You're running low on Iron. Again. You stare at your crafting bench, then at your furnace, then at the empty crates where your steel ingots should be. This is exactly why everyone wants a digby boy once human players can rely on. These floating, pickaxe-wielding Deviants are supposed to be the answer to the soul-crushing grind of manual mining. But if you’ve ever come back to your base after a four-hour scavenge only to find three pieces of gravel and a single copper ore in your securement unit, you know the frustration.
Honestly, the Digby Boy is probably the first "helper" Deviant you’ll ever find. Most people stumble upon them while swinging a rusty copper pickaxe at a random tin node in the Dayton Wetlands. One minute you're mining, the next a little silver dude is spinning in circles in front of your face.
It feels like a win. But there is a massive gap between "having a Digby Boy" and actually having a functional mining operation.
Where to Actually Find Your Digby Boy
You can’t just buy these guys. Well, you can get one from the "Deviation Expert" quest given by Lowe in the early game, which is basically a tutorial on how they work. But if you want a squad of them—and you do—you have to go hunting.
Silver ore nodes are the golden ticket here. They look almost identical to tin nodes but have a slightly darker, shinier tint. If you’re riding around the Iron River or the Onyx Tundra, keep your eyes peeled for those specific rocks. Mining them gives you a high chance of a Digby Boy drop.
Funny thing is, the drop rate seems to care about how many times you hit the rock. Using a high-tier drill might clear the node faster, but some players swear by using a lower-tier pickaxe to get more "swings" per node, theoretically increasing the chance for the Deviant to pop out. It sounds like crazy gamer superstition, but in a game where RNG (random number generation) rules everything, every swing counts.
The Shiny Variants: Pure Gold and Prism
Not all Digbys are created equal. If you see one that looks like it’s made of literal jewelry, grab it.
- Pure Gold Digby Boy: This is the holy grail. While a standard Digby usually sticks to Copper, Tin, and Iron, the Gold variant has a trait called "Gilded Oracle." It can actually bring back Tungsten and Aluminum even if its skill level shouldn't allow it.
- Prism Digby Boy: This one is iridescent. It’s the "overtime" worker. Its trait, "Voluntary Overtime," gives it a 15% chance to not consume any Mood while working. It stays out longer, mines more, and sleeps less.
Why Your Digby Boy Is Just Sitting There
It's a common sight: you build the Isolated Securement Unit, you pop your Digby Boy inside, and... nothing happens. He just floats there, looking depressed.
Basically, Deviants in Once Human run on two stats: Deviant Power and Mood. If the power is low, they won't leave the tank. If the mood is low, they recover power at a snail's pace.
To turn your Digby into a workaholic, you have to treat him like a tiny, mineral-obsessed roommate. They have very specific tastes.
- Red Lights: For some reason, these guys love red light. Hook up a wall light near the securement unit and set the color to red.
- Music: They like noise. Putting a radio nearby and keeping it on helps them recover Mood faster.
- Electricity: You need to actually wire the securement unit to your power grid. It consumes about 1W, which is nothing, but it makes a massive difference in their recovery speed.
- Heat: They like being near high temperatures. Placing them near your furnaces isn't just thematic; it actually keeps them happy.
If you ignore these, your digby boy once human experience will be a lot of waiting for very little reward. A happy Digby starts working when its power hits 30. A neglected one might wait until 80, meaning it spends most of the day napping.
Skill Ratings vs. Activity Ratings
This is where the math gets a little crunchy. When you look at your Digby, you’ll see two numbers, like 3/2 or 5/4.
The first number is Skill Rating. This determines what they can mine and how much they bring back. A Level 1 or 2 Digby is basically a Copper/Tin bot. If you want Iron or specialized ores, you need a Skill Rating of 4 or 5.
The second number is Activity Rating. This is the stamina bar. A higher number here means the Deviant has a larger pool of energy and recovers it faster.
People often argue over whether a 5/1 is better than a 3/5.
Honestly? It depends on your playstyle. If you’re the type of player who logs in once a day for an hour, you want that high Skill Rating (the 5) so they bring back high-quality stuff in one go. If you’re playing for six hours straight, you want a high Activity Rating so they can keep heading back out into the field every time they recharge.
The Secret Strategy: Automated Mining Platforms
Once you hit the mid-to-late game, the Digby Boy transitions from a "collector" to an "operator."
You'll eventually unlock the Mining Platform through your Memetics tree. If you place one of these in a resource-rich area—like a polluted zone for Startrace Ore or the mountains for Tungsten—you can assigned a Digby Boy to it.
This changes everything. Instead of the Digby flying off into the void to find random rocks, he stays at the platform and forces it to work faster. This is the only way to get massive amounts of late-game ore without spending your entire Saturday swinging a pickaxe.
It’s worth noting that many veterans think the Solar Drill makes Digby Boys obsolete. It’s a fair point. A Solar Drill with the "Treasure Hunter" perk can net you thousands of ore in minutes. But the Digby Boy isn't about speed; it's about the fact that he's working while you’re busy fighting bosses or, you know, sleeping in real life.
How to Maximize Your Mining Yield
If you’re serious about resource management, don't just settle for one unit. Build a dedicated "Deviant Room" in your base.
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Line up four or five securement units. Fill them all with high-skill Digby Boys. Ensure every single one of them has the red light, the radio, and the furnace proximity.
You should also keep an eye out for the Extradimensional Cat. This is another Deviant that, when active, keeps other Deviants working even when their mood is low. It’s a bit of a "slave driver" setup, but it’s the most efficient way to keep your ore chests overflowing.
The "Shiny" variants mentioned earlier are rare for a reason. Don't drive yourself crazy farming silver nodes for ten hours straight. Just make it a habit: every time you see a silver node while doing quests, stop and mine it. Eventually, you'll get that Gold or Prism variant.
Key Steps for a Better Mining Setup
To get the most out of your mining helpers, follow these specific steps:
- Relocate your base to an area with the specific ore you need. Digbys are more efficient when the local "table" includes the right resources.
- Check the "Securement" settings on the unit. You can set the threshold for when they start working. Lowering it to 30 power ensures they are out in the field more often.
- Pair them with a Chefosaurus Rex. While the Chef doesn't help with mining directly, keeping your survival stats high means you can spend more time managing your base and less time cooking, which indirectly helps you oversee your "army."
- Upgrade your tools. Even though the Digby does the work, your own mining level and the tools you use to find them (like the Ore Detector) make the initial hunt much easier.
Don't expect your Digby to build a fortress for you. He’s a specialized tool. He exists to take the edge off the basic resource grind so you can focus on the weird, Stardust-infused chaos that makes Once Human actually fun.
Practical Checklist for Your Digby Boy
- Find a Silver Node in the Iron River or Dayton Wetlands.
- Use a Pickaxe (Copper or Bronze) if you want to maximize hits for a potential drop.
- Place the Securement Unit near a heat source like a Furnace.
- Install a Radio and a Red Light for the mood buff.
- Connect Power to the unit immediately.
- Swap for a Gold Variant as soon as you find one to get Aluminum and Tungsten access.
Focusing on these environmental buffs is the difference between a useless floating rock and a passive resource engine that keeps your base running.
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Next Steps for Your Territory:
Locate a silver node in the Iron River area (check the cliffs near the teleport towers) and mine it using a standard pickaxe to trigger a Digby Boy drop. Once captured, place the securement unit within three meters of your primary furnace to immediately activate the "Thermal" mood buff.