Idle Obelisk Miner: Beginner Hub (Progression, Bomb Cap & Starter Mistakes)

# 1. Quick start answers

In the same newcomer thread, one player tells new players to play at their own speed, since it is a single-player game and not a competition^[2].

# 2. Gift code timing (not settled)

Community Knowledge Players disagree on gift codes. One camp treats them as an early newbie boost: redeem after an hour or two of play, or use the wiki codes list to speed up the early game^[2]. The other camp says to hold them: one player calls spending codes before Obelisk 19 the biggest mistake because gift loot grows the higher you go; another says not to use the gifts from codes until fishing is unlocked^[2]. Evidence is unsettled. This page keeps the conservative tip — hold them for now — because gift loot scales as you progress, so early spends can leave less value later; the exact hold node is unconfirmed. Hold-camp wording: “the biggest mistake you can make it wasting the codes before you pass obelisk 19 because the higher you go in the obelisk the more stuff you get from the gifts”^[2]. In the same thread, another player gives a different condition: “dont use all the gifts you get from codes on the wiki til you unlock fishing as a minimum”^[2].

• Early-redeem camp: Several players in the newcomer thread point newcomers at the wiki codes list as free early progress, including one who says to play an hour or two then use the codes^[2].
• Gift scaling (hold camp): One player reports that the higher you go in the obelisk, the more you get from gifts^[2].
• Preventing burnout: In thread 1wj46ww, one player reports burning out after using up all the codes and depleting the free gems, then being unhappy when the game “slowed down” (it was normal speed)^[14].

# 3. Bomb cap & the workshop engine

3.1 Why bomb cap matters when you are already hitting the cap

Community Knowledge New players often wonder why bomb capacity upgrades are given such high priority (thread 1wmumoo^[3]). In that thread the OP, at around a 3k cap, says they did not hit their max when checking every couple of hours. One player answers that your speed and bomb recharge keep increasing as you progress, so your bomb cap needs to keep up, and calls 100k a key milestone^[3].

• The 100k Milestone: Repeated advice from several players in one thread: one player calls 100k a key milestone, and another player says getting bomb cap into the 100k range is the most important thing to do. Another player cautions that a bigger cap raises gem income only if you were regularly hitting the cap; the first two players also point out that game speed and recharge keep rising^[3].
• Late-game showcase: In thread 1wlefpg^[1], the OP says they wanted to show new players how fast bombs build up in the late game and why it is important to get the bomb cap as big as possible.

3.2 Workshop sequence

Recommendation In early game Workshop automation, one player (single report; they say neither of the two orders asked about is the right one) suggests a three-stage sequence: Cherry → Battery → Gem bomb before reaching ~100k cap, shifting to Cherry → Gem once bomb capacity stabilizes, and eventually Cherry → D20 → Gem after unlocking the World 4 Nature Statue^[4].

# 4. Prestige timing & artifact tiers

• Tier 3 Bomb Capacity: A player at Obelisk 14 worries that their first two Tier 3 artifacts were bomb upgrades; this shows that player had Tier 3 artifacts at that point, not that Obelisk 14 is where Tier 3 unlocks. One player replies that Tier 3 has a bomb capacity upgrade which is big and to focus on increasing bomb capacity as much as possible, and another player, less emphatically, says those bomb artifacts are good but calls the choice inconsequential in the scheme of progression, so treat Tier 3 bomb capacity as a reasonable default rather than a critical pick. There is no source for waiting for a specific Obelisk level before Tier 3; Obelisk 14 is only an observation that one player already had Tier 3, not an unlock threshold (thread 1wmzv1p^[5]).
• Relic rerolls for divines: Community Knowledge In thread 1wl2sot^[6], several players favour rerolling, but the numbers are situational, not one rule: one player went from 1/30k to 1/11k divine odds for 2k gems and calls being scared of the reroll a disservice; another player says to reroll to about 10k per divine (or less); a third player, describing a later stage, says at 50k minimum, probably closer to 100k, aiming well below divine relic odds like 1/15k, with a setup useful for you.
• When to prestige for artifact tiers: There is no agreed prestige timing in the threads collected here; none gives an Obelisk level or condition for unlocking artifact tiers.
• Rapid Prestige Cycling (Happy Bot levelling, a separate goal from artifact tiers): Single report The OP of thread 1wie73h reports going from Happy Bot level 10 to 19 in under an hour by prestiging as soon as the XP gain lands at level 100+ on prestige; other replies suggest simply waiting for auto prestige instead^[7].

# 5. Contracts & gem spending efficiency

These are optional, later topics outside the main beginner line.

• Hold-to-skip QoL: Community Knowledge The OP of thread 1wmxt0e^[8] found by accident that you can press and hold the 5-gem skip contract button to speed through contracts instead of waiting days for the bars to accumulate, and another player adds that it keeps going with autocomplete on.
• Gem Prioritization: Recommendation In thread 1wlk3a5^[9], players debate whether to buy skill points with gems. One player says to spend the gems on the Mincer skill, and another player says they read it can be up to 10-15% more gems and to rush it with gems asap (a single, second-hand report).
• Drone Fuel Management: In thread 1wiofop^[12], one player advises to keep buying drone fuel as a secondary priority, or you can get stuck for months getting your generator levels up. A separate thread celebrates a hold-to-fuel option for drones (thread 1wmnsk9^[13]).

# Related guides

Deep-dive guides that support this beginner guide with focused mechanics. Each guide answers one long-tail player question and links back here:

• Bomb Cap & Workshop Sequence — scaling caps and common bomb loops
• Prestige & Artifact Tiers — Tier 3 bomb capacity, divine reroll budgets & Happy Bot prestige cycling
• Gift Code Timing & The Obelisk 19 Threshold — maximizing gift box scaling^[2]
• World Statue Recommendations — whether monument thresholds are required before World 2 and World 3
• Challenges & Divine Challenges — skipping traps, Floor 102 clarification, and gem stockpiles
• Charge Magnets — use them early or save them, and whether bulk-firing changes the odds
• Mega Bomb & Infinity Bomb — when they still help vs late-game farming bombs
• Tributes — Geoduck vs Laviathan, Cthulhu gem pacing, and when the tribute track ends

Deep Cave lobster fishing and contract gem trade-offs are covered in Sections 5–6.

# 6. Midgame milestones (fishing, cards & deep cave)

These are optional, later topics outside the main beginner line.

Once past beginner obelisk hurdles, community strategies center on these named systems:

• Fishing & Card Gilding: Single report One player says they believe you get the card/shard when catching a legendary fish, and that getting the card and gilding it is a pretty big boost for ore production (thread 1wmzac5^[10]).
• Deep Cave (DC) & Lobster Timing: Version-sensitive Players debate using Buttery Lobsters on Deep Cave 10 vs. 14 following ultra proc balance adjustments (thread 1wmtvp9^[11]); check live patch notes.
• Lootfrogs & Drone Specialization: Recommendation In thread 1wiofop, one player says they farm bars with chain+void, veins with veinseeker+void, and stars with starburst+midas, and rarely use the lootfrog drone anymore^[12].

# 7. Version sensitivity

• Not settled: Gift codes — early redeem vs hold (Obelisk 19 / fishing); evidence disagrees^[2]; the three-stage Workshop sequence^[4]; Mincer gem priority^[9].
• Community Knowledge: 100k bomb cap target (repeated advice from several players in one thread)^[3]; no ads^[2].
• Recommendation: Relic rerolls for divines (situational amounts)^[6]; rapid prestige cycles for Happy Bot leveling (single report)^[7]; players debate holding Buttery Lobsters for Deep Cave 14^[11].
• Version-sensitive: Deep Cave ultra proc requirements (the OP of thread 1wmtvp9 says DC 14 changed from 10 to 5 ultra procs^[11]) and the hold-to-fuel option for drones^[13]. Cross-reference with in-game changelogs and the r/IdleObeliskMiner community.