If you’ve been playing Idle Miner Tycoon and trying to maximize your profits, you’ve probably wondered: “What should I upgrade first?”
I’ve spent hundreds of hours in this game, tested countless upgrade paths, and seen firsthand what works and what drains your hard-earned cash.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the best upgrade order for maximum efficiency, explain the reasoning behind each choice, and include real insights from my own gameplay experience.
By the end of this post, you’ll understand how to upgrade smarter — not harder — so your mines produce more gold faster, your managers work more effectively, and idle income becomes truly “idle.”
Why Upgrade Order Matters in Idle Miner Tycoon
When you first start the game, everything is inexpensive and tempting to upgrade. But as levels climb, costs grow exponentially. Upgrading the wrong things too early can slow your progress and waste time.
From my experience, the secret to efficient progression is prioritization — knowing what upgrades give the biggest return on investment (ROI) first. I’ll break that down for you step by step.
My Upgrade Philosophy
Before we jump into the actual upgrade order, let me share the principles I follow:
- Always boost production before anything else
- Managers are worth every coin
- Upgrading storage prevents revenue loss
- Don’t neglect idle bonuses — they’re the backbone of late-game income
Best Upgrade Order for Maximum Efficiency
1. ⚙️ Production Upgrades (Highest Priority)
Production Upgrades increase how much resource your miners extract per trip. This directly affects your cash flow, so this should be your very first focus.
When I start a new mine, I always:
- Upgrade production to at least 2×
- Then push it to 5×
- Finally, go for 10× and beyond
Early on, production upgrades increase revenue faster than any other upgrade. You’ll notice your income spikes dramatically as each level increases output.
🔹 Pro Tip: Save up coins for production upgrades instead of impulse buying smaller upgrades. Bigger production multipliers give exponentially greater returns.
2. 🧑💼 Managers (Second Priority)
Managers automate mines, ensuring your workers produce consistently even when you’re offline.
In my experience:
- Assign a manager to each mine as soon as I can afford them.
- If you’re short on coins, prioritize managers for your lowest-level mines first — they usually produce slower without automation.
Why this matters:
- Manual tapping can only get you so far.
- A good manager keeps production flowing and lets you focus on upgrading.
⚠️ Note: Some managers cost gems (premium currency). Only buy with gems if you really need instant progress — otherwise, focus on coins.
3. 🏗️ Storage Capacity (Third Priority)
Upgrading storage ensures that your production actually gets converted to profit. Without enough storage, your mine stalls — meaning miners stop working because there’s no room to hold resources.
Here’s the sequence I follow:
- Upgrade storage in all mines right after the first few production boosts.
- Never let storage hit full — if it does, production effectively stops until you collect.
💡 This was one of my biggest early mistakes: I upgraded production aggressively but ignored storage. The mine filled up, production halted, and coins slowed down. Don’t make the same mistake!
4. 🚚 Conveyor Belts & Lifts (Supporting Upgrades)
These upgrades don’t directly increase production, but they speed up resource movement which can give a nice efficiency boost.
I focus on these once:
- Production levels are strong
- Managers are assigned
- Storage is solid
They’re especially useful in higher-level mines where delays in moving materials can bottleneck income.
5. 📦 Idle Bonuses (End-Game Focus)
Once your mines are producing well and you have multiple managers, idle bonuses become your biggest source of income.
Here’s how I approach idle bonuses:
- Increase idle bonus multipliers slowly over time.
- Prioritize them during events or with special offers.
Idle bonuses truly shine when combined with strong production and automation — it’s where passive income becomes powerful.
My Personal Strategy Highlights
Here’s a candid look at what worked for me:
🎯 Early Game (Levels 1–50)
- Goal: Build foundation fast
- Focus production upgrades first
- Grab managers quickly
- Keep storage just ahead of production
💰 Mid Game (Levels 50–200)
- Goal: Scale income
- Production stays priority
- Storage needs regular boosts
- Upgrade conveyors/lifts more often
- Start pushing idle bonuses
💎 Late Game (200+)
- Goal: Maximize passive income
- Managers for every mine
- Heavy idle bonuses
- Strategic spending on premium upgrades during offers
This pacing helped me avoid common traps — like grinding too long on one mine or stalling because of poor resource flow.
Final Thoughts
Upgrading in Idle Miner Tycoon isn’t about rushing every available option — it’s about following a smart, structured plan that gives the greatest return for your time and coins.
From my experience:
- Production upgrades drive your income.
- Managers automate that income.
- Storage upgrades keep production flowing.
- Support upgrades like conveyors speed things up.
- Idle bonuses multiply your passive earnings.
Follow this order and you’ll see your mines transform into well-oiled money-making machines. 🚀
Remember: play smart, upgrade strategically, and enjoy watching your empire grow!
FAQs — Simple Answers for Common Questions
What should I upgrade first in Idle Miner Tycoon?
Start with production upgrades, then unlock and assign managers, then increase storage capacity to prevent bottlenecks. After that, uplift conveyors and idle bonuses.
Should I spend gems on upgrades?
Only if you want fast progress. I usually save gems for:
Critical manager unlocks
Event boosts
Special offers that give good value
Otherwise, gems are best used sparingly.
How do I earn more coins faster?
Focus on:
Production upgrades
Automation with managers
Active engagement early so mines don’t fill up
Once your idle bonuses are strong, you’ll notice income growing even when you’re not playing.
Should I reset mines or prestige?
Yes — prestige or reset is powerful. You get permanent boosts that make future runs faster. I usually reset after I hit a plateau and feel upgrades are too expensive for returns.