Bills Must Be Paid Beginner Guide

First-run route

Your first useful goal is not a perfect build. It is learning the loop well enough to recognize the next decision before stamina or a bill forces it.

1. Move the hammer onto a target

The game centers on moving the hammer across the desk and smashing piggy banks. Follow the control prompt shown by your build, because the browser version and the paid release can present input differently. A successful hit should give clear impact feedback; accuracy also matters for visible achievements later.

2. Keep the stamina bar in view

Smashing uses stamina and the run ends when the hand is too tired to continue. Do not wait for the last sliver before noticing it. Read the Stamina Management Guide when you want to measure the relationship between time, hits and income in your own run.

3. Read the piggy before chasing it

Piggies do not all behave the same way. The named types include slow, stationary, random and chaotic movement patterns, and The Tourist has a direct stamina interaction. Use the Piggy Types Database for verified identification instead of assuming the largest or rarest-looking target is always the most profitable.

4. Separate bill money from upgrade money

Bills arrive with deadlines. Paying one also leads into a perk choice, while ignoring the pressure brings collector or bankruptcy consequences. Before an upgrade purchase, compare current cash with the bill amount and the reserve you want to keep. The Bill Planner performs exactly that subtraction.

5. Spend by problem, not by hype

The verified skill branches address different problems: damage, stamina, stamina drain, swing speed, luck and chained electric hits. There is no honest single best branch without knowing what limits the run. Start with the Skill Tree Guide, then compare your own sessions in the Run Comparison Tool.

A clean first-session checklist

• Complete one run while watching stamina rather than only cash.
• Open the bill screen and read every visible field before choosing.
• Identify at least one named piggy by behavior.
• Make one upgrade choice tied to a specific problem.
• Record a run if you want a repeatable baseline.

That is enough to turn later choices into observations instead of guesses.