In the evolving landscape of Dandy's World, mastering your equipment is the key to survival. Following the 3.0 update, the game introduced a vast array of unique items known as trinkets. These special permanent items can be equipped for every run, and they significantly affect your performance in various ways. Because picking the right trinket is crucial for reaching much higher floors, understanding how they interact with different roles—such as supports, kiters, and extractors—is essential.
This guide categorizes and ranks these items based on their utility, drawing from player analysis and in-game mechanics. Whether you are a solo player looking for an edge or part of a coordinated team, here is how the trinkets stack up.
The S-Tier: Top-Level Utility
At the pinnacle of the described current meta, we find the items that provide the most significant advantages for specific roles.
The Dog Plush, associated with Toodles, is arguably the most essential item for kiters. It increases walk speed by 10%. While 10% might sound small, it is a massive boost because it allows players to conserve stamina, keeping the bar full for when it is truly needed. Because it is a percentage-based buff, it provides the most value to characters with four stars or more in movement speed. It is a staple for nearly every kiter.
The Magnifying Glass, Roger’s trinket, is the undisputed king for extractors. It adds slightly more completion when performing a skill check, though it carries a drawback of decreasing skill check size by 33%. Despite the smaller window, the speed at which it allows players to finish machines makes it a top-tier choice. For those playing high-skill-check characters like Shelly, this is an S-tier necessity.
Finally, Vote is an incredibly powerful tool for efficiency. It instantly completes the first machine you extract from on any floor, provided the number of machines completed is below 50%. While there is a limit of one activation per floor, the time saved is immense. It is particularly effective in solo runs or when coordinated with a team.
A-Tier: Highly Effective Choices
Items in the A-tier are consistently useful and often provide significant tactical advantages.
The Participation Award, Shelly’s research trinket, increases skill check chance by 25% but decreases skill check size by 10%. When combined with the Magnifying Glass, the skill check window becomes extremely small—almost a pixel wide—but for skilled players, this combination is incredibly potent, especially following the golden skill check update.
Night Cap, Astro’s trinket, increases stamina regeneration by 40% when extracting from a machine. This is a game-changer for speed runs, allowing players to rotate between machines without running out of breath. It is particularly useful for characters with low stamina who need to loop around to a machine to recover.
Speedy Shoes provide a 5% boost to both walk and run speed. As one of the few trinkets that buffs walk speed, it is vital for kiters. It allows players to outwalk a Pebble, which is an insane advantage. It is ranked in A-tier because, like the Dog Plush, it provides that necessary edge for survival.
Dandy's Plush grants a 50% discount on all Dandy shop items. This reduces the cost of essential items like medkits to 50, making it effectively cheaper than a Band-Aid. It is highly valuable for characters who rely on tapes, such as Sprout and Tegan.
B-Tier: Reliable and Strategic
B-tier items are situational but definitely worth considering depending on your team composition.
Alarm increases both walk and run speed by 25% for 10 seconds when panic mode activates. Panic mode triggers when all machines on the floor are completed and the elevator opens. It is excellent for lower-speed characters trying to reach the elevator from a distance.
Dog Bone increases both run and walk speed by 25% for 4 seconds when picking up an item (excluding capsules and tapes). It is very effective for characters like Sprout who constantly consume items. Its utility scales with the number of players alive and how deep into the run you are, as item density increases on later floors.
Friendship Bracelet, Goobs' trinket, gains five stamina for every tune in the round, maxing out at 40 stamina. This is highly dependent on team coordination. In a public lobby, it can be risky, but with a dedicated team, it provides a massive boost to stamina management.
Sweet Charm decreases active ability cooldown by 8%. This is a specialized support trinket that benefits characters like Astro, Shelly, and Tisha. By reducing cooldowns, it allows teams to optimize their rotations and potentially bring more extractors instead of multiple supports.
Vanity Mirror increases run speed by 30% during the entire duration of panic mode. It is a fun and effective alternative to Alarm, especially for players who enjoy kiting enemies away from the elevator.
C-Tier: Situational or Niche
These items have specific uses but often fall short compared to higher-tier options.
Machine Manual increases extraction speed by 5%. It is a "cleaner" version of the Blue Bandana because it lacks the negative skill check penalty, but the lower value keeps it in C-tier.
Pop Pack grants a soda pop item every new floor. While convenient for low-stamina characters, it is often outclassed by the abundance of items found naturally on later floors.
Ribbon Spool provides a 10% increase to walk and run speed on even-numbered floors. It is a gamble, but it can be useful if you are already running other speed-boosting trinkets.
Thermos increases stamina regeneration by 15%. It is a solid, basic choice if you lack other stamina-management gear.
Wrench adds a large amount of completion to the first machine you extract from on any floor. It is useful, but because it is effectively a "lesser" version of the Vote trinket, it lands in C-tier.
D and F-Tier: Low Priority
Items in D and F-tier generally offer negligible benefits or carry harsh penalties that outweigh their utility.
Blue Bandana increases extraction speed by 7.5% but decreases skill check size by 5%. Because skill checks are highly desired, this penalty is generally considered counter-productive.
Crayons and Fishing Rod provide random items, but players usually find more success looting the floor directly.
Pink Bow increases run speed by 7.5%. While it is a solid choice for beginners, it is often superseded by more impactful speed trinkets like the Dog Plush or Speedy Shoes.
Savory Charm acts as a one-time "totem of undying," granting 10 seconds of invincibility upon taking a fatal hit. It is extremely situational and only works once per run.
Brick is purely for challenge runs, as it lowers both walk and run speed by 10%.
Coin Purse and Fancy Purse provide a one-time boost of 30 or 100 tapes at the start of a run. Given that this is a one-time gain, most players prefer using the trinket slot for something that provides consistent value throughout the game.
Spare Bulb increases light radius, which is generally unnecessary if players follow the rule of staying put during a blackout.
Speedometer provides a very small 15-stamina boost, which is generally outclassed by almost every other stamina-related trinket.
Feather Duster restores 20 stamina when picking up an item. Like the Speedometer, the amount is too small to be meaningful in the heat of a chase.
FAQ
Which trinket is best for kiting?
According to player guidance, the Dog Plush is widely considered the best trinket for kiters. It provides a 10% walk speed increase, which is highly efficient for conserving stamina. Speedy Shoes are also recommended as an essential secondary choice for kiters to help outwalk enemies like Pebbles.
How does the Magnifying Glass affect gameplay?
The Magnifying Glass increases machine completion speed during skill checks. However, it also decreases the skill check window size by 33%. Players note that while it is difficult to master, it is a staple for extractors because the speed boost is significant enough to warrant the increased difficulty.
Are there any trinkets that provide a negative effect?
Yes, some trinkets carry drawbacks. For example, the Brick lowers walk and run speed by 10%, serving as a challenge item. The Blue Bandana and Participation Award both decrease skill check size in exchange for other bonuses, requiring players to be more precise with their inputs to maintain high efficiency.