Nordic Recovery strategy: best truck to buy, best jobs
For the fastest progress in Nordic Recovery, skip the cheap pickups and save for the Heavy tow truck with boom (24,000 SEK). It can do 14 of the 15 jobs, including the lorry and bus jobs that pay the most. Do every job cleanly, take the quick dash after deliveries, and avoid crashes: a hard knock can cost more in repairs than a small job pays.
These tips build on Tips for new drivers. All numbers come from the game's own data.
Which tow truck should you buy first?
Here is what each truck adds to the jobs your free Light tow truck can already do:
| Truck | Price | New jobs it adds |
|---|---|---|
| 4x4 service pickup | 3,500 SEK | None (it does only the 5 roadside jobs) |
| Wheel-lift pickup | 6,000 SEK | None (5 roadside jobs plus the village tow) |
| Medium tow truck | 9,000 SEK | None (same 11 jobs as the light truck) |
| Tri-axle flatbed truck | 16,000 SEK | Lorry by the roadside, E4 |
| Heavy tow truck with boom | 24,000 SEK | Lorry by the roadside, Lorry in the ditch, Bus in the ditch |
| Rotator tow truck | 36,000 SEK | Overturned timber truck, plus the lorries and the bus; but no flatbed car jobs |
So the smart order is:
- Light tow truck: earn money with car jobs and roadside jobs.
- Heavy tow truck with boom: save straight up to 24,000 SEK. It adds three big jobs and keeps all your car jobs.
- Rotator tow truck: for the timber truck, the best-paid job in the game.
The pickups are the quickest trucks, so buy one later if you enjoy driving fast. They just won't get you new jobs. More about every truck is on Tow trucks and the shop.
Which jobs pay best for your time?
The time bonus is based on each job's target time, so the target time also tells you how long a job is meant to take. Here is the base pay per minute of target time, in clear weather:
| Job | Base pay | Target time | Pay per minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overturned timber truck | 19,500 SEK | 12 min 40 s | about 1,540 SEK |
| Bus in the ditch | 14,000 SEK | 10 min 40 s | about 1,310 SEK |
| Lorry by the roadside, E4 | 8,500 SEK | 7 min | about 1,210 SEK |
| Lorry in the ditch on the E4 | 12,500 SEK | 10 min 20 s | about 1,210 SEK |
| Car through the ice | 6,800 SEK | 7 min 20 s | about 930 SEK |
| Car in the ditch after meeting a moose | 3,800 SEK | 5 min | about 760 SEK |
| Car on its roof after a moose | 4,600 SEK | 6 min 20 s | about 730 SEK |
| Electric car out of juice | 2,900 SEK | 4 min 20 s | about 670 SEK |
| Bump at the rest area, E4 | 2,400 SEK | 4 min | about 600 SEK |
| Stuck in the snowbank | 1,900 SEK | 4 min 20 s | about 440 SEK |
| Tow from the village | 2,200 SEK | 5 min 20 s | about 410 SEK |
| Flat tyre on the E4 | 1,600 SEK | 5 min | about 320 SEK |
| Jump-start in the cold | 1,300 SEK | 4 min 20 s | about 300 SEK |
| Out of fuel on the country road | 1,400 SEK | 4 min 40 s | about 300 SEK |
| Keys locked in the car | 1,100 SEK | 4 min | about 280 SEK |
The heavy jobs also get up to +30% extra pay for their weight, so they pull even further ahead. Real times depend on how far away the job is, so treat this as a guide.
What it means: with the light truck, the ditch, roof and ice jobs are your best earners. Skipping a roadside call to wait for a better one is a choice you can make, but a new call takes about 20 seconds to come, and it may be another small job.
Make bad weather work for you
Bad weather raises the pay of every job: Wet +10%, Fog +15%, Snowfall +25%, Blizzard +30%. The target time grows by the same amount, so the time bonus is no harder to get. A blizzard shift is slippery, but it is the best-paid kind of shift. Check the next shift's weather in the shift summary. More on Shifts, clock and weather.
Every bonus, every time
With all three bonuses, a job pays 60% more than its base pay. On the timber truck that is 11,700 SEK extra on top of 19,500 SEK. The clean bonus alone is 10%, so on heavy jobs it is worth the extra time to park until all three lines say Good. See The workshop, pay and repairs.
Crashes are expensive
- A hit at about 72 km/h takes around 23% condition. Repairing that costs about 3,450 SEK, more than most roadside jobs pay.
- A crash into a car adds the insurance excess: 1,500 to 6,000 SEK.
- A very serious crash during a job takes you off it, so you lose that job's pay too.
Slow down near traffic, especially in snow and fog. Repair in the workshop yard after a delivery, so a dented truck doesn't make the next job slower.
Save time between jobs
- After a delivery, say yes to the Quick dash from the workshop. It counts as only 40 seconds of driving.
- Switch on the hazard lights before you arrive.
- Park once and park well. Packing the rig away and parking again costs time.
How to see all 15 jobs
- You need the Heavy tow truck with boom (or the rotator) for the lorry in the ditch and the bus, and the Rotator tow truck for the timber truck.
- Base prefers jobs you have never done before, as long as your truck can do them.
- Some jobs need the right weather. The car through the ice never comes in Wet weather. The bus comes most on wet mornings.
- If you are driving the rotator, Base won't call you for flatbed car jobs. Switch back to a truck with a flatbed for those.
The weather and time-of-day table is on Call-outs and jobs.
See also
- Heavy and tricky recoveries: how to do the big jobs well.
- FAQ: quick answers.
- More games to master: all Contenta Games guides.
- Put the plan to work: play Nordic Recovery.
