Best Tubes in Abyss — Upgrade Priority Guide

Short Answer

Pufferfish Tube ($2,850) is the first tube worth actively saving for — it is the upgrade that makes Ancient Sands accessible and is consistently described across Game8, Destructoid, and Beebom as the early-game milestone that changes what you can do.

Boat Tube (~$5,250) is the next milestone after Pufferfish — it is the upgrade most commonly cited as the point where your farming income in Ancient Sands meaningfully increases.

Normal Tube is the most commonly misunderstood tube in the game. Game8 and community discussion both treat it as a quest reward, not a purchase — spending $350 on it delays the Pufferfish Tube buy and is described as a mistake across public guides.

All Tubes — Quick Reference

Stats from Beebom (February 12, 2026). Prices may change with game updates — confirm in-game. Shop attribution for Boat Tube is consistent with the main site standard (see note in that row).

The most common misconception about tubes is treating them as simple upgrades — like buying a better gun. Tubes are more like movement and access tools. Beebom describes the core function directly: tubes control oxygen level, movement speed, maximum depth, and how many fish you can carry at once. All four factors affect how efficiently you earn money, not just how long you can stay underwater.

Oxygen capacity is the primary factor. More oxygen means longer dives, which means more catches per trip, which compounds into more income per session. This is why the gap between Wooden Tube (40 oxygen) and Pufferfish Tube (110 oxygen) is described by public guides as a “significant” rather than marginal improvement — the depth access changes what zones are practical to farm.

Depth limit is the gatekeeper for zone access. Game8 describes Ancient Sands as requiring a Pufferfish Tube for practical access — not impossible with a lower tube, but inefficient enough that it slows progression. Each tube tier opens new areas that are impractical at lower tiers, not just more convenient.

Speed is less dramatic between tiers (20/s to 22/s to 24/s in the early upgrades) but matters for how quickly you can get between fishing spots and back to sell. Beebom notes the speed increase is more meaningful at the Oxy Tube and Lost Spirit Tube tiers, where the jump to 28/s and 30/s is more noticeable.

Weight capacity affects how many fish you can hold before returning to sell. Larger catches mean fewer trips, which means more time actually fishing. This is part of why Boat Tube (120kg) and especially Rukiry Tube (180kg) are described as meaningful upgrades in community discussion — the carrying capacity matters for sustained farming runs.

The practical consequence: a tube purchase decision should be based on which zone you are trying to farm, not on which tube is the newest or most expensive. This is the connection that most guides — and this page's companion What To Buy First and Fish Route Guide — tie together. A gun upgrade you cannot use effectively because your tube limits your oxygen is money poorly spent.

Early Game — Start to ~$500

Wooden Tube is your only option here, and that is fine. Beebom describes this as the tutorial tube with enough oxygen (40) and depth limit (15m) to handle starter zone fish. Do not spend money on the Normal Tube — Game8 is explicit that it is a quest reward, and community discussion commonly describes buying it as a mistake that delays the Pufferfish Tube milestone.

The real goal at this stage is Diver Delivery quests from the Kraken NPC to build cash for Pufferfish Tube ($2,850). The Wooden Tube is not limiting your income meaningfully at this point — it is limiting your zone access, which you cannot use yet anyway.

Early-Mid Game — Pufferfish Tube ($2,850)

Pufferfish Tube is the first milestone. Beebom and Game8 both confirm $2,850 and the oxygen jump from 70 to 110. The depth jump to 180m is what makes Ancient Sands accessible — Game8 describes Ancient Sands as impractical below this tube tier.

This is also the point where gun progression becomes relevant — a mid-tier gun like Crossbow Gun ($4,750, available from Henry's Harpoon Shop) paired with Pufferfish Tube is described across Destructoid and Pro Game Guides as the practical setup for Ancient Sands farming. You do not need both at once, but neither is useful without the other.

Hold Pufferfish Tube until you have Boat Tube — there is no reason to upgrade earlier within Forgotten Deep, since it is already sufficient for that zone's depth requirements.

Mid Game — Boat Tube (~$5,250) and the $10,000 Milestone

Boat Tube is consistently described across all major public guides as the most important mid-game purchase. Destructoid cites it as the upgrade that “can get you through majority of the fish available in Ancient Sands.” Game8 frames it as the second major milestone after Pufferfish Tube, with community discussion commonly treating the $10,000 combined target (Boat Tube + Crossbow Gun) as the Ancient Sands readiness checkpoint.

The shop attribution for Boat Tube varies between public guides — confirm the exact location in-game before making the trip. Destructoid recommends funding the Boat Tube specifically through Diver Delivery quests, noting that this farming method is the most reliable path to $5,250 without diverting from the progression loop. This connects directly to the Money Guide's recommended farming path— the Boat Tube funds itself through the income it enables.

Late Progression — Rukiry Tube ($40,500) and Beyond

Rukiry Tube ($40,500) is the documented next milestone after Boat Tube. Beebom gives the price and location (Ancient Sands, beside Grumpy Hank). Game8 describes Rukiry Tube as required for Spirit Roots access, and community discussion commonly treats it as the upgrade that opens the deepest farming areas. However, this price point has only single-source support — treat it as approximate.

Beyond Rukiry Tube, public discussion becomes sparse. Beebom lists Oxy Tube ($84,500), Lost Spirit Tube ($150,000), and Ruined Tube as further upgrades, but community guides consistently describe these as late-game luxury milestones, not near-term targets. The Best Race Guide notes that late-game income from Spirit Roots mutation farming is what funds these high-end upgrades.

Note: Beebom is the only reviewed source with prices for Oxy Tube, Lost Spirit Tube, and Ruined Tube. None of these prices have been cross-verified. Ruined Tube in particular has no documented price or stats in any public source — do not plan around it until verified in-game.

If you have $2,850 and nothing else in the tube upgrade path yet, Pufferfish Tube is the answer. Not because it is the most expensive thing you can buy — it is not — but because it is the upgrade that removes the most significant access gate in the game.

Game8 describes Ancient Sands as the zone where most players' income per catch meaningfully increases, and describes Pufferfish Tube as the requirement for practical access. The oxygen jump from 70 (Normal Tube, even if you somehow bought it) to 110 is substantial, and the 180m depth limit is where Ancient Sands becomes navigable rather than just barely reachable.

Best value does not mean cheapest. The Boat Tube at $5,250 is not the entry-level upgrade — that would be Pufferfish Tube at $2,850. But Boat Tube represents the highest return-per-dollar upgrade in the tube progression because of what it enables relative to its cost.

The oxygen jump from Pufferfish (110) to Boat (130) looks modest on paper, but Destructoid and Game8 both frame Boat Tube as the point where Ancient Sands farming becomes genuinely efficient rather than just possible. Community discussion commonly treats this as the checkpoint where your income/hour stabilizes at a meaningfully higher level.

Compared to the next upgrade — Rukiry Tube at approximately $40,500 — the Boat Tube costs less than 13% as much while delivering the upgrade that makes the high-income zone accessible in the first place. The Fish Route Guide describes Ancient Sands as the zone where you earn the money to afford Rukiry Tube, which means Boat Tube is the prerequisite for its own successor.

Based on consistent guidance across Game8, Destructoid, Beebom, and community discussion. Prices are approximate — confirm in-game.

Strong support — 2+ sources agree

• ✓Pufferfish Tube ($2,850) as first meaningful tube upgrade — Game8 + Beebom + Destructoid
• ✓Normal Tube as quest reward, not purchase — Game8 (community discussion agrees)
• ✓Boat Tube (~$5,250) as the major Ancient Sands milestone — Game8 + Destructoid + Beebom
• ✓Tube affects oxygen capacity, depth limit, speed, and weight — Beebom (explicit)
• ✓Pufferfish Tube is required for practical Ancient Sands access — Game8 + Beebom
• ✓Diver Delivery as primary Boat Tube funding method — Destructoid
• ✓Rukiry Tube as Spirit Roots entry requirement — Beebom + Game8 (partial)

Community consensus — single source or qualitative

• ⚠Rukiry Tube exact price ($40,500) — single source (Beebom)
• ⚠Oxy Tube price and stats — single source (Beebom)
• ⚠Lost Spirit Tube price and stats — single source (Beebom)
• ⚠Boat Tube shop attribution — conflict between Beebom (Ancient Sands/Marcus) and shops-guide (David's). Community commonly cites Marcus as quest NPC, not tube merchant.
• ⚠Buying Normal Tube is a mistake — single source (Game8) + community discussion, no direct contradiction but limited primary documentation

Do not plan around these yet

• ✗Ruined Tube — no price, no stats, no location documented in any reviewed source
• ✗Oxy Tube, Lost Spirit Tube exact prices — single-source, unverified