Words are your weapons.

Your first turn

1. Choose a language before your first move. Open Settings to change the language. The board shows how many letters the hidden word needs.
2. Enter a word and submit it. Use your keyboard or the on-screen keys. A rejected word does not spend a turn.
3. Read the clues. Green means the right letter in the right place. Yellow means the letter is in the word but belongs elsewhere. Gray means that occurrence is not needed. Repeated letters are counted: one yellow does not promise two copies of the letter.
4. Watch what happens above the board. New green squares activate their effects. The enemy then takes its shown action unless you stop it by solving the word.

There is no six-guess limit. Your health is the limit. A useful guess can help you survive even when it does not solve the whole word.

What the squares do

Sword

A newly green sword square damages the enemy. Its current strength is shown above the board.

Heart

A newly green heart square restores health, up to your current maximum. It does not make a sword attack.

Multiplier

A rare ×2 or ×3 square stores a charge instead of paying out immediately. It boosts the next new attack or healing square, then is spent. New squares resolve from left to right. A charge can carry into another word; only the strongest charge is kept.

Several clues

Two or more new greens add bonus damage. Two or more yellows give a shield against damage that turn. Check the in-game guide for the values at your current depth.

Each square activates only once per word. Reusing a green you already found does not repeat its effect.

Solving a word and defeating an enemy are different

Completing the word earns 3 gold and cancels the enemy's next action. You then start a fresh word, while the enemy keeps its remaining health. Defeating an enemy earns gold and moves you to the next fight, keeping your current word.

Read the enemy's next action

The move shown above the fight tells you what is coming after a valid guess. If you are low on health, a new heart, a shield-producing guess or a complete solution can matter more than immediate damage.

Poison is a separate threat. A poisoned square costs health on each valid guess, even when the enemy is stunned; shields do not stop it. Turn that square green or use Moonwater to cleanse it.

Rolls, gold and supplies

A roll spends gold to try the unsolved positions. Each has an 18% chance to match. A miss gives no clue, and existing greens stay locked. The roll price rises by 2 gold each time you roll the same word.

Rolls and items do not use a guess turn. They can help when the enemy's next move is dangerous, but a roll is a chance, not a guaranteed solution. Read the displayed cost and the supply's description before using it.

Keep some gold for Mush's shop. Supplies can cover an immediate problem; a relic can change later fights. Their descriptions show what they do at your current strength.

Going deeper

Defeat five enemies in an area, then its boss. In current runs, each area has a 75% chance of one Mush visit between fights; in the first area, Mush cannot appear immediately after the first fight. A visit is not guaranteed.

Bosses offer a relic and restore some health. Later areas repeat at greater depth, with stronger enemies and stronger sword, heart and supply effects. The in-game guide shows the values for your run.

This guide describes new runs. An unfinished run from an older game version can keep its original rules, and its in-game help follows those rules.

One daily attempt

The daily dungeon resets at 00:00 UTC. You get one daily attempt across languages, so choose the language before making your first move. Reloading does not reroll the day's dungeon or restore a finished attempt.

An unfinished descent can be resumed, including on a later day. Guest progress is saved in this browser. An optional account lets you keep account progress across signed-in devices; signing in does not grant an extra daily attempt.

Keep browser storage if you want to keep a guest save. Private browsing or clearing site data can remove it. Read the storage notice for details.

Common questions

Why did my green letter do no damage?

It may be a heart or multiplier square, or a green that already activated on this word. Look at the symbol above that position: new greens do not all make sword attacks.

Why was a word rejected?

It must have the required length and appear in the selected language's accepted word list. Accepted guesses and possible hidden answers are different lists. The guide inside the game includes language-specific spelling notes. If a familiar word seems missing, send feedback with the language and spelling.

Can I play for free without signing up?

Yes. Guest play needs no account. Sound is optional, and Settings lets you reduce animation. The game also follows your device's reduced-motion preference.

Where are the controls and rules?

Open Settings during play for language, sound, animation and the in-game guide. The guide's “More rules” section uses the numbers for your current run.