Dwarf Eats Mountain 經濟全鏈路：採礦、運輸、寶石與秘銀

The economy is a pipeline, not a single gold-per-minute number. This guide merges the mining, gold, and gem strategies into one model so you can spend on the stage that is actually limiting the run.

1. Measure the pipeline before buying

Think in four stages: extraction → pickup → transport → conversion.

What you see	Likely bottleneck	First response
Empty ground, slow mountain progress	Extraction / damage	Improve the main damage source
Large piles near the mountain	Pickup / transport	Runner capacity, uptime, then speed
Ore near the Maw but slow collection	Conversion radius / positioning	Move loot, improve suction, shorten routes
Plenty of deliveries, unaffordable expansion	Housing or upgrade cost	Scientists, discounts, focused spending

Do not buy mining damage to solve a transport problem. It increases inventory without increasing completed deliveries.

2. Fix Runner throughput in the right order

Carrying capacity is usually the first logistics upgrade because it raises value per trip. Speed becomes stronger after each trip already carries a useful load. Survivability is also an economy stat: a stunned Runner has zero throughput.

A practical order is:

1. enough capacity to prevent constant single-item trips;
2. enough Runners to stop persistent piles;
3. speed to shorten the now-efficient route;
4. dodge, stun reduction, and defenses where calamities interrupt delivery;
5. passive suction or collection tools when distances become large.

Recheck after every major purchase. Once the floor clears, another Runner may be worse than investing in production.

3. Treat housing as capital allocation

Every new unit carries two costs: its purchase price and the housing that makes it possible. Before expanding, ask whether an upgrade to existing units produces more throughput than another body.

Use new housing for the role that limits the pipeline. In an ore backlog that is usually a Runner; with an empty floor it may be a damage unit; near a research breakpoint it may be a Scientist. Discounts have compounding value because they affect every later expansion, but delaying a critical role just to wait for a discount can cost more time than it saves.

4. Build the gem loop after logistics works

Gem upgrades are powerful because several effects reinforce each other:

1. pickup effects convert or discover more gems;
2. gem deliveries can trigger Runner speed bonuses;
3. faster Runners complete more pickups;
4. gem value upgrades increase the payout of every successful cycle;
5. later Laser and Scientist synergies add gem generation without abandoning damage.

This is a multiplier on a working delivery line. If ore is already stuck, generating more valuable items can make the queue worse.

5. Give Miners a clear job

Miners are useful when their attacks reach relevant parts of the mountain and release resources at a rate the economy can absorb. Throwing force and velocity can matter because they affect which veins or Dens are reachable, not only the displayed damage number.

Upgrade Miners when:

• the ground is being cleared quickly;
• important wall targets are outside current firing lines;
• a Miner upgrade also improves ore quality or a cross-system bonus;
• your chosen build gains a specific Miner synergy.

Do not assume that more Miners are always the best source of either damage or gold.

6. Budget Mithril before spending it

Mithril gates multiple systems, so an impulse purchase can delay the next major breakpoint. Keep a short budget with three buckets:

• stability: Runner protection and upgrades that keep the delivery line operating;
• scaling: Forge, runes, key weapon upgrades, or research that multiplies future income;
• tactical reserve: enough for a boss tool, critical target, or upgrade you expect soon.

Always clear visible Mithril targets before ending the mountain. A small short-term damage gain is rarely worth losing a guaranteed scarce-resource drop.

7. Time the Forge by payback, not by mountain number

The Great Forge is worthwhile when its first useful upgrades immediately serve your current bottleneck. Runner gear can stabilize transport; pickaxe and rune paths can improve production; later cross-unit upgrades can deepen a focused build.

Build it when you can afford both the building and the first meaningful follow-up. An empty Forge bought too early is dead capital; a Forge delayed after you already have the resources leaves compounding bonuses unused.

8. Use a phase plan, then adapt it

Opening

• Establish stable ore flow.
• Raise Runner capacity before chasing small damage gains.
• Buy housing for a named role.

Growth

• Start the gem chain after delivery is stable.
• Add Scientists when they unlock a concrete breakpoint.
• Secure Dens and Mithril targets before finishing each mountain.

Scaling

• Convert Mithril into the run’s chosen multipliers.
• Add passive collection only when distance makes it valuable.
• Keep one main damage engine funded so the economy does not outgrow boss DPS.

Economy mistakes to avoid

• Reading ore production as income before it is delivered.
• Buying speed while each Runner still carries too little.
• Expanding housing without deciding which bottleneck the new unit solves.
• Starting a gem build on top of a blocked transport line.
• Spending the last Mithril immediately before a boss or major unlock.
• Copying fixed mountain timings from another run instead of checking your own pipeline.