Official guide · Finding Needle in the Stack
Every digging tool
You start with your bare hands in work gloves and buy everything else at the Trading Post. Each tool digs bigger holes, reaches further, or both. The last two don't dig in scoops at all: you hold the button and they blow or suck the hay away continuously.
Tool comparison
| Tool | Price | Reach | How it digs | Speed vs gloves* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work Gloves | Free | 2.7 m | Small handfuls | 1× |
| Hay Hook | $150 | 3.0 m | Bigger clumps | ≈ 1.8× |
| Pitchfork | $900 | 3.4 m | Large forkfuls | ≈ 5× |
| Leaf Blower | $5,000 | 5.5 m | Continuous blast (hold) | ≈ 10× |
| Hay Vacuum 3000 | $25,000 | 7 m | Continuous suction (hold) | ≈ 50× |
* Rough amount of hay removed per second while holding dig, worked out from the game's own tool settings. Real results vary with how much hay is in front of you.
What each tool is good for
Work Gloves (free)
Pulls hay out by the handful. Slow, but perfect for the first few minutes and for carefully uncovering something you have already spotted.
Hay Hook ($150)
The first thing to buy. It tears out bigger clumps and reaches a little further, and at $150 it pays for itself within a couple of backpack loads.
Pitchfork ($900)
The first big jump. Four tines, much bigger scoops and more reach. Most players keep it for the whole early and mid game.
Leaf Blower ($5,000)
Hold dig and it blasts hay away in a steady stream from over five metres away. Great for opening wide tunnels quickly.
Hay Vacuum 3000 ($25,000)
Industrial suction with a seven-metre reach and the biggest bite in the game. It eats through the stack about fifty times faster than your gloves.
Best order to buy tools
- Hay Hook straight away.
- Backpack upgrade and Detector Mk I before the pitchfork, so each trip earns more.
- Pitchfork as soon as you reach $900.
- An Auto-Sifter before the Leaf Blower. Passive income makes everything after it faster.
- Leaf Blower, then save for the Hay Vacuum 3000.
Switch tools with the number keys 1–6 or the mouse wheel on PC, or tap a toolbar slot on mobile.
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