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 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 | Arena | Adventure thirst and quests basics | Mage | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Dungeons | Automated combat and class multipliers mastery | Mage | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Tower | Fortress building and raids + gear | Warrior or Mage | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Fortress | Build optimization | Warrior | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Underworld | Min-max | Warrior or Paladin | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (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.
Level/Difficulty: Level 1 and up, available from the first minute Key Rewards: Honour, gold, and experience on the first ten daily fights
What to Do in Arena
- Learn 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. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Mage as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- 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.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Shield or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Adventure thirst and quests fundamentals
- Mage selected and functional
- Arena main content cleared
- Ready for Dungeons
Phase 2: Early Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Level 10 to roughly level 110 Key Rewards: Epic gear, permanent stat rewards, and access to the Tower
What to Do in Dungeons
- Work on Automated combat and class multipliers. You never press an attack button. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Shield if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- 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.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Tower.
- Consider whether Warrior might suit your playstyle better than Mage.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Automated combat and class multipliers integrated into gameplay
- Shield acquired
- Dungeons fully cleared
- Ready for Tower
Phase 3: Mid Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Post-dungeon, roughly level 100 and up Key Rewards: Tower companions, high-end gear, and the shadow world path
What to Do in Tower
- Master Fortress building and raids. The Fortress unlocks at level 25 and its own level, capped at 20, sets the ceiling for every other building. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Weapon. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- 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.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Gem Mine and the Underworld for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Fortress building and raids mastered
- Weapon acquired or in progress
- Tower fully cleared
- Ready for Fortress
Phase 4: Late Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Level 25 and up Key Rewards: Gems from the mine, extra inventory slots, raid income from other players
What to Do in Fortress
- Finalize your build. You should be running Warrior or Mage with optimized gear.
- Weapon should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- The Scrapbook counts items you have seen, not items you have worn. Walking through the shop and clicking every listing adds entries for free.
- Scrapbook and Toilet aura optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Underworld.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Weapon upgraded to max
- Fortress fully cleared
- Ready for Underworld
Phase 5: Endgame (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.
Level/Difficulty: After Gem Mine level 10 and the Tower Key Rewards: Souls, the Time Machine for banked thirst, and Gladiator Trainer critical damage
What to Do in Underworld
- Underworld tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- 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 endgame loop: run Underworld, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Paladin for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Scrapbook and Toilet aura 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
- Underworld fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- 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.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- 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.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
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 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
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