An upgrade order that pays off
- 01
Take the pickaxe to Copper first. The Old Pickaxe needs nine hits on a large rock and eight on a copper node, and it is stuck at mining level 0—Copper lifts you to level 1 and cuts the work immediately.
- 02
Push the scythe next if you farm at any scale. The Copper Scythe clears a plant in three hits and Iron in two, and each tier also widens the harvest area you sweep per swing.
- 03
Upgrade the axe when hardwood starts blocking recipes. Twelve hits per tree with the Old Axe becomes nine at Copper, five at Iron, three at Steel and two at Titanium.
- 04
Leave the watering can for last, and stop upgrading it once electric sprinklers are running. The structured reference gives that advice itself, because range upgrades only widen the horizontal line you are standing in.
How the exchange counter gates you
The Smithy lists each tool tier as a one-item exchange rather than a stocked shop item. Every tier shows a total stock of 1, and the next tier does not appear on the counter until you have bought the previous one. That means the 15,000 G Titanium Pickaxe is the last payment in a 27,000 G chain, and no amount of saving lets you skip to it.
The first purchase in each chain also consumes your starting tool. The Copper Pickaxe takes the Old Pickaxe as part of its cost, and the Copper Scythe takes the Old Sickle. Neither is refundable, so do not hold on to them expecting a second use.
Gold tools are situational, not a higher tier
- Gold Pickaxe: 40 Gold IngotGold IngotRefined gold used by advanced recipes., mining level 3, three hits per node. That is the same level as Steel with a lower harvest value—for pure mining it is a downgrade.
- Gold Axe: 40 Gold IngotGold IngotRefined gold used by advanced recipes., level 3. It always drops at least one extra tree seed no matter the tree's growth stage, and a mature tree can drop two. That seed drop is its entire reason to exist.
- Gold Scythe: 30 Gold IngotGold IngotRefined gold used by advanced recipes., level 3. Its harvest area reaches two rows and three columns out from the tile you swing on, roughly a four-by-five planter block. Low crops such as watermelon still only span three rows.
- Gold Watering Can: 25 Gold IngotGold IngotRefined gold used by advanced recipes., range 1—but unlimited capacity, so you never walk back to refill. Genuinely useful before sprinklers, pointless after.
- All four require the Gold Tool request to be completed first; the Gold Ingots are on top of that.
The pickaxe that is not part of the chain
The Special Pickaxe is a story item, not a shortcut. It costs 200 Rubbish at the Waste Exchange and unlocks after Lank's relationship story, and it stays at mining level 0 with attack 5 and harvest 5—barely above the Old Pickaxe you started with. Buy it for the collection, not for the mine.
Upgrade cost by tier
Gold prices are the exchange cost only. Each tier also consumes ingots of the matching metal—the pickaxe chain is recorded at five ingots per step—and the first purchase takes your starting tool (Old Pickaxe for the Copper Pickaxe, Old Sickle for the Copper Scythe).
| Tier | Pickaxe | Axe | Scythe | Watering Can |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | 1,500 G | 1,500 G | 1,000 G | 500 G |
| Iron | 3,500 G | 3,500 G | 2,500 G | 2,000 G |
| Steel | 7,000 G | 7,000 G | 5,000 G | 4,000 G |
| Titanium | 15,000 G | 15,000 G | 12,000 G | 10,000 G |
| Chain total | 27,000 G | 27,000 G | 20,500 G | 16,500 G |
Pickaxe and axe: level, stats and hit counts
Hit counts are only recorded for the tiers shown; a dash means the reference does not give one, not that the tier is slower.
| Tier | Pickaxe level / attack / harvest | Pickaxe hits | Axe level / attack / harvest | Axe hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting tool | Level 0 · 4 / 4 | 9 on a large rock, 8 on copper oreCopper OreA common metal ore used by early smelting and construction recipes. | Level 0 · 4 / 5 | 12 per tree |
| Copper | Level 1 · 8 / 6 | — | Level 1 · 8 / 7 | 9 |
| Iron | Level 2 · 12 / 10 | — | Level 2 · 12 / 14 | 5 |
| Steel | Level 3 · 20 / 20 | — | Level 3 · 20 / 20 | 3 |
| Titanium | Level 4 · 30 / 30 | — | Level 4 · 30 / 30 | 2 |
| Gold | Level 3 · 25 / 15 | 3 | Level 3 · 25 / 17 | 4 |
Scythe and watering can
One watering pass costs 10 capacity, so an Old Watering Can covers two passes and a Steel or Titanium can covers five. Range widens the horizontal line you stand in; it does not water rows ahead of you.
| Tier | Scythe level / attack / harvest | Scythe hits | Can range | Can capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting tool | Level 0 · 4 / 10 | 4 | 1 | 20 |
| Copper | Level 1 · 8 / 15 | 3 | 1 | 40 |
| Iron | Level 2 · 12 / 30 | 2 | 3 | 40 |
| Steel | Level 3 · 20 / 40 | 1 | 5 | 50 |
| Titanium | Level 4 · 30 / 60 | 1 | 9 | 50 |
| Gold | Level 3 · 25 / 35 | 2 | 1 | Unlimited |
SOURCES, NOT DECORATION
Sources checked
These links back up the mechanic, route, or noted uncertainty. Page wording, structure, and diagrams are original work.
- 01Structured referenceNeoseeker: Exchange Shops and Festival Vendors
Independent English record of the Smithy tool-upgrade counter: prices, ingot costs, the one-item stock limit, the sequential unlock, and the Gold Tool request behind all four gold tools.
- 02Structured referenceHuiji Wiki: Pickaxe
Mining levels, attack and harvest values, hit counts, and the Special Pickaxe's 200 Rubbish cost at the Waste Exchange.
- 03Structured referenceHuiji Wiki: Axe
Axe tier stats, hits per tree, and the Gold Axe's guaranteed extra seed drop.
- 04Structured referenceHuiji Wiki: Scythe
Scythe tier stats and the Gold Scythe's two-row, three-column harvest area.
- 05Structured referenceHuiji Wiki: Watering Can
Range and capacity per tier and the 10-capacity cost per pass. These four wiki pages are one source, not four—Neoseeker is the independent check on the prices.
- 06CommunitySteam guide: tips and lists (Ilthe)
Player notes used as a human cross-check on early upgrade order, including that Lank collects his pickaxe back on day 8.