To figure out how to beat tutorial The Cascadier, you must stop spam-dropping your starting 25 coins and instead focus entirely on leveling up your First Coin to trigger an elemental cascade. Enchanted Arcade’s new coin-pusher roguelite has a notoriously punishing opening. After a shrouded custodian pulls you out of the rain and introduces you to the goddess Fortuna, you are handed exactly 25 coins and tasked with hitting 600 points to unlock the core deckbuilding mechanics. If you just mash the drop button, the physics engine will jam your coins on the side pegs, leaving you hopelessly short of the threshold and effectively softlocked.
Why the 25-Coin Softlock Happens
The tutorial cabinet is designed to teach you that The Cascadier is not a traditional, mindless arcade coin pusher. The machine features a heavy pusher lip and several high-friction side ramps where uncharged coins easily get stuck. When players drop all 25 coins in rapid succession, the coins clump together. Without an elemental charge to blast them apart, they form a physical dam.
Because the tutorial requires exactly 600 points to progress, ending up with 15 coins jammed on the board means you max out around 300 points. Since there is currently no dedicated restart button in the Early Access build, hitting this wall forces you to manually wipe your save file to try again.
The Cascadier in-game screenshot
Analyzing the Physics Engine: Friction and Momentum
Understanding why this trap exists requires looking at how Enchanted Arcade built their physics engine. Unlike real-world coin pushers that rely purely on gravity and flat brass, The Cascadier uses a simulated friction model. The side ramps have a friction coefficient that actively slows down uncharged coins.
Momentum is calculated based on drop height and the coin's mass value. Standard coins have a low mass value, meaning when they hit the high-friction side ramps, their momentum drops to zero almost instantly. Spamming coins fails because you are dropping low-mass objects into a sticky trap. The elemental charge mechanic artificially increases a coin's mass value, allowing it to punch through the friction zones.
The Cascadier in-game screenshot
The Math Behind the Multipliers
Hitting exactly 600 points requires understanding the base values of the board. A standard coin falling off the pusher lip is worth exactly 5 points. If you perfectly pushed all 25 coins with zero multipliers, you would only score 125 points—less than a quarter of the requirement.
The Mystery Slots multiply the base value of the next coin dropped by 2.5x. The elemental bumpers, when lit, apply a 5x multiplier to the blast radius of a cascade. This is why the brute-force method mathematically cannot work. The game is forcing you to multiply your score, not add to it. By isolating the First Coin and stacking the Mystery Slot multiplier with the bumper cascade, your final remaining coins are scoring at roughly 35 points each, instantly bridging the gap.
The 3-Step Route to 600 Points
Breaking the 600-point barrier requires treating your 25 coins as a tactical resource, not ammunition. Follow this exact sequence to clear the board safely.
Step 1: Isolate the First Coin
The very first coin Fortuna hands you is unique. It gains experience and permanent multipliers every time it successfully falls off the pusher lip and returns to your inventory. Drop the First Coin dead center when the pusher is fully retracted. Wait for it to fall, collect the XP, and do not drop any of your remaining 24 regular coins yet. Repeat this loop three times. By the third cycle, the First Coin will evolve, glowing with a base elemental charge that doubles its weight and impact force.
The Cascadier in-game screenshot
Step 2: Exploit the Mystery Slots
Once your First Coin is charged, shift your attention to the outer edges of the cabinet. The left and right lanes house the Mystery Slots. Dropping a standard coin through these slots doesn't just award flat points; it advances the cabinet's internal multiplier. Use exactly 10 of your standard coins, alternating left and right, timing the drops so they slide cleanly into the slots. This pushes your score to roughly 250 points and lights up the central elemental bumpers.
Step 3: Trigger the Elemental Cascade
With the bumpers lit and 14 coins remaining, it is time to break the board. Drop your heavy, charged First Coin directly into the lit central bumpers, immediately followed by rapid-firing your remaining standard coins. The heavy First Coin will smash into the bumpers, triggering an area-of-effect blast that magnetizes the standard coins. This chain reaction—the titular cascade—sweeps the entire board clear. The physics explosion easily generates over 400 points in a single push, safely rocketing you past the 600-point requirement.
The Cascadier in-game screenshot
Deckbuilding Basics: What Follows the Threshold
Once you surpass the 600-point mark and officially clear the tutorial, the deckbuilding UI unlocks. You are no longer just dropping coins; you are playing cards to modify them before they drop. Your starting deck consists of basic elemental infusions.
- Fire Cards: Add explosive area-of-effect damage, perfect for clearing out clumps of dead coins.
- Water Cards: Coat the coins in a frictionless aura, allowing them to slide right over traps.
- Lightning Cards: Chain electrical currents between adjacent coins, turning a static pile into a single, massive entity that the pusher lip can easily shove over the edge.
Drafting a balanced deck that can handle different board layouts is crucial. If you over-index on Fire cards, you might struggle with the precision required for later Mystery Slots. If you rely too heavily on Water, you won't have the brute force needed to trigger massive cascades.
Navigating Early Game Hazards
The mechanics introduced in the tutorial persist and become deadlier as you progress through the game's eight machines.
Theodan's Void Bumpers
Fortuna’s brother, Theodan, actively interferes with your runs by spawning Void Bumpers on the board. Unlike standard pegs that simply alter a coin's trajectory, Void Bumpers absorb kinetic energy. If a standard coin touches one, it instantly loses all momentum and becomes dead weight.
The only way to clear a Void Bumper is to hit it with an elementally charged coin. Theodan's interference scales with your progression. In the second machine, the Void Bumpers remain stationary. By the fourth cabinet, they begin to track your drop patterns, shifting laterally to intercept coins aimed at high-value targets. Beating Theodan requires baiting the bumpers. Drop a standard coin down the left lane to pull the Void Bumper out of position, then immediately fire a charged Water coin down the center to slip past its original location.
Best Early Trinkets to Target
After beating the tutorial, you start earning tickets to unlock Trinkets. Prioritize these three to ensure you never face a coin deficit again:
| Trinket Name | Effect | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Copper Magnet | Automatically pulls one stuck coin off the side ramps per wave. | High |
| Fortuna's Grace | Grants a 15% chance for the First Coin to return immediately to your hand. | Medium |
| Resonant Core | Increases the blast radius of elemental cascades by 20%. | High |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I restart the tutorial if I get softlocked? Currently, the Early Access build lacks a dedicated restart button for the tutorial. If you run out of your 25 coins before hitting 600 points, you must exit to the main menu and delete your save data to try again.
What happens if the First Coin gets stuck? The game has a failsafe for the First Coin. While standard coins can get permanently jammed, the First Coin will automatically teleport back to your inventory at the end of a round. However, you will not receive the XP multiplier for that drop.
When does the full game release? Enchanted Arcade launched the Early Access version on June 6, 2026. The developers estimate a 6-12 month Early Access period, aiming for a full 1.0 release by Q2 2027.
Mastering the tutorial is the only way to prove you understand the underlying physics of The Cascadier. Stop spamming, start calculating your drops, and let the elemental math do the heavy lifting.