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SteamWorld Dig 2 100%

Updated 31 Oct 2026 Source The Impossible Dream achievement's scoring on a time category alongside wealth and secrets, the gold-star wealth threshold of 15,000 accumulated, the gold-star secrets threshold of 100% requiring every cave completed, all three Yonker brothers met, all 84 upgrade cogs found and all 42 hidden artifacts excavated, the advice to wait until at least level 15 before farming money because the sell bonus scales with level, the Thrillseeker's Tale mod from the Yonker brother in Yarrow for XP, the backpack's final tier granting an extra 30% sell bonus, the note that the richest resources sit at the bottom of Yarrow and the Temple of the Destroyer and that both are also the most efficient XP areas, the recommended order of finding secrets and finishing the story before farming, the technique of adding up remaining upgrade tier prices against what has already been bought to farm exactly the shortfall, and the warning that dying during the challenge respawns you immediately without a chance to reset the save, from the KosGames Impossible Dream guide by loki259; the 42 artifacts with a 43rd in the Trial of Crushers, the 84 cogs comprising 77 on the map and 7 from the merchant Carson, and the blueprint exchange with the laughing-skull vendor in El Machino, from the SteamWorld Wiki and the full-collection walkthrough; the 2 hour 22 minute documented full-collection run in SteamWorld Dig 1 as the comparable benchmark for efficient routing, from the steamXO and PSNine trophy guides. Verified 31 October 2026. By Antewise Editorial
Data status: The facts on this page were checked against the source named above. Game values can still shift with a patch, so re-check anything that looks off.

Most 100% guides for SteamWorld Dig 2 treat it as a checklist. It is not — the challenge scores time, wealth and secrets together, which means the two instincts that normally help you complete a game actively hurt you here.

Thorough play is slow. Slow fails the clock. And farming early is paid at a lower multiplier than farming late, so every coin you grind before levelling costs you twice.

The three targets

CategoryGold-star requirement
Secrets100% — every cave completed, all three Yonker brothers met, all 84 cogs, all 42 artifacts
Wealth15,000 gold accumulated
TimeThe whole thing inside the challenge window

The secrets number is the one people underestimate. 84 cogs breaks down as 77 on the map and 7 bought from the merchant Carson, and 42 artifacts becomes 43 if you count the extra one in the Trial of Crushers. Caves you skipped, brothers you never visited, and cogs in plain sight that you walked past are all failures of the same category.

Why farming early is a double loss

Your sell bonus scales with your level, and the backpack’s final tier adds a further 30% on top of every resource you sell.

That means the same ore is worth materially less at level 8 than at level 20, and any gold you bank early is gold you earned at a discount. In a time-scored challenge, that discount is unrecoverable.

The correct order, and it is the opposite of what feels productive:

  1. Find the secrets and finish the story.
  2. Reach level 15 at minimum — higher is better.
  3. Max the backpack, for the 30% bonus.
  4. Then add up the price of every upgrade tier you have not bought, against what you already own, and farm exactly the shortfall.

Step 4 is the part that makes the clock work. You are not farming “enough money” — you are farming a computed number, so you never over-grind, and every coin is earned at the best multiplier you will ever have.

Where the time actually goes

Two areas do double duty:

  • The bottom of Yarrow
  • The Temple of the Destroyer

Both are the richest resource areas in the game and the most efficient enemy-XP areas. One sweep of each covers levelling and income simultaneously, which is exactly what a timed challenge wants.

For pure XP rate, Leaky Lodge in Yarrow runs at roughly 15 XP per second on a ten-second snail loop, and it is also the best gold loop in the game once your multipliers are up.

The order that works

  1. Play the story normally to the end. Do not stop to farm; you cannot afford the multiplier.
  2. Sweep the caves for cogs and artifacts as you go — backtracking later is the single largest time cost in a completion run.
  3. Meet all three Yonker brothers. One of them gives Thrillseeker’s Tale, the XP mod that makes levelling faster for the rest of the run. Missing him is a permanent tax.
  4. Max the backpack the moment it is affordable.
  5. Reach level 15+, then run the Leaky Lodge loop for the shortfall only.
  6. Buy the merchant’s 7 cogs — they are part of the 84 and easy to forget.
  7. Do the Trial of Crushers last. The 43rd artifact is there, and so is the hardest content in the game.

The rule that changes how you play

Dying during the challenge respawns you immediately, with no chance to reset the save.

In normal play, death is a minor inconvenience and you can quit to menu if a run goes wrong. Here it is not — the usual escape hatch does not exist in this mode. Which makes the dangerous sections, the boss fight and the Trial of Crushers sections you should approach with more health and more caution than usual, not less.

Counterintuitive, but it follows from the scoring: you cannot afford to gamble anywhere, because gambling costs time and there is no undo.

The one-paragraph version

Complete every cave, meet all three Yonker brothers, collect all 84 cogs and 42 artifacts, and accumulate 15,000 gold — inside the clock. Do it by playing the story first, sweeping secrets as you go, delaying all farming until level 15 with a maxed backpack, and farming only the computed shortfall. Do not farm early, do not backtrack, and do not die in the Trial of Crushers.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get 100% in SteamWorld Dig 2?

Complete every cave, meet all three Yonker brothers, find all 84 upgrade cogs and excavate all 42 hidden artifacts — while also hitting the wealth target. The Impossible Dream scores time, wealth and secrets together, so the route has to be efficient, not exhaustive.

How much gold do you need for the gold star in SteamWorld Dig 2?

15,000 accumulated. Because your sell bonus scales with level and the backpack's final tier adds 30%, hitting it at a high level takes far less actual mining than attempting it early.

Should I farm gold before finishing the story in SteamWorld Dig 2?

No. Finish the story, find the secrets, then add up the cost of every remaining upgrade tier and farm exactly that amount. Farming early is paid at a lower multiplier and wastes the clock.

How many cogs and artifacts are in SteamWorld Dig 2?

84 cogs — 77 found on the map and 7 bought from the merchant Carson — and 42 artifacts, or 43 if you count the extra one in the Trial of Crushers.

Can I reset if I die during the Impossible Dream challenge?

No. Death during the challenge respawns you immediately, without the usual chance to quit and reload the save. Play the dangerous sections conservatively.

What is the fastest way to reach level 15 in SteamWorld Dig 2?

The Leaky Lodge snail in Yarrow, at roughly 15 XP per second, and the bottom of Yarrow plus the Temple of the Destroyer for enemy density and rich resources in the same trip.

More SteamWorld guides

Sources

Figures and item data on this site are read from the game’s own reference wiki before publishing. Where a value could not be confirmed there, the page says so instead of filling the gap.