Unlock Order
If an upgrade is missing, the answer is usually one of three things: a prestige upgrade, enough workers in the right building, or a prerequisite tier in another upgrade chain.
High-Confusion Unlocks
Section titled “High-Confusion Unlocks”| Unlock | Requirements | What It Opens |
|---|---|---|
| Manufactorum | Manufactorum prestige and The Great Forge acquired. It is then bought from Khazad Greathold. | Bulldozers, Gyrocopters, machine hauling, machine defense, and anti-rock support. |
| Bulldozer | Manufactorum placed. First Bulldozer costs 700 gold, 4 mithril, and 2 dwarves before scaling. | Heavy ore collection, runner protection, and later machine upgrades. |
| Cyberdwarf | Cyberdwarf prestige and more than 9 Scientists. | Gorilla Arms, Rhino Legs, and the Cyberdwarf chain that leads into C.L.U.S.T.E.R.P.I.C.K. |
| C.L.U.S.T.E.R.P.I.C.K. | C.L.U.S.T.E.R.P.I.C.K. prestige plus Cyberdwarf tier 2. | Thrown pickaxes can split into 2-4 smaller half-damage pickaxes, with the chance increasing by Cyberdwarf tier. |
| Alchemy | Alchemy prestige and more than 7 Scientists. | Philosopher's Stone path and Alchemy Research scaling. |
| Ritual Power | Ritual Power prestige and more than 2 Runesmiths. Tiers cost 666/3333/6666 gold and 1/2/3 souls. | Unlocks ritual/enchant options and boosts specific rituals. |
| Flamelord's Wrath | Flamelords prestige plus the hidden requirement shown by the upgrade path: at least 6 Flamers and 5 Runesmiths. | Troubleshooting target for fire builds. If it still does not appear, keep progressing through the confirmed fire, bomb, cannon, science, or machine lines. |
Unlock Checklist
Section titled “Unlock Checklist”| Symptom | Check |
|---|---|
| The upgrade is not visible at all. | Buy the related prestige upgrade first, then restart the run if the game only refreshes requirements after a prestige. |
| The upgrade is visible but blocked. | Count the workers named by the icon requirement. Many advanced upgrades need Scientists or Runesmiths, not only the main unit. |
| The building is missing from Khazad Greathold. | Check whether it is a prestige-gated building. Manufactorum is the common example. |
| The cost looks absurd or the button never becomes practical. | Treat it as a chain that is not ready in your run. Put the gold into the current carry: Miner/Demodwarf damage if mountains are slow, Runners/Maw if ore is piling up, or Spelunker/Forge if mithril and artifacts are blocking you. |
| The unlock depends on another upgrade tier. | Open the linked building page and follow the tier chain, especially Cyberdwarf, Mithril Forging, and Ritual Power. |
Practical Order
Section titled “Practical Order”| Phase | Unlock Target |
|---|---|
| First stable runs | Runners, Demodwarves, dens, and early PP. |
| Mithril starts blocking | Spelunker's Guild, The Great Forge, Mithril Divining, and Rune of Fortune. |
| Mid-game utility | Grand Laboratory, Scientists, Manufactorum prestige, and machine hauling. |
| Late-game chains | Cyberdwarf, C.L.U.S.T.E.R.P.I.C.K., Alchemy, Ritual Power, and special artifact gates. |