Wand and Order No Abilities Run: The Hard Way Guide

Attempting a Wand and Order no abilities run unlocks one of the rarest milestones in the game: the hidden achievement titled "THE HARD WAY." The official condition is simple on paper—win the game with no abilities—but with over 3,900 items to organize across three massive zones, doing it without magical assistance transforms the cozy shop cleanup into an endurance test.

Whether you are aiming for 100% Steam completion or prefer organizing items entirely by hand, this guide outlines what the game considers an ability, what tools and upgrades remain legal, and how to navigate all three zones efficiently.

"The Hard Way" Achievement Rules: What Voids the Run?

Many players hesitate to start a no-spells playthrough because the in-game text does not explicitly detail where the boundary lies between environmental tools, chest upgrades, and forbidden magic. According to developer design and confirmed player testing on the Steam Community forums, the restrictions follow specific boundaries:

Forbidden: Magic Spell Upgrades

During normal gameplay, completing shelves and rows grants skill points. Pressing the menu key (TAB by default) allows players to spend these points on active magic abilities such as:

• Alchemical Vision (highlighting matching items across the room)
• Magnetic Vacuum / Auto-Gather (pulling items of the same type directly to your hand)
• Auto-Place Magic (teleporting held items onto highlighted shelves)
• Range and cooldown upgrades for sorting spells

To keep your run valid, do not spend any skill points on these spells in the upgrade menu. Leaving your skill points unspent guarantees you will not accidentally activate them.

Allowed: Chests, Mobility Potions, and Tools

Players frequently ask whether opening secret chests or drinking mobility potions invalidates the achievement. Community reports confirm that physical upgrades found in hidden chests do not count as magical abilities:

• Finding keys and unlocking treasure chests is completely safe.
• Drinking mobility potions to unlock Dash, Double Jump, or increased carry capacity (from 10 up to 15 items) does not void the run.
• Using required maintenance items—such as the broom for sweeping dirt, water for flower and mushroom pots, sponges for dirty portrait frames, and standard interaction tools to clear spider webs—is mandatory to clear each level and will not disqualify you.
• Left-click item stacking is a core baseline mechanic, not an ability, and remains fully functional.

Co-op Rule: Everyone Must Play Without Magic

If you choose to run the game in online co-op with friends rather than solo, the restriction applies to the entire lobby. Players testing co-op sessions confirmed that if even one team member casts a spell, no player in the room receives "THE HARD WAY" upon finishing the story. Everyone must commit to the manual cleanup.

Estimated Completion Times

Completing a Wand and Order no abilities run solo typically takes between 7 and 11 hours of uninterrupted gameplay. Without instant auto-collection or shelf snapping, your pace depends strictly on manual searching, route efficiency, and carrying stacks.

Because total playtime carries across all three zones toward the 3-hour speedrun milestone ("BEAT THE CLOCK"), achievement hunters should not attempt to combine a no-abilities run with the speedrun achievement.

Zone-by-Zone Manual Sorting Strategies

Zone 1: The Archives (~470 Items)

The Archives serve as an introduction to basic stacking and categorization.

• All tarot boxes share the same uniform size, differentiated by card faces, suits, and color palettes.
• Collect hidden keys early to open the area's chests and boost your baseline movement.
• Gather cards by matching suits or shared colors into neat piles on the floor before running them over to the corresponding book shelves.
• Make sure to clear all secondary chores—sweep up floor debris, dust the paintings, and remove spider webs—to trigger the exit.

Zone 2: The Wand Workshop (~1,300 Items)

Difficulty and complexity spike significantly in Zone 2 across two vertical levels.

• Wand boxes share identical physical models but feature distinct colorings, wood/metal material types, and eight distinct end-cap symbols representing magical schools.
• Because eight symbols are shared across 24 distinct wand variations, you cannot rely solely on the symbol; you must inspect both the material name and the icon.
• Locate the zone's chest to pick up the Double Jump upgrade. This drastically cuts travel time between the ground floor and the upper balcony.
• Instead of carrying one set across the warehouse at a time, gather wand boxes into sorted floor piles right next to their corresponding display aisles.

Zone 3: The Alchemy Lab (2,200+ Items)

The final area is a massive three-story workshop housing 20 distinct reagent categories.

• Containers vary widely, ranging from flat tin cases and circular jars to square bottles and round flasks.
• Distinct lighting divides the room (including a noticeably darker Moon wing), which can make distinguishing dark glass bottles tricky without highlighting spells. Keep your render resolution sharp to read labels clearly.
• Unlock the Dash mobility potion by tracking down the scavenger hunt key early in the floor layout. Dashing across long corridors and jumping over balconies cuts hours off backtracking.
• Tackle one wing at a time. Completing self-contained categories like Pyromantic, Venomous, Geodes, or Beast ingredients keeps the floor organized and prevents you from losing solitary reagents in large junk piles.
• Watch your shelf capacities: small display shelves typically hold 10 jars, while standard shelves take 15.

Best Practices for Manual Organization

1. Stack Before Traveling: Left-click similar containers to pile them together. Moving a full stack of 10 or 15 items across rooms is far faster than making individual trips.
2. Form Floor Staging Areas: When clearing a messy sector, drop items of the same general theme (such as all Draconic or Aquatic items) into an open corner near their respective racks. Once you have located the bulk of that category, load your inventory and fill the shelf in one pass.
3. Check Out-of-the-Way Perches: Wand and Order frequently scatters items in sneaky spots. Search beneath stairway banisters, behind window curtains, and along high ledges before assuming a level is bugged.
4. Complete Secondary Cleaning as You Go: Clear spider webs, water plants, and wipe paintings whenever you pass them. Leaving all 29 plants in Zone 3 until the very end forces tedious backtracking across all three floors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can you get "The Hard Way" and "Beat the Clock" in the same playthrough?

While technically possible with multiple skilled co-op partners coordinating without spells, doing so solo is virtually impossible. A solo no-abilities run typically requires 7 to 10 hours, far exceeding the 3-hour limit required for "BEAT THE CLOCK." It is recommended to complete a relaxed no-spells playthrough first, then use maxed-out Auto-Gather and Auto-Place spells on a dedicated speedrun save.

What should I do if an item clips through the floor or behind a wall?

Items occasionally pass through collision boundaries when dropped or stacked carelessly near wall seams. Avoid throwing items directly into soft corners or curtains. If an essential item becomes inaccessible behind scenery, check nearby lower floors or restart the current zone checkpoint.

Does drinking chest potions void the no abilities run?

No. Physical mobility upgrades discovered inside chests (such as Dash, carry capacity boosts, and Double Jump) are treated as player upgrades rather than magic spells. The achievement only requires you to abstain from spending skill points on the magical sorting abilities found in the upgrade menu.