Use this loop until you can afford the Toy Shovel. The ending guides assume you can already sell items and survive a night.
Before you dig
You start in a cell with a Spoon. The floor under the carpet is the dig spot. Open it when the guard is not watching the hall. Press F when you need to come back to the surface.
The Spoon is only a reliable tool for the first, green grass layer. One later summary called the starter bare hands. Every detailed walkthrough that lists a tool starts you on the Spoon.
One daytime cycle
- Dig and pick up what the hole drops.
- Sell those items to the inmate by the cafeteria. That inmate pays Toilet Paper.
- Spend energy before lunch. The cafeteria chef gives free food at lunch, and that food refills energy.
- Check the trade inmates. Buy the next shovel before you buy extras. Food is described as cheap; buy it in stacks of about 2 to 4 while you wait for a tool to appear.
- When night starts, close your own cell door. The guard ends the run if he catches you in the halls. He does not enter your cell or see the dig while that door stays closed. Other doors, vents, and the carpet can stay open.
- If you still need to sell or buy at night, use the vent beside your cell. It reaches the trade inmates and the seller without a hall crossing.
Do not hide in another prisoner's cell. The guard will come in and end the run.
First purchase
Save 25 Toilet Paper for the Toy Shovel. It is listed at +16 digging speed and is the tool for the second layer. A full priced path to the Trowel is 150 Toilet Paper: 25, then 45, then 80. The shop table is on the Toilet Paper guide, and the layer-by-layer dig is on the Mineshaft guide.
Syringes are for later. Buy them when you already own the tool for the next layer and you plan to dig for at least 8 seconds so the max-energy buff is worth it.
What done looks like
You can repeat the sell, lunch, and night-vent loop without getting caught, and you are holding Toilet Paper for a tool instead of spending it as soon as it arrives. From there, pick an ending: Mineshaft if you want the deep dig, Janitor if you want to stop around 200 Toilet Paper, or Rooftops if you can hold 300.