The Phone Ending is the primary goal of Drain the Lake — your phone fell into the lake, and you must drain the water bucket by bucket to reach it. Launched in June 2026 by developer IWTM10GTMPLS, this incremental simulator has surpassed 29.9 million visits and peaked at over 83,000 concurrent players, with a maximum of 12 players per server. The core gameplay loop revolves around filling your bucket, draining it for tokens, and upgrading your Skill Tree to push deeper through the lake's checkpoints. Reaching the Abyss to retrieve your phone serves as the game's main victory condition, currently achieved by roughly 62% of dedicated players. This walkthrough provides step-by-step guidance through all six checkpoints to the Abyss where your phone waits.
Preparation and Upgrade Strategy
Before attempting the deep push to the Abyss, understanding the game's upgrade economy is critical. The fundamental rule of Drain the Lake is the spend-immediately principle: never hoard tokens. Every token sitting in your inventory is a missed upgrade that could be generating more tokens. You must invest immediately into your Skill Tree to maintain progression momentum.
The Skill Tree is divided into six distinct families: Fill Speed, Capacity, Movement Speed, Token Multiplier, Depth Unlock, and Automation. Following the optimal upgrade priority ensures you don't waste tokens on inefficient stats. The strict order is Fill Speed → Capacity → Token Multiplier → Character/Movement → Depth Unlock → Automation.
Fill Speed and Capacity dictate how quickly you can extract water and return it for tokens, forming the foundation of your active loop. Token Multiplier scales your earnings directly. Movement Speed helps you traverse the growing distances to deeper checkpoints faster. Depth Unlock is a gate that must be paid for, but over-investing early slows your economy. Automation, which provides idle token generation while offline, should only be pursued after your active loop is fully upgraded, as active draining yields significantly higher returns per hour.
Bucket Selection for the Phone Run
Your bucket is your primary tool, and selecting the right one drastically alters your progression speed. Buckets are purchased using Gems (earned from badges and chests) or Diamonds (premium currency). Below is a breakdown of all available buckets and their strategic value for reaching the Abyss.
| Bucket | Cost | Rarity | Bonus / Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Free | Common | No bonus |
| Plastic | 200 Gems | Uncommon | +5% Fill Speed |
| Metal | 500 Gems | Uncommon | Improved drain efficiency |
| Magnet | 1200 Gems | Rare | Attracts nearby items |
| Toxic | Unspecified | Rare | +10% Token earnings, 10% chance instant drain when full |
| Golden | 2000 Diamonds | Legendary | Best for gem farming, increases Token earnings |
| Ancient | 10 Badges + Group | Legendary | +10% Token earnings, higher-tier gem digs |
For the Phone Ending run, the Plastic and Metal buckets serve as excellent early-game investments. The Toxic bucket is highly efficient for mid-game token farming due to its instant drain proc, which effectively skips the walking time for one in ten buckets. The Golden Bucket is the ultimate endgame tool for raw token generation, but its 2000 Diamond cost makes it a luxury. The Ancient Bucket requires joining the IWTM10GTMPLS Roblox group and earning 10 badges, providing a +10% Token earnings boost and access to higher-tier gem digs, making it one of the best free-to-play options for the final push. Additionally, the Wheel Spin bonus mechanic can award exclusive buckets like the Toilet Bucket and Use the Bucket, though these are more novelty than core progression tools.
Badge and Currency Farming Along the Way
Tokens are your primary currency, but Gems and Diamonds are necessary for bucket upgrades. Gems are primarily earned through the game's 30 badges and from chests found while draining. There are approximately 830+ total Gems available from all badges combined.
You should naturally acquire several easy badges early in your run, which will fund your initial bucket upgrades:
- First Drop: Drain your first bucket. Awards 10 Gems. Over 10 million players have earned this.
- Plunge: Swim in the lake. Awards 10 Gems.
- Shark Bait: Get caught by a shark. Awards 10 Gems.
Chests spawn randomly while draining water and contain Gems alongside sometimes rare items. Actively seeking chests during your fill-and-drain routes accelerates your Gem income.
| Badge Rarity | Number of Badges | Gem Reward Range |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 8 | 10 Gems each |
| Rare | 10 | 10-20 Gems each |
| Epic | 6 | 20-30 Gems each |
| Legendary | 6 | 50-200 Gems each |
The Six Checkpoints
Progression in Drain the Lake is gated by six depth checkpoints. As you descend, the water value increases, but so do the requirements to survive and drain efficiently. Depth scaling directly multiplies your token earnings: Surface (1x) → Shipwreck (1.5-2x) → Cavern (2-3x) → Mineshaft (3-4x) → Molten (4-6x) → Lost City (6-8x) → Abyss (8-12x).
| # | Checkpoint | Depth | Theme | Token Multiplier | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shipwreck | Shallow | Wreckage | 1.5-2x | Deep Dive |
| 2 | Cavern | Mid | Cave | 2-3x | — |
| 3 | Mineshaft | Moderate | Industrial | 3-4x | The Mines |
| 4 | Molten | Deep | Lava | 4-6x | Fire Below |
| 5 | Lost City | Very Deep | Ruins | 6-8x | Ancient Ruins |
| 6 | Abyss | Maximum | Final | 8-12x | Find My Phone |
Step 1: Reach the Shipwreck
The Shipwreck is your first checkpoint beneath the surface. It requires basic Depth Unlock investment in the Skill Tree. At this stage, your primary focus is establishing a fast active loop. Ensure your Fill Speed and Capacity are high enough that you aren't making frequent, low-yield trips.
Requirements: Fill Speed Lv 3+, Capacity Lv 2+, Depth Unlock Lv 1 What you find: Sunken wreckage, higher-value water (~1.5-2x surface) Badge earned: Deep Dive Strategy: Use the starting Common bucket until you earn enough Gems from your first few badges (First Drop, Plunge, Shark Bait) to purchase the Plastic Bucket for its +5% Fill Speed. The 1.5-2x token multiplier here makes it substantially better than the surface, so unlock Depth 1 as soon as your Fill Speed feels smooth.
Step 2: Navigate to the Cavern
The Cavern introduces cave formations and moderate challenges. The distance to the drain point increases, making Movement Speed upgrades more valuable.
Requirements: Fill Speed Lv 4-5+, Capacity Lv 3+, Depth Unlock Lv 2 What you find: Underground cave environment, 2-3x water value Strategy: By now, you should have the Metal Bucket (500 Gems), which improves drain efficiency. Focus your tokens heavily on Capacity so you carry more water per trip, minimizing the impact of the longer walk times.
Step 3: Enter the Mineshaft
The Mineshaft's industrial zone has mechanical elements and significantly higher water value. The layout becomes more complex, and efficient pathing is required.
Requirements: Fill Speed Lv 5+, Capacity Lv 3+, Token Multiplier Lv 2+ What you find: Industrial tunnels, 3-4x water value Badge earned: The Mines Strategy: At 3-4x water value, your Token Multiplier investments start paying massive dividends. If you haven't already, ensure you are adhering strictly to the spend-immediately principle—dump every token into Fill Speed and Capacity to capitalize on the high-yield water.
Step 4: Brave the Molten Zone
The Molten zone is lava-themed with dangerous but lucrative water tiers. This is where the difficulty spikes, and suboptimal upgrade ratios will stall your progress.
Requirements: Fill Speed Lv 7+, Capacity Lv 5+, Token Multiplier Lv 3+ What you find: Lava environment, 4-6x water value Badge earned: Fire Below Strategy: The walk to the Molten drain point is long. Upgrading Movement Speed is no longer optional; you need it to maintain a high tokens-per-hour rate. The Toxic Bucket shines here, as the 10% chance to instantly drain a full bucket saves immense travel time. The Magnet Bucket (1200 Gems) is also useful for attracting nearby items and chests without straying from your path.
Step 5: Discover the Lost City
The Lost City has ancient ruins near the bottom with high-value water. You are now in the deep end of the lake, and the token requirements for Skill Tree upgrades are massive.
Requirements: Fill Speed Lv 8+, Capacity Lv 6+, Token Multiplier Lv 4+ What you find: Ancient architecture, 6-8x water value Badge earned: Ancient Ruins Strategy: The 6-8x multiplier is incredibly profitable. If you have saved up Diamonds or earned enough Gems, the Golden Bucket (2000 Diamonds) or Ancient Bucket (10 badges + group join) are highly recommended. Their token earning boosts will significantly cut down the grind for the final Depth Unlock levels.
Step 6: Reach the Abyss — Reclaim Your Phone
The Abyss is the final checkpoint. Navigate to the phone location and interact with it to achieve the Phone Ending.
Requirements: Maximum Depth Unlock, fully optimized active loop What you find: Deep dark water, 8-12x water value, your phone Badge earned: Find My Phone + Into the Abyss Strategy: The final Depth Unlock requires a massive token sink. Do not be tempted to invest in Automation yet; keep funneling tokens into your active loop to push through this final gate. Once you unlock the Abyss, navigate carefully to the phone's location and interact with it to complete the game.
Post-Ending
After reclaiming your phone, the game does not end—you keep all your progress and continue playing. The 8-12x token multiplier in the Abyss makes it the best location for endgame farming.
Post-ending goals include:
- Fully Trained Badge: Fully upgrade the entire Skill Tree, including the previously neglected Automation branch.
- Ancient Bucket: If you skipped it, collect the remaining badges and join the IWTM10GTMPLS group to claim this Legendary bucket for higher-tier gem digs.
- Rare Badges: Hunt for elusive badges like Ocean's Worst Nightmare (earned by only 56 players globally) and Bottomless Treasure.
- Golden Bucket: Farm or purchase Diamonds to acquire the Golden Bucket for the ultimate gem farming setup.
- Exploration: Freely explore all depth zones without the pressure of reaching the phone.
FAQ
How long does the phone ending take? The Phone Ending takes approximately 8-15 hours of active playtime following optimal upgrade priorities. Idle play or inefficient token spending can extend this significantly.
Can I reach the Abyss without the Ancient Bucket? Yes—the Ancient Bucket helps with its +10% Token earnings and higher-tier gem digs, but it is not required. A strong Skill Tree combined with a mid-tier bucket like the Toxic or Metal bucket is sufficient to fund the Depth Unlock requirements.
How do I get the Shark Bait badge easily? The Shark Bait badge requires you to get caught by a shark. Sharks spawn randomly in the lake. To earn this badge quickly, swim near the surface or mid-depths and wait for a shark encounter. It awards 10 Gems.
Are there any active codes for Drain the Lake? As of July 2026, there are no verified codes. The developer is expected to release codes via the official Discord server and the IWTM10GTMPLS Roblox group following future major updates.
What is the win rate for the Phone Ending? Currently, approximately 62% of players who commit to the progression loop reach the Abyss checkpoint and successfully pick up their phone to achieve the ending.
Visit our depth guide for detailed checkpoint strategy, or check our progression guide for the full game walkthrough.