Every run gives you opportunities to create a different build through roguelike perks and modifiers. You can specialize in mining, combat, speed, defense, or a combination of different abilities depending on the planet and challenge.

Beyond solo mining, the game also features PvP battles, Arena fights, Guilds, Adventures, daily quests, competitive leaderboards, and extensive ship customization. The current game offers millions of possible build combinations, giving players plenty of room to experiment with different strategies.

What Is Planet Crusher: Mine & Attack?

Planet Crusher: Mine & Attack combines space mining, roguelike progression, survival combat, ship customization, and multiplayer competition.

You control a mining spacecraft and travel deep into hostile planets in search of resources. Your objective is to drill through layers of rock, collect valuable materials, survive enemy attacks, and reach deeper areas before your ship is destroyed or the run ends.

The game begins with the basic concept of mining a planet, but its progression system becomes much deeper as you unlock:

• New ships

• Weapons

• Drills

• Shields

• Boosters

• Gear

• Mods

• Roguelike perks

• Research

• Artifacts

• Adventures

• PvP loadouts

• Guild features

The result is a game where how you build your ship can be just as important as how powerful the ship is.

Planet Crusher Gameplay Explained

The basic gameplay loop is:

Choose a planet → Drill → Mine resources → Fight enemies → Select perks → Upgrade your ship → Go deeper → Build a stronger setup

Each run presents different opportunities.

You may want to focus heavily on mining in one run, while another situation may reward a more defensive or combat-focused build.

This roguelike structure means there is no single build that is perfect for every mission.

How Planet Mining Works

Mining is at the center of Planet Crusher.

Each planet contains valuable resources, including materials such as:

• Iron

• Titanium

• Rare gems

Your ship drills through layers of the planet while you collect resources and deal with hostile enemies. The deeper you travel, the more important your ship's equipment and build become.

Mining Strategy

Don't focus exclusively on speed.

A fast ship with weak defenses may reach deeper areas quickly but lose the run before collecting enough resources.

Likewise, a heavily armored ship may survive longer but progress too slowly.

The best mining setup balances:

Drilling power + movement + survival + damage

The Most Important Planet Crusher Strategy: Build for the Mission

One of the game's strongest mechanics is its flexible build system.

The App Store listing states that there are more than 3 million possible builds, so experimenting with different combinations is a major part of progression.

Instead of asking:

"What is the strongest ship build?"

Ask:

"What build is strongest for this particular mission?"

That change in mindset can make a significant difference.

Best Beginner Ship Build

For new players, avoid creating an extremely specialized build.

A balanced setup is usually easier to use while you learn the game's systems.

A good beginner approach is:

1. Drilling Power

You need enough mining strength to progress through planetary layers efficiently.

2. Basic Damage

Enemies can interrupt your mining run, so you need reliable offensive capability.

3. Shields

Defense becomes increasingly important as you reach more dangerous areas.

4. Movement or Speed

Mobility helps you reposition and avoid attacks.

5. Resource Bonuses

When available, resource-oriented upgrades can increase the value of successful runs.

The goal is not maximum damage.

The goal is consistent successful runs.

Mining Build Strategy

If your objective is collecting resources, emphasize upgrades that increase your ability to drill and survive.

A mining-focused setup can prioritize:

• Drilling power

• Mining bonuses

• Resource collection

• Energy efficiency

• Survival

• Movement speed

The key is avoiding excessive investment in combat statistics that do not contribute significantly to your mining objective.

However, don't make the mistake of completely ignoring weapons.

Enemies can quickly turn a profitable mining run into a failed expedition.

Combat Build Strategy

For combat-heavy missions, shift your priorities toward:

• Weapon damage

• Attack speed

• Missiles

• Lasers

• Blades

• Shields

• Mobility

The game specifically mentions lasers, missiles, saws, blasters, and other weapons that can be combined according to your preferred playstyle.

A strong combat build should eliminate threats quickly enough that you can return to mining and exploration.

Defensive Build Strategy

Defense becomes particularly useful when you're attempting difficult planets or survival-oriented challenges.

Focus on:

• Shields

• Defensive modifiers

• Health or durability improvements

• Mobility

• Damage reduction

• Reliable weapons

A defensive build does not mean becoming passive.

Your objective is to survive long enough to keep dealing damage and mining resources.

Roguelike Perks Guide

Every run can offer different perks and modifiers.

This is one of the reasons Planet Crusher has so much build variety.

You should evaluate each perk based on your current setup rather than automatically selecting the highest-looking number.

For example:

A mining bonus is extremely valuable in a resource-focused build.

A missile enhancement becomes more attractive in a combat build.

A defensive perk can be much more valuable when you're struggling to survive deeper levels.

Best Perk Rule

Choose perks that reinforce your existing build.

A collection of unrelated bonuses can be weaker than several upgrades working toward the same goal.

How to Choose the Right Perks

When presented with several choices, consider these questions:

Does it improve my main objective?

If you're mining, prioritize mining.

If you're fighting, prioritize combat.

Does it solve my current weakness?

If you're dying too quickly, defensive perks may be better than another small damage increase.

Does it scale with my current equipment?

A perk becomes more valuable when it enhances a strong part of your existing build.

Does it help me survive the entire run?

A powerful upgrade is useless if your ship gets destroyed shortly afterward.

Ship Upgrade Guide

Planet Crusher allows you to upgrade several parts of your ship, including:

• Weapons

• Shields

• Drills

• Boosters

• Modules

• Equipment

• Mods

The App Store also highlights ship customization and different PvP loadouts.

Upgrade Priority

For beginners:

Survival → Damage → Mining → Mobility

But this isn't a strict formula.

If your ship survives easily but takes too long to destroy enemies, increase damage.

If you destroy enemies quickly but can't reach the deeper sections, improve mobility or drilling.

How to Upgrade Efficiently

Avoid spreading your resources across every available item.

Instead, identify your strongest equipment and build around it.

A useful progression pattern is:

Core equipment → strengthen it → add supporting gear → refine the build

This creates stronger synergies than upgrading everything equally.

Gear and Equipment Guide

Gear is important because it can improve your ship's mining depth, combat strength, and Arena performance.

The game provides gear through quests, challenges, and multiplayer events.

When comparing equipment, consider:

• Rarity

• Main statistics

• Build compatibility

• Upgrade cost

• Long-term usefulness

• PvP or PvE specialization

Don't automatically discard an item because it has a lower overall rating.

An item with the right bonus can sometimes be more valuable than a stronger but poorly matched piece.

New Exchange Market Strategy

The newer Exchange Market adds another layer to equipment management.

The current update allows players to:

• Buy S-tier gear

• Sell spare gear

• Combine ship parts into higher rarities

This gives duplicate or unwanted equipment more potential value instead of simply treating it as useless inventory.

Exchange Market Tip

Don't immediately sell every duplicate.

First determine whether:

• You need it for combining

• It contributes to a stronger rarity

• It supports another build

• It may be useful for PvP

Use the market as a way to optimize your inventory rather than simply as a place to sell everything.

Research Facility Guide

Research is an important part of long-term progression.

The current version has expanded the Research Facility to five loadouts with lockable slots, giving players more flexibility when managing different setups.

This is especially useful if you regularly switch between:

• Mining

• PvE combat

• Arena

• PvP defense

• Adventure missions

Research Strategy

Create specialized research setups when possible.

For example:

Mining Loadout: resource and drilling improvements

Combat Loadout: damage and offensive bonuses

PvP Loadout: defense, survivability, and competitive stats

This is more efficient than forcing one research configuration to handle every situation.

Artifacts Guide

Recent updates added additional artifact progression, including five new artifact levels and a Platinum Star tier.

Artifacts should be considered part of your long-term progression rather than something to optimize during a single run.

When choosing where to invest, prioritize improvements that:

• Strengthen your primary build

• Improve difficult content

• Remain useful across multiple game modes

• Support your long-term ship progression

Adventure Mode Strategy

Planet Crusher includes Adventure maps alongside its normal planet progression.

The latest update added 20 new Adventures, expanding this side of the game considerably.

Adventure missions are a good opportunity to test specialized builds.

Before starting an Adventure:

1. Check the mission requirements.

2. Identify likely threats.

3. Equip appropriate gear.

4. Select complementary perks.

5. Avoid using a generic build if the mission rewards specialization.

PvP Guide

PvP changes the way you should think about ship building.

A build that performs extremely well during mining may not perform equally well against another player.

The App Store listing specifically mentions PvP battles, PvP loadouts, Arena fights, and leaderboards.

PvP Priorities

Focus on:

• Burst damage

• Survivability

• Mobility

• Weapon synergy

• Defensive capabilities

• Countering common builds

The strongest PvP setup is not necessarily the one with the highest raw damage.

A balanced PvP build can survive long enough to exploit an opponent's weakness.

Arena Strategy

Arena battles require a more deliberate build than normal planet mining.

Before entering the Arena, consider whether your setup is optimized for:

• Damage

• Defense

• Speed

• Weapon range

• Ability synergy

Don't use your mining build automatically.

A dedicated Arena loadout can perform much better.

Guild Strategy

Guilds add a social and cooperative layer to Planet Crusher.

Joining an active Guild can be beneficial because Guild systems and multiplayer events provide additional opportunities for progression and competition.

Choosing a Guild

Look for:

• Active members

• Regular participation

• Guild event activity

• Competitive progression

• Helpful community members

An inactive Guild provides much less value than an organized and active one.

Guild Wars

Guild Wars introduce competitive team-based progression.

Recent updates have also changed Guild War participation rules; for example, newly joined clan members cannot participate in an ongoing Guild War.

That makes timing your Guild membership more important when competitive events are underway.

Leaderboard Strategy

Planet Crusher has several competitive leaderboard categories, including mining, damage, and PvP victories.

Don't try to dominate every category simultaneously.

Instead, choose the leaderboard that best matches your strongest build.

Mining Leaderboard

Focus on:

• Drilling

• Resource collection

• Speed

• Efficient runs

Damage Leaderboard

Focus on:

• Weapon damage

• Attack speed

• Offensive perks

• Strong combat combinations

PvP Leaderboard

Focus on:

• Winning consistently

• Survivability

• Specialized PvP builds

• Counter strategies

Daily Quest Strategy

Daily quests provide another reason to return to the game.

Rather than completing them randomly, combine quests with your normal progression.

For example:

If a quest requires mining, use that opportunity to farm resources.

If it requires combat, use the mission to test your combat build.

This prevents daily objectives from feeling like separate chores.

How to Progress Faster

The fastest progression is not necessarily achieved by pushing the hardest planet immediately.

A better strategy is to build a reliable progression loop.

Step 1

Farm a planet you can complete consistently.

Step 2

Use the resources to upgrade your ship.

Step 3

Improve your gear.

Step 4

Experiment with stronger perks.

Step 5

Push into the next planet.

Step 6

Repeat.

This approach reduces failed runs and creates a more predictable resource flow.

How to Reach Deeper Planets

As planets become harder, your previous upgrades may not be enough.

When you hit a progression wall, don't simply repeat the same mission endlessly.

Instead, diagnose the problem.

Dying Early?

Improve defense.

Enemies Taking Too Long to Defeat?

Increase offensive power.

Can't Mine Fast Enough?

Improve drilling.

Running Out of Time?

Increase movement, drilling, or overall efficiency.

Reaching the Core but Losing Resources?

Improve survivability and resource-focused upgrades.

This turns progression walls into specific upgrade problems.

Best Strategy for Difficult Planets

When facing a new difficult planet, don't immediately use your most experimental build.

Start with a reliable setup.

Then make adjustments based on what kills you.

This is particularly important in roguelike games because a build that looks powerful on paper may have a major weakness in actual gameplay.

Resource Management

Planet Crusher has many different progression systems, so resource management becomes increasingly important.

Avoid spending everything immediately.

Save valuable resources when you are close to:

• A major ship upgrade

• Better gear

• A new ship

• Research progression

• Artifact progression

• A powerful equipment combination

A large upgrade can provide much more value than several small upgrades.

Best Free-to-Play Strategy

Planet Crusher is free to download and includes advertising and in-app purchases. The App Store also lists loot boxes among its monetization features.

For players who don't want to spend money, the most important principle is patience.

Focus on:

• Daily quests

• Free rewards

• Regular mining

• Gear optimization

• Research

• Events

• Guild participation

• Efficient resource use

The game also gives players opportunities to obtain resources through gameplay rather than requiring every progression step to be purchased.

Player reviews are mixed on monetization: some appreciate the lack of forced advertising, while others criticize the price of premium systems and some progression walls.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Using One Build Everywhere

Mining, PvE and PvP have different requirements.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Defense

High damage cannot help if your ship is destroyed before reaching your objective.

Mistake 3: Choosing Perks Randomly

Perks should complement your existing build.

Mistake 4: Upgrading Everything Equally

Concentrating resources on a coherent build is generally more efficient.

Mistake 5: Selling Useful Gear

Check whether equipment can be combined or used in another build before selling it.

Mistake 6: Ignoring Research

Research provides long-term progression that becomes increasingly important.

Mistake 7: Entering PvP With a Mining Build

Create a dedicated PvP setup whenever possible.

Mistake 8: Pushing Too Far Too Early

A reliable farming run can be more valuable than repeated failed attempts at a difficult planet.

Advanced Build Strategy

Once you understand the basic systems, start creating specialized builds.

Mining Build

Drilling + Resource Collection + Speed + Survival

Use this for efficient resource farming.

Combat Build

Damage + Attack Speed + Offensive Perks + Defense

Use this when enemies are the primary obstacle.

Survival Build

Shields + Defense + Mobility + Reliable Damage

Use this for difficult planets and longer runs.

PvP Build

Burst Damage + Defense + Mobility + Counterplay

Use this for Arena and PvP battles.

The game encourages this type of specialization because different loadouts can be tailored toward mining, Arena duels, PvP defense, or solo Adventures.

Planet Crusher Tips and Tricks

Tip 1: Build around your mission objective.

Tip 2: Don't sacrifice survival for a small damage increase.

Tip 3: Combine perks that strengthen the same strategy.

Tip 4: Keep separate builds for mining and PvP.

Tip 5: Check your gear before selling duplicates.

Tip 6: Use the Exchange Market to improve your equipment collection.

Tip 7: Upgrade your strongest equipment before spreading resources too widely.

Tip 8: Use Research Facility loadouts to support different game modes.

Tip 9: Join an active Guild if you want to participate in multiplayer content.

Tip 10: Complete daily quests consistently.

Tip 11: Farm planets you can complete reliably when you need resources.

Tip 12: Use difficult missions to test specialized builds rather than generic setups.

Tip 13: Experiment with roguelike perks instead of using the same combination every run.

Tip 14: Treat PvP as a different game mode requiring different priorities.

Tip 15: Save resources for meaningful progression milestones.

Latest Update and New Content

Planet Crusher continues to receive major content updates.

The latest listed version adds:

• Exchange Market

• S-tier gear trading

• Spare gear sales

• Ship-part combination

• 25 new planets

• 20 new Adventures

• 5 new artifact levels

• Platinum Star tier

• Mythic +3 Power Modules

• Five Research Facility loadouts

• Lockable Research slots

• Improved Daily Rewards

• Gems in Planet rewards

• Performance and stability improvements

This is important for long-term players because the progression system continues to expand beyond the original mining gameplay.

Planet Crusher: Mine & Attack Features

• Space mining

• Planet drilling

• Planet destruction

• Roguelike runs

• Millions of possible builds

• Ship customization

• Weapon upgrades

• Drills

• Shields

• Boosters

• Lasers

• Missiles

• Blades

• Blasters

• Gear and mods

• Research Facility

• Artifacts

• PvP battles

• Arena

• Adventures

• Guilds

• Guild Wars

• Daily quests

• Multiplayer events

• Global leaderboards

• Exchange Market

• S-tier gear

• Ship-part crafting

• Platinum Star progression

• Mythic equipment progression

Game Information

Game: Planet Crusher: Mine & Attack
Developer: Gryphon Games UG
Genre: Action
Platforms: iPhone and iPad
Business Model: Free with in-app purchases
iOS Requirement: iOS 15.0 or later
Age Rating: 13+ on the current U.S. App Store
App Size: Approximately 421 MB on the current listing
Languages: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Traditional Chinese

Google Play currently lists 1M+ downloads and approximately 12.6K reviews, while the U.S. App Store listing shows about 1K ratings with a 4.4/5 score.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Creative space mining concept

• Combination of mining and combat

• Large roguelike build variety

• Millions of possible combinations

• Extensive ship customization

• Multiple weapons

• PvP and Arena

• Adventures

• Guilds and Guild Wars

• Research system

• Gear progression

• Exchange Market

• Regular new planets and content

• Global leaderboards

Cons

• Large number of progression systems can feel overwhelming

• Some upgrades require significant grinding

• Monetization can become noticeable

• Loot-box mechanics may not appeal to every player

• PvP can be highly competitive

• Late-game progression can require considerable time

Current player reviews reflect both sides of the experience: some praise the deep progression and lack of forced ads, while others criticize monetization and late-game progression.

Who Should Play Planet Crusher?

Planet Crusher is particularly suited to players who enjoy:

• Roguelike games

• Space games

• Mining games

• Survival games

• Ship-building games

• Action strategy

• Loot and gear progression

• PvP games

• Incremental progression

• Build experimentation

It is especially appealing if you like games where every run can be approached differently.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Planet Crusher: Mine & Attack?

Planet Crusher is a space mining and combat game where players drill through planets, collect resources, fight enemies, upgrade spacecraft, and develop different builds.

Is Planet Crusher a roguelike game?

Yes. The game uses roguelike perks and modifiers that can change the strategy of each run. The developer describes more than three million possible builds.

Can I customize my ship?

Yes. You can upgrade weapons, shields, drills, boosters, gear, modules and other equipment.

Does Planet Crusher have PvP?

Yes. The game includes PvP battles, Arena fights, PvP loadouts and competitive leaderboards.

Does Planet Crusher have Guilds?

Yes. Players can join Guilds and participate in multiplayer and Guild-related competitive content.

What is the Exchange Market?

The Exchange Market lets players buy S-tier gear, sell spare equipment, and combine ship parts into higher rarities.

How do I get stronger?

Focus on building a coherent ship setup, upgrading useful equipment, improving research, collecting better gear, selecting synergistic perks, and farming resources efficiently.

What is the best Planet Crusher build?

There is no single best build. Mining, PvE, Adventures and PvP have different requirements, so the strongest setup depends on the objective.

Is Planet Crusher free?

Yes. Planet Crusher is free to download, with advertising and optional in-app purchases.

Does Planet Crusher have offline or idle gameplay?

The game has progression and resource systems, but its primary gameplay revolves around active mining runs, combat, upgrades, and missions rather than being a purely idle game.

Final Verdict

Planet Crusher: Mine & Attack stands out by combining several genres that normally appear separately.

At its core, it is a space mining game, but the experience grows into a much deeper system involving roguelike builds, ship customization, gear progression, research, Adventures, PvP, Arena battles, Guilds, and competitive leaderboards.

The most important lesson is to build for the situation rather than chase one supposedly perfect setup. Mining requires different priorities from PvP, and a difficult planet may require a different combination of perks and equipment than an easier farming run.

For players who enjoy space action games, mining games, roguelikes, ship customization, survival combat, and build-based progression, Planet Crusher offers a substantial amount of content to explore.