Gold (materials) buys your run. Earning more of it is the single biggest lever for a stronger build.
Why this matters
More materials means more upgrades, which compounds into a safer, stronger late game.
Step-by-step
- Take Harvesting on economy characters (Well Rounded, Baby, Farmer, King).
- Break every crate and tree you pass — they pay out.
- Sell items you are not using rather than hoarding them.
- Use recycling bonuses (Well Rounded) to get extra materials on sales.
- Reroll the shop only when you have spare materials to spend.
What to prioritize
- Harvesting on economy chars
- Crate and tree breaks
- Selling unused items
- Recycling bonuses
- Smart rerolls
Common mistakes
- Hoarding useless items
- Skipping Harvesting on economy chars
- Rerolling with no materials
Materials come from crates, trees, kills, and sales, so touch all four every wave. Economy characters should take harvesting before anything else and buy economy items in the opening waves. Sell junk instead of hoarding it, and keep a buffer for rerolls.
The compounding from a strong economy shows up around wave 12, when the shop starts offering tier-three weapons. A rich run buys its way through the mid-game wall that stops poor runs cold.
Break every crate, sell every piece of junk, and keep a reroll buffer. The compounding shows up around wave 12, when the stack starts buying tier-three weapons every visit.
A rich run buys its way through the mid-game wall that stops poor runs cold.