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.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Adventure thirst does not carry over on its own
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.
2. The Weapon Shop and Magic Shop both refresh at midnight, and one mushroom rerolls them
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.
3. Flush one item into the Toilet every day even if it is a shop-bought piece of junk
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.
4. The Scrapbook counts items you have seen, not items you have worn
The Scrapbook counts items you have seen, not items you have worn. Walking through the shop and clicking every listing adds entries for free.
5. Stop upgrading the Quarry and Woodcutter's Hut past what your build queue needs
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.
6. 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
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.
7. Gem Mine level 10 is the hard gate for the Underworld, but the Tower has to be open first
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.
8. 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 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.
9. 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
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.
10. Class choice is not permanent on most servers, but the gear is
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.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Warrior (A-Tier):
- Focus on Adventure thirst and quests combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Weapon
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Mage (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Shield
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Shakes and Fidget's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Adventure thirst and quests + Automated combat and class multipliers: 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. Combined with Automated combat and class multipliers, you never press an attack button.
Fortress building and raids + Gem Mine and the Underworld: The Fortress unlocks at level 25 and its own level, capped at 20, sets the ceiling for every other building. When paired with Gem Mine and the Underworld, the gem mine runs to level 100 and digs socket gems plus the dungeon keys for the shadow world.
Scrapbook and Toilet aura scaling: 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.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | The first slot to upgrade after every level, ahead of any armour piece. | The only slot that carries a damage range rather than an armour value, so it decides more of your output than any other item. |
| Shield | Warrior and Paladin characters who want block chance and a second attribute roll from one item. | A restricted slot. |
| Breastplate | Any class taking sustained damage in dungeons rather than one-rounding Arena opponents. | 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 | Pushing raw attribute when your armour slots are already close to your level cap. | Sold at Fidget's Magic Shop rather than the Weapon Shop, alongside rings and talismans. |
| Talisman | Cheap incremental attribute gains between the big Weapon Shop purchases. | The third Magic Shop accessory. |
Location Efficiency
Arena (Level 1 and up, available from the first minute): 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 (Level 10 to roughly level 110): 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 (Post-dungeon, roughly level 100 and up): 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 (Level 25 and up): 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 (After Gem Mine level 10 and the Tower): 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.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- 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.
Pro Quick Tips
- 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.
- Start with Mage, switch to Warrior when ready
- Invest in Weapon above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Arena → Dungeons → Tower → Fortress → Underworld. See our maps guide
- Adventure thirst and quests + Automated combat and class multipliers together are stronger than either alone
More Shakes and Fidget Guides
- Shakes and Fidget Shakes and Fidget Overview
- Shakes and Fidget Best Builds
- Shakes and Fidget Tier List
- Shakes and Fidget Walkthrough
- Shakes and Fidget Beginner's Guide
- 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
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- Cyberpunk 2077 Tips & Tricks: rpg game with similar mechanics
