Into The Hive Demolition equipment: Pickaxe, Drill and C4

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Choose a Demolition tool for mining, opening cave passages or fighting bugs. Pickaxe, handheld Drill and C4 share one equipment slot, so choose around the job you need it to do.

QUICK ANSWER

Equip Pickaxe, Drill or C4 through Loadout > Demolition; the default mission key is 1. Drill moved from Utility in the November 14, 2026 update. Choose Pickaxe for mining, controlled digging and close-range strikes, or Drill for handheld excavation. C4 is strongest against bugs among the three tools, but slowest through dirt.

The Demolition slot

  1. Open Loadout in the lobby and select Demolition.
  2. Choose Pickaxe, Drill or C4 for the slot.
  3. During a mission, press 1 under the default hotbar layout to select your tool.

If you rearrange the hotbar through Settings > Controls, use the key assigned to the tool's new slot.

The handheld Drill moved from Utility to Demolition in the November 14, 2026 update. Look for it alongside Pickaxe and C4 when preparing your loadout. All three tools support equipment levels, Mastery and Demolition Augments.

Demolition tool directory

Choose for the work ahead: excavation and close-range strikes, handheld drilling, or sticky explosions.

Compare excavation and combat uses of Demolition tools.

3 objects
Pickaxe Mining and terrain excavation —
Handheld drill Terrain excavation 1 slot Mastery 1
Sticky explosive Bug-focused demolition —

Digging and Pickaxe attacks

Break a wall and open a passage

  1. Equip Pickaxe and face the dirt or rock blocking your route.
  2. Use the left mouse button to strike repeatedly until an opening forms.
  3. Continue digging into the opening to make a passage, then follow the route arrows or objective marker through it.

Aim upward to strike rock in the cave ceiling. After a strike, the Pickaxe's hotbar slot briefly displays a recovery countdown.

When bugs are beyond the wall, open the passage first, then switch to a combat weapon to fight them. During extraction, dig toward the pod marker and keep advancing through the opening.

Attack bugs and nests

Pickaxe also works at close range against bugs, including Brute. Move within striking distance and swing at the target; successful Brute hits produce damage numbers and reduce its health.

To destroy a nest with Pickaxe, approach it and keep striking until it breaks and NEST DESTROYED appears. Pickaxe can also break ore deposits.

Pickaxe facing a blocked tunnel with the LMB DIG prompt visible.
An opening through orange cave rock leads toward the objective marker.
Pickaxe striking a nest at close range beside the DESTROY THE NEST prompt.

C4 and tool choices

Use C4

Select C4 from your Demolition slot and throw it onto rock or a bug. The charge sticks to the target and explodes one second after attaching.

Choose for excavation or combat

  • Pickaxe: Choose it for direct control over mining and removing terrain with repeated strikes. It also provides close-range attacks against bugs and nests.
  • Drill: Choose it as the handheld excavation alternative in the same slot.
  • C4: Choose it when bug damage takes priority. It is the strongest of the three Demolition tools against bugs and the slowest through dirt.

For a loadout focused on opening routes through dirt, take Pickaxe or Drill.

Mining and equipment progression

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