Gameplay
Over the Hill Upgrades: Get Past Tough Terrain
Choose Over the Hill upgrades for grip, clearance, water crossings and recovery. See all upgrade types, stage costs and how purchases apply to each vehicle.
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Buy for the obstacle stopping your vehicle
Buy Tires first for poor grip, Suspension for uneven-ground clearance, or Water Resistance for crossings that flood your engine. Prioritize Winch reach, Tool slot capacity, Engine power or Protection instead when limited recovery options, equipment space, driving power or repeated damage are stopping your trips.
Start with a vehicle you enjoy and regularly drive. Make a focused purchase, then return to the troublesome ground before spending more. Judge the result by whether you can pass that obstacle and continue your trip.
Every upgrade type, stage cost and effect
| Option | Details |
|---|---|
| Tires Stage 2 → Tires Stage 3 | Costs 25, then 50 Pebbles, bought in the order shown. Improves tire grip. Make this your first purchase when insufficient grip is stopping you. |
| Suspension Level 2 → Suspension Level 3 | Costs 25, then 50 Pebbles, bought in the order shown. Raises suspension height. Prioritize it when clearance over uneven ground is the obstacle. |
| Winch Stage 2 → Winch Stage 3 → Winch Stage 4 | Costs 25, then 50, then 75 Pebbles, bought in the order shown. Extends winch range. Move it up your shopping list when useful recovery anchors are out of reach. |
| Water Resistance 2 → Water Resistance 3 | Costs 25, then 50 Pebbles, bought in the order shown. Increases the water depth and time the engine can withstand before flooding. Prioritize it for recurring flooding problems. |
| Tool slot upgrades | Successive purchases cost 25, 50 and 75 Pebbles. Each adds a tool slot, taking capacity from 1 to a maximum of 4. Choose this when your route needs more carried tools. |
| Engine Stage 2 → Engine Stage 3 | Costs 25, then 50 Pebbles, bought in the order shown. Increases engine power and top speed. Prioritize it when insufficient driving power is the problem. |
| Protection Stage 2 → Protection Stage 3 | Costs 25, then 50 Pebbles, bought in the order shown. Increases damage resistance. Move it ahead of other purchases when repeated damage is ending your outings. |
Choose the vehicle before spending Pebbles
The Mechanic sells 16 upgrade stages across 7 upgrade types, and every purchase applies only to the vehicle being upgraded. Each stage requires the preceding stage in that upgrade line on that vehicle. Buying every upgrade stage for a vehicle costs 675 Pebbles, so check which vehicle is selected before spending.
Upgrades must be purchased separately for other vehicles. If you expect to switch soon, decide which immediate obstacle is worth spending on now and which purchases can wait. Repeatable activities let you continue earning Pebbles and work toward upgrades for another vehicle later.
Diagnose, upgrade and retry the terrain
- Identify what actually ends the attempt. Separate poor grip from a clearance problem, engine flooding, damage or a recovery anchor that is too far away. Pick the upgrade whose effect matches that failure.
- On rough ground or uphill, try Low Range before deciding that you need another purchase. The default Engage 4L/4H control is Tab on keyboard, X on an Xbox controller or Square on a PlayStation controller. Return to High Range on regular terrain for speed.
- Go to the Mechanic and select the vehicle you want to improve. This is where you can change vehicles, buy upgrades and choose equipped tools. Check your current stages before deciding how much of your budget to spend.
- Buy the next required stage in the upgrade line you chose. Leave the rest of your budget available while you test the change. If the vehicle still struggles, reassess whether the remaining problem calls for grip, height, power or recovery.
- If you bought a Tool slot upgrade, use the Mechanic's Tools menu to fill the new space. Choose equipment that fits the route, such as planks for gaps and rough-ground traction or a portable anchor for the winch. Plan your loadout around the situations you expect to encounter.
- Return to the troublesome section and try your revised setup. Use a manageable approach and watch whether the original problem has improved. Make the next purchase after deciding what is still preventing progress.
What Water Resistance changes
Water Resistance increases the depth and time your engine can tolerate before flooding. While the engine's air intake is underwater, the flooding timer reaches its limit at 8 seconds stock, 10 seconds with Water Resistance 2 and 12 seconds with Water Resistance 3. Assess the crossing before entering and leave yourself a way back to shallower ground.
When the intake is above water, the flooding timer drains back down. A flooded engine recovers after 12 seconds with its air intake out of the water. If your available tools and winch cannot get you out, select a discovered cabin on the map to respawn.
Check recovery and damage before buying again
A Winch upgrade increases reach. If a portable anchor is already inside the usable radius but cannot be selected, update the game before spending on another winch stage. The October 19 update fixes portable winch anchors sometimes being unavailable even within range.
Repair before judging your vehicle's next upgrade. The Repair kit fully repairs the vehicle, and cabins repair your vehicle and restore equipped tools. If impacts keep cutting outings short after you have repaired and reconsidered the route, move Protection up your shopping list.
