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Over the Hill Beginner Guide: Explore and Unlock Cars
Start exploring Over the Hill with a starter vehicle, cabins and the Mechanic, then earn Pebbles and complete challenge trails to unlock more cars.
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Start with the tutorial, then target a vehicle trail
Complete the tutorial, choose a starter vehicle you can control comfortably, then explore cabins and points of interest to earn Pebbles before visiting the Mechanic. To expand your garage, complete a challenge trail that rewards the vehicle you want.
Choose your starter and starting area
The Ding, The Protector and The Trailrat are owned from the start. Begin with whichever feels comfortable to steer and position while you learn the terrain. Try your available choices before committing your early Pebbles to upgrades.
Emerald Lake in The Valhallas - Canada and Tassili n'Ajjer Desert in Algeria are both open from the start. Emerald Lake begins at Pavilion Lake Cabin, while the desert begins at Porte du Désert Camp. For a focused opening, choose Emerald Lake and work toward Windy Joe Trail or Hermit Trail.
Build your route from cabins to the Mechanic
- Complete the opening tutorial before heading farther into the wilderness. Use it to learn High Range, Low Range and winching. Those basics give you ways to handle difficult ground and recover when your opening route goes wrong.
- Reach a cabin to establish a useful checkpoint. Cabins repair your vehicle, restore equipped tools, reveal nearby points of interest and unlock fast travel. Make another cabin a sensible destination whenever you want to extend your exploration.
- Open the map to inspect your surroundings and choose your next destination. The default input is M on keyboard, View on an Xbox controller or Create on a PlayStation controller. Look through the revealed points of interest and plan your next stop at the Mechanic.
- Visit Crazy Günther at the Mechanic in your chosen area. Your first visit to the Mechanic in each area awards 10 Pebbles, and the services let you change, upgrade and customize your vehicle. You can also select the Mechanic's icon on the area map as a respawn destination.
- Equip a tool through the Mechanic's Tools menu before your next outing. Your vehicle initially carries 1 tool, with additional capacity available through Tool Slot upgrades. Choose equipment for the obstacle you expect to face, then access it through the radial menu during exploration.
- Visit a nearby point of interest to start building your upgrade budget. Crates, cabins and scenic points provide discovery rewards, while wildlife photography offers another source of Pebbles. Keep the outing manageable so you can learn your vehicle before tackling a demanding trail.
- Buy an upgrade that addresses a problem you have encountered. Consider tire grip or suspension height for rough ground, or winch reach when suitable anchors keep falling outside your reach. Upgrades belong to the vehicle receiving them, so decide whether you want to keep driving it before spending heavily.
- Complete the challenge trail attached to your chosen vehicle reward. In Emerald Lake, Windy Joe Trail unlocks The Trail Burner and Hermit Trail unlocks The Burro. Make the finish your next main objective, with cabin visits and equipment preparation supporting the attempt.
Gather early Pebbles during exploration
In Emerald Lake, Birch Grove Hut and Brew Hut each award 10 Pebbles and serve as cabin respawn points. Clark Watchtower and Harrison Watchtower each award 15 Pebbles as scenic points. Use these named destinations to give an exploratory drive a clear purpose without treating them as a required visiting order.
Use the Safari Camera when you encounter wildlife, keeping the animal centered, unobscured and at a suitable distance. The first photograph of each species earns Pebbles. Crates, cabins and scenic points also pay once, so continue toward new discoveries when those are your main source of earnings.
Meteorites provide another earning opportunity while you explore. Watch for their glow at night and extract a suitable rock with the winch, checking its player requirement before committing. Challenge trails and item recoveries also provide repeatable Pebble rewards, so you can return to activities you enjoy.
Choose an Emerald Lake trail by its reward
| Trail | Reward to target |
|---|---|
| Windy Joe Trail in Emerald Lake | Complete it to unlock The Trail Burner. |
| Hermit Trail in Emerald Lake | Complete it to unlock The Burro. |
| Elizabeth Oath Trail in Emerald Lake | Awards Kayaks and Kayaks (Bed) cosmetics. |
Recover when the route gets difficult
Engage Low Range when your vehicle struggles on slopes or rough terrain. Switch back to High Range on regular ground to regain speed. If the same approach keeps failing, reassess your route before spending more effort forcing the obstacle.
For a winch recovery, aim the camera toward a suitable anchor such as a tree. The quick winch selects the object closest to the center of the camera; the manual winch lets you select your vehicle's attachment point and then the anchor. If your tools cannot resolve the situation, select a discovered cabin on the map to respawn.
Open the next area for more exploration
When you want to move beyond Emerald Lake, find Ferry to the Ridge; reaching this exit portal opens Gimli Ridge. In Tassili n'Ajjer Desert, reaching Tunnel to the Aurès Mountains opens Aurès Mountains. Choose that next-area journey when you feel ready to extend your cabin network and seek more vehicle trails.
