Needs
Needs are the basic requirements your Seedling must meet to live a happy life. Keeping them in the green is the sign of a good Cultivator. Seedlings always try to satisfy needs on their own (like eating from a container they can access), but if nothing is available it's your responsibility to provide. Some societies offer public shelters for new Seedlings; in the long run you'll either collaborate with other Cultivators, or give your Seedling their own home and regularly buy or craft what they require.
Water (critical): run out for too long and your Seedling will eventually collapse (see Collapse and Revival below). Seedlings drink from storage containers they can access (click the container > Consume > choose the water item) or from a water pile on the ground. Murky Water can make them sick: use water pumps and filtration units for clean water. An unattended Seedling hits a thirst crisis after roughly a week on Avesta; water depletes about twice as fast as food. Clean water usually tops up thirst in one go; murky water restores about half (with sickness risk).
Food (critical): run out for too long and your Seedling will eventually collapse (see Collapse and Revival below). Seedlings eat from storage containers or vending machines they can access, or directly from a resource pile (raw mushrooms can make them sick!). You cannot manually order a Seedling to eat from their personal inventory, but a hungry Seedling eats carried food on their own. An unattended Seedling lasts roughly two weeks without food before collapsing, but the desperate-hunger crisis (stat penalties, unhappy thoughts) kicks in well before that.
Rest (functional): unmaintained, the Seedling will faint. Use beds, cots, hammocks or other rest furniture (crafted or bought), or find 'Rest' locations via Map View. A full sleep takes roughly 5 in-game hours and fully restores Rest, so 8 scheduled hours is more than enough. Tired Seedlings prefer sleeping at home, in their own bed or tent.
Energy: Energy is no longer a need, it recovers on its own over time, faster while sitting or lying down, and fastest when your Seedling is in a good mood. Working (hauling, farming, gathering, crafting, construction) drains it, and exhausted Seedlings will stop draining work until they've recovered. Keep an eye on the live energy bar on the Seedling card, a Low Energy warning appears when it runs low. Most food no longer restores energy, Seedlings recover it by taking it easy.
Bladder (functional): unmaintained, the Seedling wets themselves (embarrassment, mood drop, hygiene drop). Toilets can be crafted with basic machines or bought from the Marketplace.
Social (wellbeing): Seedlings need regular contact with other Seedlings: talking to friends, cafés, events. Certain pieces of Furniture will help socializing (like a large couch)
Comfort (wellbeing): comes from relaxing environments, quality furniture and tasty foods.
Hygiene (wellbeing): Seedlings must wash regularly; access to running water (showers, baths, sinks) is essential.
Leisure (wellbeing): Seedlings care about having fun and get restless when bored. Any activity that matches one of their interests counts as leisure, alongside dedicated fun activities like the arcade.
For every need, Seedlings autonomously prioritize satisfying it when its bar gets low.