The Lunar Underground Exploration event has finally returned to Survivor.io, and if you have played before, you probably remember it as the old Diving Event. While the event itself is not completely new, many players still waste a huge amount of shovels by digging inefficiently or chasing small rewards that are not worth the cost.
The good news is that this event is actually very friendly for free-to-play players if you use the right strategy. With smart digging and a little bit of luck, it is possible to reach the top milestone rewards without needing to buy extra resources or even complete every mission.
If your goal is to get rewards like the Chip Chest or even the Legend Collectible Deconstructor completely free, this guide will explain the best strategy in a simple and practical way.
Survivor.io Lunar Underground Exploration Guide – Get Rewards
The event revolves around digging deeper underground using shovels.
Every layer contains different rewards hidden beneath blocks, including:
- Crystals
- Chests
- TNT
- Drills
- Upgrade materials
- Event currency
- High-value collectible rewards
The deeper you go, the better the rewards become.
That means your main objective is not clearing every single tile. Instead, you want to maximize depth efficiency while grabbing only the rewards that are actually valuable.
This is where most players make mistakes.
A lot of people waste too many shovels collecting tiny rewards from every corner of the map. Doing that slows your progress massively and usually prevents you from reaching the best milestone rewards later.
Prioritize Depth
The best strategy for this event is surprisingly simple.
Focus mainly on diving deeper rather than fully clearing layers.
In most cases, you should prioritize moving straight downward through efficient paths instead of wasting shovels collecting every small item you see.
The strategy shown in early gameplay recommends focusing heavily on the middle columns because they often provide cleaner downward routes with fewer wasted digs.
This helps improve your average depth gained per shovel.
Ignore Small Rewards
One of the smartest things you can do is skip low-value rewards.
For example:
- Tiny crystal piles
- Small material drops
- Low-value corners
These rewards often cost more shovels than they are worth.
If you constantly stop to grab every small reward, your progress slows dramatically, and you may run out of resources before reaching the top milestone prizes.
Instead, focus on:
- Large crystal groups
- Chests
- TNT
- Drills
- Multiple shovel rewards
- High-value event items
Those give much better value for your shovel usage.
Use TNT and Drills Efficiently
TNT and drills are extremely important in this event.
A lot of players waste them randomly, but smart usage can save massive amounts of shovels.
When to Use TNT
TNT is best used when several valuable rewards are grouped together.
For example:
- Multiple crystal stacks
- Chests near each other
- Large blocked sections
- Tight reward clusters
Using one TNT in these situations is often much more efficient than manually digging every block.
Good TNT usage can easily save dozens of shovels throughout the event.
When to Use Drills
Drills are perfect for reaching deeper sections quickly or bypassing expensive digging paths.
If you notice that reaching a reward would normally cost several shovels, using a drill is usually the smarter option.
Think of drills as time-saving and shovel-saving tools rather than emergency items.
Always Keep Spare TNT
One very useful tip from experienced players is to always keep around 2 to 3 TNT in reserve.
The reason is simple.
Sometimes you will encounter large stone barriers or awkward underground layouts that become extremely expensive to clear manually. Having backup TNT ready allows you to break through these sections efficiently without ruining your shovel economy.
Many players waste all their TNT early and later regret it when difficult layers appear.
Managing resources carefully matters a lot in this event.
What Is a Good Depth Average?
According to experienced players, a strong average is around:
- 2.5 to 3 meters per shovel
If your efficiency stays around that range, you are usually on pace to obtain the major milestone rewards for free.
This is why avoiding unnecessary digging is so important.
Every wasted shovel lowers your overall efficiency.
How Many Shovels Do You Need?
Here is the approximate amount needed for the biggest rewards:
Chip Chest
Usually requires around:
- 400 to 480 shovels
Legend Collectible Deconstructor
Usually requires around:
- 450 to 540 shovels
The exact amount depends heavily on RNG, your digging efficiency, and how well you use TNT and drills.
With good luck, some players may reach these milestones even earlier.
Do You Need to Open All 600 Chests?
Probably not.
That is one of the best things about this event.
If you follow an efficient strategy and complete missions properly, you can usually earn enough shovels without needing to max out every chest-opening mission.
A very smart approach is:
- Open around 200 chests early
- Claim easy mission rewards
- Save the rest for later
- Wait until the final days before deciding whether you need more
This gives you flexibility.
A lot of players panic early and burn through all their resources immediately. Then later they realize they already had enough progress without overspending.
Patience helps a lot here.
Best Free-to-Play Approach
If you are completely free-to-play, this is probably the safest strategy:
- Focus on straight downward progress
- Ignore low-value rewards
- Save TNT for clustered rewards or stone walls
- Use drills to skip expensive digging paths
- Maintain strong shovel efficiency
- Open around 200 chests initially
- Wait until the final day before spending extra resources
This method gives you the highest chance of securing top rewards without wasting gems or keys.
The Lunar Underground Exploration event is honestly one of the better free-to-play events in Survivor.io if you approach it correctly.
Unlike some events that rely heavily on spending, this one rewards efficiency and patience much more than raw resources. Players who dig smart, manage TNT properly, and avoid chasing every tiny reward usually perform far better than players who simply spam shovels everywhere.
The biggest mistake you can make is treating every block like it needs to be cleared.
Instead, focus on depth, conserve resources, and only grab rewards that actually improve your progress. If you do that consistently, getting milestone rewards like the Chip Chest and Legend Collectible Deconstructor for free becomes very realistic.
