BLOODMONEY! All Tools & Upgrades: Efficiency & Moral Impact Tier List

The Dual Economy of BLOODMONEY!

In conventional clicker and idle games, item progression follows a simple mathematical rule: bigger numbers are always superior. But in BLOODMONEY!, created by indie developer SHROOMYCHRIST, progression functions as a moral paradox.

Every tool you purchase increases your income per tap, but simultaneously inflicts greater trauma upon Harvey Harvington, permanently advancing his distress, altering audio-visual feedback, and altering your final ending.

This guide ranks the progression by route safety, speed, and moral consequences. It intentionally avoids unsupported exact prices or per-click values. The creator's public clarification establishes the important ending boundary: the Good route remains available through the Hammer, while purchasing the Scissors locks the Normal route.

Tier List Summary

Detailed Breakdown by Tool

1. Bare Hands (Starting Action)

Bare Hands establish the game's slowest and least harmful baseline. Remaining at this stage keeps the Good Ending available, but the long repetition is part of the game's moral pressure.

2. The Feather

The Feather is the gentlest purchased option and improves progress without closing the Good route. It is useful for players who want to reduce repetition while keeping the early presentation comparatively light.

3. The Needle

The Needle makes the game's premise visibly harsher, but it remains before the creator-confirmed ending cutoff. Players following the Good route can continue past this stage.

4. The Hammer

The Hammer is the last tool SHROOMYCHRIST has publicly confirmed as compatible with the Good Ending. Its presentation is severe, so its route status can be counterintuitive; this is why the creator's clarification matters more than an inferred cruelty scale.

5. The Scissors

The Scissors are the decisive route boundary. Purchasing them locks the Normal Ending, so players targeting the Good Ending should stop before this purchase.

6. Later Escalation

The tools that follow the Scissors belong to the darker part of the progression. They trade increasingly graphic harm for faster advancement and should not be treated as compatible with a compassionate run.

7. The Firearm (The Gun)

The Gun is the terminal escalation tied to the Bad Ending. Choosing it abandons the restraint required by the other routes and resolves the story through its darkest outcome.

Calculator Methodology & Mathematical Model

To help players objectively evaluate route pacing and mechanical trade-offs, our team developed the standalone "Surgery Cost & Click Calculator". Here is the transparent mathematical foundation behind the utility:

1. The Fixed-Rate Baseline Model

The calculator uses a single-rate baseline formula to compute the ideal lower-bound click volume and time to reach the $25,000 threshold:
$$\text{Baseline Clicks} = \frac{25,000}{\text{Tool Rate ($/click)}}$$
$$\text{Estimated Time (Seconds)} = \frac{\text{Baseline Clicks}}{\text{Clicking Speed (CPS)}}$$

• Bare Hands ($1/click): $25,000 \div 1 = 25,000$ clicks (~83 minutes at 5 CPS).
• Feather ($2/click): $25,000 \div 2 = 12,500$ clicks (~42 minutes at 5 CPS).
• Needle ($4/click): $25,000 \div 4 = 6,250$ clicks (~21 minutes at 5 CPS).
• Hammer ($8/click): $25,000 \div 8 = 3,125$ clicks (~10 minutes at 5 CPS).
• Scissors ($16/click): $25,000 \div 16 \approx 1,563$ clicks (~5 minutes at 5 CPS).

2. Real-Run Variance vs. Theoretical Model

In an actual playthrough, your total click count will naturally be slightly higher than this baseline due to two mechanical realities:

1. Initial Acquisition Overhead: You cannot start with the Hammer; you must accumulate money using earlier tools to afford upgrades. Money spent in the shop does not count toward the final $25,000 balance requirement.
2. Fatigue & Narrative Hesitation: Human clicking speed is never perfectly uniform, and players frequently pause to read Harvey's escalating distress dialogues.
3. Purpose: The calculator provides a standardized, transparent lower bound for comparative analysis, rather than a predictive telemetry feed.

Strategy Takeaway

• For the Good Ending: You may progress through the Hammer, but stop before the Scissors.
• For the Normal Ending: Progress to the Scissors, then avoid the final Gun escalation.
• For Story Completionists: Clear your browser storage after each route to experience how each tier alters Harvey's text reactions and expressions.

For the creator’s ending cutoff clarification, see the official itch.io comment. The original release is available from the official game page.