Hold The Mine guide

Hold The Mine Beginner Guide

Last updated: May 31, 2026Early AccessBeginner

Start Hold The Mine by treating every day as preparation for the next night. Mine resources with a purpose, build only what helps the next wave or your next mining route, use heroes to cover the weakest part of your defense, and stop pushing deeper when the surface cannot survive until sunrise.

Day and Night Priority Table

PhasePriorityWhy it mattersCommon mistake
Day startChoose one target for the day.Mining, spending, and hero choices work better when they solve the same problem.Digging randomly until time runs out.
MiningCollect resources that feed the next building, relic, hero plan, or survival check.A deeper mine is only useful if the resources become power before the wave.Pushing depth while the surface defense stays weak.
SpendingBuy or build for the next wave first.The game is lost at night, so upgrades should answer the next monster pressure.Buying exciting effects that do not help the current run survive.
Hero setupUse hero powers to cover a clear weakness.Heroes are strongest when they support your building and resource plan.Switching plans every time a new hero or power looks interesting.
NightWatch what actually breaks.The failed wave tells you whether you need damage, control, economy, or a different route.Repeating the same mine route after losing for the same reason.

First Run Route

Hold The Mine mixes mining, resource management, unique buildings, heroes, relics, perks, and night waves. That makes early runs noisy. The safest beginner route is not to memorize a perfect build; it is to keep the day and night connected. Mine for the thing that improves the next wave, spend before you greed for depth, and use each failed night as a diagnosis.

  1. Start with survival, not depth. A deep mine does not matter if the monsters break through before sunrise.
  2. Pick one build direction per day. Decide whether the current day is about resources, buildings, hero power, relic value, or recovery.
  3. Convert mined resources before night. Unspent resources are potential, not defense.
  4. Let hero powers support the board. If a hero power does not cover your weakest point, delay that plan.
  5. After a failed wave, name the failure. Damage, control, economy, timing, and bad spending require different fixes.

Mining Route Rules

Mining is the engine of the run, but it should not be treated as separate from defense. Before digging deeper, ask what the next layer of mining is supposed to buy. If the answer is unclear, use the day to improve the surface plan instead. Official materials describe the core loop as mining resources by day, building structures, unleashing heroes, and holding monsters out of the mine at night, so the mine route must always lead back to wave survival.

QuestionBeginner answerWhy
Should I keep digging?Only if the next resources solve the next wave or upgrade plan.Depth without conversion makes the night harder to recover from.
Should I spend now?Spend when the upgrade answers a visible weakness.Hold The Mine rewards run direction more than random purchases.
Should I chase relics or buildings?Choose the option that changes the next two nights, not only the current screen.Unique effects matter most when they fit the run you are already building.
Should I use perks as the main plan?Use perks as support until you know which failures keep repeating.Meta progression helps future runs, but it does not replace wave diagnosis.

Buildings, Heroes, Perks, and Relics

The Early Access version has enough systems that a beginner can lose by spreading resources too widely. Buildings can create unique effects, heroes bring powers, relics can reshape a run, and perks affect future attempts. Treat these as layers, not as separate shopping lists. First choose the immediate problem, then pick the layer that solves it with the least waste.

SystemUse it forBeginner ruleAvoid
BuildingsSurface defense, economy shape, and run synergies.Build around the next wave first.Collecting effects that do not work together.
HeroesCovering gaps with powers and battle pressure.Choose the hero plan that fixes your weakest phase.Changing heroes or powers without knowing why the wave failed.
RelicsPivots and stronger long-run identity.Take relics that reinforce your current route.Taking every unusual relic because it looks rare.
PerksMeta progression and future-run direction.Spend perk points after identifying repeated failures.Assuming perks will fix bad day/night decisions.

Wave Survival Failure Checks

ProblemLikely causeFixNext page
You die with resources unspent.Mining was not converted into survival before night.End the next day with one clear defensive spend.Guide hub
The same wave type keeps breaking through.Your buildings or hero powers do not answer that pressure.Change one layer of the plan instead of restarting the whole build.Upgrade Priority
Runs feel strong early but collapse later.You pushed depth or economy before your wave plan scaled.Spend one day stabilizing defense before going deeper.Wave Survival
New perks do not improve results.Meta progression is supporting an unclear strategy.Pick perks after writing down your most common failure.Upgrade Priority

Source and Version Note

This guide uses current official Hold The Mine sources from the official Steam page, the official Goblinz page, and Steam news/community update posts. It avoids exact hero rankings, building tier lists, relic rankings, wave values, damage numbers, and upgrade breakpoints until they are verified by gameplay notes or official patch notes.

Related Guides

Use the Hold The Mine guide hub for the current mini-site plan. Read the Upgrade Priority Guide for spending decisions. Read the Wave Survival Guide for diagnosing failed nights. If you want the most complete live guide cluster on One More Run Guides today, also check Romestead Guides while this Hold The Mine section grows.