Pebbles are the only currency that matters in Over the Hill. You spend them at the Mechanic on vehicle upgrades, and a stock truck can only climb so many muddy hills before it needs better tires, a longer winch reach, or more engine. The fastest way to build a balance is to grab the one-time payouts as you explore, then lean on meteorites, which keep falling, while you repeat challenge trails and recoveries.
Quick answer: Extract meteorites (15 to 80 Pebbles each, and they keep respawning) using the Meteor Radar. Then repeat challenge trails (3 to 8 each) and recoveries (5 each) for steady income.
Over the Hill Pebbles rewards by source
Some rewards pay once and are gone. Others pay every time. Knowing which is which keeps you from grinding something that has already paid out.
| Source | Pebbles | Repeats? |
|---|---|---|
| Meteorites | 15–80 by size | Yes, new ones fall |
| Challenge trails | 15–40 once, plus 3–8 per run | Yes, repeat payout |
| Item recoveries | 25 once, plus 5 per run | Yes, repeat payout |
| Wildlife photos | 20–100 by rarity | No, first photo per species |
| Scenic points | 15 | No |
| Cabins | 10 | No |
| Mechanic (first visit per area) | 10 | No |
| Crates | 5 plus a cosmetic | No |
For trails and recoveries, the repeat payout also lands on your first completion, on top of the one-time reward. Every one-time source across the map adds up to 3,240 Pebbles. That’s a solid start, but it isn’t enough to max out more than a handful of vehicles. Past that point, meteorites and repeat runs are your income.
Meteorites: the fastest repeatable Pebbles
Each area has two or three meteorites on the ground at a time, and new ones keep falling. They land across a wide set of spawn points, and Emerald Lake alone has 34. You can stumble onto them by their orange glow. The Meteor Radar, bought from the Mechanic, saves a lot of aimless driving because it gives you a compass bearing toward the nearest rock.
How to extract a meteorite
Meteorite sizes and Pebbles values
| Size | Pebbles | Crew needed |
|---|---|---|
| Very small | 15 | 1 |
| Small | 20 | 1 |
| Medium | 30 | 1 |
| Large | 40 | 2 |
| Very large | 50 | 2 |
| Huge | 60 | 3 |
| Massive | 80 | 4 |
Solo players can pull very small, small and medium rocks on their own. Anything larger needs a co-op crew. The listed value is the rock’s reward, and the way it divides among the players who pull it isn’t confirmed.
In co-op, every helper must run their own winch line straight to the meteorite. Hooking a second truck onto the first truck’s bumper doesn’t count toward the pull.
Repeat challenge trails and recoveries for steady Pebbles
Repeat runs used to be broken. Recoveries and challenge trails weren’t paying Pebbles on later completions until the October 16 update fixed it. Now every completion pays, so a trail you can finish cleanly becomes a reliable farm once you’ve cleared the map.
Challenge trails send you along a set route to a finish line, often through swamps, narrow paths and steep climbs. The first clear pays between 15 and 40 Pebbles, and some trails also unlock a vehicle or cosmetics. In Emerald Lake, for example, Hermit Trail pays 40 Pebbles plus The Burro, and Windy Joe Trail pays 25 plus The Trail Burner. Vehicle unlocks don’t repeat, but the per-run Pebbles do. These trails pay 8 Pebbles on every run:
- Asulkan Lake Highline
- El Kalaa South Ascent
- Elvis Rim Trail
- Hermit Trail
- Jazira Ascent
- Mahrouqa West Track
- Midgar Ascent
- Shabah Ascent
- Waddington Scree Trail
Other vehicle-unlock trails, such as Blanshard Ridge Trail, Tarfa Ascent and Windcall Gorge Trail, pay 5 per repeat. Some smaller trails pay as little as 3. Elizabeth Oath Trail is one of them. No fixed Pebbles-per-hour figure exists for any trail. A short 5-Pebble route you can finish in one go may beat an 8-Pebble climb that keeps flipping your truck, so time a few runs yourself.
Recoveries are towing jobs. Find a question mark icon on your map, drive to the stranded vehicle, winch onto it, and tow it to the marked end point. The first delivery pays 25 Pebbles plus the repeat reward, and each later delivery pays 5.
One-time Pebbles to collect while exploring
Because each reward is available only once, collect these on your way to meteorites and trails instead of making dedicated trips. Start with cabins. Reaching one awards 10 Pebbles, shows local points of interest on your map, and establishes a fast travel, repair, and respawn point. This makes the next group of crates and scenic points faster to reach. Visit the Mechanic in every new area, too, for 10 Pebbles on your first visit. The five areas are Emerald Lake, Gimli Ridge, Asgard Mountain, Tassili n’Ajjer Desert, and Aurès Mountains.
Wildlife photo Pebbles by rarity
When you spot an animal, open the radial menu and pick the camera to take its photo. Only the first photo of each species pays, and later shots of the same animal earn nothing.
| Rarity | Pebbles per new species |
|---|---|
| Common | 20 |
| Uncommon | 20 |
| Rare | 50 |
| Very Rare | 100 |
A single Very Rare photo is worth more than a massive meteorite, so keep the camera close even when you’re mainly hunting rocks.
How many Pebbles Over the Hill upgrades cost
Upgrading one vehicle from stock to its maximum performance stages costs 675 Pebbles. Each vehicle has its own separate upgrades, so maxing all 21 vehicles costs 14,175 Pebbles. That total doesn’t include cosmetics, paint, tools, or the price of buying a vehicle.
In practice, the one-time rewards cover upgrades for about four vehicles. One full vehicle works out to roughly nine massive meteorites, or about 85 runs of an 8-Pebble trail. Pick one main truck, put your early Pebbles into it, and let the meteorites that keep falling pay for the rest of your garage over time.
