How to Unlock Expansions
The starting valley is a tutorial-sized slice of a much larger map. Expansions unlock new harvest nodes, exports, tourists, and story beats — but each parcel costs Coins, EGO tier progress, and rank stars. Unlocking too fast spreads couriers thin; unlocking too slow starves your export pipeline. This guide explains land unlock mechanics, recommended order through desert and cave regions, and how expansions interact with automation.
Land unlock basics
Open the map from the phone or world boundary markers. Available parcels show Coin cost, rank requirement, and sometimes prerequisite EGO packs. Pay Coins, confirm unlock, and new roads or bridges may auto-place.
Each expansion increases maintenance surface area — more trash, farther courier routes, more building upkeep. Expand when your home district automation runs smoothly, not when you first see an affordable parcel.
Recommended order
Home district completion → nearby resource-rich parcel → cave entrance region → desert expansion. Exact names vary by save, but the logic holds: secure income and couriers before distant biomes.
Cave regions add rare ores and secrets (see map/cave-secrets). Desert adds heat management, unique exports, and racing content (see map/desert-expansion).
- Tier 3 couriers before large expansions
- One maintenance worker per new district
- Depot hub before desert exports
Rank and EGO gates
Some borders stay locked until mayor star count rises. If land looks unavailable despite Coins, finish rank challenges on the phone.
EGO tiers unlock expansion tools — faster travel, biome-specific zones, or desert cooling — not just the parcel itself. Read pack text before unlocking desert early.
Co-op expansion etiquette
Only players with permission can spend Coins and EGO on land. Host should announce unlock pushes so Vice-Mayors do not spend shared currency elsewhere mid-purchase.
Split exploration: one player paths couriers while another scouts cave nodes reduces downtime on new parcels.
Post-unlock checklist
After each unlock: road link to depot, resource zone for local nodes, trash patrol or Garbirds, update courier routes, check new rank challenges triggered by biome entry.