Whether you are just starting out or have been playing for weeks, these 25 tips and tricks will help you earn Diglets faster, find better items, and progress more efficiently in Dig a Garden.
Beginner Tips (1-10)
1. Join The Heap Group Immediately
The free Group Drill is A-tier and costs nothing. It is the single best early-game move you can make. Go to The Heap and join now.
2. Never Leave Empty Plot Slots
Every empty slot on your plot wastes potential earnings. Fill every available slot with the best drills you can afford. Even a C-tier Starter Drill on an empty slot earns more than no drill at all.
3. Always Sell in Bulk
The bulk sell button sells all items at once. Never sell items one at a time — it wastes time and you might miss items. One click, everything sold.
4. Upgrade Drills Before Anything Else
Every Diglet you spend on a drill upgrade increases your future earnings. Hoarding Diglets while using a slow drill is the biggest waste in the game.
5. Leave Drills Running Before Quitting
Your drills work offline. Before you quit the game, make sure all your drills are placed and running. This ensures you earn Diglets even while you are away.
6. Check In Every 2-4 Hours
With A-tier or S-tier drills, your inventory fills in 2-4 hours. Logging in just to sell items takes 5 minutes and prevents wasted earnings.
7. Sell Items Before Bed
Before going to sleep, sell all items to empty your inventory. This gives your drills the maximum productive time overnight.
8. Do Not Skip Drill Tiers
Buy each tier upgrade in sequence. Skipping from Standard Borer directly to Mega Borer wastes the earnings you could have had from Turbo Digger and Deep Piercer in the meantime.
9. Use the Group Drill Alongside Your Starter
Place both the Group Drill and Starter Drill on your plot immediately. Two drills earn twice as many Diglets as one.
10. Check the Roblox Game Description for Updates
The game description often contains patch notes and update information. Check it periodically for new drill additions or item rebalances.
Intermediate Tips (11-18)
11. Deep Piercer for Legendary Hunting
The Deep Piercer has the best F2P legendary drop rate. If you specifically want to find legendary items, swap some drills for Deep Piercers.
12. Mega Borer for Maximum Earnings
The Mega Borer is the best F2P drill for Diglets per hour. A full plot of Mega Borers maximizes your total earnings.
13. Balance Diglets/Hour and Legendary Hunting
Consider a mixed setup: 2-3 Mega Borers + 2-3 Deep Piercers. This gives you good Diglets earnings while maintaining decent legendary chances.
14. Set Reminders for Check-Ins
Use your phone's alarm or reminder app to check in every 2-3 hours. Consistency is the key to maximum earnings.
15. Bulk Sell Before Long Offline Periods
If you know you will be away for 8+ hours, sell all items right before leaving. This maximizes the productive offline time.
16. Track Your Earnings Per Hour
Monitor how many Diglets you earn per hour with your current setup. This helps you decide when an upgrade is worth it.
17. Replace, Do Not Remove
When upgrading, place the new drill directly in the same slot as the old one. Never leave a slot empty.
18. Watch for Galaxy Gamepass Returns
The Galaxy Gamepass (Galaxy Drill) is currently off-sale but may return. If it does, it is the best drill for legendary hunting.
Advanced Tips (19-25)
19. Optimize Your Drill Mix for Your Goal
Different goals require different drill setups. Maximum Diglets = all Mega Borers. Maximum legendaries = more Deep Piercers. Balance = mixed.
20. The 5-Minute Check-In Is All You Need
Most players spend far more time in-game than necessary. A 5-minute check-in to sell items and upgrade drills is all the active playtime you need.
21. Calculate Your Inventory Fill Rate
Time how long it takes to fill your inventory with your current setup. This tells you exactly how often to check in for maximum earnings.
22. Consider Slower Drills for Extended AFK
If you will be away for 12+ hours, using slightly slower drills means your inventory takes longer to fill. This can actually earn MORE than fast drills that cap early.
23. Join Community Discussions
The Roblox group and YouTube comments contain valuable player insights about drill performance and money-making strategies.
24. Rebalance After Updates
Game updates can change drill stats and item values. After every update, review your drill setup and adjust if necessary.
25. Flex Your Legendaries Wisely
Once you have maxed your drill setup, keep some Legendary items for flex value. You have earned the right to show off!
Drill Statistics & Item Value Breakdown
When optimizing your plot in Dig a Garden, understanding the raw statistics behind each drill and item rarity is essential. While the 25 tips above cover the overarching strategy, the data tables below provide the hard numbers you need to make informed purchasing decisions. For a deeper dive into individual machines, check out our Drill Comparison Guide.
Complete Drill Tier List and Statistics
Every drill in the game serves a specific purpose, from early-game Diglet generation to end-game Legendary hunting. Below is the comprehensive breakdown of every available drill, their estimated Diglets per hour, and their primary use case.
| Drill Name | Tier | Cost (Diglets) | Est. Diglets/Hour | Legendary Drop Rate | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Drill | C | Free (Default) | ~50 | Very Low (1%) | Default |
| Standard Borer | B | 500 | ~150 | Low (3%) | Shop |
| Group Drill | A | Free | ~300 | Moderate (5%) | The Heap Group |
| Turbo Digger | A | 2,500 | ~400 | Moderate (6%) | Shop |
| Deep Piercer | A | 5,000 | ~350 | High (10%) | Shop |
| Mega Borer | S | 15,000 | ~700 | Moderate-High (8%) | Shop (F2P) |
| Galaxy Drill | S | N/A | ~800 | Very High (15%) | Off-sale (Premium) |
Item Rarity and Value Multipliers
Knowing which items to sell and which to keep for flexing depends entirely on their rarity. Higher rarity items take up the same inventory space but yield massive payouts. Understanding these multipliers is crucial for evaluating your inventory cap, which ties directly into Tip #21. Learn more about these items in our Item Rarity Guide.
| Rarity | Value Multiplier | Average Sell Price | Inventory Cap Impact | Drop Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 1x | 5 - 15 Diglets | Fills up very quickly | Very High |
| Unusual | 3x | 15 - 45 Diglets | Moderate fill rate | High |
| Scarce | 10x | 50 - 150 Diglets | Slow fill rate | Moderate |
| Legendary | 50x+ | 250 - 1,000+ Diglets | Very slow fill rate | Very Low |
Walkthroughs & Offline Strategy
The core loop of Dig a Garden revolves around offline earnings and time management. However, many players misunderstand how the inventory cap interacts with offline accumulation, leading to massive losses in potential Diglets. Your drills will continue to dig items even when you are offline, but the moment your inventory hits its maximum capacity, all drills effectively stop producing value. This means having the absolute fastest drills is not always the best strategy if you plan to be away for an extended period.
Step-by-Step Early Game Walkthrough
Starting out in a new simulator can be overwhelming. Use this exact minute-by-minute walkthrough to establish a strong foundation in your first hour of gameplay. Following this path ensures you never have empty plot slots and maximize your initial Diglet generation.
| Timeframe | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Minute 0-5 | Join The Heap, claim Group Drill, place it alongside Starter Drill | Instantly double your early earnings |
| Minute 5-15 | Wait for inventory to fill, Bulk Sell | Reach ~100 Diglets |
| Minute 15-20 | Purchase Standard Borer, place on 3rd plot slot | Upgrade overall Diglets/hour significantly |
| Minute 20-40 | Check back, Bulk Sell, save up | Accumulate ~500+ Diglets |
| Minute 40-60 | Purchase Turbo Digger, replace Standard Borer | Push earnings into the mid-game threshold |
How to Calculate Your Optimal Offline Setup
If you are going to sleep or heading to school, you need to calculate your optimal drill setup so your inventory fills exactly when you return—not hours before.
- Check your inventory capacity: Note your maximum inventory slots.
- Time a fill cycle: Run your drills for 30 minutes and see how full the inventory gets.
- Extrapolate: If your inventory is 50% full in 30 minutes, it will cap in 1 hour.
- Adjust for AFK time: If you will be away for 8 hours, but your current setup fills the inventory in 2 hours, you will lose 6 hours of production. Swap out one Mega Borer for a Deep Piercer or Turbo Digger. The slightly slower Diglet/hour rate means your inventory takes 4-5 hours to fill, drastically reducing wasted offline time.
Offline Earnings Optimization Table
Use this reference table to decide how to configure your plot based on how long you plan to be away from the game. This directly implements Tip #22.
| Away Duration | Recommended Setup | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 Hours | All Mega Borers | Fastest Diglet generation; inventory won't cap before you return |
| 4-6 Hours | 2 Mega Borers + 2 Deep Piercers | Slows down inventory fill rate while maintaining high value per item |
| 8-12 Hours | 1 Mega Borer + 3 Deep Piercers | Prioritizes high-rarity drops that sell for more, taking longer to fill the inventory |
| 12+ Hours | All Deep Piercers / Turbo Diggers | Slowest fill rate ensures drills keep digging all night without hitting the inventory cap |
FAQ
Q: Which tip makes the biggest difference? A: Tip #1 (join The Heap group) for beginners, and Tip #6 (check in every 2-4 hours) for all players. These two tips alone can double or triple your total earnings.
Q: Are there any cheats or glitches for extra Diglets? A: No legitimate cheats exist. The best "cheat" is simply optimizing your routine — checking in regularly, selling in bulk, and upgrading drills promptly.
Q: How do I know if I am playing optimally? A: If your inventory is never full for more than 30 minutes, and you upgrade drills as soon as you can afford them, you are playing optimally.
Q: How does the inventory cap work with offline progression? A: When you log off, your drills continue to dig items into your inventory. However, once your inventory reaches its maximum capacity, your drills completely stop earning items. They do not overflow, and no items are lost—they simply stop generating. This is why selling before bed and calculating your fill rate is so important.
Q: What is the absolute best Free-to-Play drill setup? A: For pure Diglets per hour, a full plot of Mega Borers is the best F2P setup. However, if you cannot check in every 2 hours, a mixed plot of Mega Borers and Deep Piercers is better because the Deep Piercer's higher rarity items take longer to fill your inventory, preventing downtime.
Q: Should I save up for the Mega Borer or buy intermediate drills first? A: Always buy intermediate drills first (as stated in Tip #8). Skipping tiers means leaving Diglets on the table. The time you spend saving for a Mega Borer while using a Standard Borer costs you far more in lost earnings than the slight delay in reaching the Mega Borer by buying the Turbo Digger first.