some point during the level, the player must defeat the specified number of zombies within the time frame. Whenever a zombie is defeated (including an Imp or other small zombie), this counts towards the objective, but each zombie is removed from the count after too much time has passed.

A meter shows how many zombies have been defeated in the last X seconds. This meter goes up when zombies are defeated, and down if time passes without defeating enough zombies. Once the meter is full, the objective is complete, and it stays full for the rest of the level.

Note that a zombie might not count towards the objective immediately when it is defeated, but rather. Specifically, if the usual death animation occurs (for example, if the zombie is defeated using Repeater, Spikeweed, Bonk Choy, or Melon-pult). However, a zombie does immediately count towards the objective if destroyed through most other means (exploded with Potato Mine, charred with Snapdragon, electrocuted with Lightning Reed, blown away with Blover, knocked into water with Spring Bean, etc). This can be important, especially if the time frame is tight.

This objective is used in the following levels:

Don't spend any sun for X seconds[]

At some point during the level, the player must avoid spending any sun for the specified amount of time. There is a timer to show how much time the player still has to avoid spending sun. If they do spend sun (and have not already completed the objective), this timer resets. However, they can still plant free plants (like Iceberg Lettuce), use Plant Food, move Minecarts, etc.

Prior to the 1.7 update, this objective was part of some stars. In subsequent versions, this objective is no longer used, but it is still in the game's code.

Survive without any lawn mowers[]

This objective is simple: the lawn mowers are not present. It is used in every Ultimate Battle (outside of expansions) except Ancient Egypt - Day 6.

In addition, some levels remove lawn mowers without explicitly stating this objective:

Prior to the 1.9 update, almost every level with objectives and Brain Busters used the "Don't lose any lawn mowers" objective. In 1.9, this objective was removed from regular levels and Brain Busters. It was essentially repurposed for Ultimate Battles (which originally did have lawn mowers before 1.7, and losing a lawn mower did not invalidate the star).

Penny's Pursuit Objectives[]

These objectives are exclusive to Penny's Pursuit.

Survive for X minutes![]

Unlike most objectives, this one is not optional, and it is arguably a type of Brain Buster. There is no final wave; instead, the level finishes when the time limit is reached.

Score to beat: X[]

Each zombie is worth a certain score when defeated, depending on the type of zombie. This score may be multiplied if the zombie is defeated near the back of the lawn (similar to Arena). There is also a global multiplier, which increases if a lot of points are earned quickly.

Destroy X Grid Items[]

A type of grid item is specified, such as Tombstones or Surfboards: the player must destroy the specified number of these grid items.

Defeat X Zombies[]

A type of zombie is specified, and the player must defeat that many zombies. If Imp Pear transforms the specified type of zombie, this counts as defeating it.

Defeat Miniboss X times[]

This objective is almost identical to "Defeat X Zombies," but it is used for minibosses: Cardio, Caesar, or Z-Mech.

Apply condition X times[]

The level specifies a condition (butter, chill, stall, ash, electrify, shrink, etc). If a zombie loses the condition, the same zombie can count twice if it regains the condition.

For example, the objective could be "Butter Zombies X times." If a zombie becomes buttered, this counts towards the objective. If butter lands on an already buttered zombie, this does not count; however, if a zombie loses its butter, then becomes buttered again, this does count.

Plant Food Hypnoshrooms to morph Zombies X times[]

Use Plant Food on Hypno-shrooms to turn the specified number of zombies into hypnotized gargantuars.

Fill a horizontal row with X plants[]

At some point during the level, a single lane must contain the minimum number of plants. Usually, this minimum is 9, meaning that the entire lane must be filled with plants.

Trivia[]

Plants vs. Zombies[]

  • If the player starts the next streak with less than 50 sun on I, Zombie Endless, the losing dialog box says "GAME OVER (mobile)/[ENDLESS_PUZZLE_DEATH_MESSAGE] (level name as header (I, Zombie Endless) (console, DS, and PC versions)): You made it to a streak of (number of streak that the player completed)" appears with the sound of entering the next streak and game over music will play together, with the game over music being the last to be played before anything becomes silent.
    • The background is color grey with gameplay still visible due to the loading of the next streak but is only interrupted by the losing dialog box.
    • Due to the game over music being played when the dialog box appears, it is possible to skip the music by exiting the game over screen through restarting (Try Again) or exit the level (Main Menu/Menu/Quit (depending on the version)) while the music plays.
  • The Sunny Days achievement may have been the predecessor to the PvZ2 objective "Produce at least X sun."

Plants vs. Zombies 2[]

  • If a level has the "Don't lose more than X plants" objective, bringing Intensive Carrot does not trigger the warning message, even though using Intensive Carrot does count as losing a plant.
  • In the 12.3.1 update, there was a bug that completely nullified the "Never have more than X plants" objective, and the game thought the player had 0 plants. This was fixed in the next update.
  • A level can forbid the player from losing any plants at all. The objective says "Don't lose more than 0 plants," despite this being counterintuitive compared to "Don't lose any plants." While no normal levels do this, it could be seen in Legions of the Undead - Level 3 on Extra Hot difficulty.
  • A brain image still appears if the player loses the level due to some respective Brain Busters and failed non-Brain Busters objectives (with the latter since the 1.7 update) without letting the zombies reach the house. This can imply that the player must think and do strategies needed to meet them required for completing the level.
    • However, on Thymed Events, the "YOU LOST!" screen is instead shown and not show the game over screens of some respective Brain Busters and failed non-Brain Busters objectives. In this case, the game over music of a specific world and "YOU LOST!" jingle will play together.
    • Failed non-Brain Busters objectives game over screens do not have the "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" scream and only the game over music plays, with the SFX is still heard in the background if there is any until the player exits the losing screen by returning to map, going to Zen Garden, and restarts the level. With this, it simply stops the in-game music after the losing music plays.
  • When failing "Produce at least X sun", "Spend no more than X sun", "Never have more than X plants", and "Don't lose more than X plants", the counter will turn into red text and "X" symbol will appear at the lower-left where it will invalidate the star from 1.0 to 1.6 and transition to the Game Over screen with failed objective description in green text appearing at the top of the screen and bounces to the middle since the 1.7 update.
    • Only the "X" symbol appears when failing "Defeat X zombies in Y seconds" after the final wave.
    • A reward will not drop from the last zombie since the 1.7 update if failing "Produce at least X sun" and "Defeat X zombies in Y seconds" and instead turns the counter into red and "X" symbol appears where the level transitions to the Game Over screen.
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