How to play Sink or Think
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Sink or Think is a real-time strategy game you play in your browser against Claude, an AI. You and Claude each start on an island with a Town Center and three villagers. You win when Claude has no buildings and no units left. This page is everything you need for your first battle.
Your first battle, step by step
- Train villagers. Select your Town Center and train Villagers. More villagers means a faster economy.
- Build houses. Houses raise your population cap. Select villagers, open Build, pick House and click open grass.
- Gather. Right-click a tree, a stone or gold seam, or a forage bush to put villagers to work. Farms and Fishing Ships bring in food. Wood pays for almost everything.
- Advance through the ages. Press the star button to advance. Each age unlocks new buildings and troops.
- Raise an army. A Barracks trains Soldiers, then Cavalry and Catapults in later ages. An Archery Range trains Archers. Research upgrades by selecting a building.
- Cross the sea. A Dock builds Transports and War Galleys. Select your army and press Attack: across water it loads the Transports for you, ten units to a ship.
- Finish the job. You win when Claude has no buildings and no units left. Bring Catapults: they do far more damage to buildings than ordinary troops.
The six ages
Press the star button to advance. Each age costs resources, needs certain buildings, and unlocks new buildings and troops.
| Age | Costs | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Age | Where every battle starts | |
| Banner Age | 450 food, 200 wood | 2 Houses, a Farm |
| Citadel Age | 900 food, 500 wood, 250 stone | a Barracks, 4 Houses |
| Crown Age | 1,600 food, 900 wood, 550 stone, 300 gold | an University, a Market, a Tower |
| Industrial Age | 3,200 food, 2,600 wood, 2,000 stone, 1,800 gold | 6 Farms, a Dock, a Barracks |
| Atomic Age | 5,500 food, 4,000 wood, 3,200 stone, 3,800 gold, 900 oil, 400 energy | a Factory, an Oil Platform, a Power Plant |
Your forces
| Unit | Trained at | From | Cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villager | Town Center | Dark Age | 50 food | Gathers, builds and repairs. |
| Soldier | Barracks | Banner Age | 60 food, 20 wood | The front line. Beats cavalry. |
| Archer | Archery Range | Banner Age | 40 wood, 15 gold | Shoots from range. Beats soldiers. |
| Cavalry | Barracks | Citadel Age | 80 food, 20 wood, 40 gold | Fast. Beats archers and runs down villagers. |
| Catapult | Barracks | Crown Age | 150 wood, 100 stone, 60 gold | Siege. Wrecks buildings from outside a Tower's reach. |
| War Galley | Dock | Citadel Age | 100 wood, 40 food, 30 gold | Fights at sea and sinks Transports. |
| Transport | Dock | Banner Age | 100 wood, 40 food | Carries ten land units across the sea. |
What beats what
- Soldiers beat cavalry: +60% damage.
- Cavalry beat archers (+70%) and villagers (+50%).
- Archers beat soldiers: +60%.
- War Galleys sink Transports: +40%. Clear the sea before you sail.
- Towers shoot farther than War Galleys (11 against 10), and Catapults shoot farther than Towers (12).
Keeping your town growing
- Food comes from Farms, Fishing Ships and forage bushes. A Farm keeps producing once it is built.
- Wood pays for almost everything. If your island runs out of trees, the Plant tool in the Build menu grows a new grove in 45 seconds, free.
- Stone and gold come from seams. Later ages, Towers, Catapults and upgrades need them.
- Houses raise your population cap. The limit is 200, so decide what fills it: villagers, troops or ships.
- The Market lets you sell what you have too much of and buy what you lack.
- Upgrades are researched by selecting a building. They make villagers gather faster and troops hit harder.
Winning and losing
A battle ends when one side has no buildings and no units left. Losing your Town Center is not the end: the first time it falls, you get the supplies to build a new one and your army hits 50% harder for 90 seconds. Plan for 30 to 45 minutes.
If you win, your name goes on the leaderboard, ranked by how fast you won.
Controls
| Drag | Select units |
|---|---|
| Right-click | Move, attack, gather, build or repair |
| Shift + right-click | Queue the next order |
| W A S D or screen edge | Move the camera |
| Q / E | Rotate the camera |
| Mouse wheel | Zoom |
| Shift + 1 to 9, then 1 to 9 | Save a group of units, then call it back |
| . (full stop) | Jump to an idle villager |
| G or Home | Jump to your Town Center |
| Space | Jump to the last attack on you |
| Tab | Switch between the Train and Build menus |
| H, F, B, T, K | Place a House, Farm, Barracks, Tower or Dock |
| Minimap | Click to jump there. Right-click to send the selected units there |
The ? button in the game lists every shortcut. You need a computer with a keyboard and mouse; phones and tablets are not supported yet.
Three habits that win battles
- Attack once, with everything. Small landings get wiped out one after another.
- Guard your coast. Towers by the shore sink ships that come too close.
- Keep building. Spend what you gather. Resources in the bank win nothing.
⚔️ Battle Claude · $5One-time payment. No account, no subscription.
Read next: How to beat Claude · How Claude plays