How to find the needle fast: a speed plan

Phase 1: the first five minutes, build money

• Grab the extra finds near the start: the first stack puts a few coins and keys on the ground and a shallow trail just inside the hay.
• Sell and buy the Hay Hook as soon as you can afford it, then a bigger backpack.
• Get Detector Mk I. It makes every dig more valuable.

Phase 2: get Mk III

Detector Mk III at $7,000 is the most important single item for a fast win, because it is the first one that can tell the needle from junk. Save for it ahead of fancy digging tools. An Auto-Sifter, which runs on its own, is the best way to earn the money for it while you keep digging. Details in Best upgrade order.

Phase 3: sweep the stack, do not wander

1. Dig a walk-in tunnel through the middle of the stack, not along the edge. The detector covers more hay from the centre.
2. Stop every few metres, switch on the detector and turn slowly.
3. Follow the signal. Ignore the faster beeps from small junk once the needle signal shows up.
4. When the needle signal appears, dig straight to it, then look for the sparkle.

Where time gets wasted

• Selling too often with a small backpack. Upgrade it so you walk less.
• Digging twice in the same place. Keep a simple pattern and never retrace it.
• Carving caves instead of tunnels. Big caverns move a lot of hay but also drop the roof on you.
• Forgetting the machines. Check for the beam of light now and then. One of them may already have the needle.

After the win

The next stack puts the needle somewhere new, but your tools carry over, so every stack is quicker than the last. If you want a different challenge, try the no-upgrades version in Purist mode tips.