This page covers the upgrade system: the stats you can level with Cash, what each one does, and how to read your own session to pick the right one. Structure and prices are measured from gameplay footage; the game rebalances often, so verify in the shop.
Upgrades are bought with Cash in the shop, structured as branches with levels — you choose a path rather than buying one linear list. Every trip between the piles and the sale point is a fixed cost; upgrades either cut that cost (capacity, movement) or raise the reward (yield, leaf value, clear power).
Two video descriptions of the tree
(Footage organizes it slightly differently):
1
Tool-line branches — Hand/Bare Hands, Rake and Leaf Blower lines, each with 3–4 sub-stats (Dexterity, Grasp, Collection, Range, Width, Power).
2
Stat categories — Capacity, Yield/Leaf Value, Tool Efficiency and Player Movement, each with 3–5 levels.
Both videos are describing the same shop from different angles. Whichever grouping your menu uses, the underlying stats are the same set: carry more, pick up more, sell for more, clear faster, move faster.
Cost scale.
Early levels ~$1–3 (starting around $1.75–$3.50), mid tiers $7–15, max-tier stats $15–85+. Prices scale per level, so "one more level" gets expensive fast near the top.
Default when unsure: capacity → tool → yield/value → movement.
The Upgrade Stats
Capacity (Backpack)
What it does.
Increases how many leaves you carry per trip. Confirmed tiers: starter capacity is small (25 leaves in recent builds; older footage shows 5), with upgrades expanding to hundreds (200–500+) and max bags in the 500–1,000 range.
Priority.
The highest-leverage stat in every phase. Fewer sale trips means more sweeping time, more hauls, more Cash — it is the strongest indirect income upgrade there is.
When to buy.
Tier 1 immediately ($2); keep capacity one step ahead of your best tool. A strong tool with a tiny bag creates constant sale walks and wastes clear speed.
The signal.
If you are always walking to the sale point, capacity is the bottleneck.
Yield / Leaf Value
What it does.
Two related effects that videos describe separately:
Yield (pick-up) — Leaves collected per grab/sweep, from 1 up to 2–5 at once (Dexterity/Grasp/Collection stats).
Leaf value — Cash earned per leaf sold, from ~1–2¢ up to 3¢+ (the "Yield (Leaf Value)" description in one guide).
Both multiply income from the same work: more leaves per grab, and more cash per leaf.
Priority.
Strong once capacity is comfortable — each level directly raises coins-per-minute from the same route.
When to buy.
After the first capacity and tool purchases; alternate yield and value levels rather than maxing one.
The signal.
If you reach the sale point with time to spare but cash climbs slowly, yield/value is the multiplier to add.
Tool Efficiency (Clear Power)
What it does.
Improves what your equipped tool does — sweep width, range, power per pass — via the Rake and Blower branch stats (Range, Width, Power).
Priority.
Buy after capacity, so the tool is actually the bottleneck. A wide, powerful Blower clears whole areas fast.
When to buy.
When zones still look heavy after each pass even though your bag is comfortable.
The signal.
If you finish zones slowly but never wait at the sale point, tool efficiency is the bottleneck.
Player Movement (Walk Speed)
What it does.
Movement speed. Not sold as a standalone shop item — it lives in the movement/upgrade branch, unlocked through progression or upgrade spending (videos describe it both ways).
Priority.
Low early (the first areas are compact), valuable once the map opens and travel between areas, the sale point and unlock interactions eats your session.
When to buy.
Mid-to-late game, when walking between objectives — not the cleaning itself — is the pain.
The signal.
If transitions between zones eat your time, movement is the bottleneck.
The Four-Way Decision Test
When a purchase is live in the shop, pick by symptom:
Always selling / dropping leaves because you are full?
Capacity.
Reach the sale point with time to spare, but zones still look heavy?
Tool efficiency (level the tool branch).
Cash climbs slowly from the same route?
Yield / leaf value.
Walking between objectives is the pain, not the cleaning?
Movement.
Fix the bottleneck and your Cash feels twice as efficient — every upgrade is progress that carries through the whole run.
The Spend Order
A video-consistent bias, phase by phase:
Early game:
1
Capacity first (backpack tier 1, $2) Until sale trips stop dominating every minute.
2
First real tool (Rake, $7), equipped immediately.
3
Light yield help if you want a cheap income bump — but don't stall the tool path.
Mid game:
1
Keep capacity one step ahead of the tool; fund the Blower ($30) when the shop opens it.
2
Level the tool branch (Rake/Blower stats) as clear speed gates your income.
3
Sprinkle leaf value once the bag is large enough that selling feels substantial.
Late game:
1
Capacity stays critical so final sweeps don't collapse into sale walks.
2
Best clear tool equipped and understood.
3
Movement becomes worth real levels as the map widens.
4
Leftover Cash goes to whatever removes friction on the last corners — often movement plus capacity, not another marginal yield tick.
Default when unsure: capacity → tool → yield/value → movement.
Common Mistakes
Maxing one stat blindly.
The tree rewards reading your session, not committing to a single stat. Best players alternate — max the branch that matches the current pain point, then re-evaluate.
Buying tools without capacity.
A fast rake with a tiny bag still means constant walking; the two are bought together.
Chasing max-tier stats early.
Late levels cost $15–85+ for small gains; the same Cash buys a tool or capacity tier that compounds more.
Ignoring paid area unlocks.
Cheap gates (garage ~$1) open dense income; an unopened area is unearned Cash.
FAQ
What should I upgrade first?
Capacity (backpack tier 1, ~$2), then the Rake ($7). Capacity cuts sale trips — the biggest early time-saver.
How is the upgrade tree structured?
Branches with levels. Footage shows tool-line branches (Hand, Rake, Leaf Blower, each with 3–4 stats) and stat categories (Capacity, Yield/Leaf Value, Tool Efficiency, Player Movement) — the same stats grouped two ways.
What does Yield do?
Two video-verified effects: more leaves per grab (up to 2–5 at once) and more cash per leaf (up to 3¢+). Both multiply income.
How much do upgrades cost?
Early levels ~$1–3 (from $1.75), mid tiers $7–15, max tiers $15–85+.
Is there a Walk Speed item in the shop?
Not as a standalone item; movement speed lives in the movement/upgrade branch, unlocked via progression or upgrade spending.
Do upgrades carry over between areas?
Capacity, yield and tool stats are permanent progress within a run — that is why the spend order compounds. Whether a raw Cash balance persists across sessions is not confirmed (see the Currency page). Currency page
