Beginner Guide

First dig to first ride

Cambrian dig, matching set, Dr. Ivy egg, incubate, feed, ride from Subadult.

1. Grab the free Wooden shovel and starter boat. Home Island gives you Digby's Wooden shovel (Cambrian digs) and a free Dinghy. Press E at the dock to board.
2. Sail to Cambrian. The first period island is a short boat ride. Press M for the map if you lose the heading. Cambrian digs work with the starter shovel.
3. Dig in the green meter. Hold on a dig site and release while the meter is green. Empty digs are normal. At night, dig glowing sites when they appear.
4. Complete five matching fossils for one creature. Cambrian sets need five matching pieces of the same species (Trilobite, Pikaia, and the rest). Pieces from different species do not finish one set.
5. Trade at Dr. Ivy's DNA Lab. Sail home when the set shows Ready to extract DNA. Dr. Ivy trades the set for an egg with Trade fossils for an egg.
6. Incubate, then collect at the hatchery. You start with two free incubator slots. Place the egg, wait out the timer on that egg, then collect the hatchling.
7. Keep belly over half full. Buy Meat (12) or Veggies (8) at Bramble's. Put food on the hotbar, stand near the dino, and press F. Pack prices and diet rules are on the dinosaurs page.
8. Ride from Subadult onward. Growth runs Newborn → Juvenile → Subadult → Adult → Elder. From Subadult, set a partner and Hold R.
9. Use Tylo's and Ronald when the tutorial points you there. Tylo's is early fishing. Ronald buys spare items. Digby's and Dr. Ivy still handle shovels and eggs.

Session checklist

Group, tutorial, codes, first set, feed, Bronze shovel, then boat or aquatic mount.

1. Join Project Mirvy and redeem active codes for coins, luck, or eggs.
2. Finish the tutorial (16 steps) for 250 coins if you have not already.
3. Finish one Cambrian matching set and trade it at Dr. Ivy.
4. Keep feed stocked so the first hatchling never stalls at half belly.
5. Buy Digby's Bronze shovel (2,500 coins) to open Devonian.
6. Buy Banks Dory (4,000) when island travel feels slow, or ride a grown aquatic dino.
7. Fish during incubator waits at Tylo's; sell catches or bank Puffer for later flyer work.
8. Sell spare junk to Ronald when inventory is clogged with extras.

Early coin order

Spend on feed and Bronze before luxury boats. Lucky Clover and incubator slot 3 come after the first ranch loop.

• Join Project Mirvy and redeem codes for free coins and luck.
• Stock feed at Bramble's so growth never pauses (Meat 12, Veggies 8).
• Get the first Cambrian egg onto a ranch slot for /min income.
• Bronze shovel at Digby's for 2,500 coins (Devonian digs).
• Banks Dory for 4,000 coins, or use a grown aquatic mount instead of a boat.
• Budget Lucky Clover (800) before long dig sessions.
• Silver shovel (about 12,000) when you want Triassic digs and the flyer quest.
• Save toward incubator slot 3 (30,000) when two eggs are always waiting.

Full shovel and boat tables on upgrades spend order.

Early mistakes

Mixed fossils, empty belly, wrong shovel island, and codes before the group.

• Mixing fossils from different creatures, then wondering why DNA will not extract.
• Spending every coin on boats before Bronze shovel and feed.
• Letting belly drop to half and thinking growth is broken.
• Trying to dig Devonian or later with the Wooden shovel.
• Redeeming codes before joining Project Mirvy.

Controls list

Learn dig timing, E for boats and NPCs, F to feed, M for the map, and Hold R once your partner hits Subadult.

Map islands list

Press M. Home plus five period islands. Later labels can show as ??? until unlocked. Shovel tier still gates digs after you land.

Full period Index and dig rules on fossils map islands.

FAQ