CodeManu and Endless Coffee build this one, HypeTrain Digital publishes it, and it entered Early Access on 23 May 2025 with more than 2,000 items and over 500 handcrafted structures already in. You wash up on a main island with three larger islands and a scatter of smaller ones around it, and progress is gated by tool tier rather than by character level. There are no skill trees at all: whatever you have equipped decides whether you are a melee, ranged or magic character that afternoon, and the developers built a set of miscellaneous accessories they call the Classless Class for people who refuse to pick. Bosses are summoned deliberately with crafted items rather than stumbled into, so the pace of a save is entirely yours to set.
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 | Grasslands | Gear defined classes with no skill tree basics | Ranged | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Swamp | Boss summon items and ritual altars mastery | Ranged | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Caves | Tool tier gating on harvesting + gear | Melee or Ranged | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Goblin Island | Build optimization | Melee | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Coraline Fields | Min-max | Melee or Hybrid | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Grasslands)
The starter biome on the main island, where the Guide waits and Slimeking is summoned. The wandering Bard also appears here and grants a heat resistance buff, which is worth hunting down before any trip into the Desert Biome.
Level/Difficulty: Opening hours, first boss Key Rewards: Slimeking fight, the Guide's crafting menu, the Bard's heat resistance buff
What to Do in Grasslands
- Learn Gear defined classes with no skill tree. There is no levelling and no talent tree, so your class is whatever you are wearing. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Ranged as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Craft Desert Goggles from 4 Leather, 4 Glass and 1 String before your first desert trip. Going without means fighting the heat rather than the monsters.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Spider Bow or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Gear defined classes with no skill tree fundamentals
- Ranged selected and functional
- Grasslands main content cleared
- Ready for Swamp
Phase 2: Early Game (Swamp)
Home of the Frog Prince, summoned by placing 5 Eye of Newt on an altar, and later the site of the Baba Yaga encounter triggered by a purple fog event. It is also one of the four Thumper sites for the Iron Devourer ritual.
Level/Difficulty: Early to mid game Key Rewards: Frog Prince's Crown, Poison Gland, Bubble Spell, Baba Yaga access
What to Do in Swamp
- Work on Boss summon items and ritual altars. Almost every boss is summoned rather than found. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Spider Bow if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- The Warm Scarf takes 4 Fluff, 1 Yeti Fur and 1 String and stops the Frozen debuff in the Snow Biome, which is also where the cave entrance sits.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Caves.
- Consider whether Melee might suit your playstyle better than Ranged.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Boss summon items and ritual altars integrated into gameplay
- Spider Bow acquired
- Swamp fully cleared
- Ready for Caves
Phase 3: Mid Game (Caves)
Reached through an entrance in the Snow Biome, with the Mineral Spider at the centre and the Pumpkin Biome holding the Grim Reaper deeper in. Visibility underground is poor enough that the Low Specs Mode graphics option is genuinely useful rather than a downgrade.
Level/Difficulty: Mid game, after basic cold protection Key Rewards: Spider Bow, Spider Staff, Jungle Map, Grim Reaper drop table
What to Do in Caves
- Master Tool tier gating on harvesting. Higher tier rocks and hardwoods simply cannot be harvested without reinforced steel or the magic tools, so the map opens in a fixed order regardless of how brave you are. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Jelly Knife. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Hot Drinks brewed with Fire Flowers are sold by the Merchant and cover cold protection when you have not gathered Yeti Fur yet.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Settlement NPCs who run shops and quests for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Tool tier gating on harvesting mastered
- Jelly Knife acquired or in progress
- Caves fully cleared
- Ready for Goblin Island
Phase 4: Late Game (Goblin Island)
A Level 4 island where the Huntress is summoned by destroying four purple goo factories rather than by crafting a summon item. She drops the Huntress Blade, the Huntress Bow and Teeth, which makes her worth the trip for both melee and ranged builds.
Level/Difficulty: Level 4 island, late mid game Key Rewards: Huntress Blade, Huntress Bow, Teeth
What to Do in Goblin Island
- Finalize your build. You should be running Melee or Ranged with optimized gear.
- Jelly Knife should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Recall Scrolls cost 20 MP and return you to your ship. Carrying one turns any bad cave dive into an inconvenience rather than a lost inventory.
- Four player online co-op optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Coraline Fields.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Jelly Knife upgraded to max
- Goblin Island fully cleared
- Ready for Coraline Fields
Phase 5: Endgame (Coraline Fields)
The underwater zone whose centre holds the Deep Sea King, summoned by igniting four braziers. It sits at the end of the current Early Access progression and its drop table covers all three archetypes with the Pressurized Bow, Ocean Staff and Merman Trident.
Level/Difficulty: Endgame for the current Early Access build Key Rewards: Pressurized Bow, Ocean Staff, Merman Trident
What to Do in Coraline Fields
- Coraline Fields tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Press Tab to Quick Stack into nearby chests, and rename the chests so the sorting actually lands where you expect it to.
- The endgame loop: run Coraline Fields, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Hybrid for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Four player online co-op 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
- Coraline Fields fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Assuming there is a hidden levelling system. There is no experience and no skill tree, so a character that feels weak needs different gear rather than more time played.
- Travelling to the Snow Biome or Desert Biome without the Warm Scarf or Desert Goggles, then losing the trip to an environmental debuff rather than to any enemy.
- Gathering a boss summon item and heading straight in without healing supplies, since summons like the Cursed Doll are consumed on use and cost 20 Dolls and 20 Needles to rebuild.
- Spreading gear across melee, ranged and magic accessories at once. The accessory sets are archetype specific, so a mixed set is weaker than committing to one line.
- Applying food buffs before an island crossing. They reset on arrival, which wastes the food and leaves you fighting the new island unbuffed.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Craft Desert Goggles from 4 Leather, 4 Glass and 1 String before your first desert trip. Going without means fighting the heat rather than the monsters.
- The Warm Scarf takes 4 Fluff, 1 Yeti Fur and 1 String and stops the Frozen debuff in the Snow Biome, which is also where the cave entrance sits.
- Hot Drinks brewed with Fire Flowers are sold by the Merchant and cover cold protection when you have not gathered Yeti Fur yet.
- Recall Scrolls cost 20 MP and return you to your ship. Carrying one turns any bad cave dive into an inconvenience rather than a lost inventory.
- Press Tab to Quick Stack into nearby chests, and rename the chests so the sorting actually lands where you expect it to.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Tinkerlands Guides
- Tinkerlands Tinkerlands Overview
- Tinkerlands Best Builds
- Tinkerlands Tier List
- Tinkerlands Beginner's Guide
- Tinkerlands Tips & Tricks
- Tinkerlands Weapons Guide
- Tinkerlands Combat Guide
- Tinkerlands Boss Guide
- Tinkerlands Maps & Locations
- Tinkerlands Crafting Guide
- Tinkerlands Classes & Characters
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