Upgrade the slowest part of the current loop. Improve manual capacity while you still dig by hand, then balance belt throughput, machine intake, power, and scanner capacity as the factory grows.
How the Tech Tree works
The official demo page confirms more than 300 technology upgrades. The Tech Tree unlocks equipment and improves carrying, stamina, selling, placement, power generation, conveyors, robotic arms, scanners, and hay-processing machines.
The cabinet provides a second progression layer. Placing identified needles into their labeled slots can display bonuses tied to that specimen. Recorded gameplay shows examples affecting digging stamina and hand-tool capacity. Because the demo is actively changing, use the current cabinet text as the authority for values.
There is no verified universal tier list
A Find The Needle tier list that ranks every upgrade without considering the factory layout is misleading. A faster belt is wasted when a scanner is the bottleneck. A larger hand tool matters less after machines clear most of the pile. More generator capacity has no immediate value if the current grid already has spare power.
| Stage | High-value focus | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Manual opening | Carry size, practical tools, stamina | Most time is spent walking or waiting to recover |
| First conveyor | Belt direction, sell intake, simple placement | Hay falls beside the belt or backs up |
| Powered line | Generator capacity and connected machines | Machines cycle red or stop under load |
| Needle search | Detector reach, scanner batch and cycle capacity | Hay passes faster than it can be checked |
| Processing | Balanced baling, wrapping, bricks, and output | One machine starves while another remains blocked |
How to build a better upgrade path
- Watch one full production cycle without intervening.
- Find the first place where hay waits, spills, or stops.
- Buy the smallest relevant improvement instead of spreading money across unrelated branches.
- Run the line again and confirm the bottleneck moved.
- Keep a detection step on every path that can reach the sell point.
This creates a “best build” for your actual factory. It also protects against balance changes: even if prices or percentages move, the bottleneck method still identifies what should be improved next.
Scanner and detector priorities
The metal detector helps find a search area in the main pile; a pinpointer helps isolate a nearby target. Scanners protect automated routes by checking hay and processed products. Gameplay evidence shows scanner upgrades for batch size, cycle speed, larger blocks, and drawer capacity. Choose among them based on what visibly limits the line.
If the scanner input remains full while the output is clear, throughput is the issue. If the machine stops because recovered items are waiting, inspect and empty the drawer. If entire products bypass the scanner, rebuild the route before spending on speed.
Specimen bonuses versus research upgrades
Research is purchased deliberately. Specimen effects depend on what the pile yields and what reaches the cabinet. Do not delay a working factory while hoping for a specific needle bonus, and do not publish assumed drop rates from a single run.