Knowing how to get Aromatic Pet Mutation Shard in Grow a Garden is key for players aiming to enhance their pets with one of the most profitable mutations in the game. The Aromatic mutation not only boosts the value of surrounding crops but also adds a unique long-term earning potential for experienced players. However, this shard is not something you can simply buy—it must be earned through the Rat Connoisseur’s cooking quest system.
How to Obtain the Aromatic Pet Mutation Shard
The Aromatic Pet Mutation Shard can only be acquired as a reward from the Rat Connoisseur, an NPC introduced in the Kitchen Storm update. Here’s how to get it:
Cook Mutated Food
Use the cauldron to prepare a dish made from mutated crops.
Ensure your ingredients carry mutations—higher-tier and rarer mutations improve your reward chances.
Give the Dish to the Rat Connoisseur
Approach the NPC and press E to interact.
Select “Try this food I cooked up!”.
Select the Reward
The Rat Connoisseur will present three possible rewards.
If the Aromatic Pet Mutation Shard appears, select it to claim.
The shard has a 20% appearance rate, meaning it may take several attempts before you see it offered.
Tips to Increase Your Chances
While the drop rate is fixed at 20%, you can improve your odds of seeing the shard in fewer attempts by:
Using High-Tier Dishes – Recipes in Divine, Prismatic, or Transcendent tiers tend to yield better reward pools.
Adding Rare Mutations – Unique or hard-to-get mutations make the dish more valuable to the Rat Connoisseur.
Using Expensive Ingredients – High-cost crops signal quality and increase the odds of rare reward options.
Making Large-Weight Dishes – Heavier dishes are more likely to produce high-tier reward rolls.
How to Apply the Aromatic Mutation to a Pet
Once you have the Aromatic Pet Mutation Shard:
Hold the shard in your hand.
Left-click on the pet you want to mutate.
The mutation will be applied instantly.
Important notes:
The pet must not already have another mutation. Applying the shard will overwrite any existing mutation.
This process cannot be undone, so choose your pet carefully.
Effects of the Aromatic Mutation
Pets with the Aromatic mutation gain the ability to infuse nearby crops with the Aromatic plant mutation every 24.50 minutes. This mutation significantly boosts the selling price of affected crops with a multiplier of 18×, making it one of the most profitable plant effects in Grow a Garden.
While the Aromatic mutation does not currently play a role in any specific quest, its earning potential makes it an attractive option for long-term farming optimization.
Strategic Considerations
For newer players, chasing the Aromatic Pet Mutation Shard immediately may not be the most efficient use of resources. Because the shard can only be obtained through the Rat Connoisseur and has a low drop rate, it can take considerable time to acquire.
Veteran players, on the other hand, can integrate shard hunting into their routine by:
Regularly Cooking Mutated Dishes – Even without targeting the shard specifically, you will eventually obtain it while farming for other rewards.
Combining with Kitchen Storm Buffs – Starting a Kitchen Storm before cooking increases mutation carryover and speeds up preparation time.
Taking Advantage of Other Rewards – Along the way, you may receive rare items such as the Gorilla Chef pet or the Culinarian Chest, both highly valuable.
Final Thoughts
The Aromatic Pet Mutation Shard is a rare but highly rewarding upgrade in Grow a Garden. While it has only a 20% appearance rate from the Rat Connoisseur, consistent cooking of high-tier mutated dishes will eventually yield the shard. Applying it to the right pet unlocks the powerful Aromatic mutation, capable of generating massive profits through its 18× crop sale multiplier. For veteran players, shard hunting fits naturally into daily gameplay, offering a steady path to one of the most lucrative pet upgrades in the game.