This section will cover the different tools, such as the Pick and TNT. This list also includes upgrades.


---Pickaxe---==============================================================
This is the most basic of tools, and most players use it as a last resort. You get the Pickaxe from your Uncle.

Specs:

Uses Steam?
No

Consumable?
No

Upgradable?
Yes

Can dig through:
Dirt
Respawning Dirt
Breakable Platform
Solid Dirt (When upgraded with Sharp Pickaxe)

Combat:
4/10
6/10 (When upgraded with Damaging Pickaxe)



---Drill---==============================================
This is a more powerful mining tool. You can use it after you reach Archaea Dungeon 3.

Specs

Uses Steam?
Yes

Consumable?
No

Upgradable?
Yes

Can dig through:
Dirt
Respawning Dirt
Breakable Platform
Solid Dirt
Rocky Dirt



Combat:
1/10



---SteamPunch---==============================================================
This tool can be used for mining, but is better for combat, as it focuses on damage rather than digging. Found near the fall to Vectron.



Specs

Uses Steam?
Yes

Consumable?
No

Upgradable?
Yes

Can dig through:
Dirt
Respawning Dirt
Breakable Platform
Solid Dirt



Combat:
7/10
9/10 (Max Upgrade from Dandy)
10/10 (Hydraulic Fluid and Max Upgrade from Dandy)



---Ladder---==================================================================
Used as a way to climb up, and the top ladder is also a platform.
Consumable Item, not upgradable.

-- EXPLOIT [thanks to @birb for sharing this trick!] --
* If you jump while climbing to the very top of the ladder, your jump will be boosted a couple extra blocks!

---Dynamite---================================================================
Will deal damage to everything within a 3-block, round radius. Also destroys certain blocks and sets off TNT Barrels nearby.
Consumable Item, not upgradable.

---Lamp---===================================================================
Provides light for a 5-block, round radius. Never burns out, is usually seen as a waste of cash.
Consumable Item, not upgradable.

---Teleporter---================================================================
Used as a shortcut back to Tumbleton. Players more focused on upgrades involving the rare Orbs tend not to buy these, as they randomly spawn, as well as a few scripted teleporters.
Consumable Item, can be "Upgraded" by entering a teleporter lower down.





-=-=+Upgrades+=-=-
These are the things found in Caves that fall into the "miscellaneous" category.


Movement Upgrades

-Running Shoes-
Allows you to run, which make you move faster and jump higher and farther.

-Fall Dampeners-
Eliminates fall damage.

-Static Dash-
Allows for a second jump off the ground or a wall.

Okay, this skill is only unknown to VERY new players. But, this guide is focused on new players, so here we go.

Essentially, standing on the edge of a block, and I mean *right* on the edge, you can mine a block more than 1 space away with the Pickaxe and Drill.

Happy now?

Ever feel that trips to the surface are long, difficult, or just straight-up boring? Well, Surface Highway-ing is a method used to get to the surface/pneumatic tube/teleporter a lot quicker. Essentially, next time you go back to your deepest route to the surface, start digging a straight tunnel down. When your ore hunt goes deeper, dig the Highway deeper, too! You can use the Highway as your main mine, though I recommend you keep it seperate, and only break the tunnel when you reach a Wall/Rock, or find/make a new exit. Now, you can spend your limited Orb stock on something other than teleporters!

If, while climbing a ladder, you jump *right* as you hit the apex, you jump a few blocks high!

...This does NOT work in SWD2.

WARNING! This is the longest section in the guide, and has huge walls of text, despite me trying to break it down as much as possible. This is best used for quick reference! If you can't read it in one sitting, then skip it or use it in chunks!

Now, I know a lot of pros and new players alike are saying "Whoa, enemy strategies?! Just pull out your Pickaxe/Steam Punch and take them out!" Well, just hear me out. Many enemies have a vunerability to certain methods. I'll give you every enemy besides the boss.



Trilobite ---Area: Archaea, Old World---=========================================
Trilobites (the worm things that break out of blocks for those who are unaware) are fairly easy, since they're the basic enemy. If they're trying to break out of the block, just mine it. If they manage to break out, however, there's another strategy.

Just keep holding down your Dig button and back them near an edge, or otherwise just stand still with your current tool hitting the air. Steam Punch Strategy for the Steam Punch, just hold down the button until about half charge (or just Quickpunch if you upgraded it at Dandy's), then Haidouken them to the face.



Turtles ---Area: All---=======================================================
Turtles are infamous for being an extremely tough enemy early on, and falling into 1x1 water pools and depriving you of your Steam refill. BUT---There is an easy strategy (though in some caves the Turtles can make it impossible to do this), which is to mine the block that they are about to walk on, then stand under them and continually hit it with any weapon. SteamPunch strategy not included, this method is universal.


However, since this is sometimes impossible, there is an alternate strategy.

For a lone turtle, just throw Dynamite or a Steam Punch haidouken their way, and they should die. If you don't have either of these yet (or you know, out of Steam, Dynamite, and cash), then just use the classic tactic of "Run in and beat the crap out of it with the pick".

For multiple turtles, try to pool them together into one area, then stand nearby. Jump to dodge their thorns, and they will kill each other until there's only one left. Just use the Single strategy for this one.



Shiners ---Area: Old World, Vectron---==========================================
Shiners are the humans that you find in Old World, beneath Archaea.

Shiners are much like Trilobites, but more durable. Try to dig a long tunnel down (the Highway should do if they're higher up) so they fall to their death. If you're in a cave, or the trap has a forced detour (unbreakable block), then just treat them like Trilobites.


Shiners (Sleeping)
Just don't mine any nearby blocks, don't use a Steam digging apparatus, and don't let anything touch it, and you can hit it with any tool (preferrably a pick) and they will be OHKO'd.



Shiners (With dynamite)
These are the exact same as the Shiner, they will first be sleeping and OHKO-able, but if thy wake up, they have an explosive. If they wake up, wait for them to throw the explosive, and run. If they don't kill themselves, they are now a normal Shiner, and should be treated as such.



Moon Shiners ---Area: Old World---============================================
I actually don't know their official name. They're a fat guy with infinite alcohol (or Acid-In-A-Bottle, but who knows?), so I call them Moon Shiners.

These guys are much like turtles, but can take a fully-charged Steam Punch to the face and still not die if you didn't upgrade yet.

Unlike Turtles, they don't move, and can't be hit from below like them. Also, they never appear with more than one in one area (for whatever reason), but if you do, they won't hit each other due to the facts that 1. Their ammo has an arc and 2. They don't clip together due to the No-Moving thing. Attack with a Steam Punch or a thrown Dynamite, but beware when charging your Steam Punch, since they throw bottles faster than any punch can charge, and their range is bigger than yours. That's about it.



Mecha Trilobites ---Area: Vectron---============================================
Congratulations, you made it to Vectron! Now we have an even tougher enemy!

These replace the Trilobites down in Vectron, and take more abuse as well as dish out more damage than a standard Trilobite.

They will take a full Steam Punch to the face and respond with being OHKO'd, so just do that. However, they also sleep in blocks, so destroy the blocks before they do.



Laser Turret ---Area: Vectron---===============================================
Some newer players don't know that they can be destroyed besides mining the block that they're on (though it's a great strategy if that specific block is destructible), but they are.
They mine through Blocks by shooting them, and target all living entities except Laser Boxes.

First, they can kill each other, though it's dangerous to lure them to each other. I don't recommend it, unless you have no other safe choice.

Also, they will take any fully-charged Steam Punch to the grave, with a OHKO.

Finally, something that even some pros don't know. If you use the Static Dash (double jump) to jump into them (but this won't work without it), then they'll be instantly destroyed.



Kamikaze Bot ---Area: Vectron---==============================================
These pesky guys seem harmless at first, but don't forget that anything that moves can kill you! They will charge at you when they're close to you and you're in their line of sight, then explode the moment they touch anything but air or a non-block enemy (including Turrets)! The explosion is much like Dynamite, anything and everything within range will be damaged.

Since they will explode the moment anything touches them, they can be OHKO'd by anything, though it is often unsafe to directly attack them. Lure them into charging at you, then take a line from Portal and dodge them. They'll blow themselves up!



Laser Box ---Area: Vectron---=================================================
These guys are blocks, and will only be damaged by your weapons, explosions, or falling Rocks (though they're jukeboxes down here). You will notice that one side of them will be different, and a long (but not infinite) laser will gradually damage (or mine) anything that touches it except other Boxes.

They seem indestructible (They take 40 fully charged, fully upgraded Steam Punches to the face before they finally die!), and you need to treat them like such. Just allow them to mine the blocks in their line of fire, then hit them with anything and go through the blocked path. They can only be destroyed effectively by falling rocks, which will OHKO them, like they do to everything else.

This guy is tough to beat on your first try, so take these helpful tips.

He has three phases. Each phase consists of destroying multiple Generators, which spawn randomly, but have fixed places that they will spawn, as well as go down in 3 Full-Charged Steam Punches no matter your upgrade. When you destroy all the generators in that phase, you can beat him to oblivion until the next phase begins, or he is destroyed. Each phase can be treated as a different enemy, but consist of the same basic stuff.

He drops enemies, which can be a nusiance, but since they are limited to the ground they spawn on, they're more helpful than harmful as they will drop pick-ups.

So, listen up.



Phase 1
The easiest phase. In this phase, the Boss drops Mecha-Trilobites while you try to destroy the generators. He tries to shoot a laser at you whenever you damage a generator. If you have Hydraulic fluid from Dandy, then just spam three fully-charged Steam Punches, and the generator will be desroyed and the laser will be cancelled. When done, go to the top and hit him with three full Punches.



Phase 2
This is exactly the same as the first phase, besides some notable differences.
1. He shoots lasers at you before you attack the Generators, and punching one will not prompt it, but it will stop it when destroyed.

2. The enemies he drops are now Kamikaze Bots instead of Mecha-Trilobites.

3. The enemies that he spawns will not be killed at the end of the round.

4. More generators.

He can have a similar strategy, though. Just, this time, don't try to destroy the generators before hopping away from the lasers. The lasers will lock and load before you get your first punch in. Also, beware of the Kamikaze-Bots. Other than that, still pretty simple.



Phase 3
First, all the Kamikaze Bots you failed to attack are still alive. Second, since you're far in the match, You either have dwindling resources or newly refreshed ones (depends on how you are at farming power-ups). Second, he now has a huge room-wide laser, that will glow white when charging rather than red, then go halfway across the room and destroy/damage everything not behind a thick enough wall (except Generators and Laser Boxes), and the rotation will be in a random direction (clockwise/counterclockwise).

Usually, with the high rate of spawning Generators, there will be a generator directly above the Boss's core that will serve as a safe spot from everything if you don't destroy it first. Save this for last. If it didn't spawn (or you accidentally destroyed it. Shame on you.), then hide below the double-layer of respawning dirt-like blocks, and the laser will move *just* too fast to break through and hit you and your Laser Box buddy. When you finally have that chance to deliver three extremely satisfying punches to the Boss's face, do so. Hooray, you won! Have fun.

Thanks for reading my guide! The SteamWorld Dig community is small, but it's a fun game! If this helped you out (or you're just a generally nice person. Or not wanting to be accused of being a jerk by insensitive people. Or not too lazy.) then please leave a like, and favorite it if you want to see more guides by me, or just happen to enjoy this guide!