Strategies

Below is a list of strategies and tips for reaching the core, achievements, farming etc. as well as when to use certain components.

### Reaching the Core

#### Early game (0-200m)

At the start of the game, the primary goal should be to reach 100m as quickly as possible, as this will unlock the superior H2 Caterpillar hull. True vision is not that important and gets expensive quickly, so it should be saved for much later to get certain achievements or for the sake of 100% completion. The primary benefit of the Caterpillar is the greater durability. It is also wider, meaning it can pick up more material; however, this also makes you more vulnerable to bugs, which start appearing after 100m, so watch out. **Energy** and **Durability** (on hull and drill) are the most important upgrades early on. Turbo is also important, so unlock it and begin upgrading it as soon as you can. Upgrade your engine every once in a while. Slot is also good, but only upgrade it if you have material to spare.

#### Middle game (200-500m)

As you progress deeper, you can start to unlock better components, such as the D3 Whirl, the S3 Energy Booster, and the B3 Lamp. Most notably, however, you will unlock the **H3 Wasp**, the single best component in the game for when it is unlocked. It is a small and incredibly fast hull that can significantly increase the bang per buck of your battery and zoom past underground structures with ease. Combined with turbo, it is able to destroy mines before they have time to explode and destroy lasers before their damage becomes meaningful. Depending on the upgrades, the H3 Wasp may be outright better than an unupgraded H4 Turtle by the time you unlock it, especially if you upgrade max speed.

For the other components, continue as usual. Upgrade engine occasionally, upgrade drill, hull, and (now to a lesser extent) battery frequently, and upgrade turbo and slot when necessary. Using the S3 Energy Booster along with the B3 Lamp (with its Absorption) and the H3 Wasp will make your battery almost immortal, letting you put upgrades into durability.

#### Late game (500-800m)

When you reach 500m, you will have to adjust your strategy to the new ambient thermal damage. Although you unlock the H4 Turtle at 500m, you will not be able to purchase it until reaching 700m and even then the H3 Wasp may be better until you can upgrade the Turtle. Your battery will not last as long anymore due to the blue lasers that quickly sap energy, but you can use this to your advantage with Cooling on the B4 Hive.

When you reach 700m, prepare for a battering. This is the most difficult 100m stretch on the entire green planet due to many factors including

* Thermal damage from all blocks
* The queen constantly shooting unavoidable bugs
* Thermal rocks, the most damaging rocks in the game
* A rapid increase in ambient thermal DPS

This is where the H4 Turtle may become useful along with the S6 Slot. With enough thermo defense, thermal damage sources become *less* threatening than normal damage sources. The H3 Wasp remains a viable alternative, as its high max speed and small size let it drill more quickly through the 700m gauntlet, thus taking less thermal damage and damage from bugs. The Wasp is better when the Turtle is unupgraded, while the Turtle is better for late game missions with enough upgrades. It is possible to skip using the Turtle altogether.

Using the H3 Wasp and a maxed T3 Afterburner, it may be possible to reach speed 21 and unlock the T4 Refrigerator. If not, don't worry as you will have ample opportunity to do so later.

Slot becomes very important here. The S5 Energy Shield helps save the miner's health for the grueling mantle while the S6 Thermo Booster adds additional thermal support for the deeper runs.

#### End game (800m onward, red planet)

Once you reach the core, buy the H5 Hornet immediately using the plasma you have. It will almost certainly outshine all other hulls in every way except for speed, when the H3 Wasp again fills the void. Therefore, unlike with the Turtle, you can get to using the Hornet immediately. Keep in mind that nearly every purchase or upgrade from here on out costs plasma. As you do not gain very much plasma from the core at the start, use the plasma you get wisely to avoid unnecessary delay in reaching the red planet. Remember that the red planet has much more plasma scattered throughout, so you will be able to get more there.

That being said, it is important to get the B5 Nova quickly, as the higher energy tank and ability to use turbos off of battery power will help you gain more plasma per run. Wait on the D5 Lava Infiltrator, as it is quite expensive. Wait on the E5 Furious Cyclops as well. The T4 Refrigerator is important, though, as it will reduce temperature when firing. It is important to upgrade the Hornet somewhat to get more plasma per run, but don't upgrade too much right away as this will delay the red planet unnecessarily.

Once you reach the red planet, plasma and gems abound, making it much easier to get more upgrades. The H3 Wasp does not do nearly as well as the Hornet on the Red Planet, so use the Wasp on Green runs only unless you are trying to get a specific achievement. In general, go Green when you need material and Red when you need gems/plasma. Endgame achievements will be discussed later. The primary focus should be upgrading the H5 and D5 as much as possible to get as far as possible on Red.

### Achievements

#### Distance

Follow the guide above to achieve distance records as you will get these achievements naturally.

#### Agility

##### Agile 1 - No material blocks 100m

Use the H1 Grig and the S2 Amplifier for maximum agility.

##### Agile 2 - No structures 200m

Again, use the H1 Grig and S2 Amplifier, as you do not have to worry about mines yet.

##### Agile - No material blocks 300m

Use the H1 Grig or H3 Wasp with the S2 Amplifier.

##### Agile 4 - No structures 500m

At this point, it is probably better to use the H3 Wasp to speed things up, but the H1 Grig is still usable. Use the S2 as usual.

##### Agile 5 - No bugs 700m

Use the H3 Wasp here, as it can easily outrun any bugs headed your way. Crash into nests if you must do so to avoid being hit. Use either the S2 Amplifier or S5 Energy Shield.

##### Agile red - No structures 500m on Red

Use either the H3 Wasp or the H5 Hornet, as the H1 Grig is not up to the task of Red runs. Again, use the S2 Amplifier.

#### Durability

These are self-explanatory. Simply combine the most durable parts together for maximum block destruction, steering toward structures when the achievements require it. Use H5, D5, B5, E5, S6, and T4.

#### Power

These also self-explanatory. Use H3 Wasp, D5 Lava Infiltrator, B5 Nova, E5 Furious Cyclops, S4 Power Booster, and T4 Refrigerator for all missions. Be sure to max out the B5 Nova and T4 Refrigerator for maximum extra turbos-- you will need it for Powerful Red, requiring you to reach 500m on Red in 30s. The moment you hit the surface, spam turbos like your life depends on it. Even with maxed components, you will only be able to reach 500m with a single second to spare. This makes Powerful Red one of the last achievements you will get when going for 100% completion.

#### Energy

Use the most durable components, the least powerful engines, and the most energetic batteries.

##### Energetic 1 - Mine for 25s

You will get this in the natural progression of the game.

##### Energetic 2 - End round with empty battery 5 times in a row

You may not get this naturally, but it isn't too difficult. Use a comparatively fragile hull and drill compared to the battery for 5 rounds.

##### Energetic 3 - Mine for 100s

Again, you will get this naturally, Use a less powerful engine to help.

##### Energetic 4 - Collect 3000 bonus energy in 1 round

The H2 Caterpillar with Lvl 2 True Vision or higher will help here. Use the B1 Small or B2 Barrel for this one, as both have upgrades that increase the energy bonuses give. Alternatively, use a more energetic battery and mine at an angle to maximize bonuses found before you reach the core.

##### Energetic 5 - Mine for 150s

You probably won't get this naturally. Use the most durable hull/drill (except for the Wasp), the most energetic battery, and the least powerful engine along with the S3 Energy Booster.

#### Speed

The strategies for these vary for each achievement.

##### Fast 2 - 10 material blocks in 3s

Use the H3 Wasp for this one. It isn't too difficult.

##### Fast 3 - 5 stones in 10s

You will probably get this naturally late game. You can take advantage of the long rows of rocks present in the lower layers as long as you have a durable hull like H4 or H5.

##### Fast 4 - 20 material blocks in 5s

Again, use the H3 Wasp and spam turbos when you see a clump of material.

##### Fast 5 - Turbo 10 times in 1 round

You will get this naturally as soon as you have a turbo with 10 charges (or before then if you get bonuses).

##### Fast Red - 15 material blocks in 3s

This is just like Fast 2 but substantially harder. Use H3 Wasp, E5 F.C., and T4 Refrigerator and hope you get lucky.

#### Luck

As the name suggests, this is mostly up to RNG. You will probably get all of these naturally given enough time. Make sure to upgrade slot techs for the ones that require bonuses. Use large hulls, especially the H2 Caterpillar with True Vision, for the ones without time limits. For the ones with time limits, use the H3 Wasp.

#### Bug killing

You will get all of these naturally by simply playing the game.

#### Bonuses

##### Bonus King 1 - Get every type of bonus in 1 round

Use a large hull. Max out slot techs. After that, it is only a matter of time.

##### Bonus King 2 - Collect an energy bonus with no energy left

This may seem impossible at first. However, the run does not actually end immediately when your energy runs out the way it does when your drill breaks. With an empty battery, the run ends as soon as the miner stops moving, giving you a short window of time to get this achievement. You are able to use turbo in this window, but with a normal turbo, you will only be able to fire 1 or 2 charges before running out of speed. However, the T4 Refrigerator is powerful enough that, after a charge is fired, the next charge will be able to fire before the miner stops completely. This gives you about 10-15 blocks of extra distance. Make sure to use a battery that will run out right around 500m. Use either the H3 Wasp for momentum after your battery runs out or the H5 Hornet for extra width. It will take time, though, so be patient.

##### Bonus King Red - 10 bonuses in 1 round on Red

Use the H5 Hornet, as it is the hull best suited to long runs on Red. Use the S2 Amplifier

#### Progress

You will get most of these naturally, but some have specific tips or strategies that will help.

##### First Step - reach Green

You get this as soon as you start the game.

##### Ultimate - max out H5 Hornet

You will get this naturally, but only after quite a long time spent on the Red Planet. Once you do, however, the rest of the game opens up to you, as the reward of 1000 plasma will easily cover most if not all of the rest of the plasma-requiring upgrades you have left. For this reason the H5 Hornet should be the first endgame component you max out.

##### Candy - get all other Red achievements

You will get this after a while and will likely be the last or second-last achievement you get, shortly following or shortly followed by Bonus King 2 depending on how lucky you get.

Once you get the D6 Candy, it is not easy to upgrade, as all upgrades require increasing numbers of gems, so the game becomes a Red Planet grind. Keep grinding on Red until you have all the gems you need. Once you do, however, the most grueling part is over. The other components are easy to upgrade by comparison, and it won't be long before you have 100% completion.