If you want to unlock the Ancient Bucket as fast as possible, you need 10 badges and an IWTM10GTMPLS group membership. This guide focuses on the easiest badges that you can earn within your first 1-2 hours of playing, giving you quick Gems and Ancient Bucket progress. With 30 total badges available and approximately 830+ Gems obtainable from all badge rewards, targeting the simplest ones first accelerates both your bucket collection and your Skill Tree investment.
The 10 Easiest Badges
| # | Badge | How to Earn | Gems | Time | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Drop | Drain your first bucket | 10 | 1 min | Trivial |
| 2 | Plunge | Take a swim in the lake | 10 | 1 min | Trivial |
| 3 | Shark Bait | Get caught by the shark | 10 | 5 min | Easy |
| 4 | Water Works | Drain a massive volume | 10 | 15 min | Easy |
| 5 | Tourist | Visit every checkpoint | 10 | 10 min | Easy |
| 6 | Live Bait | Multiple shark encounters | 10 | 5 min | Easy |
| 7 | Chew Toy | Another shark encounter | 10 | 5 min | Easy |
| 8 | Lucky Find | Find a rare item | 10 | 20 min | Moderate |
| 9 | Deep Dive | Reach a deep zone | 15 | 15 min | Moderate |
| 10 | Slippery | Escape the shark | 15 | 10 min | Moderate |
Total Gems from these 10 badges: 110 Gems Estimated time to earn all 10: 1-2 hours
Badge-by-Badge Walkthrough
First Drop & Plunge (2 min total)
These are the two easiest badges in the game. Simply drain your first bucket and take a swim. You earn these almost automatically during normal gameplay. First Drop triggers the moment water from your first full bucket registers at the drain point. Over 10 million players have earned First Drop, making it the most common badge in Drain the Lake. Plunge requires entering the lake water itself — just walk off the shore and the badge pops within seconds. Neither badge requires any upgrades or prior progression.
Shark Bait, Live Bait, Chew Toy (15 min total)
These three badges all involve the shark mechanic. Actively seek out the shark near the surface of the lake. Each encounter awards a badge and 10 Gems. The shark is an environmental hazard that patrols the upper depth zones, primarily between the Surface and the Shipwreck checkpoint (1.5-2x token multiplier zone). Shark Bait triggers on your first capture. Live Bait requires multiple encounters — get caught again after respawning. Chew Toy demands a third shark encounter. Since the shark respawns on a cycle, you can farm all three in quick succession by returning to the patrol area after each capture. See the Shark Encounter Strategy section below for detailed tips.
Water Works (15 min)
This badge requires draining a massive volume of water. If you follow the normal gameplay loop of fill-drain-repeat, you will earn this badge naturally within 15-20 minutes of active draining. Investing early tokens into Fill Speed and Capacity upgrades on the Skill Tree accelerates this significantly. With even a few ranks in Fill Speed, your cycle time drops, and the cumulative volume threshold for Water Works arrives faster. Do not hoard tokens for this — follow the spend-immediately principle and invest in Fill Speed first.
Tourist (10 min)
Visit every checkpoint area at least once. This requires some depth progression, but you don't need to farm at each depth — just reach them. The six depth checkpoints are Shipwreck, Cavern, Mineshaft, Molten, Lost City, and Abyss. With basic Depth Unlock upgrades, you can visit all checkpoints quickly. Prioritize Depth Unlock upgrades in the Skill Tree after establishing your Fill Speed and Capacity. Each checkpoint also increases your token multiplier, so reaching them benefits your overall progression even beyond the Tourist badge. The token multiplier scales from 1x at Surface up to 8-12x at Abyss, making depth access a high-value investment.
Lucky Find & Deep Dive & Slippery (20-30 min)
These require a bit more engagement. Lucky Find comes from finding a rare item while draining. Chests appear randomly during the drain cycle and contain Gems plus occasional rare items — keep draining consistently and one will appear. Deep Dive requires reaching a deep zone such as Cavern (2-3x multiplier) or Mineshaft (3-4x multiplier). Slippery means escaping the shark at the last moment — when the shark lunges, move away just before contact to trigger the escape event. Timing the escape takes practice; watch the shark's approach animation and dash perpendicular to its path.
Badge Rarity Tiers and Gem Rewards
All 30 badges in Drain the Lake are divided into four rarity tiers. Higher-rarity badges award more Gems but require significantly more effort or progression.
| Rarity | Badge Count | Gem Range per Badge | Total Gems (Tier) | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 8 | 10 | 80 | First Drop, Plunge, Shark Bait |
| Rare | 10 | 10-20 | 100-200 | Deep Dive, Slippery, Tourist |
| Epic | 6 | 20-30 | 120-180 | Find My Phone, Fully Trained |
| Legendary | 6 | 50-200 | 300-1200 | Ocean's Worst Nightmare, Bottomless Treasure |
Approximate total Gems from all 30 badges: 830+
The Common and Rare tiers contain 18 badges between them, making these the primary targets for early Gem farming. The eight Common badges alone provide 80 Gems, which covers nearly half the cost of the Plastic Bucket (200 Gems). Earning all Common and Rare badges yields 180-280 Gems, enough for the Plastic Bucket with leftovers toward the Metal Bucket (500 Gems).
Shark Encounter Strategy
Three of the ten easiest badges — Shark Bait, Live Bait, and Chew Toy — require shark encounters, and Slippery demands a successful escape. Understanding the shark's behavior makes these badges straightforward.
The shark patrols the upper layers of the lake, primarily between the Surface and the Shipwreck checkpoint. It follows a predictable patrol route with a visible approach animation before it lunges. Key strategies:
- Spawn cycling: After the shark catches you, respawn and return to the patrol zone. The shark respawns on a timer, so repeated visits trigger new encounters quickly.
- Positioning: Stay in shallow water near the shore where the shark's patrol path crosses. This minimizes travel time between encounters.
- Escaping for Slippery: When the shark begins its lunge animation, dash sideways rather than away. The shark commits to a straight-line charge, so perpendicular movement avoids the hitbox. The escape window is roughly half a second before contact.
- Depth avoidance: Below the Shipwreck checkpoint (1.5-2x zone), shark encounters become rare. If you want to avoid the shark while grinding tokens, drain at Cavern depth or deeper.
Gem Economy from Badges
Badges provide the only consistent source of Gems outside of chests. Since Gems purchase buckets — and buckets provide permanent multiplicative bonuses — badge Gem rewards translate directly into progression power.
| Bucket | Cost | Rarity | Bonus | Badges Needed to Fund |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic | 200 Gems | Common | +5% Fill Speed | ~20 Common/Rare badges |
| Metal | 500 Gems | Uncommon | Improved drain efficiency | All 30 badges + chests |
| Magnet | 1200 Gems | Rare | Attracts nearby items | All badges + extensive chest farming |
| Toxic | — | Epic | +10% Token, 10% instant drain | Wheel Spin exclusive |
| Ancient | 10 badges + group | Legendary | +10% Token, higher-tier gem digs | 10 badges (any) |
| Golden | 2000 Diamonds | Legendary | Best gem farming, Token boost | Premium currency |
The Ancient Bucket stands out as the only Legendary bucket obtainable without premium currency or Wheel Spin luck. Its +10% Token earnings bonus and higher-tier gem digs make it competitive with the Golden Bucket for active players who invest in the Skill Tree. Earning 10 badges for the Ancient Bucket should be a first-session priority — the 110 Gems from the easiest 10 badges alone covers over half the Plastic Bucket cost.
After 10 Badges — Claim the Ancient Bucket
Once you have 10 badges AND have joined the IWTM10GTMPLS group:
- Go to the game lobby
- Find the Ancient Bucket pickup
- Claim your Legendary bucket
- Enjoy +10% Token earnings and higher-tier gem digs!
The Ancient Bucket's +10% Token earnings applies to all draining activity across every depth zone. At the Abyss checkpoint (8-12x multiplier), this bonus compounds significantly. The higher-tier gem digs passive means chests found while draining contain more Gems on average, accelerating your progress toward the Metal Bucket and Magnet Bucket.
If you have not joined the IWTM10GTMPLS group yet, do it at roblox.com/communities/617312490. Both conditions — 10 badges and group membership — must be met simultaneously. The game checks group status at claim time, so joining after earning your 10th badge works fine.
Next Badges After the Easy 10
Once you have the Ancient Bucket, consider targeting Epic and Legendary badges for larger Gem payouts. The Find My Phone badge requires reaching the Abyss checkpoint and picking up your phone — this is the game's win condition with a 62% win rate among players who reach Abyss. The Fully Trained badge demands fully upgrading the Skill Tree, which requires substantial token investment following the upgrade priority of Fill Speed → Capacity → Token Multiplier → Character/Movement → Depth Unlock → Automation.
Legendary badges like Ocean's Worst Nightmare (only 56 players have earned it as of July 2026) and Bottomless Treasure offer 50-200 Gems each but demand extreme dedication. These are long-term goals rather than early-session targets.
FAQ
Do I need 10 specific badges? No — any 10 badges count toward the Ancient Bucket unlock. Choose the easiest ones for the fastest path. The game tracks total badge count, not which specific badges you hold. Mixing Common, Rare, and Epic badges in any combination works.
What if I am not in the IWTM10GTMPLS group? Join it immediately at roblox.com/communities/617312490. Both badge count and group membership are required. You can earn all 10 badges first and join the group afterward — the Ancient Bucket pickup checks both conditions at the moment you claim it.
Can I earn these badges in any order? Yes — badges are tracked independently. Earn whichever badges are easiest for your playstyle. Shark-related badges cluster naturally since the shark patrols the same area. Depth-related badges (Tourist, Deep Dive) pair well with normal token-farming progression.
Are there codes for free Gems or badges? As of July 2026, no verified codes exist for Drain the Lake. Codes are expected to arrive via the official Discord and IWTM10GTMPLS group following future updates. Check community channels after patch notes for any new code drops.
Should I spend badge Gems on the Plastic Bucket or save for Metal? Spend immediately on the Plastic Bucket (200 Gems). The +5% Fill Speed bonus accelerates all future draining, which earns tokens faster for Skill Tree upgrades. Following the spend-immediately principle, any Gem expenditure that speeds your core loop is superior to hoarding. The Metal Bucket (500 Gems) becomes affordable later through chest Gems and additional badge rewards.
Visit our badges guide for all 30 badges, or check our ancient bucket guide for the full unlock walkthrough. For token optimization strategies, see our skill tree guide.