Your first complete loop
- Fill your bucket at the water.
- Return to the draining point and check the Tokens received.
- Open the skill upgrades and choose one affordable improvement.
- Repeat a full loop to see where time is now being spent.
Run progress and longer-term progress
Community guides distinguish Tokens spent during a run from Gems used for longer-term purchases. The official short description confirms Tokens and skills, but does not document the complete reset rules. Read the reset and purchase prompts before committing Gems.
| Resource | Planning rule |
|---|---|
| Tokens | Spend where the next few drain trips improve. |
| Gems | Check whether the purchase persists and what it unlocks. |
| Badges | Read the current badge condition rather than an older checklist. |
Finish the phone objective
An August walkthrough follows checkpoint sections down to an Abyss area, then drains the remaining water and interacts with the phone. Use the current objective prompt to finish; reaching the bottom alone is not necessarily the final action.
- Keep upgrading when deeper trips become too slow.
- Watch for environmental hazards instead of walking the old route automatically.
- Complete the phone interaction and check the ending or badge result before leaving.
What about the Endless version?
August references use an ENDLESS title, while the official page snapshot reviewed here uses Drain The Lake. A title change alone does not establish new mode rules. This guide does not invent Endless rewards, depth caps or reset formulas.
Before buying another bucket
Compare the live capacity, price and any unlock requirement against the time saved per trip. The old page implied the entire badge collection was required for an Ancient Bucket; that condition has not been established and has been removed.
Sources & review notes
Reviewed October 5, 2026. Public-source research; no claim of fresh in-game testing. Follow current game menus if a later update changes a requirement.