Plantern (PvZ)

Plantern is an unlockable plant in Plants vs. Zombies as an environment modifier whose purpose is to clear fog which obscures the player's vision.

About

 * For more information about this character, see Plantern

Plantern is obtained in the Fog area, specifically after beating the first level, and will illuminate and disperse a large area of fog (5x7), allowing the player to see approaching zombies and their own defense within the cleared radius. He can be planted anywhere, but are only used for their real purpose in the Fog and Vasebreaker levels. Technically, like the Grave Buster, the Plantern is not actually a Night plant. Because he is not a mushroom, he does not need to be planted in the Mushroom Garden to grow.

In Plants vs. Zombies
Plantern

Planterns light up an area, letting you see through fog.

Range: one lane Special: lets you see through fog

Plantern defies science. He just does. Other plants eat light and excrete oxygen; Plantern eats darkness and excretes light. Plantern's cagey about how he does it. "I'm not gonna say 'sorcery,' I wouldn't use the term 'dark forces,' I just... I think I've said enough."

Cost: 25 Recharge: slow

Usage
The only purpose of Plantern is to illuminate areas of Fog in the fog levels and It's Raining Seeds. Plant him within the foggy area on the right side of the screen to reveal the enemy. If Planterns are planted one square into the foggy area in the rows on either side of the Pool, all of the fog will disappear aside from some scraps of it in the corners of the screen.

In Vasebreaker, he is used to reveal what the vases contain within a 3x3 range.

He is a more easy-to-use and a more sun-saving alternative than the Blover. The latter however can be used in a harder but more practical way.

Standard Levels
It is a good idea to put Planterns behind defensive plants such as Wall-nuts or Garlic, or inside a Pumpkin, to prevent them from being eaten if you can. The player should plant only two Planterns in a level, place him near the pool on the fourth row to the right side of the lawn.

Vasebreaker
The Plantern will reveal the contents of any surrounding vases - up to eight at most. In an emergency, a Plantern may be used as a poor man's blockade to briefly delay zombies while attempting to kill them with other plants. Ideally, he should be placed in the middle of as many vases as possible. Try to break a vase in the middle of a 3x3 square and then plant a Plantern there.

It's Raining Seeds mini-game
In the mini-game, It's Raining Seeds, there is fog, so use Planterns the same way that you do in the Adventure Mode levels. However, it depends on luck whether the player will receive the seed packet or not, as they are some of the rarest plants to obtain in the mini-game.

Survival: Fog and Survival: Fog (Hard)
In Survival: Fog and Survival: Fog (Hard), use Planterns in the usual way. It is recommended that they are planted during the first two flags (before you get to choose new seed packets). Alternatively, for the Survival Mode levels, you can use Blovers instead, which also gets rid of Balloon Zombies and makes room for more plants, although there is the loss of sun every time you use Blover. Torchwood is also a viable replacement for Planterns, as he doubles the firepower of all peashooting plants in addition to clearing fog, but it clears a much smaller area of fog than a Plantern. It is suggested to use a Pumpkin around your Plantern to prevent zombies from eating him easily. Also, Garlic can be placed in front of the Plantern to divert zombies from eating your Plantern easily, while reinforced with Spikerock in front of the Garlic for increased damage.

Trivia

 * He, Torchwood, and Sea-shroom are the only plants with visible roots.
 * His range, rather than being one lane as the Almanac states, is actually a three square radius around him. Due to this, planting him on the far left of the player's defenses will reveal nothing.
 * He is the only Fog plant that does not appear in Level 4-10 or Dark Stormy Night.
 * Lily Pad takes his place instead.
 * Plantern is one of the two non-mushroom plants that have a night background in the Suburban Almanac, with the other one being the Grave Buster.
 * If he is planted in Survival: Fog or Survival: Fog (Hard), every time after reselecting plants, fog will appear around the area it covers for about a second, then recede.
 * He makes an illuminating sound when he is planted.
 * In the iPhone version of Zen Garden, the Plantern casts a light.
 * He is one of the plants that is not available in Versus Mode. The others are Lily Pad, Tangle Kelp, Sea-shroom, Blover, Flower Pot, and Marigold.
 * On the iPad version of Plants vs. Zombies, he only has one leaf in each corner of the lantern, instead of three. However, the seed packet still shows three leaves.