What exactly does a Claim do?
A Claim is consumed to prospect a chosen location down to bedrock. The FAQ describes it as another chance to search for Gold, not as ownership of a permanent map tile and not as a guaranteed prize. Claims belong to the optional Prospecting Mode, which has separate eligibility and payment rules.
Do not count “Claims owned” as money, and do not count a displayed find until the Skill Check and extraction are complete.
What do you need before using one?
| Requirement | Role |
|---|---|
| Prospector’s Pass | Allows prospecting for its active duration. Published Passes have no functional gameplay difference beyond duration. |
| Claim | Provides the individual prospecting attempt. |
| Pickaxe | Reaches bedrock; can be found or traded for at camps and Trading Posts. |
| Eligible account | Age, identity and location checks apply to Prospecting Mode. |
| Exit plan | Recovered Gold still needs successful extraction. |
Where can you get Claims?
- Obtain them in the Game Lobby under the current live offers.
- Find them at Trading Posts or mining Camps when available.
- Earn them from certain quests.
- Exchange Gold Grains for Claims at the Bank in Town under the August 19 update.
- Receive them in a current new-player promotion, if the Lobby still shows it.
Availability and price can change. The public website does not replace the live Lobby total.
Is Gold random?
Paydirt says every expedition generates a new landscape and places Gold before play begins. Positions remain fixed during that expedition, and the company describes the system as deterministic rather than a live drop table. That is the developer’s technical description; the underlying placement code and distribution dataset are not public.
From a player’s point of view, an unknown fixed position can still feel unpredictable. Community theories about water, terrain or biomes should be treated as experiments unless a reproducible current-build dataset supports them.
No permanent gold map
A location from another player or previous expedition does not become a verified location in the newly generated frontier.
How does the Skill Check work?
When Gold is found, the Skill Check tests timing and dexterity. The FAQ defines three broad outcomes: failure recovers nothing, an average result recovers part of the find and a perfect result recovers all. The July and August updates mention smoother and more stable mining Skill Checks, confirming that implementation can change during Early Access.
- Use a mouse rather than a trackpad.
- Remove distractions before the attempt.
- Do not rush because the route feels unsafe.
- Record errors before retrying.
- Separate the displayed find from recovered Gold.
- Check the backpack and Lobby after extraction.
The public pages do not publish timing windows, latency compensation or a universal technique. Any frame-perfect guide needs current video evidence.
How should you measure Claim cost?
Compare completed withdrawals with the whole direct spend: Pass, Claims, fees and optional purchases used for that prospecting period. Comparing only one successful Claim with its price ignores failed attempts and access cost.
Common beginner mistakes
- Using a Claim before obtaining a pickaxe or planning an exit.
- Believing a purchased attempt guarantees Gold.
- Following a permanent-map claim from a previous run.
- Counting an unrecovered find as a payout.
- Spending more after failures to “get even.”
- Continuing after a service error without preserving evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Does one Claim equal one dig?
It represents one prospecting attempt down to bedrock. Ordinary resource gathering is not necessarily the same action.
Can a Claim return nothing?
Yes. It may not find Gold, and a failed Skill Check can also recover nothing.
Can Mining Speed improve Gold value?
No official source confirms that. Mining Speed affects work rate, not published placement or payout value.
Can you get Claims without paying cash?
Official sources list certain quests, camps/Trading Posts, promotions and Gold-Grain exchange as possible routes.
Checked August 27, 2026 against the official FAQ, Terms, July update and August 19 patch notes. Strategy is an inference from published mechanics, not a payout promise. Illustration is original and unofficial.