Browse docs
Metal detector
Use a detector from your inventory to search, then use a shovel to recover the selected find. The basic detector and shovel are available without a skill purchase. Standard and premium tools are separate items unlocked through the detector skill tree.
Where to search
Sand, grass, earth, gravel, mud and leafy ground are enabled by default. Asphalt, unsuitable slopes, excluded areas and submerged ground are not valid search surfaces. Searchable ground is available across the map; a player does not need to remain inside a fixed treasure zone.
The default Vespucci Beach hotzone selects a beach loot profile. Hotzones still obey terrain and water checks. If zones overlap, the first matching enabled zone applies; their effects do not stack.
Detector and shovel tiers
| Equipment | Base price | Default capability |
|---|---|---|
| Rusty metal detector | 150 | 22 m range |
| Standard metal detector | 450 | 30 m range |
| Premium metal detector | 1,000 | 35 m range |
| Old shovel | 50 | 4 digging cycles |
| Standard shovel | 150 | 3 digging cycles |
| Premium shovel | 350 | 2 digging cycles |
Starter tools are available initially. Standard tools require level 3 and the respective detector_standard or shovel_standard skill. Premium tools require level 8 and detector_premium or shovel_premium.
These are base values before skill effects and general shop discounts. Range skills extend detector reach. Separate skills provide signal assistance, improve recovery and unlock further find tiers.
Recovering a find
Walk towards the strongest signal, switch to the shovel and complete the prompted strokes near the find. The server checks the tool, location, timing and reservation before delivering a reward. Another player cannot collect the same reserved find simultaneously.
A successfully recovered location remains empty for 60 minutes by default, including across resource restarts. After a successful detector find, the default settings require another 12 seconds of active detector searching and 15 metres of movement before the next recovery. Move on to another patch of ground.
Rewards and progression
The detector has 32 default collectible items, including copper cable, horseshoes, jewellery, coins and the Mask of the Silent King. Earth and sand have separate pools. Some rewards require a shoreline or a higher unlocked find tier; the mask belongs to the sand pool.
A delivered find awards detector XP and general XP. The album records the first successful discovery of each item. Cancelling, switching equipment or retrying an inventory delivery does not reroll the same reserved reward.
Configure this activity in config/config.lua, config/loot.lua, config/hotzones.lua, config/findprops.lua and config/server.lua.