How to extract in Into The Hive

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Finishing the main objective starts the journey out of the cave. Follow the extraction markers, fight through the remaining bugs, and board the drill pod to bring your haul back.

QUICK ANSWER

When Get to the drill pod appears, follow the blue ground arrows and orange destination marker. Dig through blocked rock with your Pickaxe, wait for the pod to open, and enter its cabin. Anywhere inside counts as aboard. Stay through GO until the doors close and Extracting appears. If Complete Mission? is open while teammates remain outside, Return to Lobby lets you leave with all your haul while the pod stays for them.

Enter the pod and stay aboard until Extracting

Complete your mission's main objective first, then look for Get to the drill pod. In Nest Clearing, finish the nest objectives; in Brood Hunt, defeat Brood Mother; in Escort the Drill, reach The Drill Is Through.

Enter the open extraction pod and remain inside its cabin. Anywhere inside counts as aboard—you do not need to gather at a particular seat or corner. Stay aboard through the GO countdown until the doors close and the objective changes to Extracting.

Follow the extraction route

  1. Follow the blue arrows on the ground toward the orange destination marker.
  2. If rock blocks your path, equip your Pickaxe and strike the obstruction with the left mouse button until you open a passage. Continue toward the marker through the opening.
  3. Keep fighting bugs that block your progress. Completing the main objective does not clear the remaining enemies.

If you have Lure Beacon equipped, press G to distract Crawlers, flyers, and other small bugs, then use the opening to move toward extraction. It does not lure bosses. See Throwables for its equipment details and recharge rules.

For navigation display options, see Controls and settings.

Blue ground arrows lead toward the orange extraction marker in Granite Caverns.

Wait for the pod and defend the entrance

At the destination, keep defending while the pod arrives and its entrance opens. In Escort the Drill, the extraction pod descends beside the wheeled mission drill. Board the separate pod to leave.

Bugs can climb the pod's ramp. Watch the entrance and keep shooting approaching enemies while waiting to board or depart.

What the extraction timer means

Granite Caverns Nest Clearing and Escort the Drill runs include a 120-second extraction countdown; a Granite Caverns Brood Hunt run begins this phase with about 120 seconds remaining. These are mission-specific examples, not a fixed timer for every extraction.

Reaching zero does not automatically fail the mission. Granite Caverns Escort the Drill and Brood Hunt runs continue through pod arrival or boarding after zero and finish successfully. If the timer ends while you are at the destination, keep defending and board when the entrance opens.

The extraction pod stands beside the mission drill, with blue arrows leading toward it.

Confirm boarding and departure

  1. Walk through the open entrance into the cabin.
  2. Check the boarding counter. It increases as players enter and changes when they leave. Solo extraction uses a one-player count such as 0/1; squad counts include 1/3 or 3/4, depending on squad size and how many players are aboard.
  3. Stay inside during GO. Defend through the open doorway without stepping back out.
  4. Remain aboard as the doors close and Extracting replaces the travel objective.

Reaching the ramp is not the same as remaining inside the cabin. Use the boarding counter to confirm your position before waiting for departure.

The GO countdown runs while the player remains inside the pod facing its open ramp.
The pod door is closed and the mission objective reads Extracting.

Return before every teammate boards

You can finish before every teammate boards when the Complete Mission? prompt is open. The prompt identifies teammates who are still outside and gives you two choices:

  • Wait: remain in the mission and continue waiting.
  • Return to Lobby: leave with all your haul. The pod remains available for teammates still in the cave.
The Complete Mission? prompt offers Wait and Return to Lobby while teammates remain outside.

Read your payout

After returning, read Cash, Rank XP, Ore Recovered, and each equipment item's Mastery XP separately. Rank XP and equipment Mastery advance different progression systems. See mission payouts and bonuses for the reward breakdown and first-clear or weekly bonus conditions.

If a teammate goes down on the way to extraction, the extraction countdown continues during a rescue. Use the teammate revive guide for the rescue interaction.