Noita is a game filled with hidden mechanics, obscure systems, and secrets that many players never discover. This guide compiles some of the most fascinating and lesser-known features in the game, from cryptic high scores to obscure combat mechanics and ultra-rare wands.

Cryptic High Scores and Early Hackers

At the end of the credits, you may notice a list titled “Cryptic High Scores”. These are the first players to decrypt and explore Noita’s game files. The devs left a message offering a deal: don’t leak the data before October 11th, 2019, and you’ll be credited in the game. True to their word, the devs included the names of those who honored the deal, and modding support was added shortly after.

Parry Mechanic

Noita actually includes a parry system: if you kick at the exact frame an enemy melee attack lands, you’ll not only block the attack but counter it. This mechanic is extremely difficult to master but adds a hidden layer of skill to gameplay, especially for tablet kickers who already understand perfect timing.

Headshot Mechanic

There’s a secret headshot system in Noita that only applies to shotgunner enemies, including the hell variant. Hitting them in the head deals 2.3x damage. This bonus can interrupt their shots, making headshots an essential tactic in close encounters.

Oil Stain and Hitbox Manipulation

Oil stains slightly shrink your character’s hitbox. You can exploit this to escape the Holy Mountain by squeezing into corners while stained with oil, then removing the stain (e.g., by switching to water) to wedge yourself into the wall. Repeatedly using the unstuck function will gradually let you clip out.

Zombify Yourself with Necromancy

By using a self-damaging spell in combination with Necromancy, you can turn yourself into a zombie after death. Your zombified corpse will roam the world, potentially for quite a while. This doesn’t prevent game over, but it’s a fascinating trick.

Massive Wand Capacity

While most wands cap at 26 slots, it’s possible—though incredibly rare—to find wands with up to 66 slots in nightmare mode. In normal mode, the max is 62 slots. These wands appear due to the way stat allocation points are distributed. Examples:

• 43-slot wand: Seed 1085691 (Temple of the Art)
• 50-slot wand: Seed 658572190 (Final Holy Mountain)

These super-capacity wands are a result of the game putting most of a wand’s generation budget into capacity.

Potion Mixing and Dense Rock

On the beta branch, lava mixed with freezing vapor now creates dense rock. This opens up potential for creative fungal shifts or new types of potion tricks, although it can be dangerous and is difficult to manage efficiently.

Christmas-Time Music Room Wand Editing

From December 23–26, entering the tree’s music room allows you to edit wands like a Holy Mountain. It’s a temporary bonus area only active during the in-game holiday season.

Holy Mountain Fish and Orb Progression

The number of fish in Holy Mountain pools permanently reflects how many orbs of true knowledge you’ve collected:

• 1 fish = 1 orb collected
• 36 fish = 36-orb run completed

Some speculate 42 fish may unlock a hidden ending, referencing the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy line “Thanks for all the fish,” which also appears in Noita’s game engine.

Summary of Other Arcane Secrets:

• Unusual triggers and timers: Trigger and timer spells deliver payloads differently.
• Rare wand locations: Great treasure chests and summon Taivas spell can produce mega-capacity wands.
• Dense rock shifting: If you manage to bottle dense rock, it’s now a candidate for fungal shifts.

Noita rewards experimentation. Even if others have tried something before, your variation might uncover something new. Keep tinkering, testing, and exploring—because the secrets of Noita are vast and often just a pixel away.

Happy Noting!