Grip Strength level 5 gives you 14 logs in your arms. Most players don’t realize that until midway through their second playthrough. This guide fixes that. Every upgrade priority, tree value, physics exploit, and hidden raccoon location is laid out below so you hit 100% completion in one run—no wasted gold, no backtracking, no missed achievements.
Overview — Core Upgrades & Tools
The upgrade tree in A Game About Chopping Trees has clear winners and dead ends. Prioritize these first or you will spend hours making extra trips.
Grip Strength (max level 5) is your single most important upgrade. Each level increases carry capacity: 3 → 4 → 6 → 9 → 14 logs. Unlock it first, max it immediately. Every extra log per trip is time saved.
Sprint costs zero stamina to activate. Unlock this before anything else in the movement tree. It makes early-game grinding tolerable.
Endurance (max level) gives you 250+ stamina. Important trick: upgrading max stamina automatically refills your current stamina bar for free. Use this to skip coffee purchases early on.
Chainsaw ($400 unlock) deals 10-15 base damage and cleaves through trees in seconds. Buy it as soon as you have the gold. It is not optional.
Chain Falls (max level 5) lets your chainsaw knock down up to 5 trees in a domino effect. This is the best passive upgrade in the game. Max it after Grip Strength.
Handcar Driver (max level) adds carriages. Each extra carriage costs $1000. At max level with 4 carriages, your handcar holds 56 logs. Combined with max Grip Strength, you carry 14 logs on foot. Total per trip: 70 logs.
Axe Damage maxes out eventually but is low priority until you own the chainsaw. The achievement tied to it will unlock naturally.
Tree Economics & Logging Physics
Not all trees are worth your time. Here is the exact payout per tree type.
| Tree Type | Logs | Value per Log | Total Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birch (Small) | 2 | $10 | $20 |
| Birch (Medium) | 3 | $11 | $33 |
| Birch (Tall/Big) | 4-5 | $13+ | $52+ |
| Golden Birch (Boss) | 1 | $80 | $80 |
| Oak (Medium) | 3 | $14 | $42 |
| Oak (Tall/Big) | 5 | $16-$20 | $80-$100 |
| Ice Pine (Special) | 4 | N/A (quest) | Quest only |
Logging physics rule: trees fall in the exact opposite direction you are facing when you swing. Face toward the sawmill or the handcar tracks and every tree drops its logs right where you need them. Face away and you chase rolling logs downhill for thirty seconds.
Stumps yield zero logs but serve one purpose: they drain your stamina fast. Chop stumps repeatedly to empty your bar for the Coffee Addict achievement. More on that later.
Ultra-Efficient Transport — 37 & 70+ Log Runs
With max Grip Strength and Handcar Driver, the game’s physics become exploitable.
Dual-carriage run (37 logs): Load 28 logs onto a 2-carriage handcar. Carry 9 logs in your arms. Ride the handcar back to the sawmill with your carried logs intact. Total: 37 logs per trip.
Max four-carriage run (70+ logs): Load 56 logs onto a 4-carriage handcar. Carry 14 logs. Total: 70 logs per trip. This is the theoretical maximum and the exact number needed for the Reach the Moon achievement.
Critical safety warning: the handcar has no automatic braking. If you do not ride back with it and manually brake near the sawmill, the handcar will slide all the way back to the previous chapter’s map. You will watch your 56 logs roll past the birch forest, past the oak forest, and into the starting area. The only way to recover is a long, boring track chase. Always ride the handcar back. Always brake early.
100% Achievement Guide — Raccoon Collector (10/10)
Ten raccoons are hidden across three chapters. Listen for their distinct call—it sounds like a short, high-pitched chitter. Each one is near a landmark.
Birch Forest (Raccoons 1-4)
- Camp box — inside the abandoned wooden crate at the starting camp. Crate is open, raccoon is visible.
- Town dock — at the edge of the wooden pier on the lake. Easy to miss because it blends with the dock planks.
- Cannon — inside the cannon’s muzzle. You have to look directly into the barrel.
- Greenhouse — outside corner of the birch forest greenhouse. Behind a stack of pots.
Oak Forest (Raccoons 5-7)
- Wheel axle — at the axle of an abandoned wheelbarrow by the road. Crouch to see it.
- Abandoned cabin — inside a ruined cabin deep in the oak forest. On a shelf.
- Fountain ruins — behind the fountain monument in the ruins. Tucked against the base.
Snow Mountain / Dark Forest (Raccoons 8-10)
- Snow cabin — near the fireplace/table corner inside the snow camp cabin.
- Lighthouse top — on the outdoor observation deck edge of the repaired lighthouse. Walk the full perimeter.
- Snowman belly — build a snowman near camp, then hit it with your axe or chainsaw. The snowman splits open and the raccoon falls out. This is the easiest to miss because you have to destroy your own creation.
For the image location, we recommend you to check this guide.
100% Achievement Guide — Other Difficult Achievements
Five achievements will not unlock through normal play. Here is exactly how to force each one.
Sunk the Ships
In Chapter 1 Birch Forest, find the cannon. Pay $50 to fire it. The cannonball will ricochet across the water and sink all three ships in one shot. The game refunds your $50 immediately. Achievement unlocks on impact.
Coffee Addict ($300)
You must spend a cumulative $300 at outdoor coffee machines. Each cup costs $20. That is 15 cups minimum. The fastest method: start New Game Plus with ample funds, plant infinite oak trees in the greenhouse ($3 each), chop them with a maxed chainsaw, then drain your stamina on stumps. Buy coffee. Repeat. You can burn through $300 in under ten minutes.
Reach the Moon
The sawmill’s log pile has no height cap. Load 56 logs on a 4-carriage handcar, carry 14 logs, and dump all 70+ logs into the sawmill at once. As the machine slowly processes them, the pile will break through the roof. Achievement triggers when the first log breaches the ceiling.
Repair All Bridges
Use gold coins to repair every broken wooden bridge and abandoned rail lock across all chapters. The $150 bridge from Birch Forest to the greenhouse is one. The rail locks cost $500 each. There are exactly enough gold coins in the game if you collect every stash. Missing one means starting a new file or New Game Plus.
Lighthouse Caretaker (Completion)
In the snow mountain dark forest, find and chop the final King Pine tree. It drops 4 unique blue Ice Pine logs. These cannot be sold at any normal sawmill. Carry them to the lighthouse top and deposit them as fuel. Light the bonfire. This completes the first playthrough and unlocks New Game Plus, carrying over all attributes. Do this last.