Drogget's Ultimate Survival Guide


Getting to level 50 is not too hard after you can identify all the hazards and how to best avoid them. In this guide, I will go over all direct and indirect hazards and how best to avoid them in addition to tips on upgrades.

Things are fairly easy when you first start a run, with only a few obstacles and a small map, over time, the map will increase in size and the density of hazards will increase. I will note these increases as well. Pictures are soon to come in the next update!

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+-=-=-=-=-+
|-Hazards-|
+-=-=-=-=-+


-- Level 1 --


+------------------+
|-Swinging Axe-|
+------------------+

Swinging axes are easy to identify. Axes will move in a swinging motion from left to right, as it comes to its apex after a pass you can easily walk underneath it. It is usually seen in corridors and can only spawn on an overhead tile. Occasionally you'll see it spawn in on a ceiling tile at the opening of a corridor, in these instances, it is best to wait until the axe is at its apex inside the corridor before passing, otherwise, when trying to jump into the corridor while the axe is hanging above you, you can clip it and waste a valuable life. You can destroy a swinging axe by destroying the block it is attached to.

Threat level: low
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium
Destructible: yes

+-------------+
|-Wall saws-|
+-------------+

Wall saws are one of the least threatening obstacle in the game. It is a stationary hazard that can be destroyed with both dynamite and destroying the wall it is attached to. You will otherwise have to maneuver around it.

Threat level: low
Threat level in conjunction with others: low
Destructible: yes

+---------------+
|-Inline saws-|
+---------------+

Inline saws are significantly more dangerous than their brother the wall saw. These saws will run from one end to the other on either a vertical or horizontal shaft, so when one is seen, it should always be assumed a saw runs along it even if you cant see it. These saws can be blown up, but their track cannot.
I have only found this hazard to be an issue when you are running through a corridor and have to 'race' the saw blade. Since you cannot duck, if you do not when the race, you will either die, or have to run back to try again. I recommend waiting for the optimal time to make your move, otherwise, if you do not think you can make it, destroy it with tnt.

Threat level: medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium
Destructible: yes

+-------------------+
|-Rotating saws-|
+-------------------+

Rotating saws can be just as dangerous as Inline saws and become more dangerous in later levels. These saws like to hang out in key areas for level advancement. The saw is attached to the center of a block, and it is not uncommon for these to be attached to corners needed to advance later in the level. You can destroy the saw by destroying the wall it is attached to. In general, I do not recommend wasting dynamite on these.

Threat level: medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium
Destructible: yes


+--------------+
|-Spike Bed-|
+--------------+

Spikebeds are mostly harmless. They cannot move but hitting it from any angle will kill you. Spikebeds like to spawn at the bottom of big drops and are a nasty surprise for anyone taking a leap of faith. It is recommended to slow your decent by wall hugging if you cannot see the bottom of a chasm. They can only spawn on floors, and can only be destroyed by destroying the floor they are on.

There are rare occasions where you can only progress by jumping over this hazard but wont have the jump needed to do so. You will have to jump over it, and grind against the wall and immediately jump off. Otherwise this will be a guaranteed death and can be a choke point in your run. This instance usually spawns on an indestructible block, there will be no way around it.

Threat level: low
Threat level in conjunction with others: low-medium
Destructible: yes

+----------------------------+
|-Retracting Spike Bed-|
+----------------------------+

The Retracting Spike Bed is generally a more difficult and dangerous hazard to deal with than its sister in most cases. This hazard, when retracted can be identified as a series of small lines in the ground. The only tell that it has is a small jiggle right before it triggers. This hazard can only spawn in floor tiles and can be walked against when extended. When one is seen, it is recommended to wait a moment so to let it extend rather than rush over it. The hazard has a global cooldown so it does not need to be in sight for it to operate. This means it can be anywhere in it's cooldown cycle when you approach it. It is best to be safe than sorry.

In instances where there are two of these side by side and you must progress pass them but cant jump over them, it is recommended to walk along the side of the first one until it retracts. As soon as it retracts, you can pass through it, saving you time on the timing of the two.

level: medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium
Destructible: yes

+----------------+
|-Falling walls-|
+----------------+

Falling walls are created when dynamite does not do enough damage to a wall and it becomes 'loose'. When a wall is loose, it will shake violently before falling. If it hits you, it will kill you. However, there is an upgrade you can take that will prevent this. (There is an achievement for breaking one of these with your head without dying)

level: medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium
Destructible: yes

-- Level 5 --

+-----------------+
|-Hidden spike-|
+-----------------+

The Hidden Spike only spawns in the floor blocks and are distinguished by a small triangle-like spike protruding from the floor. These spikes have a more noticeable tell before they extend out of the ground. These spikes jiggle periodically, but before it extends it will jiggle two times in quick recession. These spikes share the same properties as it's cousin the Retracting Spike Bed, in that walking against it is safe and it runs on a global cooldown cycle. Same advice applies here as well. It should be noted however that more than one of these can spawn on the same block.

level: medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium
Destructible: yes

-- Level 10 --

+-------------------+
|-Arrow Shooter-|
+-------------------+

The Arrow Shooter is the first of the four standard wall hazards that you see in vertical shafts. This will always spawn on a wall and will spawn in any of three kinds of areas, at the end of a corridor, in a large open area or in a vertical shaft. Arrow shooters have a global cooldown, however it will only start when you see it. Keep in mind however, the cooldown, when it starts can be in any position, so, when you see it, it could be loading up or just about to fire. The global cooldown activates once you are roughly 25 blocks from it. You can easily see when it is about to shoot so you can plan your move based on that and if need be, you may jump over the fired arrow.

The Arrow Shooter shoots an arrow in a downwards arc and lodges itself into anything that is solid. If the block or thing the arrow is lodged into breaks, it can fall downwards vertically and kill anyone not paying attention.

The four wall shooters all share a unique proper in that you can stand inside the shooter as close to the wall and not be damaged by it so long as you are nuzzled against the wall. It is because of this that shafts can be navigated through densely populated zones by jumping into this safe area.

level: low-medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium-high
Destructible: yes

-- Level 14 --

+-------+
|-Fans-|
+-------+

Fans by themselves serve as no threat and cannot kill you, however, they can be both a great help and a big danger. You cannot fight against the wind when the fan is blowing vertically and can only run against it if you have upgraded sprinting speed twice if it is blown horizontally through a corridor, otherwise, you slow the rate it pushes you. It can push you into usually low danger hazards such as a swinging saw.

I recommend that if one is at the end of a corridor you must pass and it is on a wall that can be destroyed, that you blow up the wall and avoid the risk. This is one of the few obstacles that will put you in a situation that you cannot control.

Similar to wall shooters, you can walk through them without being effected by them.

level: medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: high
Destructible: yes

-- Level 15 --

+-----------+
|-Shotgun-|
+-----------+

Shotguns are the second wall mounted shooting unit and are the same in every way to the Arrow Shooter except with how they fire. Shotguns fire a spray of pellets anywhere in a 2x2 area of the unit. Any single pellet can kill you but rapidly fades as it fires.

The shotgun will load a shell with an audible "ch-chuck" before firing its lethal load.

I personally don't find this shooter type all too threatening, and probably the least likely to kill you of the four.

level: low-medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: low-medium
Destructible: yes

-- Level 20 --

+---------+
|-Doors-|
+---------+

Doors are harmless, but can sometimes put you in the middle of danger. They give you a short immunity when passing through them, but it is not long, so do not dilly dally! Alternatively, doors can save you from having to deal with a absurdly difficult assortment of hazards in later levels and generally should never be passed up on.

level: low
Threat level in conjunction with others: low
Destructible: no

-- Level 23 --

+----------------+
|-Mine Drone-|
+----------------+

Mine Drones, in my opinion, are not very dangerous. They travel on the ground moving in horizontal fashion on a given plane. They are set off once you come into contact with them. You can safely detonate them by walking through them only if you have the space and two sprint upgrades. Otherwise, the only way to safely detonate them is to jump vertically onto after coming in contact with them and jumping further away. It is possible to detonate them with tnt but I find it to be a waste. When in a corridor, as they move towards you, you can jump over them as long as you carry momentum opposite the direction the are headed. So if it is traveling left, you jump right. If the player destroys the ground beneath it, it will just fall down to the next horizontal plane.

This unit has a blast radius of 1 and a fuse time of about .75 seconds (from what I could time, I could be off) The damage this unit does can be nullified by an upgrade.

level: low-medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium-high
Destructible: yes

-- Level 27 --

+--------------+
|-Chain Saw-|
+--------------+

The chainsaw is the third of the four wall unit shooters, however, this unit does not shoot. This unit only follows the same rules of passing through the side of the wall it is attached to safely ONLY when it is inactive or FULLY extended. This unit will visibly 'rev' and rotate it's saw slowly before extending. When extending, if the player is hugging the wall it is mounted on, the saw will kill the player. When fully extended, the saw blade will effectively lock out a vertical shaft and cannot be passed through. In this way, I have found this unit annoying when timing doesn't allow and easy descent. It is recommended that the player passes through this obstacle while it is inactive.

level: medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium-high
Destructible: yes.

-- Level 29 --

+----------------+
|-Gatling Gun-|
+----------------+

The Gatling Gun is the last of the four wall unit shooters and follows all of the same rules in safety as the Arrow Shooter. This is the most dangerous of the shooters and typically spawns in all the same areas as Arrow Shooters. The Gatling Gun visibly has a startup before it fires, and it fires in a small concentrated spray that extends the more distance it has. At 7 blocks, the spray can cover a 5x1 area for the first 5 blocks and a 2x3 area in the last three. Imagine an ice-creme cone.

If the player can avoid this unit, it is recommended that the player does so, if the player cannot and can destroy the wall it is on, it is recommended to destroy the wall only if it is needed to progress. This is the one of the few hazards in the game that can put you out of control.

There is a glitch in this game that if you die, as it is fires, you can come back to that area and have bits of Gatling Gun spray fire through the wall, so be careful in your approach after a death.

level: high
Threat level in conjunction with others: high-dangerous
Destructible: yes

+--------------+
|-Land Mine-|
+--------------+

Landmines have a distinct glow around them and like to hide in the shrubbery. They can be prematurely activated by throwing a tnt at it (This is required for an achievement but is a waste imo). Not a huge risk really, and can easily be walked past without upgrades. Can be tricky with other hazards however. The fuse time is about 1.25 seconds and the blast radius is 1.

There is a glitch in that if you die before this detonates, when you come back, it will detonate then rather than before, regardless of how much time has passed.

level: medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium
Destructible: yes

-- Level 30 --

+------------+
|-Boulders-|
+------------+

Boulders are the what can happen if you destroy any block. No upgrade can protect if this falls on you. They only spawn after level 30.

level: medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium
Destructible: no

-- Level 34 --

+-------------------+
|-Rocket Enemy-|
+-------------------+

Rocket enemies are seen as dangerous and destructive, and, they are. But they are easy to manipulate and fool. These robots move about from left and right on a plane and target the player when they are within their line of sight. The robot will attempt to lock on to the player, if it cannot, it will fire where it last saw the player, if it does, it will lock onto the player and fire where the player is. The rocket aims a little ahead of you if locked on so it will hit if you are in the air, but, if on the ground, you can easily jump over the rocket. There is a small cooldown before the robot fires again. This unit can destroy itsself with its own rocket (for an achievement) or you can blow it up. If the player destroys the ground beneath it, it will just fall down to the next horizontal plane.

The rocket from this enemy unit has a blast radius of 1.

level: medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium-high
Destructible: yes.

-- Level 37 --

+--------------+
|-Bear Trap-|
+--------------+

The Bear Trap is a small trap that also hides in shrubbery. It can easily be jumped over or set off by tnt (also for an achievement) or destroyed by destroying the block under it. Not inherently dangerous but can kill the player a fair amount of times due to placement. It looks like an oddly shaped v with teeth on the ground.

level: medium
Threat level in conjunction with others: medium-high
Destructible: yes.

-- Level 48 --

+-----------------+
|-Ballista Unit-|
+-----------------+

This is the single most dangerous enemy in the game. It is a robot that fires 3 arrows in quick recession. It can shoot at you without you being able to see it and has a very generous fire range. This unit is the single biggest life taker in later levels. You cannot run past it as it locks on and fires too quickly. You cannot destroy it by taking out the land underneath as it will only fall to the plane beneath it.

I strongly recommend, if you can, to save your tnt for this single enemy if you want to go past level 55, as this unit becomes very frequent after level 55. It can spawn in corridors and wide open spaces.

level: Dangerous
Threat level in conjunction with others: Dangerously High
Destructible: yes.

-- Level 50 --

+----------------+
|-Acidic Walls-|
+----------------+

Acidic walls burn away as you touch them and become a large risk in later levels because they are prone to spawning boulders.

level: high
Threat level in conjunction with others: high
Destructible: yes

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+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
|-Levels and Advice: -|
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+

+--------------+
|-Levels 1-5-|
+--------------+

Level Size: Roughly 5x5-10x10
Hazard Density: Low
Tnt management: Try not to use any

First few upgrades should revolve around getting more tnt or health

+---------------+
|-Levels 6-15-|
+---------------+

Level Size: Roughly 10x10-15x15
Hazard Density: Low
Tnt management: Try not to use tnt, only use if you absolutely have to

I recommend to take health upgrades mostly, if you get an upgrade to increase tnt power, get that, if you get an upgrade that prevents tnt from killing you, get that.

+-----------------+
|-Levels 16-25-|
+-----------------+

Level Size: Roughly 15x15-20x20
Hazard Density: Medium
Tnt management: Try not to use tnt, use where needed, go out of your way to collect tnt only if you can see it,

I recommend that you should try to find a more checkpoint upgrade and take the upgrade that prevents tnt from killing you. Look for bigger tnt explosions, health/tnt max extensions, more health/tnt drops

+-----------------+
|-Levels 26-35-|
+-----------------+

Level Size: Roughly 20x20-25x25
Hazard Density: Medium-High
Tnt management: At this point you'll find impossible instances, so use tnt where needed, but use sparingly.

I recommend that you continue to make your tnt stronger and to seek out the same upgrades as before. At this point, you should think about upgrading your jump and throw power. If an upgrade comes up that allows for better grip or explode on impact tnt get those

+-----------------+
|-Levels 36-45-|
+-----------------+

Level Size: Roughly 25x25-30x30
Hazard Density: High
Tnt management: Use where needed, collect pickups where you can. If you want only level 50, you can stop conserving tnt, but if you plan for the highscore, continue to use sparingly

At this point stop leveling tnt power and try to focus more on jump and grip utility and top off lives/tnt while you can.

+-----------------+
|-Levels 46-50-|
+-----------------+

Level Size: Roughly 35x35
Hazard Density: High
Tnt management: Go all out if this is where you want to stop, otherwise continue to conserve

Your final upgrades should only be whatever your focus is on your build, or topping up jump utility and grip. Perhaps invest in 1 more damage to wall upgrade.

+-----------------+
|-Levels 51-65-|
+-----------------+

Level Size: Roughly 40x40-possibly larger
Hazard Density: Extreme
Tnt management: Use sparingly as now you will not be getting pickup refills often, use where needed, dig through walls if you can by rubbing up against them, and blow up Ballista Robots if it is needed to progress

I have never gotten past level 64, so I'm unsure if the levels continue to get larger or if they top of at 40x40. They might get smaller actually, and more dense with hazards, but it is hard to say.

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Hopefully you found his useful, and You Just Got Through!