A pet egg run is a code race followed by a carry problem. Unlock Security Levels 1, 2, and 3 in order, inspect every purple-door room that fits the route, then carry the correct egg to the Egg Drop Off before leaving the planet. The run fails if you confuse a Golden Egg with a pet egg, trust an old 200-point quota, or enter orbit while the egg is still in your hands.
Build boundary: this guide uses the July 15, 2026 full release and July 19 hotfix. The reviewed community route was recorded around v0.7.1 and remains useful for its code-and-carry method, but its 200-point Tier 1 reset is obsolete. Update 0.7.1 established 900 as the Tier 1 sign-down baseline, so verify the live contract requirement after any later hotfix.
Choose a pet target before choosing a tier
The Steam achievement Scavenger says “Retrieve a Golden Egg.” That is not evidence that every pet egg is a Golden Egg or that every Egg Drop Off accepts every egg. Planetary conditions can place a valuable Golden Egg in Level 3 on Tier 2 or Tier 3, while pet eggs belong to their own collection and drop-off logic.
The July 19 hotfix corrected overly broad Egg Drop Off validation for pet eggs. It also fixed pet egg cases from prior runs sometimes remaining on the map. Therefore, begin with the pet or egg case the current planet and collection screen actually support. A remembered location from another planet is not a valid target.
| Contract choice | What it offers | Why to avoid or select it |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Orcoon, softer early enemies, no planetary conditions, 900-point sign-down baseline | Best for rehearsing the code route when the target is supported there. |
| Tier 2 | Normal mode, planet selection, and contract conditions | Use when the target or a useful code-related condition requires broader planet choice. |
| Tier 3 | Hardcore rules with Level 90 enemies that grow stronger each day | Do not use merely to farm faster; there is no passive Med Bay healing and the carry route is less forgiving. |
If a Tier 2 or Tier 3 planet shows a positive condition that doubles the chance of security codes, it can shorten the search. If it shows the Golden Egg condition, decide whether the run targets quota/achievement progress or a specific pet. Combining targets is sensible only when the same Level 3 route and drop-off plan can protect both.
Pack for empty hands at the purple door
The egg in the reviewed route is a two-handed carry. That means the equipment that helps you reach it may not help on the return unless the lane is prepared first. Bring a weapon for forced blockers and an Echo Lens for crate and door checks. Add oxygen support when the chosen map’s Level 2 route needs it, but avoid filling every action slot with speculative tools.
Your preflight should answer these questions:
- Which map and tier contain the intended pet target in the current collection screen?
- Where is the ship computer, quick drop-off, and Egg Drop Off relative to the landing ramp?
- Which equipment can be left on the return lane without blocking the egg carry?
- Where will ordinary loot be deposited so it does not compete with the final trip?
- Which oxygen or teleporter point is the last safe staging area before Level 3?
Do not buy a Jetpack or storage container simply because an older route used one. A Jetpack can help movement and a container can consolidate quota, but both introduce a handling step. Add one only when it fixes a measured travel or inventory problem on your selected map.
Run three code passes, not one full-map clear
Each security code opens the next search area. The efficient unit is therefore one pass per code, with the ship as the reset point. Trying to fully loot each level before entering its code spends the safe part of the contract before Level 3 is even reachable.
| Pass | Primary task | Bank on the return | Abort signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 0 to Level 1 | Scan the densest practical access-crate cluster and find the first code. | Nearby loot that does not pull you away from the crate lane. | The outer search has become longer than a fresh route through another cluster. |
| Level 1 to Level 2 | Open the force field, establish the teleporter, then search the new crate pool. | Loot already on the teleporter-to-ship line. | A Lurk Root or enemy is consuming the health reserved for the return. |
| Level 2 to Level 3 | Connect oxygen-safe points and locate the final code. | Enough quota to protect the contract before the egg attempt. | Oxygen reaches the return reserve or the route is no longer reproducible. |
Type each code into text chat if you need a durable note, then enter only the code at the ship computer. Current code handling does not require “ACS” or “LVL” prefixes. Verify that the corresponding force field has dropped before starting the next pass; a mistyped code should cost seconds at the computer, not an entire trip to a locked door.
Access crates and code positions are not reliable fixed coordinates across planets and contracts. Use the Echo Lens and a learned density route rather than memorizing one screenshot. On Port Coral, the reviewed route favored the facility and underwater cluster ahead of the ship, but that example is a search pattern, not a guarantee that the code will occupy one container.
A normal Level 3 room is not a failed egg roll
Once the final code is active, scan the Level 3 doors and inspect every practical purple-door building on the planned loop. The current Level 3 design treats these rooms as loot stashes: a normal building can contain three loot pieces and credit pouches, and non-egg buildings can contain a Grocery Bag. Seeing ordinary loot is not proof that the egg is absent.
Use a clockwise, compass-based, or landmark-based sweep and keep it consistent. In co-op, divide the search by visible sectors and call each cleared door. Do not assign one player to “fight only” while everyone else searches; every player can scan and carry ordinary loot until the egg is confirmed.
If the room contains an egg case plus regular Level 3 loot, secure the lane before picking up the egg. If the case is missing everywhere, distinguish three possibilities: the wrong planet/target, an unsearched purple door, or a run state that does not contain that egg. The July 19 cleanup fix makes a stale case from a previous run less likely; it does not turn every contract into a guaranteed spawn.
Clear the return lane before touching the egg
The moment you take a two-handed egg, your priorities change. Stop opening containers. The return is now the mission. Before pickup, clear or bypass the Lurk Root at the required doorway, activate the useful teleporter, refill oxygen, and move optional tools or storage off the narrow path.
- Stand at the egg and trace the route backward to the last oxygen-safe point.
- Walk the dangerous doorway once without the egg if its geometry or enemy state is unclear.
- Deposit ordinary loot and free the action slots needed for a weapon or reservoir on the approach.
- Pick up the egg only when the shipward lane is open.
- Carry directly to the designated drop-off; do not add one last room because it is nearby.
Placement mode may hide some bulky carried objects from view during platforming, but do not assume every egg behaves like every other two-hander. Test visibility on safe ground and use the current control prompts. If you must set the egg down to fight, place it against a unique landmark and scan immediately after the fight; a vague memory of “near the door” is not a recovery method.
Deposit first, leave second
Bring the correct pet egg to the Egg Drop Off while still on the planet. Wait for the drop-off feedback and confirm that the egg is no longer being carried. Only then enter orbit or finalize the visit. The reviewed demonstration makes this order unambiguous: the egg is delivered near the ship before departure.
If the machine refuses the egg, do not force the contract forward. Recheck the target, planet, and case identity. The July 19 hotfix specifically stopped the Egg Drop Off from accepting arbitrary pet eggs, so rejection can be valid behavior rather than a broken machine. Preserve the contract, record what the collection UI says, and return with the supported target.
If the egg disappears but no expected collection progress appears, capture the on-screen result before leaving. A post-hotfix mismatch is a bug report candidate; it is not evidence that the guide should promise a second hidden step.
Carry enough quota to protect the extraction
Ordinary loot collected during code returns gives the egg run insurance. The ship quick drop-off now automatically sends dropped loot into the appropriate onboard storage. Use it every time you return to enter a code instead of carrying the contract’s value into the next security level.
On a signed-down Tier 1 run, plan around the current 900-point baseline, not the 200-point value in the older egg guide and video. On Tier 2, follow the contract’s displayed quota. The egg is the special objective; quota keeps the overall contract from becoming a loss if the spawn, route, or drop-off fails.
Do not finalize loot so early that you remove your freedom to inspect another Level 3 building, and do not hold every item until the final carry. The balanced rhythm is code, quick drop, code, quick drop, then egg. By the time the purple doors open, the remaining risk should belong to the egg route rather than the basic contract.
Diagnose the failure before repeating the run
| Failure | Likely cause | Next-run correction |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 code consumes most of the day. | The Level 0 search is clearing loot instead of comparing crate clusters. | Run weapon plus Echo Lens, search the densest lane first, and bank only on the return. |
| Level 3 opens, but buildings are checked twice. | No sector or landmark order was chosen. | Use one sweep direction and call cleared doors in text or voice. |
| The egg is found, then lost during combat. | The return lane was not cleared before pickup. | Prepare oxygen, teleporter, doorway, and drop-off route while both hands are still available. |
| The Egg Drop Off rejects the item. | The case does not match the current pet target or planet. | Trust the collection UI and post-hotfix validation; do not use an arbitrary egg. |
| The contract fails despite successful delivery. | Quota was carried into the deep route or an outdated 200-point target was assumed. | Quick-drop on every code return and use the quota displayed by the live contract. |
Watch the route, not the old quota
The embedded run was independently matched to the supplied local video: Sketchy’s Contract: The Best Way To Farm Eggs – Example Contract by AveryHyena. It visually confirms the sequential code entries, Level 3 door search, two-handed egg carry, and on-planet drop-off. Its old 200-point reset is not used by this guide.
Keep repeat runs inside the current patch
The official Steam page identifies the current full release. The developer’s Update 42 notes define the 900-point Tier 1 baseline, code entry, oxygen, Level 3, and tier rules used here; the July 19 hotfix defines current pet egg validation. If a later client disagrees, preserve the method—sequential codes, prepared return, correct drop-off—and replace the changed number or target with what the contract and collection screens show.