Strategy · Beginner
How Many Dudes Beginner's Guide
Welcome to the Dude Ranch. This guide is a structured version of the official developer guide ("Top 10 Tips for Newbie Dudes," written by the dev team for the July 30, 2026 release) plus our own onboarding notes. If you read one thing before your first run, make it this.
Your First 10 Waves: The Bare Minimum
- Recruit Dudes: you start with a small Roster and recruit more as waves clear. Mix families and roles — the official home page describes the goal: "mix and match Dude Types and form ridiculous synergies."
- Click everything. The official guide's second tip: "just about everything in the UI is clickable." Stats, icons, tooltip words — click them. The game has a built-in glossary, The Dudex, that explains everything, and so do we: check our All Dudes database.
- Don't buy Dude Juice at the first sign of trouble. Unconscious Dudes recover on their own after a few rounds. The official tip: "if you're aggressively chugging Dude Juice... you'll end up burning cash unnecessarily." Let the team grind out wins and save the money for Relics.
- Save for the Business Dude. Three times per run he'll double your money. The single most important economic habit is handing him your whole bank. (Full breakdown in our Resource Management guide.)
- Trust every Dude. The official guide's opening line: "the only weak Dude is a neglected Dude." If a Dude feels weak, you're missing his Relics, stats, or teammates — not the Dude himself.
The Official Dev Guide's 10 Tips, Summarized
| # | Official Tip | What It Means |
|---|
| 1 | Every Dude is Strong | Weak Dudes are neglected Dudes — find each Dude's Relics, stats, and teammates. |
| 2 | Not sure? Click it! | The UI and the Dudex glossary explain everything in-game. |
| 3 | Hold the Juice | Use Dude Juice sparingly; Dudes recover on their own. |
| 4 | Don't Fear the Tier | Higher Tiers have early rewards, and Stars backfill lower Tiers retroactively. |
| 5 | Maximize Your Dudeconomy | Compound interest with the Business Dude beats everything. |
| 6 | Be Brave. Try Weird Stuff! | Weird teams discover the game-breaking synergies. |
| 7 | Plan For the Big Bosses | Prep survival, mobility, and boss answers before round 105. |
| 8 | Synergize Around Stats | Learn which stats each Dude loves (e.g., Mutant: Cleave/AP/AS; Knight: Toughness/HP). |
| 9 | Understand the Relic Pool | Families + Flyers control which Relics you see. |
| 10 | Save Yourself! | Prevent knockouts: Toughness, Max HP, Cheat Death, and smart consumables. |
Starter Team Ideas (Official Guide Suggestions)
- One Dude Type, maxed: "Got a Samurai Dude? Pair him with an Alien and give him a Taser!"
- Hacker engine: stack Hacker Dudes + Crit Chance — "compiling a billion Exploits per second."
- Ninja Thralls: run Ninja Dudes as the Lich Dude's Thralls for perma-stealth with huge Crit, Cleave, and Attack Power.
- No tanks, no healers: the official guide's challenge — if you win fast enough, do you even need healing?
- Relic-carried teams: build around the Explorer's River Raft, the Electrician's Fuzzy Socks, the Druid's Bear Knuckle, the Cowboy's Bandoleer, or the Warlock's Shadowy Funnel.
Don't Fear the Tier: When to Move Up
The official guide's advice: you don't need to finish Tier 1 before trying Tier 2. Higher Tiers offer early one-or-two-run rewards, and Gold/Silver Stars retroactively apply to lower Tiers — "you could potentially finish your Tier 1 collection while not even playing in Tier 1." New Tier constraints will force you to improve, and those lessons carry back down. Our Wave Walkthrough covers what each Tier throws at you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a tutorial in the game?
Yes — the game's UI explains itself, and The Dudex glossary covers every stat and term. The official New Player Guide (blog.bscotch.net) is the developer-written manual. This page is our structured summary of it.
What should I spend my first gold on?
Save it for the Business Dude's doubling windows and for your core Dudes' Relics. Avoid Dude Juice and avoid spreading your team across too many Families early (Relic pool dilution — see Resource Management).
Which game mode should a beginner play?
The standard run first, then the Daily Dude (all Flyers pre-posted, per the official guide) to see a full Relic pool in action. Ensemble Mode lets you pre-select your team — great for testing builds you read about here.
Sources: Official How Many Dudes Guide — "Top 10 Tips for Newbie Dudes" · Official Dudex · Official site