MATERIALS & CRAFTING · FIELD GUIDE

Need Clay? Find the Pickaxe first.

Checked October 16, 2026 · Full game · Source-based guide

The reported Pickaxe route

Marvin Tang’s October 15 walkthrough places the Pickaxe down the stairs beside the original prison-entry staircase, behind the lower locked door. Collect it there while watching the archers above. This is a release route from one published walkthrough, not a location we have reproduced.^[2]

If you have not reached the prison, use the Small Key and prison-staircase note to compare your progress. This page starts from prison access; it does not claim the Pickaxe is reachable from the initial camp without prerequisites.

Clear goo, then check the drops

1. Equip the Pickaxe at a goo pile, rather than hitting roots or rusty bars.
2. Clear the pieces and inspect the drops. The file analysis says Clay is a possible drop, not a guaranteed reward for every hit.
3. Continue to other goo piles if a particular pile gives no Clay. Most are reported in the sewers.

The release walkthrough visibly distinguishes yellow goo from the barriers the Hammer breaks.^[2]

Dropped into the glowing cave without the Pickaxe?

A launch player reports getting trapped after using a plank to enter the glowing-mushroom cave before clearing its goo.^[5] The developer gives a general escape option in the pause menu: Starve to Death returns you to your last saved point. That is a respawn, not a path that removes the goo.^[4]

Do not assume the option transports everything in your backpack. Players report losing access to bagged key items after respawning; compare the backpack warning before deciding. No loss-free physical route out of that specific cave has been verified here.

Why older answers disagree

The developer’s older Demo answer excluded Clay, Pickaxe and Axe from that version. Keep that restriction attached to the Demo.^[3]

The drop rule is attributed to NPC Tips’ file analysis; the physical Pickaxe route is SINGLE_SOURCE. Neither is presented as our gameplay test. No guaranteed yield or respawn timer is supplied.