Runners Guide

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Runners are the economy gate behind every damage build. Killing a mountain quickly is not enough if loose ore sits on the ground until the mountain takes it back. The optimal runner plan is to keep hauling throughput above ore creation, then spend on damage only after pickups are actually reaching storage.

Short version: buy enough Runners to keep the first ore waves moving, then balance Stoutly March, Carrying Capacity, Magnetic Gloves, and Dodgy Profession. Speed lowers travel time, capacity raises payload per trip, gathering speed lowers pickup time, and dodge/stun protection keeps runners from turning into dead weight under falling rocks.

Quick Answer

Problem	Buy First	Player Takeaway
Ore is disappearing before storage	more Runners, then Carrying Capacity, then Stoutly March	This is a hauling shortage. Stop adding damage until loose pickups stay below reclaim pressure.
Runners reach ore but spend too long picking it up	Magnetic Gloves	Pickup time starts at 2.1 seconds per pickup. Magnetic Gloves divide that time by the gathering multiplier.
Runners get stunned by hazards	Dodgy Profession, then Mithril Chainmail, then Exalted Beard Aura	Stunned runners stop hauling. Safety upgrades are economy upgrades when falling rocks are common.
Loaded runners crawl back too slowly	Rhino Legs	Each carried pickup applies a speed penalty of 3% before Rhino Legs. At max Rhino Legs, that carried-load penalty is removed.
High-damage builds bury the map in ore	Bulldozers plus Maw upgrades	Once mountains explode into large ore piles, machine hauling and runner protection become better than only buying more basic runners.

Runner Math

Stat	Value	How To Use It
Base speed	15-18 speed, then multiplied by active speed bonuses and capped at 180.	A new runner is slow enough that travel dominates early trips. Stoutly March and Marching Orders are strong because they reduce both outbound and return time.
Carry capacity	Base 1. Final capacity is floor((1 + flat carry bonuses) * capacity multipliers), with a minimum of 1.	Capacity is the best answer when runners are reaching ore but returning with tiny payloads.
Gathering time	2.1 seconds per pickup divided by gathering-speed bonuses.	Magnetic Gloves and later Pixie Cocaine matter most after capacity rises, because every extra pickup adds another gather timer.
Resting time	3.5-7 seconds before modifiers.	Resting time is fixed overhead. More capacity makes each rest cover more delivered ore; Restless Talisman is valuable because it cuts this overhead.
Dodge	10% base. The actual roll adds luck * 0.16 percentage points and caps at 70%.	Dodge has real value in hazard-heavy runs, but do not overbuy it before basic capacity and speed are working.
Carried-load slowdown	Speed multiplier is max(0.4, 1 - carried pickups * 3%) before Rhino Legs.	Large payloads need Rhino Legs. Without it, high capacity can make loaded returns crawl.

The practical throughput target is capacity * trips per minute. Trips per minute are controlled by travel time, rest time, pickup time, and stun downtime. A useful planning model is: trip time = rest + outbound travel + return travel + capacity * pickup time. This is not a perfect replay of every ore position, but it correctly shows which upgrade fixes the slowest part of the hauling loop.

Throughput Model

Setup	Approx Trip Time	Approx Throughput
Base runner, 1 capacity	80.8 seconds	0.7 pickups per minute
Max Stoutly March speed, 1 capacity	36.7 seconds	1.6 pickups per minute
6 capacity, no speed upgrades	91.3 seconds	3.9 pickups per minute
6 capacity plus max Stoutly March	47.2 seconds	7.6 pickups per minute
6 capacity plus max Stoutly March and max Magnetic Gloves	38.2 seconds	9.4 pickups per minute
25 capacity plus max Stoutly March, max Magnetic Gloves, and solved load slowdown	49.6 seconds	30.2 pickups per minute

The model explains the optimal order. Early speed is huge because the runner is crossing the whole lane for one pickup. After capacity rises, gathering speed becomes much more valuable because the runner spends more time collecting each payload. Late, capacity is excellent only if speed, gathering, and carried-load penalties are also handled.

Reclaim Pressure

The game may not show an exact loose-pickup counter, so read this by the screen: if ore is covering the ground, runners keep returning loaded, or pickups vanish before storage, you are near or past the reclaim problem.

Loose Pickups	What Happens	Runner Response
Under 350	No normal reclaim pressure yet.	Damage can stay ahead as long as runners are visibly clearing piles.
350 loose pickups	Ore reclaim pressure starts.	Buy capacity, speed, gathering, or more Runners.
750 loose pickups	The reclaim surge band starts.	Stop damage greed. Add Bulldozers if unlocked, and use Maw support so ore stops piling up.
1050 loose pickups	The surge reaches up to 8x reclaim speed.	This is already a failed hauling state. Fix collection before buying more mountain damage.
Above 1420	Emergency cleanup multiplies reclaim speed by 23.	Treat this as a reset-level logistics failure unless you can immediately add machine hauling or huge capacity.

Reclaim skips mithril and artifacts, and it also skips pickups already being carried, gathered, or deposited. That means runners protect value the moment they start gathering, not only when the ore lands in storage.

Should You Let Ore Pile Up?

Closer ore is a fallback, not a plan. Runners can grab loose pickups they cross while running or returning, so a small amount of nearby ore can shorten individual trips. The problem is that reclaim pressure is driven by the total loose-pickup count, not by whether the next pickup is close to base. A big near-base pile still pushes the global count toward 350, 750, 1050, and 1420.

Idea	What Actually Happens	Use It?
Let loot build up so runners walk less	This can shorten a few trips if the ore is directly on the runner path.	Only accidentally. Do not plan around it.
Stay slightly behind hauling demand	You may see runners collect close piles more often, but loose pickups still count toward reclaim speed.	Bad once you approach 350 loose pickups.
Build enough hauling to stay under reclaim	Ore keeps moving before the mountain starts deleting value.	Best normal strategy.
Use a high-damage burst, then recover	Possible if Insatiable Guzzler, Bulldozers, or big runner capacity can clear the pile fast.	Use only as a short burst plan, not permanent underfunding.

Upgrade Priority

Phase	Runner Plan	Math Behind It
Opening	Runner count plus early Stoutly March	The first few runners are free, then the gold cost grows from a 38 base by about 1.358x per current runner. Use free/cheap bodies first, then upgrade speed.
Stable early economy	Carrying Capacity and Magnetic Gloves	Capacity reaches +25 flat tiers, while Magnetic Gloves reaches 3.5x gathering speed. Together they turn runners from one-rock couriers into real haulers.
Falling-rock pressure	Dodgy Profession and Mithril Chainmail	Dodgy Profession reaches +46 percentage points before luck, while Mithril Chainmail can cut stun duration but reduces speed and capacity. Use it when stuns are the problem, not as the first hauling buy.
Gem economy	Prospector's Massive Nose, then Lust For Gems, then Gemstone Frenzy	Prospector's Massive Nose can turn normal ore pickups into gems; Lust and Gemstone Frenzy convert gem pickups or deliveries into temporary speed.
Advanced hauling	Gorilla Arms and Rhino Legs	Gorilla Arms multiplies capacity up to 1.4x and can throw payloads back to stash. Rhino Legs multiplies capacity up to 1.35x and removes carried-load slowdown at max tier.
Large pile control	Insatiable Guzzler plus Bulldozers	Guzzler improves Maw suction near deposit and later ground ore, while Bulldozers start at 15 capacity and protect nearby runners.

Prestige Layer

Prestige	Math	When To Buy
Swift Start	Start future runs with 1/2/3 runners.	Excellent early because it removes dead time from every reset.
Marching Orders	+50% or +70% runner speed, reduced by 5% for each current runner, down to a 15% minimum bonus.	Best when you run a small-to-medium runner crew. It loses some edge as you spam many runners, but the floor keeps it useful.
Hard Carries	+1/+2 runner carry capacity.	Strong because flat carry is inside the later capacity multiplier stack.
Fleet-Footed And Rock-Hard	+10/17/25% stun resistance and +5/9/14% dodge.	Buy when hazards are causing downtime or when dodge-based artifacts are part of the plan.
Looming Motivation	When reclaim pressure is active, returning runners gain +3/4/5 temporary carrying capacity.	This is an emergency-pressure stabilizer. It is not a substitute for keeping loose pickups under 350.
Yeeti Arms	Reduces or removes Gorilla Arms cooldown and later raises the max payload-throw chance.	Buy when Gorilla Arms is a core hauling tool, especially in high-capacity runner builds.

Runner Artifacts

Artifact	Runner Value	Use
Belt of Giant Strength	+2 carrying capacity.	Top runner artifact because flat carry enters the capacity multiplier stack.
Magical Back Brace	+1 carrying capacity.	Very good early and still useful with Gorilla Arms or Rhino Legs.
Cloud Slippers	+10% runner speed.	Simple, clean throughput. Best before travel time stops being the bottleneck.
Restless Talisman	-25% resting time.	Good because rest is fixed overhead on every trip.
Quickbeer Dispenser	20% delivery chance for +50% speed, +100% gathering speed, and +30% dodge for 12-16 seconds; luck improves the chance.	Excellent in gem/artifact-heavy routes where deliveries are frequent.
Golden Crane	+10% dodge.	Good when falling rocks are stunning runners or when Hermes Sandals can stack speed from dodges.
Hermes Sandals	+1% permanent speed per falling-rock dodge, up to 30%.	Good only if runners are dodging often. It is weak in calm early runs.
Helm of Olaf	-20% stun duration.	Strong hazard defense when dodge is not enough.
Chalice Of Life	-14% runner stun duration and a dwarf gain on collect.	Solid if you need both workforce and runner uptime.
Shield of Olaf	15% shield chance after rest or when hit, lasting 15-30 seconds.	Useful in falling-rock-heavy builds.
The Great Tongue	6% chance for the Maw to claim ore instead of the mountain during reclaim.	A backup plan for pressure, not permission to ignore hauling.
Steamskate Boots	+18% speed with dodge and rest drawbacks.	Use if travel is the main bottleneck and safety is already solved.

Advanced Combos

Combo	Use It For	Why It Works
Small fast crew	Marching Orders + Stoutly March + Cloud Slippers	Travel time collapses while the Marching Orders penalty is still small.
Heavy payload crew	Carrying Capacity + Gorilla Arms + Rhino Legs	Flat carry is multiplied by Gorilla/Rhino capacity, and Rhino Legs prevents the payload from slowing the return trip.
Gem runner engine	Prospector's Massive Nose + Lust For Gems + Gemstone Frenzy	Non-gem ore can become gems, and gems feed speed buffs while runners continue hauling.
Hazard-proof economy	Dodgy Profession + Exalted Beard Aura + Shield of Olaf + Fleet-Footed And Rock-Hard	Dodge, shields, aura charges, and stun resistance attack the same downtime problem from different angles.
Machine-supported hauling	Bulldozer + Enlarged Storage Bay + Mounted A.R. Turret	Bulldozers bring high base capacity and hazard cover. Use them when normal runners cannot keep up with high damage.
High-risk speed plan	Pixie Cocaine + Mithril Chainmail + Fleet-Footed And Rock-Hard	Pixie Cocaine gives speed, gathering, and recovery, but adds dodge loss and crashout risk. Pair it with safety and recovery instead of treating it as a free multiplier.

What Not To Do

Mistake	Correct Play
Buying damage while loose ore is already above 350.	Fix runner throughput first. More damage just creates pickups for the mountain to reclaim.
Stacking capacity without speed or Rhino Legs.	Capacity raises payload, but each carried pickup can slow the runner by 3% until Rhino Legs reduces that penalty.
Overbuying dodge before the economy moves.	Dodge prevents downtime, but it does not move ore by itself. Get basic speed/capacity/gathering first unless rocks are already stunning runners.
Treating Magnetic Gloves as travel speed.	It improves ore gathering speed. Buy it when pickup time is the bottleneck, especially after capacity upgrades.
Relying on Pixie Cocaine alone.	The upside is real, but crashouts can stun a runner for 40-70 seconds. Use it after safety and recovery are in place.
Ignoring Bulldozers once Manufactorum is open.	Bulldozers start at 15 capacity and can protect runners. They are the right answer when normal runner scaling is no longer enough.