The Lagoon

Some Mousehunt guides that I have read discuss the idea of skipping Bristle Woods at the legendary rank in favor of spending time in the Lagoon. I wholeheartedly disagree with this approach. In my experiences and opinion, Bristle Woods is one of the most important stages of the game, and represents a crucial turning point in the hunter's path towards "completion" of the game.

First, it is important to know that the Bristle Woods chain costs a truckload of money- 160k gold for the repaired map fragment, 600g per cheese (Radioactive Blue) and potentially more for Ancient cheese, 312k gold for the Obelisk of Slumber, 632,700 gold for the ACRONYM, and so on. However, there are things to consider besides the cost.

- you will need to collect runes at some point before completing the game.
- the Catacombs with ACRONYM is an insanely profitable place to farm.
- as I'm sure you have been experiencing, points are not a limiting factor. However, starting with Rodentia and the Tribal Isles, points become one.

By repairing the map swatch and spending 5 days in the labs collecting RB pots and then spending hundreds and hundreds of hunts in the catacombs, saving up for the ACRONYM and then continuing to use it in the Forbidden Grove, you will get a ton of gold (about 300k/36hrs with regular (not elite) activity) and points (about an equal number). This provides an excellent springboard to heading to Rodentia and beyond. You can now easily afford to build the boat, maybe buy a hydro trap or Digby Drillbot to give you more variety in the Tribal Isles, and still have gold to spare.

If you are experiencing some difficulties farming the gold needed for the ACRONYM (mysterious blueprints), then simply donate $10 and sell your 500 SB+. You can make about 650k doing that (including a potential tariff) and then farm away. ACRONYM is insanely profitable, allowing you to catch almost every mouse you encounter and hardly ever get robbed.

In conclusion, the amount of gold and points you gain by farming through the ACRONYM in Bristle Woods is nothing short of invaluable. Skipping this chain is extremely unwise, as frustrating and expensive as it may seem.