Build a fair two-choice scorecard
Record the visible upgrade names. Pick one goal metric. Record matched samples. Compare the results.
flatten the mountain tier list
Flatten The Mountain Upgrade Decision Guide
Rank the goal, not the label
Use measured progress, economy, payback, or convenience evidence to compare your own Skill Tree choices; no universal S-to-D ranking is verified. Earned resources can be reinvested in player progression through the game's upgrade system and Skill Tree. No invented complete node list or universal ranking is used. Use player-entered inputs to estimate progress and cash with no universal rates.
Last tested:
Progress-focused choice
Compare mountain progress with the same sample length. Choose one visible upgrade between runs.
Economy-focused choice
Compare cash change with the same sample length. Record the upgrade cost when it is visible.
When the comparison is inconclusive
Complete Skill Tree ranking. A complete node catalog, values, and versioned universal ranking are not verified.
Why is there no universal S-to-D list?
Earned resources can be reinvested in player progression through the game's upgrade system and Skill Tree. No invented complete node list or universal ranking is used.
What the checked material supports
Earned resources can be reinvested in player progression through the game's upgrade system and Skill Tree. No invented complete node list or universal ranking is used. Progress and cash estimates must use values measured and entered by the player; the project has no universal rate defaults. Use player-entered inputs to estimate results with no universal rates.
Methodology
Exact ranks remain unpublished until one documented metric can be applied to a complete live roster.
Choose one goal before comparing upgrades: visible mountain progress, cash efficiency, payback time, or convenience.
Record equal-duration before-and-after samples for at least two player-named Skill Tree choices, then order only the selected metric.
Keep ties and uncertainty visible; do not turn incomplete measurements into universal letter tiers.
Progress-focused upgrade
Readiness: Ready for a player-measured comparison
Known: The Skill Tree supports progression choices, so equal-duration samples can compare mountain progress per minute before and after one change.
Missing: The complete node catalog, current values, and a universal best choice are not documented by the checked sources.
Economy-focused upgrade
Readiness: Ready for a player-measured comparison
Known: Mining earns cash and earned resources feed the upgrade system, so equal-duration samples can compare cash per minute or measured payback.
Missing: Universal cash rates, exact costs, and stable upgrade values are not documented by the checked sources.
Best choices by situation
Need faster visible progress: No trustworthy rank yet
Compare the same number of minutes before and after each upgrade, then prefer the higher measured mountain-progress rate.
Exception: If samples use different conditions or tie within normal run-to-run variation, collect another equal-duration sample instead of forcing a winner.
Need better resource efficiency: No trustworthy rank yet
Compare cash per minute under the same conditions; when an upgrade has a known cost, also compare how long its measured rate gain would take to repay that cost.
Exception: If the new cash rate does not exceed the baseline, report no measured payback and keep the choice unranked.
Tier list questions
What is the best upgrade in Flatten The Mountain?
Use measured progress, economy, payback, or convenience evidence to compare your own Skill Tree choices; no universal S-to-D ranking is verified.
Why does this page not use S, A, B, and C tiers?
If two samples used different conditions, collect equal-duration replacements.
How should I compare two upgrades?
If the result ties, do not force a winner; use cost or convenience as a documented tiebreaker.
What does the scorecard confidence label mean?
If the result ties, do not force a winner; use cost or convenience as a documented tiebreaker.