Getting Started in Mining and Dwarves

Mining and Dwarves is already on Steam. Sockhouse Studios launched the full game on 27 August 2026, Aarimous and Thornity published it, and the free demo went live on 10 June 2026. It is a single player incremental with persistent progression: no prestige, no multiplayer, Steam Cloud on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Steam Deck. This page is the first hour. For the loop itself, read how the mining loop works. For keybinds, use the controls guide. If you already finished the June demo, skim demo versus full so you do not treat two dwarf types as the whole roster.

Pick a click mode first

On first launch, choose Auto Click or Manual Click. Auto Click is the right default for a trackpad, a Steam Deck, or anyone who does not want a sore wrist. Manual Click is a higher effort mode with the same rocks and the same deposit, not a secret loot table. If you are unsure, pick Auto Click and start breaking rocks. There is no redeem code box. The launch build is a paid Steam game with an introductory 30 percent discount through 10 September 2026.

Idle cub plays the Mining and Dwarves playtest

Break the first rocks

The opening floor is a handful of rocks around a dark central sink. Click a rock, or rest Auto Click on it, until it shatters. Drops sit on the ground. Filling that black hole deposit is the hour’s actual goal, not a high score on raw clicks. Each deposited chunk pays gold. When the bar fills, a special orb or ball appears. Mine that orb the same way you mine rocks. Clearing it dumps a burst of value and returns a fresh rock field. Do not treat the orb as optional flavour. Playtests and Steam reviews both spend the burst window on the orb, not on leftover pebbles. Rocks feed the bar, the bar feeds the orb, the orb feeds shards. How to play explains that chain in more depth.

Hire a collector, then a miner

Void shards unlock the skill tree. Hire a Dwarf Collector as soon as the first shard appears. Collectors haul ore to the deposit and do not damage rocks. Hire a Dwarf Miner next so rocks keep dying. A mixed pair is the first automation spike: miners create drops, collectors clear them, and you stop living on the cursor. Do not stack three collectors with zero miners, and do not stack miners with nobody to haul. Role details live on miners and collectors. The full game has five dwarf types. Besides Miner and Collector, Steam reviews name a Demolition Dwarf, and playtests show a Dwarf Foreman that buffs nearby workers. The fifth type is in the August build; this wiki will not invent a label for it. Skip Foreman until a mixed pair exists — see the foreman page. The June demo only had Miner and Collector. Common first-hour traps are listed in beginner mistakes.

Spend the first void shards

Gold comes from depositing. Void shards buy the skill tree. Early shards should go to one collector, then one miner, then worker movement speed or collector carry limit, then Super Auto Miner (Q). That order beats spraying every cheap node. Use the upgrade-priority tool if you want a checklist, and the skill tree guide when branches start to fork.

What not to buy yet

Skip duration crumbs on Super Auto Miner. Early duration is about seven seconds. Plus one second is a tiny bump compared with shaving cooldown or hiring the second worker. Skip Refresher until Q and W both exist; a cooldown reset with one ability is a waste. Skip extra rock type unlocks if your crew cannot clear the rocks you already have. Skip a second collector before the first miner. Persistent progression means a bad node is not wiped later. Reviews are mixed to mostly positive: juicy sound effects, cute dwarves, and chill music on one side, a late linear slog and dwarves that blur together on the other. Keep the first hour narrow so the later tree has room.

First abilities and the Q plus W habit

Super Auto Miner (Q) auto clicks rocks under your cursor while you hover. If you park the cursor in empty space, you get a pretty cooldown and no damage. Hover a cluster, press Q, then sweep. Multi Ore (W) is the partner button. Reviewers specifically say to use Multi Ore on the orb. The abilities guide lists all eight full game skills; the June demo only had four. Learn hover Q and orb W before you worry about Reactive Rocks or Enhancer. Pies can be clicked to enhance skills. If a pie is on the floor, click it, then park Super Auto Miner on the cluster you actually care about.

After the first hour

You should have a click mode chosen on purpose, a collector, a miner, Super Auto Miner on Q, and a habit of dumping W into the orb. Hired dwarves keep working if you step away; staying on the cursor is faster. Next reads are how to play for the cycle, abilities for the rest of the hotbar, and demo versus full if you are converting a June mindset into the August roster. There are 22 Steam achievements and no codes. Keep the first hour boring on purpose so you still have shards when the tree opens.