Prospecting is a game where your shovel and pan need to work together like a well-oiled machine to get the most value out of every dig. However, even with a solid shovel, a weak pan can totally stall your progress. Pans boost your mineral rarity, size, and modifiers, which means more cash and better equipment. In this Prospecting Pan guide, we’ll break down how pan stats work, the best pans to use as you level up, and give you a full list of every pan in the game.
Prospecting Pan Stats Explained
Before we dive into the world of the best pans in Prospecting, it’s important to understand how each stat works. Here’s a quick list of all the pan stats you need to know before choosing your next upgrade:
- Luck: Decides the chance of finding rarer and larger minerals
- Capacity: Increases minerals per use and mineral size
- Shake Strength: Increases the sand removed per shake percentage
- Shake Speed: Improve maximum panning speed
- Modifier Boost: Increases the chance to add modifiers to minerals
- Size Boost: Increases the weight of minerals
Prospecting Pan Progression
Now that you know how the stats work for pans in Prospecting, here is the best progression route you can follow to make your farming more efficient.
- Rusty Pan (default) -> Plastic Pan -> Silver Pan -> Magnetic Pan -> Diamond Pan
1. Rusty Pan
Let’s get the default one out of the way. We are just including this one because you will need the Rusty Pan for your initial couple of gem collecting. There’s not much to talk about it, given that you get it for free. But as soon as you make enough money, switch to the next pan.
2. Plastic Pan
The first pan upgrade we suggest is the Plastic Pan. While, likewise, it is not that big of an upgrade, you get +5 capacity. In the early levels, it is a solid increase to dig out more items, which also means that you will make more money than with the Rusty Pan. Given that it is only $500, it is the best starter pan in Prospecting.
3. Silver Pan
If you have gathered enough money, the Silver Pan is available for $55,000 from the shop in the spawn town. This pan will immediately improve your luck and capacity by a good margin. With a capacity of 30, you will gather more items and make more money in the game. It is the ideal early to mid-game pan that everyone must get.
4. Magnetic Pan
Now we’re stepping into the big boys’ playground, and I can tell you with my eyes closed, the Magnetic Pan is hands down the best mid-game pan. You might wonder why I’m so confident. Simple: it gives a huge boost to your luck and pan capacity. But that’s not even the coolest part.
This is the first pan in the game that unlocks extra superpowers. And I mean real powers. The Magnetic Pan’s passive increases mineral weight by 25%, which means more money and better equipment from the crafting station. So if you’re eyeing the Golden or Meteoric Pan, do yourself a favor: skip them.
5. Diamond Pan
The Diamond Pan is the true end-game pan in Prospecting, and honestly, it earns that title fair and square. It increases the weight of minerals but adds a sweet modifier boost on top. That means not only do you get chunkier minerals, but mutated ones start stacking up your wallet real fast.
Apart from the passives, the Diamond Pan has the highest luck and capacity stat in the entire game right now. Pair it with a Meteor Shower event and a Luck Totem, and pulling out Luminum or Painite in bulk will feel less like digging and more like scooping treasure from a sandbox. Just add in a solid Luck or Greedy enchantment for some extra boost to your luck or farming ratio.
List of All Pans in Prospecting
Now you’ve got a good idea of which pans to aim for based on your progress in the game. But hey, don’t just take my word for it, right? Here’s a full breakdown of every pan in Prospecting, complete with their stats, prices, and special passives:
| Pan | Price | Luck | Capacity | Shake Strength | Shake Speed | Passive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rusty Pan | default | 1 | 5 | 0.2 | 0.8 | None |
| Plastic Pan | $500 | 1.5 | 10 | 0.4 | 0.8 | None |
| Metal Pan | $12,000 | 2 | 20 | 0.5 | 0.8 | None |
| Silver Pan | $55,000 | 4 | 30 | 0.8 | 0.9 | None |
| Golden Pan | $333,000 | 10 | 35 | 1 | 0.8 | None |
| Magnetic Pan | $1,000,000 | 15 | 50 | 1 | 0.75 | Collected minerals have 25% more weight |
| Meteoric Pan | $3,500,000 | 22 | 70 | 2 | 1 | 25% higher chance to find modifiers |
| Diamond Pan | $10,000,000 | 35 | 100 | 3 | 1 | 10 % modifier boost and size boost |
That ends our ultimate Prospecting Pan guide. Which pan are you using right now to find the mythical minerals? Let us know in the comments.
