Key takeaways
- Dig 5–10 shallow tiles in a straight line or a small square pattern.
- Collect every coin and dirt clump — dirt sells even when coins don’t drop.
- Do NOT buy a tool upgrade yet. A starter shovel upgrade usually costs around 50–150 coins and barely helps until you have more dirt to work with.
- Complete the first tutorial task, which usually grants a free egg.
What This Guide Covers
This beginner guide walks you through the core progression loop of the digging-and-hatching game genre — starting from your very first shovel, through egg hatching, upgrade priorities, and how to spend your first few thousand coins without wasting them. Whether you are a few hours in or just downloaded the game onto a fresh device, the route below maps out what to do at each stage so you spend resources on things that actually move you forward. Note that this genre is flooded with near-identical titles (sometimes called “brainrot” or “clicker merge” games), and menu names vary slightly between them. The progression logic, however, is remarkably consistent across all of them.
Stage 1: Know What You Have Before You Dig
When you start, you have a basic shovel and an empty plot of dirt. Your first goal is not to dig the deepest hole — it is to dig shallow and dig wide. Early dig sites often cost nothing and give small payoff, but they also unlock map tiles, quests, and the tool shop. Ignore the urge to dig straight down into the deepest layer you can see.
Your first 10 minutes should go like this:
- Dig 5–10 shallow tiles in a straight line or a small square pattern.
- Collect every coin and dirt clump — dirt sells even when coins don’t drop.
- Do NOT buy a tool upgrade yet. A starter shovel upgrade usually costs around 50–150 coins and barely helps until you have more dirt to work with.
- Complete the first tutorial task, which usually grants a free egg.
Digging Tools: Which Ones Are Worth Buying
Tools are organized by tier. A common structure is:
| Tool | Typical Cost Range | Dig Speed | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Shovel | Free | 1 tile / 3 sec | First hour only |
| Iron Shovel | ~150–400 coins | 1 tile / 2 sec | Early grind on shallow layers |
| Steel Pickaxe | ~600–1,200 coins | 2 tiles / 2 sec | Reaching mid-depth layers |
| Diamond Drill | ~3,000–6,000 coins | 3 tiles / 1.5 sec | Deep layers with rare eggs |
| Auto-Digger (idle tool) | ~5,000–10,000 coins | Passive, off-line | When you can only play 10–15 min per session |
Buy along this ladder, not out of order. Jumping straight to the Diamond Drill after the Starter Shovel is a common early mistake — you will not have enough coins to cover the layers you can now access, and you will stall with an empty wallet.
The one upgrade you should never skip
Many titles include a dig radius upgrade, not just speed. A radius upgrade lets each swing hit a 2×2 or 3×3 block instead of one tile. When its price is under 30% of your current coin balance, buy it immediately. Radius upgrades compound: they are worth far more than the next tool tier for most of the early game.
Egg Hatching: The Second Loop
Eggs are where most of your long-term power comes from. Raising a hatchling to a high level gives a permanent multiplier to your dig output, coin gain, or both.
Egg basics:
- Eggs are usually bought with coins, not earned only through digging. Save coins specifically for egg purchases.
- Eggs come in tiers — Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary in most games. A Common egg typically costs 100–500 coins; a Legendary egg can cost 50,000+ coins.
- Hatching has a timer. A Common egg may take 30 seconds; a Legendary egg can take several hours. Don’t buy a Legendary egg right before you planned to put the game down — you’ll be waiting through the timer for no benefit, and most games only progress the timer while the app is open unless you have an idle upgrade.
- Each hatchling gives a multiplier based on its level. Level 1 is weak — the value comes from leveling the hatchling, not just hatching it.
How to decide which egg to open next
Use this rule of thumb: if you can afford two of the next-tier egg, buy them. If you can only afford one and it would leave you with no coins, wait. One egg alone rarely changes your income enough to justify going broke, and being broke means you can’t buy the tools needed to dig the tiles that fund more eggs.
How to Spend Your Currency in the First Few Hours
You’ll typically have two currencies: coins (from digging and selling) and a premium currency (often gems, tickets, or stars). Here is where each should go.
| Currency | Spend On | Do NOT Spend On |
|---|---|---|
| Coins | Radius upgrade → tool tier → eggs (in that order, roughly) | Cosmetics, extra storage slots you don’t need yet |
| Gems / premium | Skip hatch timers on eggs you already own; permanent multipliers if offered | Instant dig boosts — they expire and cost far more than they return |
| Idle / offline tokens | Auto-digger upgrades | Cosmetic skins |
A useful benchmark: aim for a 3:1 ratio between coins spent on tools versus eggs. If you are spending twice as much on eggs as on tools, your dig speed will fall behind and hatch timers will feel endless.
Common Early Mistakes (and What to Do Instead)
- Digging straight down. Vertical digging skips nearby tiles that contain map unlocks and quest triggers. Dig in a widening pattern instead.
- Hoarding coins. Coins do nothing sitting in your balance. A tool that pays for itself in nine digs is always worth it.
- Buying the flashiest egg first. A high-tier egg you can barely afford gives a small multiplier and eats your run’s budget. Two mid-tier eggs usually outperform one high-tier egg early on.
- Ignoring hatch timers. Start a long egg before you log off, not after. Align timers with your play sessions.
- Selling every dirt type. Some dirt or ore types are crafting ingredients for tools. Check the crafting menu before selling everything at the shop.
- Skipping the radius upgrade. It is nearly always the single best early purchase.
Sample Early-Game Progression Route
| Milestone | Action | Approx. Coins Needed |
|---|---|---|
| 0–500 coins | Shallow digging, first tutorial egg, no tool upgrades except free ones | 0 |
| 500–2,000 coins | Iron Shovel + first radius upgrade + one Common egg | ~500–1,500 |
| 2,000–8,000 coins | Steel Pickaxe, second radius upgrade, two Rare eggs | ~3,000–6,000 |
| 8,000–25,000 coins | Diamond Drill, level up existing hatchlings before buying new eggs | ~10,000–20,000 |
| 25,000+ coins | Auto-Digger, then Legendary eggs | ~30,000+ |
Treat the numbers as ranges, not exact figures — different titles scale their costs differently. The order is what matters: tools and radius first, eggs second, idle upgrades once you have a stable income.
FAQ
How long does it take to hatch a Legendary egg?
In most games of this type, anywhere from one to twelve hours of active play time. Plan around it rather than waiting.
Should I always buy the most expensive egg I can afford?
No. Buy two of the next tier down instead. Multipliers stack, and two mid-tier hatchlings usually beat one high-tier at the same coin cost.
What should I upgrade first if I can only afford one thing?
Whichever radius or dig-area upgrade is currently available. It affects every single dig you make for the rest of the run.
Is it worth saving gems for a permanent multiplier?
Yes, if one is offered. Permanent multipliers never expire, unlike timed boosts, so they hold value long after the session ends.
