Thanks for flagging this - "bought multiple Steam Excavators and the rate is still 0.4 m/s" is exactly the kind of report I need. by_george341 nailed the cause right below you: the v1.1 soil-hardness change divides dig power by depth resistance, so each tool's contribution shrinks to fractions of a meter the deeper you are, and the upgrades stop feeling like they do anything. That's an unintended side-effect of the rebalance, not the design - auto-dig should give a visible bump at every depth. Fixing the curve now. One quick check: was the displayed rate flat-out not moving when you bought, or moving by a tiny amount? Patch coming shortly.