Cauldron is an incremental minigame RPG from SleepyDad Games, published by Caketown Interactive and released on Steam on 21 May 2025 for 14.99 euro, with a Nintendo Switch version following on 29 October 2025. You play Nyx, a young witch with a snarky pink ghost named Blinkie, clearing a map covered in Darkness one square at a time. Every square hides either a resource minigame or a monster fight, and the resources feed upgrade trees for more than 20 heroes.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Standard | Clearing the Darkness square by square basics | Froggy | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Idle | Minigame resource loops mastery | Froggy | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Pacifist | Cauldron upgrade trees + gear | Nyx or Froggy | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Double Trouble | Build optimization | Nyx | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | EVIL | Min-max | Nyx or Copy Cat-Bird | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Standard)
The base mode and the one to finish first. It teaches the minigames, combat, items, bribing, hero management and the map without the multipliers that later modes apply to enemies.
Level/Difficulty: First playthrough Key Rewards: The full upgrade tree unlock path, and the knowledge every other mode assumes you have
What to Do in Standard
- Learn Clearing the Darkness square by square. The world map is covered in Darkness, and each square hides either a minigame or a monster encounter. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Froggy as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Put your first upgrades into resource yield rather than hero power. Everything in Cauldron is funded by the five minigames, and a doubled yield compounds into every later purchase while a damage upgrade only helps the next fight.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Fishing or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Clearing the Darkness square by square fundamentals
- Froggy selected and functional
- Standard main content cleared
- Ready for Idle
Phase 2: Early Game (Idle)
Enables autoplay and autobattle so progress continues while you are not at the keyboard. Paired with the upgradable collection box that gathers resources on its own, this is the mode that makes the incremental label honest.
Level/Difficulty: Any, once the autobattler is unlocked Key Rewards: Overnight resource accumulation without manual minigame play
What to Do in Idle
- Work on Minigame resource loops. Five minigames produce the five base resources. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Fishing if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Raise the automatic healing threshold to around 80 or 90 percent. The default sits far too low for multi-wave fights, where a hero that starts a wave at half health simply does not survive the first exchange.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Pacifist.
- Consider whether Nyx might suit your playstyle better than Froggy.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Minigame resource loops integrated into gameplay
- Fishing acquired
- Idle fully cleared
- Ready for Pacifist
Phase 3: Mid Game (Pacifist)
Combat is off the table entirely. Encounters are resolved by bribing instead of fighting, which converts the game into a pure resource economy problem and makes every yield upgrade matter twice as much.
Level/Difficulty: After Standard Key Rewards: A genuinely different playthrough, and the achievements attached to it
What to Do in Pacifist
- Master Cauldron upgrade trees. Resources are poured into the Cauldron to buy upgrades for minigames, heroes, items and abilities. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Apple Picking. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- When a fight keeps going wrong, slow the battle speed and switch the autobattler off. Watching one full manual round shows you which enemy is actually killing you, which the autobattler at high speed will never reveal.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Turn-based combat and the autobattler for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Cauldron upgrade trees mastered
- Apple Picking acquired or in progress
- Pacifist fully cleared
- Ready for Double Trouble
Phase 4: Late Game (Double Trouble)
Doubles the enemy waves and introduces random hero spawns, so party composition is partly out of your hands. Players have posted long win streaks in it, but it assumes a mature upgrade base.
Level/Difficulty: Post-Standard, with deep trees behind you Key Rewards: Wave survival practice that prepares you for EVIL
What to Do in Double Trouble
- Finalize your build. You should be running Nyx or Froggy with optimized gear.
- Apple Picking should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Use the Check command on unfamiliar enemies. It reports immunities, current buffs and debuffs, armour and dodge, and a status-focused party walking into a status-immune enemy is the most common wall people hit.
- Talent Points and hero skill trees optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into EVIL.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Apple Picking upgraded to max
- Double Trouble fully cleared
- Ready for EVIL
Phase 5: Endgame (EVIL)
The hardest mode in the game, stacking the largest wave counts on top of everything else. Community teams built for it lean on extra healing and defensive relics rather than trying to out-damage the waves.
Level/Difficulty: Endgame only Key Rewards: The toughest achievements in the 100 the game ships with
What to Do in EVIL
- EVIL tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Spend early spirit on the permanent party-wide buffs rather than hoarding it. Extra damage, defence, stamina regeneration and status duration apply across every mode, and community guides note that a couple of hundred spirit covers most builds.
- The endgame loop: run EVIL, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Copy Cat-Bird for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Talent Points and hero skill trees mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- EVIL fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Pouring early resources into hero damage while minigame yields stay at their base rate
- Leaving the automatic healing trigger at its default, which is far too low for wave fights
- Running the autobattler at maximum speed through a fight you keep losing, so you never see what kills you
- Trusting the auto party builder completely when some hero AI presets are intentionally weak
- Jumping into EVIL or Double Trouble before finishing Standard and learning the systems they modify
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Put your first upgrades into resource yield rather than hero power. Everything in Cauldron is funded by the five minigames, and a doubled yield compounds into every later purchase while a damage upgrade only helps the next fight.
- Raise the automatic healing threshold to around 80 or 90 percent. The default sits far too low for multi-wave fights, where a hero that starts a wave at half health simply does not survive the first exchange.
- When a fight keeps going wrong, slow the battle speed and switch the autobattler off. Watching one full manual round shows you which enemy is actually killing you, which the autobattler at high speed will never reveal.
- Use the Check command on unfamiliar enemies. It reports immunities, current buffs and debuffs, armour and dodge, and a status-focused party walking into a status-immune enemy is the most common wall people hit.
- Spend early spirit on the permanent party-wide buffs rather than hoarding it. Extra damage, defence, stamina regeneration and status duration apply across every mode, and community guides note that a couple of hundred spirit covers most builds.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Cauldron Guides
- Cauldron Cauldron Overview
- Cauldron Best Builds
- Cauldron Tier List
- Cauldron Beginner's Guide
- Cauldron Tips & Tricks
- Cauldron Weapons Guide
- Cauldron Combat Guide
- Cauldron Boss Guide
- Cauldron Maps & Locations
- Cauldron Crafting Guide
- Cauldron Classes & Characters
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