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I'm in shock! I followed your strat (doing Pendant the whole way) and did it after 3 tries with 15 stacks to spare! I'm so excited!!! :DD

I had super good RNG: good early stacks in in gravel layer and timely restore cells in Umbra and Void. Also the occasional Mageflare Rune. I was very lucky that my two flasks saved me with zero blocks to spare, like I was on the skin of my teeth. (I was also careless and had to use 3 ladders lol) I forgot the shield stack would also work on the core layers so I was panicking about my stamina but Nix just... went through lol. 

I feel the real challenge is collecting enough stamina and shield stacks from Shimmera to go to Umbra, since the high visibility of the Void makes stuff easy to spot. Mageflare Runes are a must for Umbra, your strat of using them every 3-4 digs is very solid. You also have to be lucky with restore cells to counter Wither, so Ironhide Greaves is probably the optimal choice for deepwater dives.

I'm still in shock omg. That was so fun!! Thank you for the strats and this absolute gem of a game :DD

That's a good shout, I've also been using Mageflare Runes for Shimmera. I've reached around depth 380 now which is promising! 

I agree with the math turtle, with the gems and quartz giving more shield stacks, navigating Underbark is really fun. Even in early biomes, you have to choose between shield stack, restore cells, and the most efficient path (digging straight down). In the late game, the early biomes are easy and almost mindless for most turtles, so I appreciate the challenge turtle of Nix.

I like your Shimmera suggestion since we need the opportunity to stock up on opal and etc for the Umbra layer. I think it'll be thematically nice too since it's the shiny light layer and the shiny light turtle. 

Also more tips for interested people: don't try to change boots mid run (my instant stamina drain rip), and you can refresh between Meadow and Farfields until you see a spawn with more quartz.

Hi, thanks for the quick minor updates and Nix's rebalancing! It feels more fun to play with Nix now and I've managed to touch the Umbra layer, but just barely. The Shimmera layer kind of frustrates me because Verdant Radiance doesn't seem to reduce power needed, I would've expected it to do so especially given Nix "glows slightly". The Umbra layer is also tricky because you can't see much and I don't have stamina to spare to not use the Terracotta Jug.

Just as a reference to anyone who's trying to get Nix's Sigil, I've been doing Mycelial/Ironhide + Terracotta Jug + Star Sigil (+10% spawn). I've found the regen Sigil is also effective. Either way it relies on a lot of RNG, especially in the Spore/Toxin layer (-20 is brutal!). Grab every quartz you see on the first two layers, avoid gravel falling, calculate net shield gain in the Underbark layer, and pray for RNG onwards lol. I usually use the Jug first time somewhere in the Spore layer, and then am forced to use it (in its 50s) in the Shimmera layer when I run out of stamina. I'm interested to see what other strategies people have!

The new capsule machine and return of the relic mechanic is fun! I like the break of a minigame.

Thanks for all the quick bug fixes!

Further update: I've collected every Sigil except Nix. It was easy to reach water with most turtles especially with the new Sigils. But with all equipment unlocked, dojo stamina and power maxxed out, and +10% resource spawn, I couldn't get very far with Nix. Maybe more quartz in the early biomes could help? I noticed that the Underbark layer has increased cost for digging sideways, so it makes emerald collection more RNG based (since most time it's not worth it to lose stacks to dig sideways). And I ended up avoiding ironwood in Underbark because they spawn easily above ground. 

The Sigils are a lot of fun and I love mix and matching them! The flavour text for unlocking them is super cute, each of them feel like the triumphant end of an adventure. My favourite additions are the Terracotta Jug and Evergrowth Hammer, fascinating interactions with stamina and restore cells. In Farfields midgame when I didn't have enough to repair tools, I would grind Meadows with Evergrowth Hammer to restore tool durability. I like how these new mechanics encourage you to switch equipment multiple times mid dig. Same with the consumables since you can't bring everything. I like how the toxin layer has sufficient ore to make up for Griddle's lack of restore cells (accidentally got the Toxin Relationship achievement with him!). I think the Void layer works super well, has a tense final boss vibe especially with the turtle becoming smaller. Griddle + Omnishard is a lot of fun to navigate in the Void layer. 

Overall, AWESOME major update, I got obsessed with clearing it and unlocking new things! It's so addicting and there are many combos/strategies to explore! The visuals are colourful and cute, and it's impressive how much you can convey with a few pixels. I really appreciate the game being free and thank you for all the hard work! :)

PS: It would be cool to be able to sell gems + new resources for quartz!

Okay I played some more and I'm getting the hang of things now! The Mycelial Boots and Attuned Drill really helped so I think the progression works fine (or maybe I was lucky in finding chests). The resources needed to obtain them aren't too hard to find either, though the grind for 15 wool took a while. The maze-like Wither layer was super fun to navigate! My shock when I thought I collected a resource but it was reducing my stamina lmao

Yay Farfields! I'm so excited to see a major update and I'm having a lot of fun playing so far! The gimmicks for the new biomes are awesome, at first I didn't understand why I was taking damage and thought it was something I couldn't avoid, but it turns out you can :)

Spoilers for Farfields below!

As for feedback on progression, so far I unlocked the first Farfields stamina and power upgrade, no big issue, also got the jug and growth hammer, both of which are super fun when paired with Fern (who is currently my main turtle for exploring deeper). The deepest I've reached is the refracted light layer, but I haven't gone deep enough to see a single opal (which I assume spawns in the mentioned layer), so I'm thinking I'll unlock more features from chests etc to get there more easily. Hoping I unlock some footwear soon, which I assume might do something about the mold/venom/gravel. I think they're really neat mechanics, and I like that you let us figure them out through trial and error. I was bruteforcing my way through the mold before finally realising there's a dig pattern that can avoid mold damage. Healing cells cancelling the venom is also a nice touch.

The consumable hammers are really necessary so now I'm quartz poor lmao. It's interesting to choose between which consumables to bring. I also like the function of repairing equipment mid dig, it makes me be mindful of how many smelted bars I need to have in my inventory.

PS: I wonder if wool from sheep use the same spawn mechanic as leather? And I haven't gambled yet, but do the new resources show up there? (Or is that something we find out ourselves?)

Minor bug: I think the icon of anthracite doesn't show properly in the stats menu mid-dig. No other issues spotted so far and the game is running smoothly!

Overall, I'm super hyped about what I've seen so far and I want to reach the bottom! And figure out the unmovable boulder. Thank you for all the time you put into this game, the mechanics are thoughtful and challenging! :D

So excited to see a new turtle right I was picking up my comfort game again! Presto is fun and has a cute design/hat! The no stamina cost of equipping was fun to play with and I reached water after three tries. I feel like it's important for this turtle to have a high power pick. Lots of possible strategies to explore as well! Thank you for all the love you put into this game!

I used Sanguine Signet up till magma level and then Winterheart, and Titanium tools. Use a torch and spam runes. I'm also very end game with everything unlocked and can afford all the runes and ladders I want.

I got Pebble! The unlock condition was fun but I agree with the comment saying he's a bit underpowered, especially when gunning for the achievement (which I understand is a challenge but it seems a bit too dependent on restore cell luck). The -2 stamina on the magma floor was tough even when I used ladders and mageflare runes to get most restore cells. Maybe Pebble can have an extra drink from the flask or have an in-built ability similar to Sanguine Signet? The idea of digging around on purpose as not to overheal is fun but so far it seems quite luck dependent.

Thanks for frequently updating this game! Was exciting to play with a new turtle :) Also appreciate the balancing for Griddle and Fern.

RENTHEZINE BELOVED!! <333

Hi, thanks so much for the quick response! I think that new text clarifies it nicely!

I got to water and was pleasantly surprised by the cosmetic effect of the hats, they're super cute! Also enjoyed the iron helm challenge as a late-game achievement. I'm really impressed by how your different challenges/turtles/accessories push players to make different strategies for a deceptively simple digging game. It feels like everything you find underneath has a purpose (like I would neglect quartz on my Griddle runs but it becomes vital for Nix, gemstone hunting becomes easier with Caelo, etc). Also ladders are an amazing addition, they saved me so many times in the low visibility zones and is definitely a good QoL feature. 

I'd like to ask what special effect does the jackpot turtle have? I've gotten to water with every turtle except that one because I haven't unlocked it. (Quartz grind will be my next goal) Btw my favourite track is Scoot's Theme, followed by Serenitrove and Bit by Bit.

Super cute and fun game! Haven't gotten to the water yet but am working on it, trying to grind for those last pesky rubies for the Power upgrade. The obsidian gets me every time. The different turtles provide a nice variation and I really liked working out strategies for each of them and pairing them with accessories. I think you have the sense of progression nailed down (or maybe I'm lucky with my RNG unlocks) and I enjoy the grindy gameplay loop. The flavour text on the turtles and relics is charming and every time I unlock a turtle, it feels like welcoming a new friend to the dig squad :D (Nix unlock condition was SUPER fun and a nice mid game challenge because I hadn't thought of utilising sand like that before)

After reading scrolling through some comments, I'd have to agree the current text on flask is misleading because I thought you had to craft one after you consumed one. Maybe some text that says "will be replenished when you return to the surface" or "reusable consumable" could help? (Although reusable consumable feels like an oxymoron lol) For the mageflare rune, I understood what it meant, but I can see why it might be misleading. I guess if the flask text is updated to show it refills after going back to the surface, people can infer the rune only lasts for a moment and not until you go back to the surface?

My favourite part of the game is the music so I'm now AFKing to listen to it. (Thank you for the shuffle/loop options!) It's so charming and nostalgic and really adds to the overall cozy/comforting vibe. I want to ask if the music is available for listening/download/purchase somewhere?

Thank you for making this game and hosting it for free! <3

Thanks for playing and thanks for the feedback! I'll tinker a bit with the animations. Out of curiosity, what sort of visual distinction might help? A different font/font colour/background colour? (I've considered using the Tumblr and Ao3 fonts for their respective menus but felt a unified font would be more readable)

Thanks for playing!