Straws, Belly & Salt Upgrades
Every upgrade and shop tool in Drink the Ocean, how the Salt Press and seabed treasure economies work, and which upgrade to buy next.
- Bigger Belly & Extra Straws
- Mouth Vacuum & Pocket Whirlpool
- Sky Duck gifts (E)
- Cola · Lemonade · Slime · Lava
How the Salt Press & Shop economy works
In the HTML5 simulator, seawater itself is not currency until you refine it. Every trip follows a three-pad triangle on the starting island: drink water at the shoreline until your belly bar fills, walk (or press T) under the mechanical PRESS to compress stored water into Salt, and spend that Salt on the blue SHOP pad. In the Mana desktop Co-op edition, receding water reveals collectibles and seabed treasures that you sell to fund progressively larger straws and whirlpool gear.
All suction tools & capacity upgrades
| Upgrade / Tool | Shop Category | Hotkey | Core Effect & Progression Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Plastic Straw | Starting gear | 1 | Baseline single-sip straw issued when you arrive on the island shore. |
| Bigger Belly | Capacity upgrade | Passive | Expands maximum water volume held per trip before you need to visit the PRESS. |
| Extra Straws | Suction upgrade | 1 | Bundles additional straws together to multiply liters gulped per second. |
| Mouth Vacuum | Mid-game shop tool | 2 | Motorized suction tool purchased on the blue SHOP pad; clears the upper shelf to expose the Shipwreck rapidly. |
| Pocket Whirlpool | High-tier shop tool | 3 | Generates a localized water vortex that drains deep pelagic layers down to the Whale Skeleton, Sunken City, and Plug. |
| Sky Duck Boons | Aerial gift drop | E | Periodic bonus gifts from the mysterious Sky Duck that accelerate Salt and draining progress. |
Balancing Bigger Belly vs suction tools
New players frequently dump 100% of their Salt into Extra Straws or rush the Mouth Vacuum with an un-upgraded belly. When your suction tool fills your belly in 1.5 seconds, your character spends 80% of every minute walking between the PRESS and the water. Follow this two-step check after every tool purchase:
- Right after buying a new tool (Mouth Vacuum or Pocket Whirlpool): Put your next 2–3 purchases straight into Bigger Belly until a single fill lasts at least 7–10 seconds.
- Once a single fill exceeds 14 seconds: Save Salt for the next Extra Straws tier or tool slot so you are not standing still at the shoreline for half a minute per trip.
New Ocean Plug resets: Cola, Lemonade, Slime & Lava
Once you drain the starter ocean all the way down to the abyssal plug at the bottom, interacting with the plug resets the basin and lets you choose a stronger replacement ocean:
- Cola Ocean
- First prestige basin after seawater: dark fizzy surface with stronger resistance and higher Salt returns per press.
- Lemonade Ocean
- Bright citrus basin that scales mid-prestige Salt economy for faster Mouth Vacuum and Bigger Belly tiers.
- Slime Ocean
- Dense viscous basin where high-tier Extra Straws and the Pocket Whirlpool shine.
- Lava Ocean
- Volcanic endgame liquid basin testing maxed belly capacity, whirlpool suction, and Sky Duck gift timing.
Common questions
How do I switch to the Mouth Vacuum or Pocket Whirlpool after buying it?
Press number keys 1, 2, or 3 on your keyboard (or tap the tool slot in the mobile hotbar) to equip your newly purchased suction tool.
What does the Sky Duck do in Drink the Ocean?
The Sky Duck periodically appears with free boons and gifts. Walk up or press E when prompted to open the duck’s gifts for bonus progression boosts.
Do Mana and Playgama have the exact same upgrade shop?
Both share the core plastic-straw-to-whirlpool progression, while their currencies differ slightly: Playgama converts belly water into Salt under the PRESS pad, whereas Mana focuses on picking up and selling uncovered seabed treasures with 1–4 players to buy bigger straws.