Tiny Eden: the paint roller that will not paint

How painting works

The roller only works on things that can be recoloured, such as the cat and planters. Hold it, aim at the object, and the available colours appear along the bottom of the screen. A player who did it on an existing save described the whole sequence.

The same player calls a pinkish purple the basic colour. According to them, owning the DLC should add two more; if pink-purple is the only option, your DLC colours have not been applied, which is the problem further down.

Do not buy a second one

The shop lists a paint roller for sale even though you already have one on your tool wheel, and several players bought it. Players report the purchase cannot be collected, apparently because you cannot hold two, so it sits in the parcel terminal and stays there. One player with a stuck second roller also never received a fan they had paid for; the purchase bug the developers described is on when a heater does nothing.

A player in that thread offered a rule that also explains the trowel: tools already on your wheel do not need buying, and tools that are missing do. It is the opposite trap from removing plants, where the trowel looks owned but is not.

• "you have the paint roller from start and don't need to buy it"
• "Also, you can only buy it once, just like the other tools. So now it's stuck there forever."
• "general rule: if it's not in your tool-wheel you gotta buy it - if it is, you probably won't."

DLC colours missing in a new save

The bigger problem hit players with the DLC. Colours and items that worked in their first save were gone in a new one started after an update: not in the customisation menus, and not marked as owned in the shop. Reinstalling and verifying files did not bring them back for one player.

Reports on the workaround conflict. One player said it was fixed once they bought the skin in the shop under Misc; another said DLC owners should not have to pay, and a drone skin they had bought still would not equip.

What Update #5 changed

Update #5 on 12 September rewrote how a set of 39 skins is handed out. The notes call them Deluxe Edition skins, but the Steam store sells no product with that name: it lists the game, the Goodies Pack and the Soundtrack, and the Goodies Pack is the one with cats, drone skins, planter designs and wallpapers (see what the DLC includes). Which purchase the notes mean is not explained.

Whatever it covers, the change is the one to test against. Update, load your save, and check the customisation menus before buying any skin again.

• "The 39 Deluxe Edition skins are now granted once and only to Deluxe owners."
• "Players who purchase the Deluxe Edition later will receive the skins the next time they load the game."
• "Implemented additional changes intended to address purchasing issues."

The drone that will not change colour

The roller does not reach everything that looks customisable. A player who bought a metallic drone skin got the option to change the drone, but the drone stayed the same, and another player could not repaint the apartment's helper bot at all.

Whether that bot is meant to be recolourable is not documented. If a skin you paid for will not apply, the Update #5 purchasing changes above are the first thing to retest.

Frequently asked

How do you use the paint roller in Tiny Eden?

A player describes aiming it at the cat, scrolling the mouse wheel through the colours shown at the bottom of the screen, and left clicking to apply.

Why is my paint roller stuck in the mailbox?

Players report you own one from the start, and a second roller you buy stays in the parcel terminal instead of being collected.

Why are my DLC colours missing?

Players saw DLC items vanish in saves started after a launch-week update. Update #5 changed how the Deluxe Edition skins are granted; update and reload before buying skins again.