Gameplay
Over the Hill Pebbles: Earn More and Spend Wisely
Earn Pebbles in Over the Hill through discoveries, trails, recoveries and meteorites. Compare rewards and choose upgrades that suit your next trip.
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How to Earn and Use Pebbles
Earn Pebbles in Over the Hill through discoveries, first wildlife photographs, challenge trails, item recoveries and meteorite extraction. Spend them at the Mechanic on upgrades for a vehicle you enjoy driving, prioritizing the improvement that addresses your current terrain problem.
Build an Earning Loop Around Exploration
- Discover a cabin to reveal nearby points of interest, restore equipped tools and unlock a fast travel point for future outings.
- Collect a paying crate along your route to receive 5 Pebbles alongside its cosmetic reward.
- Complete Hermit Trail in Emerald Lake to earn its one-time Pebble reward and unlock The Burro, giving the trip a vehicle goal as well as currency.
- Photograph a new wildlife species with the Safari Camera to collect its first-photo reward; keep the subject centered, unobscured and at a suitable distance.
- Extract a meteorite whose crew requirement you can meet to add repeatable income while exploring.
- Purchase a targeted upgrade at the Mechanic to address the problem that interrupted your outing, then choose your next objective around the improved vehicle.
First Clears and Repeat Trail Rewards
Trail rewards have separate one-time and completion payouts, with the completion reward applying to the first finish too. A trail's vehicle unlock does not repeat. When budgeting a replay, use its repeat payout rather than the larger one-time reward.
| Activity | Rewards |
|---|---|
| Hermit Trail — Emerald Lake | 40 Pebbles once and The Burro; 8 Pebbles per completion, including the first. |
| El Kalaa North Ascent — Tassili n'Ajjer Desert | 25 Pebbles once and Das Wombat; 5 Pebbles per completion, including the first. |
| Elizabeth Oath Trail — Emerald Lake | The one-time reward includes 15 Pebbles, Kayaks and Kayaks (Bed). |
| Elizabeth Lake Recovery — Emerald Lake | 25 Pebbles once, plus Canoe and Canoe (Bed). Recovery missions also award Pebbles on subsequent completions. |
For repeat earning, choose a trail you can finish reliably and compare its payout with your own completion time. Include the time spent reaching the start and recovering from mistakes. A larger reward is only useful when the route remains manageable for you.
Collect Discovery Rewards Along the Way
Crates, paying cabin discoveries, scenic points and first wildlife photographs provide one-time income. The first Mechanic visit in each area also pays Pebbles. Make these stops part of your exploration rather than returning to a collected discovery for another payout.
| Discovery | One-time reward |
|---|---|
| Paying crate, such as the Bike Horn crate in Emerald Lake | 5 Pebbles alongside the crate's item. |
| Paying cabin, such as Birch Grove Hut in Emerald Lake | 10 Pebbles on discovery. |
| Scenic point, such as Clark Watchtower in Emerald Lake | 15 Pebbles on discovery. |
| First Mechanic visit in an area | 10 Pebbles for that area's first visit. |
Wildlife rewards depend on the species: Common first photographs pay 10–20 Pebbles, Uncommon pay 20, Rare pay 50 and Legendary pay 100. Use the Safari Camera in the radial menu for wildlife registration; free-camera Photo Mode is separate. Photographing an already registered species does not create another first-photo reward.
Compare Meteorite Rewards With Your Available Crew
Meteorites provide repeatable earnings after nearby discoveries have been collected. Their rewards are shared among helpers, so the amounts below describe each rock's total value. Check the crew requirement before committing to an extraction.
| Meteorite size | Total reward and required crew |
|---|---|
| Very small | 15 Pebbles; requires 1 player. |
| Small | 20 Pebbles; requires 1 player. |
| Medium | 30 Pebbles; requires 1 player. |
| Large | 40 Pebbles; requires 2 players. |
| Very large | 50 Pebbles; requires 2 players. |
| Huge | 60 Pebbles; requires 3 players. |
| Massive | 80 Pebbles; requires 4 players. |
Look for a meteorite's glow at night, or use the Meteorite Radar to track the nearest fallen rock on the compass. Possible spawn markers are places to search, rather than proof that a rock is currently present. On solo outings, focus on very small, small and medium meteorites.
Spend on the Problem Holding You Back
Upgrades apply to the vehicle receiving them, and later stages require the preceding stage on that vehicle. Prices start at 25 Pebbles for the first purchased stage, then 50 for the next; winch and tool-slot upgrades have an additional stage costing 75. Fully upgrading a vehicle costs 675 Pebbles, so choose your vehicle before committing to the complete set.
- Choose Tires when grip is the problem; tire upgrades increase grip for your vehicle.
- Choose Suspension when you need more vehicle height; the upgrade increases suspension height.
- Choose Tool Slot when your equipment loadout feels restrictive; the upgrade lets you carry more tools.
- Choose Winch when useful attachment points are beyond your reach; the upgrade increases winch range.
- Choose Water Resistance for water-related difficulties; it increases the depth and time the engine can withstand before flooding.
- Choose Protection when damage is interrupting trips; the upgrade increases damage resistance.
- Choose Engine when you want more power and top speed; the upgrade improves those capabilities.
Treat these choices as responses to your own driving experience. Buy an improvement, try it on a familiar route and reassess before spending the rest. You do not need a complete upgrade set to make the next outing worthwhile.
When Repeat Completions Stop Paying
The first post-launch update fixed challenge trails and recovery missions failing to award Pebbles on subsequent completions. If you encountered that behavior, update the game through Steam before replaying your route. The larger one-time reward and a trail's vehicle unlock still do not repeat.
