How do you get petals?

The permanent sources are slow on their own, so the weekly tasks and the shop are what keep a season's total moving. Every petal counts toward milestones on the Legendary Journey track, and those milestones unlock rewards that end with the legendary Irisalis encounter.

You don't have to keep your own list. The Legendary Journey event screen has a built-in "How to obtain" section showing the ways to get Iris Petals you haven't used yet, and the permanent sources sit under their own section of the event.

Where the permanent petals come from

Most of these come from playing the game normally. The first time you beat each Alpha Aniimo, Alpha Minespine included, you get a petal, and that first clear costs no energy. A region's silver collection badge, earned at 70% collection progress in that zone, pays out Iris petals along with Vein Essences. Branch Nurturing gives three petals for each Branch Nurture level of the main branch when you infuse Lumin Amber. Elite Pathfinder Challenges add a few, though only a small share of the total. The journey quests of the Windchasers Departure event award them too, but not every quest does.

Only eight petals are placed on the open world map, at points the event menu marks, and the gathering task shows a photo of each spot. One of them sits behind a barrier that only goes away when you finish the main story at the level 50 story quest.

Not settled: It isn't settled how much of a season's total comes from permanent rewards and how much from the stamp shop and event shop. Alphas respawn and can be fought again for petals, but it's also unclear whether those repeat fights are unlimited or capped by daily energy.