To get the Hidden Treasure ending in Drain The Lake, reach the Abyss/bottom phone area, do not pick up the phone, drain the extra pool with the dangerous fish, then enter the hidden area and interact with the final door.
The Hidden Treasure ending is the deeper route that branches off from the Phone ending path. You still go all the way down through the normal late-game checkpoints, but instead of using the phone at the bottom, you push past it and drain one more dangerous pool.
KEY!The main thing to remember is simple: the phone is a trap for this ending. Clicking it sends you into the Phone ending, while Hidden Treasure asks you to keep moving, survive the fish pool, and find the huge final door below.
The Hidden Treasure route starts late, after you have already reached the same bottom area used for the Phone ending. It is not an early-game secret you can grab from the lobby or from the first few checkpoints.
Think of it as an alternate finish to the Abyss route. You pass through Shipwreck, Cavern, Mineshaft, Molten, Lost City, and Abyss, then ignore the phone and continue to the extra pool at the end of the area.
| Need | Details |
|---|---|
| Deep checkpoint access | Reach Shipwreck, Cavern, Mineshaft, Molten, Lost City, and Abyss. |
| Phone area access | You need to reach the lake bottom where the phone appears. |
| Skill Tree upgrades | A completed Skill Tree is recommended for the movement speed needed to dodge the fish. |
| Better bucket | A higher-capacity bucket like the Toilet Bucket makes the pool easier to drain, but it is not required. |
| Ending discipline | Do not interact with the phone, or you will trigger the Phone ending instead. |
You should be comfortable reaching the bottom of the lake before trying this. The route asks you to move through every major deep checkpoint first, and the final pool has a large carnivorous fish that can punish slow movement or sloppy draining.
Stop yourself at the phone and keep walking; the Hidden Treasure route only opens if you ignore the Phone ending prompt and drain the extra fish pool beyond it.
Follow the normal deep route to the Abyss, then branch away from the Phone ending and clear the hidden pool below.
STEP 1/9
Pass the deep checkpoints
Go through Shipwreck, Cavern, Mineshaft, Molten, Lost City, and Abyss before trying the Hidden Treasure route.
STEP 2/9
Reach the bottom phone area
After the Abyss checkpoint, continue down until you find the phone at the lake bottom.
STEP 3/9
Ignore the phone
Do not interact with the phone, because that triggers the Phone ending instead.
STEP 4/9
Walk to the extra pool
Keep going to the end of the bottom area until you find a small separate water pool.
STEP 5/9
Watch the carnivorous fish
The pool contains a large fish that can bite for heavy damage, so keep moving while you work.
STEP 6/9
Drain the fish pool
Empty the pool while dodging the fish; movement upgrades and a high-capacity bucket make this much easier.
STEP 7/9
Drop into the hidden area
Once the pool is empty, fall into the large hidden area with signs and symbols on the ground.
STEP 8/9
Find the huge door
Walk around the hidden map until you locate the huge door.
STEP 9/9
Interact with the final door
Use the huge door to trigger the Hidden Treasure ending and finish the route.
Video help
After you interact with the huge door, the Hidden Treasure ending cutscene plays and shows what you found after the full journey. If this is your first time reaching it, you also unlock the Hidden Treasure badge.
Early player numbers put the completion reward at around 60 diamonds. The badge is the main first-clear reward to track, while the diamond amount is the part most likely to change as Drain The Lake updates.
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Clicking the phone | Leave the phone alone and keep walking, or you will trigger the Phone ending. |
| Stopping at the bottom area | Continue past the phone until you find the small extra pool. |
| Entering the fish pool too weak | Fill out your Skill Tree first, especially for movement speed. |
| Using a very low-capacity bucket | Bring a stronger bucket if possible; the Toilet Bucket is a useful option. |
| Confusing treasure badges | Chest badges such as treasure-related collection goals are separate from the Hidden Treasure ending. |
| Mixing in other deep-route rumors | For this ending route, focus on the phone area, fish pool, hidden area, and final door. |
Most failed Hidden Treasure attempts happen because players treat the bottom phone area as the finish line. For this route, the phone is only a landmark; the real path continues past it to the separate pool.
The other common problem is arriving under-upgraded. The fish pool is not just a drain check, because you also need enough speed to avoid taking too much damage while the water level drops.
Once you have Hidden Treasure done, the nearby goal is the Phone ending. Pick up the phone at the bottom on a separate run to earn the Find My Phone badge instead of walking past it.
You can also work toward stronger bucket progression, including high-tier buckets and the Jewel Bucket, then clean up badge completion across chest, draining, checkpoint, and ending goals. Hidden Treasure is one of the big late-game route checks, so finishing it puts you in a good spot for all-badges completion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need to pick up the phone for the Hidden Treasure ending?
No. For the Hidden Treasure ending, you must ignore the phone. Picking it up triggers the Phone ending instead.
Do you need every Skill Tree upgrade?
You are not forced to have every upgrade, but a completed Skill Tree is strongly recommended. The extra movement speed helps you dodge the carnivorous fish while draining the final pool.
Which bucket should you use for the fish pool?
Use the highest-capacity bucket you have. The Toilet Bucket is a good example because it helps drain the pool faster, but the ending does not require that specific bucket.
What reward do you get for the Hidden Treasure ending?
Your first clear unlocks the Hidden Treasure badge. The completion reward is currently around 60 diamonds.
Is the Hidden Treasure ending the same as the Phone ending?
No. Both routes share the same late-game path to the bottom of the lake, but the Phone ending comes from interacting with the phone, while Hidden Treasure comes from ignoring it, draining the fish pool, and opening the huge door below.
Leave a Reply