Drain the Lake All Secret Buckets & Endings Guide – Atlantis

If you opened the badges menu after the latest Drain the Lake update and suddenly noticed a bunch of things you haven’t unlocked yet, you’re not missing something obvious. There are several new secrets tucked into the biomes, and a couple of them are very easy to walk straight past.

The update gives us three new secret buckets to collect: the Demolition Bucket, Captain Bucket, and Frozen Bucket. On top of that, there are two endings to discover, including the Frozen Throne ending and the newly changed Atlantis ending.

I spent some time going through how these actually work, and the biggest thing you need to know before starting is that not every secret can simply be grabbed when you see it. The Demolition area, for example, involves randomized key fragments, while the Atlantis ending requires another player to help you set things up.

So, rather than wasting an entire run looking for an item that didn’t even spawn, here’s how to unlock every new secret bucket, badge, and ending in Drain the Lake.

There are three new buckets tied to the new badges and secrets:

• Demolition/TNT Bucket – obtained through the Demolition Expert secret.

• Captain Bucket – obtained by completing the Harbor Explorer secret.

• Frozen Bucket – unlocked by reaching the Frozen Throne ending.

The update also introduces the Ruler of Atlantis ending, although this one works a little differently because you’ll need the right buckets and another player.

Let’s start with probably the easiest secret to understand, even if actually getting it to spawn can take a bit of luck.

The Demolition Bucket, which basically looks like a TNT-themed bucket, is connected to the Demolition Expert badge.

You’ll need to reach the TNT area during your run.

Once you’re there, don’t immediately continue draining the lake. Take a look around the small shacks scattered through the area.

You’re looking for three key fragments.

Check inside each shack carefully because that’s where the fragments can appear. Once you’ve collected all three, you’ll be able to access the locked Demolition Chamber.

There is one annoying catch here.

The key fragments aren’t guaranteed to appear every time the TNT area spawns.

That’s important because you could spend ages checking every corner of the area thinking you’ve missed something when the keys simply aren’t available during that particular run.

If you reach the TNT area and don’t find the required fragments inside the shacks, you may need to try again on another run.

When you do get a successful spawn, collect all three key fragments before heading to the locked door.

With all three fragments collected, find the door leading into the Demolition Chamber.

The fragments allow you to unlock it.

Open the door, head inside, and you’ll find the Demolition/TNT Bucket waiting for you.

Simply pick it up to claim your reward and complete the associated secret.

There isn’t another puzzle waiting behind the door, thankfully. The real challenge is getting a run where all the required key fragments are available and making sure you search the shacks before moving on.

The next secret is tied to the Harbor Explorer badge.

This one takes a little more work because you need to find an item in one part of the run and then carry it forward until you reach another location.

First, look for the new harbor-style biome containing a damaged or sunken ship.

That wrecked ship isn’t just there for decoration.

Go inside and search it for a Compass.

Pick up the Compass and keep it with you. You’re going to need it shortly.

Once you have the Compass, continue draining the lake normally.

Eventually, you’re looking for a biome containing a large Lighthouse.

When you first reach it, you’ll notice that access to the Lighthouse is blocked. Normally you wouldn’t be able to open it, but that’s exactly why we picked up the Compass earlier.

Approach the Lighthouse while carrying the Compass and use it to unlock the entrance.

Now you can head inside and start making your way upstairs.

Your reward is waiting near the top.

Inside the Lighthouse, climb the stairs toward the Captain Bucket.

There’s a slightly awkward part here because an invisible or hidden wall can prevent you from walking all the way up normally.

Don’t assume the bucket is inaccessible.

You can still interact with and claim the Captain Bucket from below if you’re positioned close enough to it.

There’s also another method you can try.

If you manage to get onto the upper section of the Lighthouse, you can jump down from above and approach the bucket that way.

Either method works; the important progression is:

Find the sunken ship → take the Compass → keep draining → find the Lighthouse → unlock it → claim the Captain Bucket.

Once you’ve got that sequence down, Harbor Explorer is pretty straightforward.

Now we’re getting into the new endings.

The Frozen Bucket isn’t sitting somewhere waiting for you to pick it up like the previous two rewards. Instead, you unlock it by completing the Frozen Throne ending.

For this one, you need to reach the new Frozen biome.

Once you’re there, look around for the enormous locked gate.

Try interacting with it and you’ll discover that the gate requires a Journal.

Thankfully, the Journal is hidden in the same general biome.

Look around the Frozen biome for a set of stairs or a ladder-like structure.

Don’t just climb it and continue exploring.

Check behind the ladder/stairs.

There’s a small hidden tunnel tucked behind it that’s very easy to miss if you’re rushing through the area.

Enter that tiny passage and look for a table inside.

The Journal is sitting on the table.

Pick it up, then return to the giant gate.

With the Journal in your possession, interact with the Frozen gate again.

You’ll need to press and hold E to activate it.

Before doing this, make sure you’re actually ready to finish.

Opening this gate ends your current run.

You won’t be continuing to drain the lake afterward, so if there are other things you wanted to accomplish during the same run, take care of them before triggering the ending.

Once activated, you’ll be transported into a Frozen Throne room.

Reaching this location completes the new ending and awards its associated badge.

More importantly for collectors, completing the ending also unlocks the Frozen Bucket.

After you’ve finished looking around, you can return to the lobby.

The Atlantis secret has also changed with the update.

If you’ve played previously, you might remember that the area behind the Atlantis door was associated with getting the Trident Bucket.

That’s no longer the entire story.

The area now contains a new ending: Ruler of Atlantis.

And unlike the Frozen ending, you’re going to need some cooperation to get this one working properly.

You’ll need access to two important buckets:

• Jeweled Bucket

• Trident Bucket

You’ll also need another player.

One player needs to use the Jeweled Bucket to fill the water, while the other needs the Trident Bucket for the final interaction.

The Trident Bucket can be obtained from the Atlantis area as part of its previous secret/progression.

Once everything is prepared, the player carrying the Trident Bucket needs to approach the throne.

Walk onto the Atlantis throne while using the Trident Bucket.

Then hold E.

There’s one detail here that you absolutely don’t want to miss:

You must have the Trident Bucket equipped when interacting with the throne.

If you’re using the wrong bucket, the ending won’t complete.

Assuming everything has been set up correctly with the other player and the Jeweled Bucket, interacting with the throne using the Trident Bucket will trigger the ending.

Your run will end and you’ll be teleported back to the lobby.

That completes the Ruler of Atlantis ending and its associated badge.

Both new endings finish your current run, but their requirements are very different.

Frozen Throne can be handled through exploration. You need to find the Frozen biome, locate the hidden Journal, return to the gate, and activate it.

Ruler of Atlantis is more involved because it requires specific buckets and cooperation with another player.

If you’re trying to knock out everything efficiently, I’d prioritize the Frozen ending whenever its biome appears because you can complete the necessary steps yourself.

Atlantis is something I’d specifically prepare for with another player rather than hoping everything lines up naturally during a random run.

Here’s the whole process condensed down if you’re already mid-run and just need a reminder:

• Demolition Bucket: Reach the TNT area, search the shacks for three randomized key fragments, unlock the Demolition Chamber, and collect the bucket.

• Captain Bucket: Find the sunken ship, collect its Compass, continue draining until you reach the Lighthouse, unlock it with the Compass, and collect the Captain Bucket.

• Frozen Bucket: Enter the Frozen biome, find the hidden tunnel behind the stairs/ladder, collect the Journal, open the giant gate, and complete the Frozen Throne ending.

• Ruler of Atlantis: Use the Jeweled Bucket with another player to set up the water, have a player use the Trident Bucket, approach the Atlantis throne, and hold E while the Trident Bucket is equipped.

One thing I’d keep in mind is that triggering either ending can finish your run. Don’t activate one too early if you’re still searching for another collectible.

For me, the Demolition Bucket can potentially be the most annoying, and not because its puzzle is difficult.

It’s the randomness.

Once the three key fragments actually appear, collecting them and opening the Demolition Chamber is simple. The problem is reaching the TNT area only to discover the fragments you need haven’t spawned.

The Captain Bucket has more steps, but at least there’s a clear path once you find the Compass.

Frozen is similar. The Journal is cleverly hidden, but after you know about that little tunnel behind the ladder, the secret becomes much easier to repeat.

Atlantis is probably the most complicated ending overall because another player and multiple buckets are involved.

Don’t rush through new biomes just because you’re focused on draining the water as quickly as possible.

A lot of these secrets reward you for actually looking around.

The sunken ship contains the Compass you need later. The Frozen Journal is tucked inside a tiny tunnel behind a structure you could easily walk straight past. The TNT key fragments require you to physically check the shacks.

I’d also recommend deciding what you’re hunting before starting a run.

If you want the Atlantis ending, bring another player and make sure you understand who needs the Jeweled Bucket and who’ll be handling the Trident Bucket. If you’re after the Demolition Bucket, remember that a failed search doesn’t necessarily mean you’re looking in the wrong place—the fragments can simply fail to appear because of the randomized spawn.

Most importantly, don’t accidentally trigger the Frozen Throne or Atlantis ending while you’re still collecting something else. Both can end your current run.

Once you’ve completed the Demolition Expert, Harbor Explorer, Frozen Throne, and Ruler of Atlantis secrets, you’ll have worked through the major new badges and unlocked all three new secret buckets: the Demolition Bucket, Captain Bucket, and Frozen Bucket.

And if you’re stuck on that TNT area wondering where the third key fragment went, there’s a decent chance the game is trolling you rather than you somehow missing the world’s tiniest key.