In Update 5, Dr. Scramble arrived with an event that repeats every 30 minutes: his drones invade the map, you destroy them, you collect Samples, and you spend those Samples in the Experiment Shop. It also hid a secret about a runaway experiment called Nibbles, and a broken vault that gives a bat. This guide goes through every item in the shop with its price, the Nibbles quest, the Vault steps and the question everybody has: what is worth buying.
The Dr. Scramble event in one minute
The Update 5 notes say that every 30 minutes the drones invade. The wiki shows three types of drone, and each one drops Samples when you defeat it:
- Scrap Drone
- Reactor Drone
- Augmented Drone
The wiki also says that higher-health drones drop more of the limited Sample currency. The shop sits beneath the pet menu. A few drones drop a random Drone Part too, which matters for the Vault below.
Update 5 was only the first half. In Update 6, Dr. Scramble returned in a Mecha for "Part 2" with a 100-tier Boss Milestone. That part is covered in our Boss Tokens and Boss Mastery guide, so this guide stays on the Update 5 drones, the shop and the secrets.
Everything in the Experiment Shop
The wiki lists these items, with the Sample cost next to each:
| Item | What it is | Stock or duration | Cost in Samples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scrambled Mutation | A mutation consumable, 10% chance to apply | x1 | 475 |
| Experiment #001 Egg | A Secret pet egg | 1 in stock | 6,500 |
| Nibbles #013 Egg | A Cosmic pet egg | 3 in stock | 2,950 |
| 2x Cash Booster | Doubles cash | 10 minutes | 275 |
| 1.25x Speed Booster | Speed multiplier | 5 minutes | 375 |
| 2x Treadmill Booster | Doubles treadmill gain | 10 minutes | 375 |
The notes call the rewards "exclusive" and "limited". The stock numbers (1 and 3) on the two eggs are the limits shown on the wiki, so you cannot buy an unlimited number of them.
The two eggs, compared
| Pet | Rarity | Base income | Grow time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experiment #001 | Secret | $285M/s | 3h 30m | 6,500 Samples |
| Nibbles #013 | Cosmic | $185K/s | 15m | 2,950 Samples |
Experiment #001 pays $285M/s. Nibbles #013 pays $185K/s. The first one costs about 2.2 times as many Samples but earns about 1,540 times more money per second. So if your goal is income, the Secret egg is the clear pick, and if you are low on Samples the Nibbles egg is a cheap Cosmic pet. The wiki marks the Experiment #001 Egg as "event-limited".
The Scrambled mutation
The Scrambled mutation is worth x2.75, with a "poison-like effect", the same multiplier as Fractured. The wiki says you can apply it to an egg with a 10% chance. A simple way to read that is one success in ten tries on average, and each try uses a consumable at 475 Samples. That would be roughly 4,750 Samples per success, and this is our own arithmetic from the wiki numbers, not a figure from the game. Check the full table in the mutations guide.
The Nibbles #013 secret
The notes tell the story. One of Dr. Scramble's experiments has escaped. Nibbles, also called Experiment #013, is hiding somewhere on the map. The steps are:
- 1Find Nibbles hiding in the world.
- 2Discover his secret mission.
- 3Complete the mission.
- 4Obtain a secret item.
The notes end with "You'll have to figure out the rest yourself", and the wiki does not reveal what the secret item is. We do not guess it. The Vault guide below, however, starts with talking to Nibbles.
The Stolen Experiment Vault
The wiki describes a damaged vault missing 5 parts. You need all of them to unlock it: 2 Lost Parts found in the biomes and 3 Drone Parts dropped by drones. The reward is a Bat, the limited Scrambler bat. Here is the guide from the wiki:
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Go to Abyss Ocean. On the left side of the wall there is a cave where the quest begins. |
| 2 | Talk to the escaped Experiment #013 to start the quest. |
| 3 | Lost Part #1 is inside the Volcano. |
| 4 | Lost Part #2 is behind the bush in Prehistoric, near the T-Rex. |
| 5 | Defeat the drones that spawn every 30 minutes for a random chance at 3 Drone Parts. |
| 6 | Bring all 5 parts to the vault and take the Scrambler bat. |
You will need the Speed to enter Abyss Ocean, the Volcano and Prehistoric. Those zones need 2.5M, 700K and 18M Speed on the biome list, so a player who can reach the later zones already meets them. See the biomes page for all numbers.
Experiment pets you can earn later
Dr. Scramble's name also appears on the pets you earn through Boss Mastery in Update 6. Those are not bought with Samples but with boss kills, and the wiki lists the points needed:
| Pet | Rarity | Base income | Boss Mastery points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye Bat #021 | Legendary | $115K/s | 10 |
| Citadel Snail #007 | Mythic | $12.5M/s | 25 |
| Uncoiled Armadillo | Cosmic | $625K/s | 50 |
| Mecha Chompa | Secret | $600M/s | 75 |
| Pink Dragon Experiment #010 | Eternal | $2.5B/s | 100 |
How many Samples is the whole shop?
Adding one of every item gives 475 + 6,500 + 2,950 + 275 + 375 + 375 = 10,950 Samples. If you buy all 3 Nibbles eggs instead of one, add 5,900 more. The wiki does not say how many Samples a drone drops or how many drones appear in a wave, so we cannot tell you how many events it takes. Plan around the cheapest goal first.
What to buy first
Without testing the game, here is how the numbers read:
- 1If you only get a few Samples, the boosters at 275 to 375 are the cheapest, but they last only 5 to 10 minutes.
- 2If you want a pet, Nibbles #013 at 2,950 is the realistic first goal.
- 3If you are saving, Experiment #001 at 6,500 is the long term pick for income.
- 4Do the Vault along the way. It costs no Samples and gives a bat.
FAQ
How do you get Samples in Steal an Egg?
By defeating Dr. Scramble's drones (Scrap, Reactor and Augmented), which invade every 30 minutes. Tougher drones drop more.
How much is the Experiment #001 Egg?
6,500 Samples, with 1 in stock on the wiki list.
What does the Scrambled mutation do?
It multiplies a pet's income by 2.75, and the wiki says it applies with a 10% chance.
Where do you start the Vault quest?
In a cave on the left wall of Abyss Ocean, by talking to the escaped Experiment #013.
What is the secret item from Nibbles?
The notes and wiki do not say.
Facts come from the Steal an Egg Fandom wiki. This site is built from scraped wiki data and AI-written text; we do not claim in-game testing.
