Haystacker is our free needle in a haystack game: Grandpa Hank has dropped his lucky needle into a haystack of 1,000,000 straws, and you dig, sell the hay and buy better tools until you find it. The needle isn't only luck. The game gives you clues, and this guide explains every one of them, with the real numbers from the game.
How to find the needle: the short version
- Dig deep, not wide. The needle is never on the surface. In Grandpa's Haystack it hides 0.9 to 3.2 metres under the top of the stack, so dig holes down into the pile instead of skimming the top.
- Watch for a glint. When less than about 45 cm of hay covers the needle, it twinkles through the straws and Grandpa says he saw something. Dig right there. (Gold coins and other metal finds glint too.)
- Follow the critter. Once you've cleared 30% of Grandpa's Haystack, a hen that loves shiny things walks onto the hay and pecks around near the needle. Dig where she pecks.
- Ask Grandpa. After 4 minutes on a stack, press the hint button (or H). Grandpa points at a glowing patch of hay, and the needle is within about a metre of it. You can ask again every 90 seconds.
- Detector, then magnet. Later, follow the metal detector from Cold to Burning!, then tap the big magnet there to pull the needle out.
Every clue, explained
The glint
The needle shines through thin hay: less than about 45 cm on top of it. That means the glint appears when you dig a hole close to the needle, not when you scrape the surface. If you see a twinkle, dig straight down on that spot. Metal finds (coins, horseshoes, keys, tin cans) glint as well, so not every glint is the needle. They're still worth coins.
The shiny-loving critter
In every stack, a critter that loves shiny things shows up once part of the stack is gone and hangs around near the needle. It's a hen on the farm and at the county fair, and a crow in the barn and at night. If you dig right next to it, it hops away for a moment and then comes back to the same area, so keep digging around where it returns.
Ask Grandpa
The hint button unlocks after 4 minutes on a stack. Grandpa points at a glowing patch of hay, and the camera turns toward it. The patch isn't exactly on the needle, but the needle is within about a metre of it. After that, the hint takes 90 seconds to come back.
The metal detector
Turn the detector on (the last number key, or its button) and point at the stack. The meter goes Cold, Cool, Warm, Hot! and Burning!, and the beeps get faster as you get closer. It hears the needle from 2.8 m away, and each Detector range upgrade adds 1.2 m.
The big magnet
Pick the magnet and tap the stack: it pulls everything metal within 1.5 m out of the hay, including the needle if it's in range. It needs 3.5 seconds to recharge between pulls. Each Magnet power upgrade adds 0.5 m. Pulling the needle out with the magnet earns the "Opposites attract" trophy.
How deep the needle hides in each stack
Each new stack is bigger and hides the needle deeper. The critter also waits longer before it helps. Bonus finds are worth more in the later stacks; hay always sells for the same price.
| Stack | Straws | Needle depth | Critter clue | Finds pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grandpa's Haystack | 1,000,000 | 0.9–3.2 m | A hen, at 30% cleared | ×1 |
| The Big Barn | 3,000,000 | 2.2–5 m | A crow, at 42% cleared | ×3 |
| Spooky Night Stack | 5,000,000 | 2.8–6.5 m | A crow, at 45% cleared | ×6 |
| Mount Haystack | 10,000,000 | 3.4–8.5 m | A hen, at 50% cleared | ×12 |
| Daily Needle | 300,000 | 0.6–2.4 m | A hen, at 22% cleared | ×1 |
| Hardcore | 100,000 | 0.5–1.8 m | A hen, at 30% cleared | ×1 |
Finding the needle opens the next stack. The Daily Needle opens after your first needle: everyone gets the same stack, the same needle spot and the same tools (pitchfork and rake) each day, plus a coin reward for your farm the first time you find it. Hardcore is 100,000 straws with nothing but your hands.
Tools, gadgets and prices
Hay sells for 0.1 coin a straw, so 1,000 straws make 100 coins. Clearing all of Grandpa's Haystack would earn 100,000 coins, and the bigger stacks earn much more.
| Tool | Price (coins) | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Hands | Free | Grab about 40 straws at a time. Press and hold to keep grabbing. |
| Pitchfork | 300 | Stab and toss forkfuls of about 140 straws. |
| Hay rake | 2,000 | Drag it across the stack to rake off whole layers (about 650 straws a second while you keep moving). |
| Leaf blower | 9,000 | Blasts hay away in a wide circle, about 1,100 straws a second. |
| Hay vacuum | 32,000 | About 2,000 straws a second, and it digs deep. The best tool for the last part of the hunt. |
| Biscuit the horse | 22,000 | Hauls every full wagon to market for you, so you never stop to sell. |
| Big magnet | 55,000 | Tap the stack: pulls anything metal within 1.5 m out of the hay (more with Magnet power). |
| Metal detector | 90,000 | Beeps faster as you point closer to the needle. Hears it from 2.8 m away (more with Detector range). |
| Hay drones | 140,000 / 308,000 / 677,600 | Little helpers that dig on their own. You can own up to three. |
Upgrades
| Upgrade | Price (coins) | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 150, then ×2.25 per level (10 levels) | Every tool grabs 12% more hay per level. |
| Speed | 260, then ×2.45 per level (8 levels) | Work 8% faster per level. |
| Reach | 600, then ×2.7 per level (6 levels) | Wider, deeper scoops: +7% per level. |
| Bigger wagon | 150, 700, 2,800, 10,000, 32,000... | Carry 600, then 1,500, 4,000, 10,000, 25,000 straws and up to 1,000,000. |
| Magnet power | 80,000, then ×2.4 (3 levels) | The magnet reaches 0.5 m further per level. |
| Detector range | 110,000, then ×2.4 (3 levels) | The detector hears the needle 1.2 m further per level. |
| Drone turbo | 180,000, then ×2.3 (4 levels) | Drones dig 35% faster per level. |
The best upgrade order
- Pitchfork first. At 300 coins it's 3,000 straws of digging, and it almost triples how much you grab.
- Then the wagon. When the wagon is full you can't dig. The first two wagon upgrades cost only 150 and 700 coins.
- Buy the next tool as soon as you can afford it. Each tool is a much bigger jump than any upgrade: rake at 2,000, leaf blower at 9,000, hay vacuum at 32,000. Spend coins on the cheapest upgrade (strength, speed, wagon) while you save up.
- Biscuit the horse at 22,000. No more stopping to sell. Worth it before the vacuum if your wagon keeps filling up.
- Magnet and detector for the bigger stacks. In The Big Barn and beyond the needle hides 2 metres deep or more, and these two save the most time.
- Drones last. They dig while you look for clues, but at 140,000 coins and up they pay off on the biggest stacks.
Bonus finds worth digging for
There are 28 kinds of things hidden in the hay, from apples and old boots to a treasure chest, and each one goes in your finds book. These are the most valuable, in coins on Grandpa's Haystack (later stacks pay up to 12 times more). Metal finds can be pulled out with the magnet.
| Find | Coins |
|---|---|
| Treasure chest | 1,500 (metal) |
| Golden egg | 600 (metal) |
| Gold trophy | 400 (metal) |
| Pocket watch | 250 (metal) |
| Blue ribbon | 150 |
| Coin pouch | 120 |
| Friendly ghost | 90 |
| Grandpa's glasses | 80 |
How to earn every trophy
| Trophy | How to earn it |
|---|---|
| Ooh, shiny! | Dig up your first bonus find. |
| Needle in a haystack | Find Grandpa's lucky needle. |
| Fork it over | Buy the pitchfork. |
| Full load | Sell a completely full wagon of hay. |
| Henrietta! | Wake the grumpy hen napping in Grandpa's Haystack (or on Mount Haystack). |
| Hay mover | Move 1,000,000 straws in total. |
| Ten million club | Move 10,000,000 straws in total. |
| Needle ninja | Find a needle with less than 20% of the stack cleared. Follow a glint early, or use the detector on a new stack. |
| Speedy | Find a story needle in under 5 minutes. Easiest on Grandpa's Haystack replayed with all your tools. |
| Opposites attract | Pull the needle out with the magnet instead of digging it out. |
| Barn star | Find the needle in The Big Barn. |
| Brave digger | Find the needle in the Spooky Night Stack. |
| King of the mountain | Find the needle on Mount Haystack. |
| Collector | Find 15 different kinds of things in the hay. Each stack hides different finds, so play them all. |
| Golden! | Find the golden egg. There's one in Grandpa's Haystack and one on Mount Haystack. |
| Bare hands | Find the needle in Hardcore mode. |
| Daily digger | Find a Daily Needle. |
| On a roll | Find the Daily Needle 3 days in a row. |
| Air force | Own three hay drones. |
| Suck it up | Buy the hay vacuum. |
How to find the needle faster
- Replay a stack you've finished: you keep all your tools, so it's much quicker the second time.
- Dig several deep holes spread across the stack instead of one wide crater. The glint only shows up close.
- Turn the camera around the stack. The needle can be on the far side.
- On a phone, pinch to zoom in when you see a glint so you tap the right spot.
- In the Daily Needle, everyone has the same tools, so speed comes from reading the clues, not from upgrades.