Shakes and Fidget is Playa Games' satirical browser RPG, spun out of the German comic strip of the same name and on Steam since 2016. Combat runs itself: you spend a daily pool of adventure thirst on Tavern quests, pick an opponent in the Arena, and read the fight log afterwards. The depth sits outside the fights, in eleven classes with fixed damage and health multipliers, a Fortress that caps every other building at its own level, and an Underworld that only opens once your Gem Mine passes level 10.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Adventure thirst and quests
Every day refills a pool of adventure thirst measured in minutes, and each Tavern quest spends a slice of it for gold, experience and items. The Time Machine in the Underworld banks whatever thirst you fail to drink, so it is the only building that turns a missed day into a delayed day rather than a lost one.
Automated combat and class multipliers
You never press an attack button. Each class carries a fixed damage and health multiplier, so a Mage swings at 9 damage on 2 health while a Paladin sits at 4 damage on 6 health. Your main attribute scales damage, Constitution scales health, and gear supplies both.
Fortress building and raids
The Fortress unlocks at level 25 and its own level, capped at 20, sets the ceiling for every other building. The Woodcutter's Hut and Quarry produce wood and stone, the Barracks trains attackers, the Archery Guild and Mages' Tower defend, and the Smithy upgrades all three unit types at once. Raiding other players eventually out-earns your own production, which is why veterans stop upgrading the Quarry early.
Gem Mine and the Underworld
The Gem Mine runs to level 100 and digs socket gems plus the dungeon keys for the shadow world. Once the Tower is open and the mine passes level 10, it can turn up the Heart of Darkness instead of a gem, and dragging that onto your character portrait unlocks the Underworld.
Scrapbook and Toilet aura
The Scrapbook fills in as you see new items, monsters and portraits, and each entry adds a permanent percentage to your stats. The Toilet takes one flushed item a day to fill its mana tank, and the aura it builds raises the quality of what the Weapon Shop and Magic Shop put on the shelf, alongside your level.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our Shakes and Fidget combat guide.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Mage | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Scout | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Berserker | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Paladin | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Shakes and Fidget builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | The only slot that carries a damage range rather than an armour value, so it decides more of your output than any other item. | The first slot to upgrade after every level, ahead of any armour piece. |
| Shield | A restricted slot. | Warrior and Paladin characters who want block chance and a second attribute roll from one item. |
| Breastplate | The chest piece carries the largest armour number of any armour slot, which is why the Weapon Shop price on a good one is always the highest of the set. | Any class taking sustained damage in dungeons rather than one-rounding Arena opponents. |
| Amulet | Sold at Fidget's Magic Shop rather than the Weapon Shop, alongside rings and talismans. | Pushing raw attribute when your armour slots are already close to your level cap. |
| Talisman | The third Magic Shop accessory. | Cheap incremental attribute gains between the big Weapon Shop purchases. |
Weapon: The only slot that carries a damage range rather than an armour value, so it decides more of your output than any other item. Damage rolls are tied to your class attribute, which is why a Strength weapon is worthless in a Mage's hands.
Shield: A restricted slot. Warriors and Paladins carry a shield for its block value and free attribute rolls, while the Assassin fills the off-hand with a second weapon instead.
Breastplate: The chest piece carries the largest armour number of any armour slot, which is why the Weapon Shop price on a good one is always the highest of the set.
Amulet: Sold at Fidget's Magic Shop rather than the Weapon Shop, alongside rings and talismans. Amulets carry no armour but roll main attribute and Constitution, and epic versions turn up in the shop at a small daily chance.
Talisman: The third Magic Shop accessory. Like the amulet and ring it contributes attributes instead of armour, and the shop refreshes its offers at midnight or for one mushroom.
Full breakdowns in our Shakes and Fidget weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Arena | Level 1 and up, available from the first minute | Honour, gold, and experience on the first ten daily fights |
| Dungeons | Level 10 to roughly level 110 | Epic gear, permanent stat rewards, and access to the Tower |
| Tower | Post-dungeon, roughly level 100 and up | Tower companions, high-end gear, and the shadow world path |
| Fortress | Level 25 and up | Gems from the mine, extra inventory slots, raid income from other players |
| Underworld | After Gem Mine level 10 and the Tower | Souls, the Time Machine for banked thirst, and Gladiator Trainer critical damage |
Arena: Player against player on a queue timer. The first ten fights of each day pay experience on top of the usual gold and honour, and honour is what moves you up the Hall of Fame.
Dungeons: Nine light-world dungeons that stretch from level 10 up to around level 110, each a fixed ladder of bosses that only moves forward when you win. Clearing all nine is the requirement for the Tower.
Tower: Unlocked after the first nine dungeons are laid. The Tower is a long vertical climb that also gives you companions who fight alongside you, and the Underworld's Gladiator Trainer buffs their critical damage as well as yours.
Fortress: A separate base-building layer opened at level 25. Wood and stone from the Woodcutter's Hut and Quarry pay for the Barracks, Archery Guild and Mages' Tower, while the Treasury adds backpack slots and the Academy accumulates experience you collect by hand.
Underworld: Unlocked by finding the Heart of Darkness in a level 10 or better Gem Mine after the Tower is open. The Heart of Darkness caps the other buildings at 15, the Soul Extractor and Underworld Gate produce souls, and the Gold Pit runs to level 100.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Adventure thirst does not carry over on its own. Build the Time Machine in the Underworld as early as you can, because it is the only building that stores unspent thirst for a day you can actually play.
- The Weapon Shop and Magic Shop both refresh at midnight, and one mushroom rerolls them. Since offer quality scales with your level and your Toilet aura, a reroll early in a new server is far weaker than the same reroll 200 levels later.
- Flush one item into the Toilet every day even if it is a shop-bought piece of junk. The aura is a permanent multiplier on shop quality and it only moves when the tank fills.
- The Scrapbook counts items you have seen, not items you have worn. Walking through the shop and clicking every listing adds entries for free.
- Stop upgrading the Quarry and Woodcutter's Hut past what your build queue needs. Once your Fortress can raid other players reliably, raids supply more wood and stone than your own production ever will.
- The Mages' Tower is worth more than the Archery Guild for defence because attackers cannot see your battle mage count before they commit, while archers are visible.
- Gem Mine level 10 is the hard gate for the Underworld, but the Tower has to be open first. Finishing the ninth dungeon and pushing the mine at the same time saves weeks.
- The Gladiator Trainer adds 5 percent critical damage per level to your hero, your Tower companions and your pets, which makes it the single best souls purchase for anyone who fights in the Arena.
- The Academy and the Gold Pit both stop producing when their storage fills, so log in and collect rather than leaving a full building idle for two days.
- Class choice is not permanent on most servers, but the gear is. Switching from Mage to Warrior means replacing every Intelligence item with a Strength item, so plan the switch around a shop cycle rather than doing it mid-week.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Saving adventure thirst without a Time Machine, which simply deletes it at the daily reset.
- Building the Fortress Quarry to maximum before the Barracks, then having no attackers to raid with once production stalls.
- Ignoring the Toilet because the reward is invisible, then wondering why a level 300 shop still offers weak items.
- Playing a Mage into an Arena queue full of Paladins and Warriors and blaming the block chance, when the real problem is 2 health per point of Constitution.
- Spending mushrooms on shop rerolls at low level, where the offer pool is capped by your own level anyway.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many classes does Shakes and Fidget have?
Eleven: Warrior, Mage, Scout, Assassin, Battle Mage, Berserker, Demon Hunter, Druid, Bard, Necromancer and Paladin. Each carries a fixed damage and health multiplier, so a Mage at 9 damage and 2 health plays nothing like a Paladin at 4 damage and 6 health.
What is the fastest way to unlock the Underworld?
Clear the first nine dungeons to open the Tower, then push the Gem Mine to level 10 or better. From there the mine can turn up the Heart of Darkness instead of a gem. Drag it onto your character portrait and the Underworld opens.
Is the Demon Hunter actually revived after dying?
Yes, with a caveat. The Demon Hunter has a chance in the mid-forties percent to come back at around 90 percent health, but only when the killing blow came from a non-Mage. Mages bypass the class defences in this game, including that one.
Do I need to spend money to compete?
Mushrooms speed up quests, shop rerolls and building queues, so paid accounts climb the Hall of Fame faster. The Fortress, Underworld and Scrapbook all pay out on daily attendance rather than spending, which is why consistent free players still land near the top of an older server.
Which class should a new player pick?
Warrior. At 4 damage, 5 health and a block chance of roughly one in four it survives the early Arena and the first dungeons without needing perfect gear, and the Strength items it wants are the cheapest thing the Weapon Shop stocks.
More Shakes and Fidget Guides
- Shakes and Fidget Best Builds
- Shakes and Fidget Tier List
- Shakes and Fidget Walkthrough
- Shakes and Fidget Beginner's Guide
- Shakes and Fidget Tips & Tricks
- Shakes and Fidget Weapons Guide
- Shakes and Fidget Combat Guide
- Shakes and Fidget Boss Guide
- Shakes and Fidget Maps & Locations
- Shakes and Fidget Crafting Guide
- Shakes and Fidget Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Shakes and Fidget, check out these related guides:
- Elden Ring Guide: rpg game with similar mechanics
- Baldur's Gate 3 Guide: rpg game with similar mechanics
- Cyberpunk 2077 Guide: rpg game with similar mechanics
