Drink the Ocean upgrades are what turn a slow sip into a fast drain. Every upgrade is paid for with salt, and this page explains what each one does and a sensible order to buy them. It covers the Pinidi Studio browser build you can play on this site. Prices and level counts are not published yet, so we do not list any numbers.
How Salt Pays for Drink the Ocean Upgrades
You drink until your belly is full, stand under the PRESS, and the water becomes salt. Walk to the blue SHOP pad and spend that salt. Salt is the only currency, so every one of the Drink the Ocean upgrades starts with a full trip to the PRESS. If you are new to the loop, read how to play Drink the Ocean first.
Every Upgrade and Tool
These are the purchases the game lists, and what each one is for.
| Upgrade | What it does | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Bigger belly | Holds more water before you need to press | Not published |
| Extra straws | Adds drinking capacity | Not published |
| Mouth vacuum | A new tool for pulling in water | Not published |
| Pocket whirlpool | Another tool unlocked through the shop | Not published |
The belly and straws improve what you already do. The vacuum and whirlpool are tools, which means they add new ways to take water rather than just making the straw bigger.
A Sensible Buying Order
Nobody has published tested numbers, so treat this as reasoning, not a proven route. A bigger belly means fewer trips to the PRESS, which saves walking time every cycle. Extra straws mean each trip fills your belly faster. The two work together: a huge belly is slow to fill with one straw, and fast drinking wastes effort if the belly is tiny.
A reasonable approach is to alternate between them, buying whichever one currently feels like the bottleneck. If you spend most of your time walking back and forth, buy capacity. If you spend it standing at the water, buy drinking power. Our Drink the Ocean tips page builds on this.
Switching Tools With 1, 2 and 3
Once you own more than one tool, switch between them with the keys 1, 2 and 3. The mouth vacuum and pocket whirlpool each sit alongside the straw, so pick the one that suits the situation. The exact strengths of each tool are not published yet, so try them in the game and see which drains fastest for you.
Sky Duck Boons
The Sky Duck is a mysterious duck that hands out boons, which are gifts. Press E to open them. What each boon does is not published yet, so check what the duck offers when you meet it. The Sky Duck is not part of the blue SHOP pad, so its gifts sit alongside the upgrades you buy with salt.
Upgrades After You Pull the Plug
When the sea is drained to the plug, you can pull it and start a new, stronger ocean of your choice: cola, lemonade, slime or lava. Details of how upgrades carry over or change are not published. The Drink the Ocean ending page covers what you uncover on the way down.
Mana's original Drink The Ocean works differently, because it has you collect treasure and sell it to a merchant for bigger straws. That is a separate game, covered in where to play Drink the Ocean. If you want more of the same idea, see games like Drink the Ocean, or browse all our Drink the Ocean guides.
Drink the Ocean Upgrades FAQ
What are the best upgrades?
No tested ranking exists. Reasoning suggests a bigger belly saves trips and extra straws speed up filling, so a mix of both is a safe start.
How much do upgrades cost?
Salt prices and the number of levels are not published yet. The in-game shop shows the current price of each item.
Where do I spend salt?
On the blue SHOP pad. Salt comes from pressing a full belly of water at the PRESS.
What does the Sky Duck give you?
Boons, which are gifts you open with E. What each one does is not published yet.