Tools, loadouts and range gearing

1. Read the route for the failures it can cause: an exposed climb with no tree to hook a winch to, a rollover waiting on the off-camber section, a gap that needs planks, damage far from a cabin, or weather turning the trail to mud.
2. Pack for the failure you are most likely to have. Extra slots let you cover several kinds of failure at once instead of stacking the same tool twice.
3. Change the loadout at the Mechanic. It is not a menu you can open on the trail, so a slot you forgot to fill is a slot you do not have.

The point is not to prepare for one specific obstacle; it is to give yourself a way out. The Pebbles guide has what each slot and upgrade costs.

A new vehicle carries one tool slot. Three more can be bought from the Mechanic for 25, 50 and 75 Pebbles, so a full four-slot loadout costs 150 Pebbles on top of the slot you start with.

Buy the first slot early. With one slot you carry one tool, so a recovery kit and a plank compete for the same place; with two or more you can cover two different failures at once. Slots belong to the vehicle you bought them on and never move to another one, so a cheap car you are about to replace is a bad place to spend them.

High range is for easy roads and open ground. Low range is for steep, uneven, muddy, rocky or technical terrain, where slower, more controlled movement keeps the vehicle working instead of washing out.

1. Pick the gear before the climb, not during it. Shift down while the vehicle is still moving and still has grip.
2. If the wheels are already spinning, you have lost grip. Shift back up and deal with the traction instead.
3. Slow down before a bend with a drop on the outside. Steering takes time to turn and recentre, so speed there is what puts you over the edge.

Low range is a gearing option, not a traction control: if the tyres cannot hold the surface, a lower gear only changes how the engine drives them.

1. Stop applying throttle if the wheels spin without progress.
2. Check whether the problem is traction, a gap, a roll-over, or damage.
3. Look for a safe line out before attaching recovery equipment.

Weather and tyre condition affect grip, so the same trail can need a different line later.

For a gap, place planks so the tyres have a continuous route. For a stranded car, attach the winch to a suitable anchor — a tree if there is one, a portable anchor if there is not — and pull along a clear path. If the vehicle is damaged, use a repair kit. When a car rolls, use the car jack rather than trying to force the engine against the terrain.

If you are preparing for a long trail, review the beginner route checklist before leaving the cabin.

On repeated muddy climbs, change the approach angle or fit equipment that addresses grip before repeating the same line. Save recovery supplies for sections where turning around is difficult.

• Winch, Tools, and Camps — what each recovery tool does, the camp restock and the low range rule.
• Tips and tricks — the weather bell, camp tool and meteorite radar, plus the loadout priority.
• Tool Slot Costs, Pebble Sources and the October 16 Patch — the 25, 50 and 75 Pebble slot prices.
• OverTheHillDB upgrades — the same stage prices, listed per upgrade type.