- Can Em All gun: Treat the pistol as a major progression milestone, not an early purchase.
- Unlock plan: Build your economy first, then reserve currency for the gun and its ammunition.
- Ammo priority: Limited starting ammunition makes capacity and refill upgrades especially valuable.
- Combat plan: Focus on high-value or durable targets before clearing weaker enemies.
- Best habit: Collect resources in batches and keep your processing machines active between rounds.
Can Em All Gun Overview
The Can Em All gun is a turning point in the game’s progression loop. Before unlocking it, most of your efficiency comes from melee tools, processing machines, movement upgrades, and resource collection. After unlocking it, combat becomes faster, but your economy must also support ammunition and weapon improvements.
The pistol is powerful because it can shorten encounters that previously consumed time and stamina. However, it introduces a new limitation: ammunition. A strong weapon does not automatically create a strong build if every shot is spent inefficiently. The best results come from pairing the gun with better collection capacity, faster movement, improved processing, and carefully selected damage upgrades.
| Progression Stage | Main Focus | Typical Risk | Recommended Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the gun | Farming and processing | Spending currency too freely | Save for the weapon milestone |
| Initial pistol phase | Learning shot efficiency | Running out of ammunition | Target durable enemies first |
| Ammo improvement | Capacity and refill control | Expensive upgrades | Upgrade only after stable income |
| Multi-machine phase | Higher production volume | Divided resources | Keep both machines active |
| Late progression | Damage and yield scaling | Rising upgrade costs | Prioritize income before luxury upgrades |
Why It Matters
The gun adds reliable ranged damage and can reduce the time needed to defeat tougher targets.
What It Costs
The weapon competes with machine, stamina, capacity, and processing upgrades for the same currency.
Main Weakness
Early ammunition is limited, so careless shots can reduce the value of an otherwise strong run.
Do not rush the pistol simply because it is available. Reach the unlock with enough reserve currency to improve ammunition or support your next production cycle.
The weapon should be viewed as part of a progression package rather than an isolated purchase. If your machines are still slow and your carrying capacity is low, a gun upgrade may improve combat without improving your total earnings. A balanced build usually performs better than a pure damage build during the first pistol rounds.
How to Unlock and Prepare for the Gun
Unlocking the gun is easier when the preceding runs are planned around one goal: creating a reliable currency reserve. Every round should have a clear assignment. One run can focus on collecting, another can focus on processing, and a later run can be used to test the weapon.
Stabilize Your Economy
Improve the systems that help you collect, carry, and process resources. Movement speed, stamina, suction or collection range, and machine uptime all contribute to the currency needed for the gun.
Reserve the Unlock Currency
Once the pistol becomes affordable, stop buying low-impact upgrades unless they directly improve your next earning cycle. Keep a separate reserve for ammunition or capacity.
Unlock the Pistol
Purchase the gun when you can still complete a full run afterward. The goal is to test its damage without leaving your economy unable to recover.
Test Ammunition Efficiency
Use the first pistol round to measure how quickly ammunition disappears. Avoid wasting shots on targets that can be handled by melee tools or machines.
Rebuild Your Upgrade Plan
After testing the gun, choose between ammunition capacity, damage, critical-hit potential, and income improvements based on the problem you actually experienced.
| Preparation Target | Why It Helps | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Carrying capacity | Reduces unnecessary trips and preserves active time | High |
| Stamina | Supports longer collection and combat cycles | High |
| Processing duration | Keeps machines working after the round ends | High |
| Collection range | Speeds up resource pickup in crowded areas | Medium |
| Critical damage | Improves burst potential after basic needs are covered | Medium |
| Extra weapon damage | Useful when enemies survive normal shots | Situational |
The gun is only the beginning of its upgrade path. Keep enough currency for ammunition, capacity, or the next required machine improvement.
A common mistake is purchasing the weapon and immediately spending the rest of the currency on unrelated upgrades. That can leave the player with a strong pistol but no ammunition, weak carrying capacity, and insufficient machine output. Preparation prevents this stall.
The most efficient order is usually:
- Increase the systems that improve income.
- Save for the pistol.
- Test the weapon with conservative targeting.
- Upgrade ammunition if the weapon runs dry.
- Add damage only when enemies consistently survive your normal shots.
Ammo, Damage, and Target Priorities
The pistol’s value depends on how effectively each round is converted into progress. Early ammunition appears limited, and capacity upgrades can be expensive. This makes target selection more important than simply holding the fire button whenever an enemy enters range.
Use melee attacks, environmental tools, or machines against weak targets when those options are available. Save pistol ammunition for enemies that interrupt your route, survive other attacks, or threaten to consume the remaining time in a round.
| Upgrade Type | Best Use | Strength | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ammo capacity | Longer combat phases | More flexibility per run | May require a large currency investment |
| Ammo refill | Repeated pistol runs | Helps sustain the weapon over time | Less useful if income is unstable |
| Weapon damage | Durable enemies | Can reduce shots per target | Does not solve ammunition scarcity alone |
| Critical damage | Burst-focused builds | Stronger high-roll attacks | Performance may vary between encounters |
| Attack speed | Fast clearing | Increases pressure against groups | Can consume ammunition faster |
| Collection upgrades | Economy support | Improves total run value | Does not directly increase gun damage |
Weak Targets
Use low-cost attacks whenever possible. Preserve pistol rounds for enemies that require ranged damage.
Durable Targets
These are the best pistol candidates because every saved melee exchange can protect stamina and time.
High-Value Targets
Prioritize enemies or objects that produce better returns when the run timer is short.
Crowded Groups
Avoid panic firing. Reposition first, then use controlled shots against the most dangerous target.
If the pistol regularly runs out of ammunition before the round ends, capacity or refill improvements should usually come before more damage.
Damage upgrades become more attractive when the weapon is already sustainable. If ammunition is no longer the limiting factor, stronger shots can improve the number of enemies defeated during each active window. Critical damage can also become worthwhile once the basic weapon loop is stable.
Do not assume that every damage upgrade has the same effect. Some improvements may increase direct damage, while others may affect critical hits, projectile behavior, or special impact effects. Test one meaningful upgrade at a time so you can identify which change actually improves your run.
Run Strategy and Machine Management
The strongest Can Em All gun setup combines combat efficiency with production management. A successful round is not measured only by how many enemies you defeat. It also depends on how many resources you collect, how much processing time remains, and whether your machines continue working after the active combat period.
Start each run by identifying the collection route and the nearest processing point. Avoid carrying a full load through unnecessary danger. When the timer is short, deposit resources instead of chasing a low-value target across the map.
| Run Phase | Primary Action | Gun Usage | Economy Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening | Collect nearby resources | Minimal | Build the first load quickly |
| Mid-run | Rotate between targets and machines | Controlled | Keep machines supplied |
| Pressure phase | Clear dangerous or durable enemies | Focused | Protect remaining collection time |
| Final seconds | Deposit or process resources | Only when necessary | Avoid ending with unused materials |
| After the round | Review output and upgrade | Not applicable | Fix the largest bottleneck |
When multiple machines are available, divide resources deliberately. A machine that sits idle represents lost processing time, especially when the round has already provided enough materials to keep it active.
A second machine can increase output, but it may also create a new management burden. New equipment may require its own upgrades, inputs, or resource allocation. Do not expand simply because another machine is visible. Expand when your collection rate can support it without weakening the primary production loop.
Use the following rotation:
- Collect a manageable amount instead of overloading immediately.
- Deposit resources before the route becomes dangerous.
- Return to high-value targets with the pistol available.
- Use remaining time to gather nearby materials.
- Check machine progress after every round.
- Spend currency on the bottleneck that reduced your last result.
The pistol is particularly useful during the middle of a run, when enemies begin to interfere with collection. It is less valuable when fired at every weak target during the opening seconds. Early time should usually be spent building the resource base that funds later weapon improvements.
Progress Checklist and FAQ
Use this checklist before committing to the next major gun upgrade. The objective is to create a repeatable loop rather than win one unusually strong run.
Gun Progression Checklist:
- Build a currency reserve before purchasing the pistol
- Keep enough resources for ammunition or capacity upgrades
- Test the pistol against durable targets before raising damage
- Keep every available machine supplied during active rounds
- Review the largest bottleneck after each upgrade
| Problem | Likely Cause | First Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Gun runs out of ammo | Capacity is too low or shots are wasted | Improve targeting and consider ammo capacity |
| Enemies survive too long | Damage is behind current enemy durability | Add damage after ammunition is stable |
| Currency growth stalls | Too much spent on combat upgrades | Improve collection, capacity, or machine output |
| Machines sit idle | Resources are not divided efficiently | Deposit smaller loads more often |
| Runs end with materials unused | Collection route is too long | Shorten the route and prioritize nearby deposits |
Choose upgrades based on the reason your last run underperformed. If the problem was ammunition, buy ammo support; if it was income, improve the economy instead.
Q: When should I buy the Can Em All gun?
Buy it when you can still afford or work toward ammunition support afterward. Unlocking the weapon without a reserve can create a short-term progression stall.
Q: Is damage or ammunition capacity better first?
Capacity is generally the safer first choice when the pistol runs out during normal rounds. Damage becomes more valuable once ammunition is no longer the main limitation.
Q: Should I use the pistol against every enemy?
No. Preserve shots for durable, dangerous, or high-value targets. Use melee tools, machines, or other available attacks against weaker enemies when practical.
Q: How does the gun fit into machine progression?
The gun protects collection time and helps handle threats, while machines drive the economy. Keep both systems advancing instead of investing exclusively in combat.
The best Can Em All gun build is not necessarily the one with the highest listed damage. It is the setup that keeps ammunition available, protects collection time, and turns each round into enough currency for the next meaningful upgrade.