CRACK progression: what to unlock first

Work Orders first

For the complete route through the final specimen, use the CRACK game walkthrough. This page focuses on spending priorities.

Rafoli’s store pitch is crack, earn, then upgrade (core loop). Launch-week walkthroughs add that cash alone does not clear assignments. Whisper’s beginner guide (last updated October 27, 2026) says progress comes from Work Orders, equipment, and egg reactions together (CRACK beginner guide). Sportskeeda’s full walkthrough (published October 28, 2026) lists a similar top-level order (Sportskeeda walkthrough).

Endings and the specimen identity are on the endings page.

Early shifts: Shell to Membrane tools

Whisper’s walkthrough and Sportskeeda list this early order:

1. Finish the intro / peel enough Shell to unlock the Resource Depot (Whisper: split and peel 30 Shell chunks with Pickaxe then Chisel on flashing sections).
2. Deposit Shell until the Intermediate Catalog opens (Whisper cites a $30 cumulative Shell deposit). Buy a Shovel before optional toys—Membrane needs it.
3. For the Vehicle Bay order, Whisper says you need two full Buckets of Membrane. Partial sales still pay money but may not advance a “full Bucket” counter—a common early stall.
4. After that bay opens, Whisper’s next Membrane target is $30 deposited Membrane for Starter Scaffolding, then $40 of Blight, then a Golf Cart Tier 2 upgrade ($25 cart unlock and $50 Tier 2 in Whisper’s figures).

Dot Esports’ playtest preview (published October 26, 2026) describes layers moving Shell → tissue → calcite → bone, and tools from pickaxes and shovels toward dynamite, drills, robots, and carts (Dot Esports preview). The dollar gates above are Whisper’s figures.

Mid game: Tissue, Workbots, then Specialty gear

Sportskeeda and Dot Esports:

• Unlock Shovel Mk 2 (or equivalent) so you can excavate Tissue (pink/red past Membrane—not every grey Membrane pile).
• Deposit about $70 of Tissue to open Workbot Storage.
• Buy Collectors and Delivery Drones; first unit costs $100, then $150, then $200, rising further (Dot Esports bots guide, October 26, 2026; Whisper Workbots, October 27).

Whisper adds that commissioning the first Workbot completes an order and opens the Specialty Catalog (Toolbox / Hammer territory)—you do not need a full drone fleet for that unlock. Steam players who buy bots and see them idle need Buckets on the ground; see player tips and Workbots.

What to buy when money feels tight

From Whisper’s beginner guide:

Bottleneck	Prefer	Defer
Next layer will not break	Excavation tool / catalog unlock named by the order	Larger Bucket alone
Loose piles grow faster than you can carry	Bucket capacity, Golf Cart, or Workbots	Another scanner upgrade
Facility still locked with cash on hand	Exact Work Order text	Random shop impulse
Agitation near critical	Sedation / spread digs / Support Spikes	One more deep tunnel

Scanner upgrades help find buried nodules and Chalazite; they do not replace a stronger shovel. Chalazite upgrades Workbots and should not be sold casually (Workbots).

Pills, slots, and arcade cabinets appear as objectives. Whisper records 3,500 points in Eggsteroids and a single $100 slot payout for Executive Catalog in its older route. Rafoli’s 1.0.53 notes lower that slot objective to $50; use your active Work Order. Outside those gates, treat gambling as optional.

Scaffolding and agitation in the priority list

Sportskeeda’s outline: after automation, manage egg reactions at the containment terminal, craft scaffolding (including Custom Scaffolding for the Breakroom vent), then secrets/endings. Dot Esports says scaffolds distribute work, bolts loosen over time, and reactions are inevitable even if sedation and relocating digs delay them.

Build height for the 10m Scaffolding Work Order once Specialty tools exist—Whisper says a small stable tower beats a sprawling weak one. Details: scaffolding and reactions.

Chill Mode (patch 1.0.43) halves agitation and stops scaffold-break events (modes and controls). It is optional; default priority advice assumes Chill Mode is off.

Suggested co-op split

A split that matches the systems in those guides:

• One player watches the agitation terminal and runs sedation mini-games.
• One builds / hammers scaffolding and Support Spikes.
• Others excavate and feed Buckets so Collectors stay busy.

More on sessions: co-op and co-op roles.

Sources

Checked October 29, 2026. The slot-payout target was checked against 1.0.53.

• Rafoli: official updates and 1.0.53 balance changes
• Sportskeeda full walkthrough (published 2026-10-28)
• Whisper beginner guide / walkthrough (updated 2026-10-27)
• Dot Esports bots / preview (2026-10-26)
• Tissue deposit discussion
• v1.0.43 Chill Mode

CRACK and its imagery belong to Rafoli.