Sludgineers Tips & Tricks to Breeze Through the Stages

I just completed the awesome indie hit Sludgineers in about 6 hours (including 100% achievement rate) and now I am here to help you get there too – maybe even faster.

I will share below all the tips and tricks you must know to quickly go through the stages, complete them and defeat the final boss with ease. So, without further ado, no matter if you’re just starting to play or already stuck at a difficult stage, let’s learn a few tricks!

Don’t rush into new stages…

Yes, I know, new stages have the potential to earn you more money and resources than the previous stage… but that is only IF you manage to fully complete it.

Most likely, immediately after completing a stage, you won’t be able to complete the next one, nor make more money and resources than you would in the previous stage.

Therefore, no matter how tempting it is, don’t switch over and focus on completing that new stage over and over again – that’s just slowing yourself down a lot.

Instead, replay the stage you just completed at least a few times more to get enough resources for some solid upgrades that will make your next run a lot easier.

Also read: Sephiria Guide: Tips, Tricks & Exploiting Stats

…But don’t wait too long before moving on to new stages!

Again, it’s all about optimizing time and resources.

At one point, I tried a newly unlocked stage and couldn’t do 25% of it, so I replayed the previous one obsessively for way too many times, preparing for the difficult stage ahead.

I just wasted time and resources, because I aced the next stage immediately, then also completed the one after it.

Three to four replays should be enough most of the time, at least until you open the green gas suction thingie, which might require a bit more.

PRO TIP: Let your energy go low! When that happens, your power increases a lot, so you will do more cleaning faster.

If you have one or more batteries lying around, it’s easy to do this without losing the level: let your battery get critically low (I recommend at least once under 5% for an achievement), then recharge and repeat the cycle.

Buy the upgrades that matter

Just like in all games where upgrade trees are present, buying the correct ones at the correct time will make life a lot easier.

What you want to do is to focus on the things that matter, and that is, for the most part, your own vehicle and tool (so not the drones or anything else). These are the things you should focus on.

You should work on upgrading them in the order you unlock them: the vacuum first, the jackhammer second and finally the air filter.

I didn’t pay much attention to my jackhammer, because I went through those stages relatively fast and unlocked the green gas – then focused on it – so even though I was able to complete the stages, it took me way too long.

When I realized that I still had plenty of jackhammer upgrades and invested in them, things became a LOT easier.

So focus on upgrading the tools until you hit a wall and those upgrades become too expensive. That’s when you have to look at upgrades that boost your income and invest in those. Drones are last – they can be helpful, but not a priority.

Also read: TBH: Task Bar Hero Guide

Don’t forget about resource production!

I know, it’s boring to keep going back to the map and manually start producing things without knowing what you’ll use them for.

But trust me, they’re very important, as you will need them to upgrade things later on. So always click the buttons and keep producing.

Eventually, you will be able to automate the production – which is essential at around mid-game levels if you want to go through the stages with ease.

Replay old stages

While you make more money and resources in the latest stage you have unlocked, you have to take another thing into account: time.

If it takes you 3x more time to complete a stage for just 10-20% resources more, it’s not worth focusing on it yet! Instead, replay old stages – all the way back to you first one.

Not only will you get resources faster, but you will easily unlock some of the in-game achievements in these stages, if you are upgraded enough.

Also read: Tales of Seikyu Tips & Tricks

Click, don’t hold!

Since you will be playing quite some time actively, and you will have a lot of slime to remove, take advantage of the control option that lets you click to activate your tools.

This is way better than the hold & release option, which will become painful (literally) after a while.

Learn the layout of each stage

Later on, as new elements are introduced, from crystals to volcanoes and those creepy vents, you must know the layout of the stage you’re playing to know what elements to focus on destroying first.

For example, you should always prioritize destroying the things that cause more air pollution and slime. Otherwise, you’re fighting an endless and impossible to win battle.

After that’s taken care of, start clearing sections that give you completion rewards (like full houses, vehicles and entire areas) because that’s where the special items will drop from – batteries, turbo mode and so on.

Again, without those, you won’t be able to complete the stages, especially the later ones.

Finally, prioritize what you’re using your turbo charges on. Removing regular slime with them, or regular crystals is a waste of a boost. Instead, I recommend using them on those buried treasures (they take forever to mine) and, of course, on the volcanoes and pollution-spitting things.

Also read: Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era Tips & Tricks

Let the game run idle for a while

Due to some less-than-optimized upgrade route paths I chose early in the game, I reached a point where I didn’t have enough resources for the upgrade (surprisingly, not enough of the second resource type you unlock, not the third).

I had plenty of raw materials, but I hadn’t produced them manually – as told you to do above.

Fortunately, I managed to unlock automation and… I just left the game running and went to prepare lunch.

When I came back, I had plenty of those resources waiting for me and I was able to buy a TON of upgrades that made my life a lot easier.

So, when things get tough and you don’t know what to do… just let the game run idle for 10 minutes or so to generate resources for your important upgrades (but DO check that you have enough base materials for producing those resources).

Wrapping up

All in all, Sludgineers is an incremental game – a very casual, relaxing approach to gaming, so its complexity isn’t insanely high.

As long as you get the few things mentioned above right, you will be able to breeze through the stages and have fun cleaning all that goop.

If you have additional tips and tricks to share, please do so in the comments down below. Also, if you have questions – let me know and I will answer ASAP.