- Equipment Tokens are the core upgrade currency in Into The Hive, earned from hive runs.
- Best sources: completing objectives, destroying nests, and surviving swarm events.
- Top priority: invest your first Tokens in weapon damage upgrades for safer runs.
- Golden rule: extract alive — dying forfeits your current run's entire Token haul.
- Best loop: short runs — clear nests, trigger one swarm, extract, repeat.
What Are Equipment Tokens?
Equipment Tokens are the main progression currency in Into The Hive, the 1–4 player co-op PvE extraction shooter on Roblox by developer To The Earth's Core. Every dive into the hive is fundamentally a Token investment: you spend gear and ammo going in, and you only profit if you make it back to the extraction point alive.
Tokens serve two purposes:
- Purchasing equipment — defensive turrets, throwables, and tactical gear from the Shop menu in the lobby.
- Upgrading gear via Augments — passive buffs to damage, fire rate, survivability, and utility that define your build.
Because Tokens are only banked on successful extraction, the entire economy rewards disciplined play over greedy deep pushes. One risky run that ends in a wipe can cost more than three safe extractions earn.
| Token Use | What It Covers | When to Spend |
|---|---|---|
| Weapons & gear | Guns, turrets, throwables from the Shop | When your starter loadout stops clearing waves |
| Damage Augments | Raw damage and burst potential | First priority after early runs |
| Fire rate / reload | Attack speed, reduced reload downtime | Second wave of investment |
| Survivability | Health, resistance, healing | For frontline squad players |
| Utility & support | Turret effectiveness, revive speed | For support and turret builds |
If you die inside the hive, you lose the gear and loot from that run. Tokens already banked from previous extractions are safe — only the current run's haul is at risk.
How to Earn Equipment Tokens
There are three main income streams during a run, and they stack. A single well-planned loop can hit all three before extraction.
| Source | Payout | Risk Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hive objectives | High, scales with depth | Medium | Most reliable source; deeper objectives pay more |
| Kills & nest destruction | Small per kill, adds up | Low | Nests grant a bonus and stop enemy spawns |
| Swarm event survival | Very high | High | Often the biggest single earn of a run |
| Redeem codes | Bonus | None | Check the Shop's Redeem Code box regularly |
Objective Pusher
- Focus on deep objectives
- Highest consistent payouts
- Requires upgraded gear first
Nest Cleaner
- Destroy nests early
- Stops constant enemy spawns
- Small payouts that compound fast
Swarm Survivor
- Hold a chokepoint through the wave
- Biggest single payout
- Only with a coordinated squad
Always destroy nests before farming the enemies they spawn. Kill the source, not the symptoms — focused team fire on a nest ends the threat and banks the bonus.
The Efficient Farming Loop
The most efficient way to farm Equipment Tokens is a repeatable short loop, not one long deep run. Consistent safe extractions compound; one greedy wipe resets your progress.
Drop In With a Cheap Loadout
Don't run your best gear while farming. Equip a starter or mid-tier loadout so a wipe doesn't hurt, and save premium gear for deep objective pushes.
Clear Nearby Nests First
Sweep the area around your drop point and destroy every nest within reach. This stops background spawns and stacks small Token payouts immediately.
Complete One or Two Objectives
Grab the nearest objectives — resource collection, nest destruction, wave survival — and complete them before pushing deeper. Depth pays more, but only if you extract.
Trigger and Hold One Swarm Event
Pre-pick a defensible room or chokepoint, stagger ammo usage across the team, watch flanks, and never chase kills into open tunnels mid-wave.
Extract Immediately After the Wave Breaks
The moment the swarm breaks, move to the extraction point as a group, save ammo for the final push, and hold the extraction while it activates — pressure often escalates during the wait.
Repeating short, safe runs beats one long run that ends in a death. Every successful extraction banks Tokens permanently — dying with a big haul means losing all of it.
Upgrade Priority: Where to Spend Tokens
Spending order matters as much as earning rate. The right first purchases make every subsequent run safer and more profitable, creating a positive feedback loop.
| Priority | Upgrade | Tier | Why It Comes First |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weapon damage | ★★★★★ | Faster kills mean fewer insects on you, directly reducing damage taken |
| 2 | Fire rate / reload | ★★★★☆ | Keeps damage uptime high during sustained swarms |
| 3 | Armor durability | ★★★★☆ | Frontline and solo players survive deeper pushes |
| 4 | Mobility / movement speed | ★★★☆☆ | Kiting and escaping overrun chokepoints gets much easier |
| 5 | Turret & utility Augments | ★★★☆☆ | Best for support players anchoring 3–4 player squads |
In a 3–4 player squad, coordinate Token spending: let one player specialize in survivability and turret Augments to anchor the defense while others stack damage. A diversified squad outperforms four identical builds.
Token Farming Milestones:
- Unlock first weapon damage Augment
- Bank enough Tokens for a defensive turret
- Survive a full swarm event without a wipe
- Complete a full nest-clear extraction loop
- Build a survivability set for deep runs
Common Mistakes & Recovery
Wiped with your best gear? Do not immediately re-drop with your remaining premium equipment. Re-equip a cheap starter loadout, run a short shallow loop, and rebuild your Token bank before attempting deep runs again.
The most common Token-losing mistakes:
- Pushing one more objective while the team is low on health or ammo — greed kills.
- Sprinting through chokepoints toward extraction instead of clearing them as a group.
- Ignoring nests and fighting an endless spawn stream instead of destroying the source.
- Idling in enclosed tunnels where spider-type enemies ambush from ceilings.
- Spending Tokens on utility before weapon damage, leaving your DPS too weak for deeper waves.
FAQ
Q: What are Equipment Tokens used for in Into The Hive?
Equipment Tokens are the core upgrade currency. You spend them in the Shop on gear like turrets and throwables, and in the Augments system on passive upgrades covering damage, fire rate, survivability, and utility.
Q: Do you lose Equipment Tokens when you die?
You lose the Tokens earned during that specific run, plus the gear you brought in. Tokens banked from previous successful extractions are safe, which is why short safe extraction loops beat risky deep pushes.
Q: What is the fastest way to farm Equipment Tokens?
The most efficient loop is: drop in with a cheap loadout, clear nearby nests, complete one or two objectives, hold one swarm event at a chokepoint, then extract immediately. Repeating this cycle banks Tokens consistently.
Q: Which upgrades should I buy first with Equipment Tokens?
Weapon damage first, without exception. Faster kills mean fewer enemies reaching you, which reduces incoming damage and makes every later run safer and more profitable. Fire rate and armor come next.