Find your rhythm
Your claim begins at the Surface Scrape with one ore per strike. The Gear Ledger opens after 5 lifetime ore, so the first useful choice arrives quickly.
The Strata field guide
How to Play Strata
Strike the rock face, turn ore into a working mine, and build a legacy that carries from one claim to the next. Strata is a free, general-audience incremental mining game made for short check-ins and long-running plans.
Your first shift
Four moves open the whole mine
Strata begins as an active mining game and steadily becomes an automated operation. The same ore funds both paths.
- 01
Strike the vein
Press the rock or use its keyboard control to mine your first ore. Early strikes open the Gear Ledger and establish your claim.
- 02
Install equipment
Spend ore on gear that strengthens each strike, creates automatic production, or changes how critical hits and momentum work.
- 03
Open the depths
Grow both hand-mining power and ore per second, then descend through six distinct environments and choose routes for the claim.
- 04
Stamp a New Claim
Build a proven operation, earn Claim Deeds, and begin again with permanent Legacy advantages and a stronger long-term plan.
- equipment records
- 39
- mapped depths
- 6
- claim routes
- 12
- offline earnings cap
- 2 hr
At the Surface Scrape
Read the mine one decision at a time
Important information stays close to the action: current output, the next unlock, purchase consequences, and a focused objective.
Start the machinery
The Hand Drill is the first automatic producer. Once installed, the mine earns between swings and can keep producing while you explore the ledger.
Read every purchase
Unlocked gear shows what it changes, its cost, the next level, output before and after, and any milestone crossed. Buy 1, 10, 25, or the maximum affordable amount.
Follow the Shift Plan
The primary objective keeps the next useful move visible. Open the Shift Plan for a few longer-term goals without losing sight of the immediate job.
The descent
Six environments, one growing operation
The Depth Map shows the current shelf, what comes next, its exact requirements, and the reward for opening it. Once purchased, travel directly between unlocked shelves.
01First lightSurface Scrape
Learn the strike-and-install loop in a warm, hand-worked claim.
02Copper frontierRed Clay Shelf
The first route choices and a broader working face begin to take shape.
03Lantern coalworksCoal Catacomb
Carts, crews, and industrial equipment become central to the operation.
04Proven groundSilver Fault
Reach the first depth required to qualify a strong claim for stamping.
05Resonant heatCrystal Furnace
Late-game machinery meets rhythm, critical strikes, and powerful routes.
06Deepest mapped seamStarcore Breach
Push a mature claim into its final Version 1.0 environment and score bonus.
Inside the ledger
Every screen supports the same claim
The mine, Gear Ledger, Depth Map, Field Board, Workshop, and Milestones each answer a different planning question.
Build an operation, not a single number
Equipment can add tap power, passive production, critical-strike behavior, momentum, crews, hauling, explosives, or late-game multipliers. Schematics refine those systems; most belong to the current claim, while Legacy plans are permanent.
Choose how the claim works
At deeper shelves, choose Handworked, Industrial, or Volatile routes. Each asks for a different style of progress. Route mastery helps qualify a New Claim, while the ledger remembers lifetime completions.
Keep an active job board
Claim daily pay, work three short shift orders, and complete a rotating set of three weekly contracts. Rewards include ore, temporary production boosts, and cosmetic keepsakes.
Collect the story of the mine
Discover Core Samples, complete depth collections, and equip visual rewards such as lanterns, cart trim, claim markers, and miner gear. Duplicates return ore; cosmetics do not change balance.
Respond when the mine comes alive
Established claims can trigger short production surges and rare mining opportunities. Every result remains available in text, and Reduced Motion replaces timing-heavy presentation with steadier interactions.
Let the ledger remember
Milestones, achievements, bests, route history, collection progress, and claim receipts turn repeated runs into one continuous mining career.
Long-term progression
Turn a strong run into a lasting Legacy
The Claim Office opens after three depths. It scores the operation, previews the exact Deed award, and explains every reset before you stamp anything.
A claim is ready when all five marks are met
- Reach Silver Fault or deeper.
- Build a performance score of at least 500.
- Master at least one Claim Route.
- Cross at least eight equipment milestones.
- Earn a positive Claim Deed award.
The score considers the full operation, not ore alone. It ranks the claim from Prospecting through Legendary, then calculates a transparent Claim Deed award.
What improves the score
- Ore mined and deepest depth
- Equipment milestones and Schematics
- Selected and mastered routes
- Route archetype variety
- Shift jobs and Bonanzas
- Reaching the Starcore Breach
Starts fresh
- Current ore and production
- Claim-scoped equipment and Schematics
- Unlocked depths and active routes
- Claim rhythm, events, and run statistics
Stays with you
- Claim Deeds and permanent Deed Power
- Purchased Legacy Board nodes
- Claim receipts, bests, and achievements
- Core Samples, cosmetics, and engagement history
The Legacy Board
Spend Claim Deeds across four permanent branches
Deed Power records everything earned, even after deeds are spent. Purchased Legacy nodes survive New Claims and help define the next run from its first strike.
Survey
Improve deed earning, planning, and the information carried into future claims.
Handworked
Strengthen the pick, strike rhythm, and the value of active mining.
Industrial
Start future operations faster and push machinery and crews further.
Volatile
Lean into critical strikes, Bonanzas, and high-variance mining power.
Save, install, return
Know where your ledger lives
The web edition is local-first. It can work offline, but it does not quietly turn browser progress into an online account.
Your progress stays in this browser
Strata does not require an account or cloud save. Use Settings to export a portable, checksum-checked ledger before clearing browser data or moving to another device.
Offline play starts small
The fast-start core prepares first. Depth artwork and feature packs can stay cached as you reach them, and the Install & Offline panel offers a clearly sized complete download when the connection is suitable.
Automation works while you are away
After at least one minute away, eligible automatic production is credited on return, up to the Version 1.0 cap of two hours.
Installation does not create an account
Installing the web app gives Strata its own launch icon and offline shell, but the save still belongs to that browser profile.
Play your way
Accessibility is part of the mine
Strata keeps important results in visible text and exposes the same core progression without requiring sound, vibration, or decorative motion.
- Keyboard-operable mining, navigation, dialogs, ledgers, and challenge alternatives
- Screen-reader names, status announcements, headings, landmarks, and complete reward summaries
- A Reduced Motion control that also honors the operating system preference
- Mute, separate ambience and effects levels, and text or visual feedback when audio is unavailable
- Responsive layouts intended to reflow for phone screens and browser zoom
About Strata
A mine built for steady progress
Strata is a free, general-audience incremental mining game. It is not specifically directed to children under 13. This guide covers the website; presentation and platform features may differ from the iOS edition.
Questions about the website can be sent to kitbuilderpro@gmail.com. See the Privacy Policy for local-save, audience, and advertising information.
The lantern is lit
Play StrataStart with one strike.
Your first automated claim is closer than it looks.