Into The Depths Progression Guide: Master the Underground

Understanding the Core Progression Loop

Into The Depths blends roguelite exploration with colony simulation. Your primary goal is to descend deeper into the underground, establish a functional settlement, and gather resources to survive increasingly hostile environments. The progression loop is cyclical: explore, gather, return, upgrade, and repeat.

Each run begins at your central hub, a safe zone where you can manage your colony's infrastructure. From there, you venture into procedurally generated caverns. The deeper you go, the rarer the resources and the tougher the enemies. Dying is not the end; you'll retain certain upgrades and knowledge, a hallmark of the roguelite genre.

Key Milestones in Your First 10 Hours

Your early game progression follows a predictable path. Here are the key milestones to aim for:

1. Build a Basic Shelter: Your first priority is constructing a dwelling that protects your colonists from the elements and basic threats.
2. Secure a Food Source: Set up a farm or hunting outpost. Starvation is the most common early-game failure.
3. Research Basic Upgrades: Unlock simple tools, better storage, and improved defenses.
4. Explore the First Cavern Layer: This area is relatively safe. Use it to gather wood, stone, and basic ores.
5. Establish a Defensive Perimeter: Build walls and traps to protect your settlement from wandering creatures.
6. Unlock the Workshop: The workshop allows you to craft advanced gear and tools, enabling deeper exploration.

Resource Management and Expansion

Resource management is the heart of Into The Depths. You must balance immediate needs (food, water, warmth) with long-term goals (research, expansion, military strength). The game features several core resources:

• Food: Consumed daily by colonists. Spoils over time.
• Water: Sourced from underground springs or collected from condensation.
• Wood/Stone: Basic building materials.
• Ore: Used for advanced tools and weapons.
• Research Points: Earned by exploring new areas and studying artifacts.

As you progress, you'll need to expand your colony outward and downward. Expansion requires careful planning. Overextending your colony can lead to resource shortages and attacks from creatures drawn to your activity.

Unlocking Upgrades and Technology

The upgrade system is critical for breaking through progression walls. Upgrades are unlocked in the "Tech Tree," which is divided into several branches:

• Survival: Improves food production, water collection, and health.
• Industry: Enhances resource gathering speed, storage capacity, and crafting efficiency.
• Defense: Unlocks stronger walls, traps, and offensive structures.
• Exploration: Increases movement speed, light radius, and resistance to environmental hazards.

Each upgrade requires a combination of resources and research points. Prioritize upgrades that address your current bottleneck. For example, if you're struggling with food, invest in the Survival branch. If you're dying to enemies, focus on Defense.

Conquering the Depths: Biomes and Threats

The underground world in Into The Depths is divided into distinct biomes, each with unique resources, enemies, and hazards. Your progression is tied to your ability to survive and thrive in each layer.

• Shallow Caverns (Easy): The starting biome. Relatively safe, with basic resources like wood, stone, and berries. Enemies are weak and slow.
• Fungal Groves (Medium): Home to aggressive fungal creatures and spore clouds that can poison your colonists. Rich in rare herbs and ores.
• Crystal Caves (Hard): Filled with sharp crystal formations and hostile crystal golems. Contains valuable gems used for end-game upgrades.
• Magma Core (Very Hard): The deepest layer, filled with lava flows and powerful fire-based enemies. Home to the game's final boss.

To conquer a biome, you must first establish a forward base on its edge. Then, systematically clear threats while securing resource nodes. Each biome also has a "boss" that must be defeated to unlock the next layer.

Endgame and Prestige System

Once you've conquered the Magma Core, the game shifts into an endgame loop. You can choose to "prestige" your colony, resetting most of your progress in exchange for permanent bonuses. This prestige system offers significant power increases for future runs.

Key endgame goals include:

• Defeating the final boss in the Magma Core.
• Unlocking all upgrades in the Tech Tree.
• Achieving a "perfect" run with zero colonist deaths.
• Accumulating prestige points to unlock permanent buffs.

For more details on specific game mechanics, check out our mechanics guide and upgrades guide. If you are just starting, our beginner guide is essential reading.