The first hour, step by step
You spawn in Fernhollow Village holding a Rusty Knife and a 12-slot Wicker Basket. Four moves take you from empty basket to your first upgrade.
- Walk out the north gate into Birch Meadow. Common caps like Button Mushroom ($4 base) and Birch Polypore ($7) sit in open ground, while Uncommon ones like Amethyst Deceiver ($30) or Barrowtongue ($155) spawn near logs. Keep picking until the basket reads 12/12. Success looks like a full basket, not a full backpack of one kind.
- Cut each one as you pick it. The cutting bar opens with a moving marker and a bright gold centre band. Click inside the gold for Pristine at 1.3x, inside the green for Clean at 1.0x, and the outer bands drop you to Scuffed (0.8x), Bruised (0.6x) or Mangled (0.35x). Floating text confirms the grade, so watch it once to learn the timing.
- Wash the haul before you sell. Head back to the basin by the well in the village square. Dusty caps sell at 0.85x and muddy ones at 0.6x, and the basin turns either into washed, which sells at 1.05x. A dirty basket is the most common reason a first run feels disappointing.
- Sell the lot in one trip. The Merchant on the square pays per mushroom, so a full washed basket of Commons and Uncommons comes back in the low hundreds rather than the low dozens. That single trip funds the first two upgrades below.
What your first coins should buy
Spend early coins on gear that cuts downtime and opens better mushroom tiers.
| Item | Type | Level | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas Sack | Backpack | Level 2 | $250 | Expands capacity from 12 to 25 slots |
| Pocket Knife | Knife | Level 3 | $300 | Cuts Rare mushrooms; power 1.3, precision 1.15 |
| Tin Lantern | Lantern | Level 2 | $200 | Senses mushrooms at 22 range; satisfies Undergrove gate |
| Leather Satchel | Backpack | Level 5 | $1,500 | Expands capacity from 25 to 40 slots |
Buy the Canvas Sack from the Packsmith for $250 at level 2. Carrying 25 mushrooms doubles gathering time between town trips. The sack pays for itself within two runs.
At level 3, buy the Pocket Knife from the Toolsmith for $300. The starter knife only cuts Common and Uncommon caps. It cannot harvest Rare caps like Black Trumpet ($90) or Cauldron Cap ($105). The Pocket Knife cuts Rare species and raises stats: power rises to 1.3, precision to 1.15, and steadiness to 1.05.
Next, get the Tin Lantern from the Lamplighter for $200. It gives 18 light and 22 sensing range, satisfying the entry requirement for The Undergrove. Then save for the Leather Satchel at level 5 ($1,500) to reach 40 slots.
Three things that cost new players money
Three habits drain early earnings:
Selling dirty mushrooms. Skipping the basin discards value. A $100 mushroom sells for $60 when muddy, but washing yields $105. That is a $45 loss on one mushroom. Washing takes seconds at the well.
Letting your haul sit until Old or Rotten. Fresh mushrooms sell for 1.25x base price. If you wander after filling your bag, items drop to Old (0.65x) and eventually Rotten (0.3x). A Rotten cap loses 70% of base value. Head to town once slots are full.
Buying high-tier knives before expanding inventory. Upgrading knives while holding a 12-slot basket forces repeated town runs. Extra capacity cuts travel time in half. Buy the larger pack first whenever a new tier unlocks.
What to do next
Work on your timing on the cutting bar. See /perfect-cut for details on how precision and steadiness affect the gold zone.
Visit /gear to compare stats, unlock levels, and prices for every knife, pack, and lantern.
Check /quests to pick up Pip Mossley starter tasks in Fernhollow Village for bonus coins and experience.
Browse /codes for active promo codes that offer free starting cash and boosters.
When ready to expand past Birch Meadow, read /guides/money-guide for routes and mutation multipliers that maximize coins per hour.