The loop in one line
Sweep dust → fill your tool → bring it to the depot → launch the full container to get paid → spend it on better tools. Everything else speeds this up.
Best upgrade order
| Step | Buy | Price | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | — | Clean with the free Toothbrush, make your first shipment |
| 2 | Household Broom | $25 | 3 kg container. Skip Nail Brush ($5) and Handbrush ($10) |
| 3 | Container upgrade | $30 | 3 → 6 kg on the broom ⚠️ — fewer trips |
| 4 | Building Tool | $50 | Unlocks building |
| 5 | Packager + belt to the depot intake | $100 + $0.50/m | Dust sells on arrival — stop walking back |
| 6 | Wide Broom → Extra Wide Broom | $75 → $150 | Wider strip, 6 → 12 kg ⚠️ |
| 7 | Upgrade Matrix | from $40 | Wide Head, Dust Compactor, Market Contracts — list |
| 8 | Garage + vehicle | $200 + $300–$6,000 | Vehicles |
| 9 | Pressure Chamber, solar | $500 + $75 | Moon Sand sells for 3× — once supply and power are steady |
| 10 | J.O.O.N.A.S. + Capsule Catcher | $20,000 + $1,500 | Cleans without you — automation |
A different route from one Steam guide — Toothbrush for ~15 sections → Nail Brush for ~150 → straight to the Extra Wide Broom — also works; guides just disagree on whether the middle brooms are worth it.
Free money on the map
- Flags: untangle them — $100 each in most guides (one says $200).
- Survey sites: $250 each when completed.
- Finished hexes and regions pay a bonus; the Region Bounty upgrade adds more.
- One (now-removed) Steam guide counted 195 flags, 26 survey sites and 12 stations ⚠️. Teleporting between stations costs $50 per trip ⚠️ (the 1.0.4 teleport panel lists the ones you’ve found).
Tips players wish they knew
- Co-op: since 1.0.3 upgrades are shared — the host’s Upgrade Matrix applies to everyone. See co-op.
- Night: it gets dark and solar power stops. Night Vision Goggles ($350, press N) make nights look like day — night guide.
- Saves: 1.0.4 keeps 5 automatic backups per slot — save file.
- The upgrade tree ends early. Reviewers finish buying upgrades long before 1% of the Moon is clean, so the late game is about automation, not new tools.