---
title: "Transformice: Complete Guide"
game: "Transformice"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/transformice"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Maps", "Skill trees"]
summary: "From your first cheese to Divine Mode: movement technique, how the Shaman works, skill trees, the room types worth knowing, titles and cosmetics, and community etiquette. Researched September 2026 — current as of the…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/transformice-complete-guide-3a3bed2f"
published: "2026-09-27T17:14:38.093Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T17:14:38.093Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Transformice: Complete Guide

From your first cheese to Divine Mode: movement technique, how the Shaman works, skill trees, the room types worth knowing, titles and cosmetics, and community etiquette.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of the most recent Steam announcement (The Great Relic Fishing Expedition, July 2025). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.*

## Quick Start

1. **Get the cheese, get to the hole.** Every round, grab the cheese and bring it back to the mouse hole within the time limit (under two minutes). Faster is better.
2. **Scoring decides the Shaman.** The mouse with the highest score becomes the next Shaman. Getting the cheese and entering the hole early raise your score.
3. **The Shaman builds for everyone.** The Shaman summons planks, boxes, balloons, and more to help mice reach the cheese. Saving mice earns saves and XP.
4. **Wall-jumping is essential.** Tap jump against a wall and bounce between walls to climb. Most advanced maps require it.
5. **Don't rush in a crowd.** Many deaths come from being pushed or trampled by other mice.
6. **Be patient with new Shamans.** Everyone learns by building bad bridges first.
7. **Explore other room types.** Racing, Bootcamp, Survivor, and module rooms are some of the best parts of the game.
8. **All shop items are cosmetic.** Nothing you buy gives a gameplay advantage.

## Controls

| Action | Default |
|---|---|
| Move left / right | Arrow keys or A / D |
| Jump | Up arrow or W |
| Duck / crouch | Down arrow or S |
| Chat | Enter |
| Summon object (Shaman) | Select from the object bar, then click to place |

Emotes, commands, and menus are reachable from the interface. Commands are typed in chat, starting with a slash.

## Movement Techniques

- **Wall-jumping.** Jump toward a wall, then jump again as you touch it to bounce up. Alternate between walls to climb chimneys.
- **Momentum.** Running before a jump extends its distance. Letting go of direction mid-air shortens it.
- **Crouching** lowers your hitbox and helps under low objects.
- **Using physics objects.** Planks and boxes can be climbed or pushed; balloons attached to you let you float upward.
- **Water and slippery surfaces.** Water slows you and some maps use ice-like ground. Adjust your timing.

## The Shaman

### How you become Shaman

The top scorer of a round usually becomes Shaman for the next one. In some rooms, there are two Shamans (the blue and pink Shamans), each building for the other side.

### Summoning

- Select an object from the Shaman bar (planks, boxes, balloons, anvils, cannonballs, spirits, and more).
- Click on the map to summon it. Some objects can be rotated before summoning.
- **Nails** (colored anchors) fix objects in place or let them rotate. They're the basis of bridges and contraptions.
- **Spirit** is a blast that pushes mice and objects away. Useful but dangerous.

### Shaman modes

| Mode | How to unlock | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Default | All standard tools |
| Hard Mode | 1,000 saves | No red nails and no Spirit. You can prepare a totem (up to 20 objects, at most one red nail) that summons instantly, once per map |
| Divine Mode | 5,000 total saves (2,000 of them in Hard Mode) | No red nails, yellow nails, Spirit, or totems, but you can spawn objects almost anywhere on the map. The veteran challenge |

Saves in each mode are tracked separately and unlock titles. Divine Mode was added in May 2014.

**Totem tips (Hard Mode):** build your totem in your tribe house, keep it simple (a pre-nailed bridge or a stair), and remember it only fires once per map, so save it for the part of the map mice can't reach without it.

### Skill trees

Leveling up as Shaman gives skill points across five trees:

| Tree | Focus |
|---|---|
| Spiritual Guide | Raises your ability to save mice |
| Wind Master | Shaman mobility |
| Mechanician | More building options |
| Wildling | Enhances your objects and the mice |
| Physicist | Raw Shaman power |

The five trees were added in July 2013.

Tip: read each skill's tooltip before committing points and pick a tree that fits how you play. Support-style skills help new Shamans save more mice; construction-minded players usually lean on Mechanician.

### Being a good Shaman

- **Build first, then call mice.** A simple bridge that's stable beats an ambitious one that collapses.
- **Nail everything important.** An unnailed plank will fall.
- **Use arrows** to show mice where to go.
- **Don't troll new players.** Being an "evil" Shaman is part of the game's humor, but it's more fun when everyone's in on it.
- **Save the room, not just yourself.** More saves means more XP and progress.

## Room Types

Change rooms with the room list or by typing `/room [name]` in chat.

| Room type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Vanilla / normal | The classic game with official maps |
| Racing | No Shaman; the fastest mouse to the hole wins. Pure platforming |
| Bootcamp | Hard platforming maps with no time pressure; practice movement |
| Survivor | The Shaman fires cannonballs at mice; last mouse standing wins |
| Defilante | A side-scrolling running mode with collectibles and obstacles |
| Vampire | Some mice turn into vampires who infect others |
| Music | Rooms with music and player-chosen soundtracks |
| Tribe house | Your tribe's private room |
| Module rooms | Player-made game modes built with the Lua module system (prefixed with #) |

**Best for learning:** Bootcamp for wall-jumping and platforming; Racing for speed; Vanilla to learn Shaman.

## Progression

### Currencies

- **Cheese** — earned by playing. Buy cosmetics (fur, hats, items) in the shop.
- **Fraises (strawberries)** — bought with real money. Buy items faster.

**Transformice's business model:** every item can be earned through play. Nothing gives a gameplay advantage.

### Titles

Titles are unlocked for milestones such as:

- Cheese gathered.
- "Firsts" (being the first mouse into the hole).
- Shaman saves (normal, hard, and divine).
- Bootcamp completions.
- Events and special achievements.

Change your title by typing `/title` in chat.

### Badges

Badges come from events, special purchases, and completing collections. They show up on your profile.

### Levels

Your level rises as you earn Shaman XP by saving mice. Higher levels give more skill points.

## Events

Transformice runs frequent limited-time events with special maps and exclusive items. Recent examples from the Steam announcements:

- **The Great Relic Fishing Expedition** (July 2025) — fish relic shards from a lake to unlock artifacts; also added 12 new vanilla maps with galaxy floors.
- **15th anniversary** (May 2025) — a week of triple XP and triple cheese, collector items back in the shop, and new galaxy ground.
- **Halloween candy event** (October 2024) — collect candies in haunted maps for rewards.
- **Magic School rebuild** (September 2024) — community milestones by collecting building materials, avoiding water.
- **Garden Event** (July 2024) — grow and trade fruits and vegetables; tomatoes became tradeable.
- **AnvilGod battle** (June 2024) — collect feathers while dodging lasers.
- **Cooking Event** (June 2024) — cooperative ingredient-picking maps.

Many events return in later years, often with new twists.

## Tribes

- A **tribe** is a player guild with a shared chat, ranks, and a tribe house (a private room).
- Join a tribe to find people to play with.
- Tribe houses can load custom maps and modules; great for practice with friends.

## Map Editor

- Build maps in the in-game editor.
- Submitting a map costs 40 cheese, so test it in your tribe house first.
- Submitted maps go through community voting; popular maps get into rotation categories. The game has around 200 official maps and more than 5 million player-made ones.
- Every map has a code (written as @ followed by numbers). Tribe houses let you load specific map codes, which is how groups practice particular maps.

## Etiquette and Safety

- **Rooms have their own culture.** Racing and Bootcamp players take times seriously; vanilla rooms are more relaxed.
- **Don't spam chat.** Moderators and room owners can mute you.
- **Report, don't argue.** If a Shaman keeps trolling or a player is abusive, use the report tools rather than fighting in chat.
- **Protect your account.** Never share your password; staff will not ask for it. Be wary of "free fraises" offers, which are scams.
- **Tribe ranks matter.** Tribe leaders decide who can invite, kick, or load maps in the tribe house.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Rushing into the crowd.** You'll get pushed off ledges.
- **Ignoring wall-jumping.** Bootcamp and harder maps become impossible without it.
- **Unnailed Shaman builds.** Everything falls.
- **Spamming Spirit.** It blasts mice as well as objects.
- **Spending all cheese immediately.** Some collector items are expensive; save for the ones you really want.

## Advanced Tips

- **Practice in Bootcamp.** Master wall-jumping, precise jumps, and air control.
- **Racing rooms** reward memorizing maps and fastest routes.
- **Shaman contraptions.** Learn to build rotating platforms and elevators with the right nails.
- **Hard and Divine modes** are the real Shaman challenge. Build confidence in normal mode first.
- **Firsts hunting.** Competitive players race for firsts in rooms with many players.
- **Modules.** Try Lua module rooms for completely different games built by the community.

## History and Platforms

- **Browser origins.** Atelier 801 launched Transformice in the browser on May 1, 2010.
- **Steam.** The Steam version followed on January 30, 2015, and it's free to play there.
- **Scale.** The store page cites seven official game modes and "55 million" players who've tried it; rooms are busiest during events.

## FAQ

**Is Transformice free?**
Yes, it's free to play on Steam. The shop sells cosmetics only.

**Is Transformice still active?**
Yes. It celebrated its 15th anniversary in May 2025 and ran the Relic Fishing event in July 2025. That was the last Steam announcement as of September 2026, so check in-game news for current events.

**How do I unlock Divine Mode?**
Reach 5,000 total Shaman saves, at least 2,000 of them in Hard Mode.

**How do I become Shaman?**
Score highest in a round: get the cheese quickly and reach the hole early.

**How do I unlock Hard Mode?**
Reach 1,000 saves as Shaman.

**What are fraises?**
Strawberries, the premium currency bought with real money. Every item can also be earned with cheese.

**How do I change rooms?**
Use the room list or type `/room [name]` in chat.

## Sources

- [Transformice on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/335240/Transformice/)
- [Wikipedia: Transformice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformice)
- [The Great Relic Fishing Expedition (July 2025)](https://steamstore-a.akamaihd.net/news/externalpost/steam_community_announcements/1803527891764390)
- [Transformice Turns 15 (May 2025)](https://steamstore-a.akamaihd.net/news/externalpost/steam_community_announcements/1798454487614295)