Idle game guide
Idle Digging Game Tips: Gold, Upgrades and the Shop
Key takeaways
- In our 30-second test the gold counter went from 0 to 80 without a single tap, and with constant tapping it also reached 80.
- The three upgrades cost 200, 100 and 1000 at the start, and one Profit upgrade raised the next Profit price to 1.7k.
- The shop has 2 free items, 3 time warps (15, 40, 70 diamonds) and 6 boosters (10 to 40 diamonds).
- The two free shop items are given at once: pressing Get gave 5 diamonds right away.
The first idle digging game tip is that you do not have to tap all the time: in our 30-second test of Digsmith the gold counter went from 0 to 80 without a single tap, and with constant tapping it reached 80 as well. We played it in a test browser and wrote down what the screen showed.
Gold with and without tapping
For each test we loaded the game fresh, waited for the canyon to appear and read the gold counter at 10, 20 and 30 seconds. In the first test we did nothing. In the second we tapped the ground about ten times a second the whole time.
| Test | 10 s | 20 s | 30 s |
|---|---|---|---|
| No taps | 32 | 48 | 80 |
| Constant tapping | 16 | 48 | 80 |
Two tests from one test browser are a small sample. In an earlier run, 40 quick taps at the very start gave 192 gold, so tapping may matter more in the first moments than later.
The gold arrives in small steps, 16 at a time in these tests, which is why the two lines cross. What matters for a first-time player is that the counter keeps moving while you are not tapping.
The three upgrades
Three cards at the bottom of the screen are the way to spend gold. Their starting prices were 200 for Profit, 100 for Speed and 1000 for Worker. After we bought one Profit upgrade, the Profit card showed level 2 and a new price of 1.7k, which is a big step from 200 and the reason to look at the price before you save up. When a card is affordable its price turns green, and a hint says Tap to Upgrade.
The diamond shop
Click the plus next to the diamond counter to open the shop. We counted three groups:
| Group | Items | Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Free value | A x2 boost for 60 seconds and 5 diamonds, both with a Get button | 2 |
| Time warp | 300, 900 and 1800 seconds for 15, 40 and 70 diamonds | 3 |
| Boosters | x2 for 2 or 5 minutes and x3 for 5 minutes, in two rows of three, for 10 to 40 diamonds | 6 |
The Get buttons still show a small Ad icon from the original game, but no ad appears. When we pressed Get next to the 5 diamonds, the diamond counter went from 0 to 5 at once, and Get next to the x2 boost started a countdown badge on screen. We did not buy the time warps or the boosters, so we cannot say how much they add.
4 tips from the tests
- Do not stress about tapping. Gold grew without taps in our test.
- Press Get in the shop first. The two free items cost nothing.
- Check the price before you upgrade. One Profit upgrade raised the next price from 200 to 1.7k.
- Use the map when the first location is done. The other locations are locked until you finish the one before.
Where to try it
Try it yourself in Digsmith. For a puzzle that rewards planning, Orchard Link asks you to chain matching fruit before a timer ends, and Gemlane is a falling-gem puzzle.
Frequently asked questions
Does tapping make you earn more gold in Digsmith?
In our 30-second tests the gold counter read 32, 48 and 80 at 10, 20 and 30 seconds with no taps, and 16, 48 and 80 with constant tapping, so we saw no clear difference. In one early run, 40 quick taps gave 192 gold, so tapping may matter more at the very start.
What do the upgrades cost at the start?
Profit 200, Speed 100 and Worker 1000. After one Profit upgrade, the next Profit level cost 1.7k.
What is in the diamond shop?
Free items (a x2 boost for 60 seconds and 5 diamonds), three time warps (300, 900 and 1800 seconds for 15, 40 and 70 diamonds) and six boosters for 10 to 40 diamonds.
Do the free shop items need an ad?
No. The Get buttons still show a small Ad icon, but pressing one gave the reward at once: our diamonds went from 0 to 5.
How many locations are there?
The map showed one location in progress and four locked ones, each needing the previous one to be finished.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. Taps work as clicks and the shop opened with a tap in our phone test.