The first-session loop
KOTAMON starts from a simple economic loop: search the garbage, move recyclable material, earn money, inspect card finds, and decide what improves the collection. The official store frames the player as a garbage collector searching for an entire card collection.
Do not rush to assign a sell price from the card name alone. Individual copies can differ in Quality or condition, so open the binder and inspect what the game shows before deciding whether a duplicate should be kept, upgraded, mended, swapped, or sold.
- Survey the yard and learn the route between trash piles, Jenny’s office, the garage, and the compactor.
- Recycle bags while you search so cleanup, money, and early achievements advance together.
- Pick up every loose collectible before activating another trash heap.
- Check every new base card in the binder and note its color set and R/SR/SSR label; Kotalion is tracked separately.
- When a card gains a yellow border and upward arrow, check whether three same-name copies share the same Quality and use Level Up if the exchange fits your plan.
- Buy player upgrades deliberately instead of spending through a savings milestone.
- Open cereal boxes as a separate collection activity; a foil is possible, not promised.
Can you run out of trash piles in KOTAMON?
No. The official GIGA patch notes say you can ask Jenny for endless trash piles. When the current heap is finished, return to Jenny and request the next one instead of restarting the game or creating another save.
The same update added a card-fragment system in which five fragments can be glued into a complete card. Repeat piles therefore continue to support cleanup, money, card, fragment, and collectible progress.
Are KOTAMON trash piles endless?
Yes. The official GIGA patch says Jenny can provide endless trash piles.
How do I get another garbage pile in KOTAMON?
Finish the current cleanup, collect every loose item you want to keep, then return to Jenny and request the next pile.
Why did cards disappear when I generated a new trash pile?
Current players report loose cards, tapes and other objects disappearing during the pile change. Pick up loose collectibles first; no official recovery procedure or complete affected-item list is published.
A clean stopping point
End a session by checking the binder, recording new cards, and making an exported tracker backup after major progress. That leaves a clear next action: missing names by set, a savings target, or an achievement counter.