How to get clay
The early bottleneck, where it comes from, and what to spend it on before you chase the next shiny tool.
Find the pickaxe, then mine clay or goo piles and carry the clay back to camp. Clay is the early material that expands your base and upgrades your arsenal. The pickaxe does not work on stone piles — if an obstacle does not respond, you need a different tool, not more swings.
Why clay matters
Clay is the first material that turns a survival loop into a progression loop. A public review describes the moment clearly: finding the pickaxe lets you start getting clay to expand your main base and upgrade your arsenal. That is the transition from “I am exploring and running out of food” to “I am building capacity for longer trips.”
Where clay comes from
Clay and goo appear as mineable piles in the dungeon. You need the pickaxe. The same public review notes that the pickaxe does not work on stone piles, which is a useful reminder that the game distinguishes materials even when they look similar in a dark room.
The pickaxe-to-clay loop and the stone-pile exception come from public Steam reviews. The game does not label every material pile; if a tool does nothing, try another tool or come back later.
The clay run, step by step
- Craft or find the pickaxe. Do not leave camp without it once you know clay is the next gate.
- Pack light. Clay takes slots; if you bring every tool, you will have no room for the thing you came for.
- Take a short route. Your first clay run should be close enough that a full pack still leaves you enough food and water to get home.
- Mine the clay or goo pile. If the pile does not react to the pickaxe, check whether it is a stone pile or a different material.
- Return before you are full. A clay run that ends in a death drop is a net loss.
- Spend it at camp. Expand the base and upgrade the arsenal; those are the compounding purchases.
What to spend clay on first
| Priority | Upgrade | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base expansion | More room for the camp systems that support every run |
| 2 | Arsenal upgrade | Better tools and weapons shorten the next material gate |
| 3 | Storage / comfort | Useful once the first two stop being the bottleneck |
Exact costs are shown in-game. We are not publishing a cost table until we can verify it against the current patch.
If you cannot find the pickaxe
- Explore the shallow areas first; the early tools are usually close to the intended route.
- Check rooms you passed before you had a light source.
- Ask a co-op partner to sweep a different branch; three sets of eyes beat one.
- Do not sell or drop a tool you do not recognize. Test it on a material pile first.
What comes after clay
Once camp and arsenal are upgraded, the next gates are specialized tools: the hammer for metal bars, the torch for light, and the bow for ranged pulls. The crafting guide explains each. If you are already past clay and stuck at the prison, read the prison key guide.
Track the milestone
The progress tracker includes “mine clay” and “expand camp” as separate milestones, because they are separate achievements and players often forget the second one.