The quota is the only score that matters in Lethal Company. Every choice your crew makes — which moon to run, how long to stay inside, when to cut and leave — is a calculation against one number: the scrap value you owe The Company before the deadline ends your run. New crews lose not because they fail to find scrap, but because they mismanage the quota system itself. They sell too early at a low rate, run the wrong moons on the wrong days, or simply do not understand what the numbers on the terminal mean. This guide covers the full quota system from first principles — how it works, how the day counter forces your hand, when to sell for maximum payout, and the exact daily strategy that makes quota every single run. If you are completely new to the game, start with our Lethal Company beginner’s guide before diving into quota optimisation.
The Quota System Explained
Every Lethal Company run begins with a quota — a specific credit value of scrap you must deliver to The Company before a set deadline. The deadline is fixed: miss it and The Company fires your entire crew, ending the run permanently. There are no extensions, no partial credits, and no negotiation.
The starting quota is typically 130 credits, which is low enough for new crews to learn the scavenging loop without immediate pressure. Once you meet the deadline, the quota resets at a significantly higher value — typically increasing by 50–99% per cycle. A run that starts at 130 credits escalates fast: second quota around 200, third around 340, fourth pushing 500 or more. Each cycle increases the pressure and pushes crews toward higher-risk moons earlier in the day cycle.
Failing the quota is an unrecoverable game-over. The Company does not accept partial payment. If you have 129 credits of scrap and the quota is 130, you fail. This is why quota management — not raw scavenging skill — is the core competency that separates crews that run long games from crews that flame out at cycle three. The system is not hard once you understand it; it is only unforgiving to those who ignore it.
How Days Work
Each Lethal Company run is measured in in-game days counting down to the quota deadline. In early cycles you typically have three to four days per quota period. As quotas scale and The Company’s patience thins, that window can shrink. Each day follows the same structure: choose a moon, travel via autopilot, scavenge, and return to the ship before nightfall.
Night is the critical threshold. After dark, monster spawn rates on all moons increase dramatically and the exterior becomes extremely dangerous. Creatures that are manageable in daylight become overwhelming at night, and the risk-reward calculation flips hard against continuing to scavenge. The rule is simple: get back to the ship before night falls on every day that is not a declared emergency run.
Travel time also factors into your planning. The ship’s autopilot routes between moons automatically, but the journey consumes a portion of each day. Choosing a moon far from your current position eats into your scavenging window. Route efficiently: cluster your moon visits where possible and avoid unnecessary backtracking between locations when time is already short.
The Quota Math: Buy Rates and Sell Timing
Before you can manage quota strategically, you need to read the numbers accurately. The ship’s terminal tracks everything. The “sell” command shows your total held scrap value — everything currently on the ship combined. Check this at the start and end of every moon run to track your progress against quota and decide whether to push another moon or head to The Company.
The critical variable most new crews ignore is The Company’s buy rate, which fluctuates on a weekly cycle. Monday purchases pay the lowest rate. The rate increases steadily across the week, reaching maximum on Saturday and Sunday — the final days before the quota deadline. Selling on a Monday at 25% rate when the weekend rate is 100% means you effectively need four times as much scrap to reach the same quota value. This is not a marginal difference. It is the single biggest lever in the entire quota system.
The strategic rule: if you have enough scrap to cover quota at the current rate, hold until Friday–Sunday for the premium payout. The only exception is when your deadline is Monday and you are short — in that case, sell immediately rather than waiting for a rate that will not arrive in time. Never hold scrap waiting for a better rate when the deadline would expire before that rate applies.
Scrap Value Guide: What to Prioritise
Not all scrap is equal. Different items carry different base values, and knowing the high-value targets changes how you prioritise inside a facility. Focusing your inventory on the best items first ensures you maximise credit value per trip even when carrying capacity limits what you can haul.
| Item | Value Tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apparatus | Extremely High | Very heavy — takes up most of one inventory slot; always worth taking if accessible |
| Gold Bar | High | Compact with excellent value-to-weight ratio; easy to carry multiples |
| Cash Register | High | Bulky but consistently high value; prioritise over filler when inventory allows |
| Airhorn | Medium–High | Common in facilities; always take if spotted, strong per-slot value |
| Bottles, Clocks, Phones | Medium | Reliable quota filler; load these once high-value items are secured |
| Rubber Duck, Egg Beater | Low | Take only if inventory space remains after securing higher-value items |
Low-value items still contribute when you are going over quota to build a buffer. A stack of rubber ducks adds up when you need an extra 30 credits to clear the threshold. Never leave items behind when your inventory has room — the quota does not care where the credits came from, and even the cheapest scrap compounds across a full ship run.
Daily Quota Strategy: The Three-Day Plan
Most early-cycle quotas are achievable in three disciplined days. The structure below is the baseline your crew should return to every run until quotas scale high enough to demand a four-day push:
Day 1: Establish your baseline. Run a low-risk free moon — Experimentation or Vow. These moons cost nothing to route to and carry manageable threat levels for any crew size. Gather everything accessible, return before dark, and check the terminal for your total held value. Day one answers the key question: how far from quota are you, and how much work is left over the remaining days?
Day 2: Push the interior. Route to a medium-risk moon such as Assurance or March and focus specifically on interior facilities rather than the exterior. Facility interiors have significantly higher scrap density than open exterior areas, and the most valuable items — apparatus, cash registers, gold bars — are almost always found deep inside rather than near entry points. Our Lethal Company moons guide covers the exact scrap density and creature risk profile of every available moon so you can match the right target to your current quota gap without guessing.
Day 3: Close the gap or commit to risk. If quota is not met after day two, run a high-value moon even at elevated creature risk. This is commitment day — hesitating and running a safe low-value moon on day three is how runs end at exactly 95% of quota. Rend and Dine offer strong interior scrap density at medium-high risk. Titan carries the highest total scrap value in the game at the cost of the most dangerous creature pool on any moon. Before committing to a dangerous moon, review which creatures spawn there — our Lethal Company creatures guide covers every threat with detection method and survival strategy. Sell on the final day at The Company for the maximum weekend rate.
Emergency Quota Strategies
Sometimes day two goes catastrophically wrong — crew deaths, a bad creature spawn, a Jester that wipes the interior team while half your quota value is still on the ground. If you reach the final day with 50% or more of quota still unmet, the standard three-day plan is gone and you are in emergency mode.
Run the highest-value moon available regardless of risk. Titan or Rend is the correct call when the quota gap is large and only one day remains. The risk calculation changes completely when the alternative is certain failure: a dangerous moon with a real chance of survival beats a safe moon that mathematically cannot cover the gap.
Dead players lose their held scrap. This is the most critical rule for emergency runs. Any scrap a crew member is carrying when they die is permanently lost. On a high-risk emergency run, players should make multiple short trips back to the ship, depositing scrap before returning for more, rather than holding a full inventory and dying with everything. The scrap on the ship is safe even if the carrier is not.
Assign a ship monitor coordinator. One crew member stays on the ship watching the radar and calling out total held scrap value via the terminal scan as teammates work on the surface. The coordinator tracks when the held value crosses the quota threshold in real time, telling the active team whether to extract immediately or push for more. This role prevents over-runs where players stay too long past the safe extraction window because nobody checked the numbers.
The Company’s maximum buy rate on the final deadline day means even a modest emergency haul sells at full premium. Do not give up if the math looks tight — sell everything, let the rate do its work, and see the result before declaring the run lost.
Quota Scaling: The Long-Game Strategy
The meta-strategy of every successful Lethal Company crew is simple: never just meet quota. Always aim to over-deliver by at least 20%. This does not mean grinding endlessly — it means building a surplus buffer that absorbs bad days without costing the run.
Early quotas are manageable enough that a 20% surplus is achievable on most solid scavenging days. That surplus carries over as scrap on the ship heading into the next cycle, giving you a head start on a higher-value target. By the time quotas reach 400–600 credits per cycle, banked surplus is the difference between a manageable push and a desperate scramble on day three.
Stay one to two quotas ahead in total scrap value wherever possible. Treat quota management as a savings account, not a debt payment: you are building reserves, not scrambling for the minimum each cycle. The crew that consistently banks 20% over quota survives long enough to see the late-game. The crew that scrapes by at exactly 100% every run eventually hits one bad day and loses everything with no buffer left to catch the fall.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the starting quota in Lethal Company?
The starting quota is typically 130 credits. This is intentionally low to give new players time to learn scavenging mechanics before the pressure escalates. By cycle four or five, most crews are managing quotas of 400 credits or more per deadline.
How much does quota increase each cycle?
Quota increases by approximately 50–99% after each deadline is met, with some variability. Expect the number to roughly double every two to three cycles as you progress deeper into a run. There is no fixed cap — quotas scale until the run ends.
Should I sell scrap immediately or wait for the weekend rate?
Wait for Friday–Sunday if you already have enough scrap to cover quota at the current rate. The Company pays maximum payout over the weekend, which can effectively double your credit income compared to a Monday sale. The only exception is when your deadline is Monday and you are short — sell then rather than miss the deadline entirely.
What happens if my whole crew dies before quota?
Any crew member who dies loses all scrap they were carrying at the time of death. If every player dies simultaneously with scrap still on the ground, the run ends and quota fails. Always have at least one player returning to the ship to preserve any scrap already deposited there. Scrap on the ship is safe regardless of what happens to the crew on the moon.
Can I carry scrap over between quota cycles?
Yes. Scrap stored on the ship persists between quota cycles. This is the foundation of the 20% banking strategy — over-deliver each cycle, leave the surplus on the ship, and start the next quota with a head start. Crews that actively bank surplus scrap run dramatically more stable long games than those who sell everything each cycle and start the next one from zero.
Sources
- Lethal Company Wiki. Quota — Mechanics and Scaling Data. Fandom
- IGN. Lethal Company Quota Guide — How to Meet the Quota. IGN
- The Gamer. Lethal Company — Tips for Meeting the Quota. TheGamer
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.