Clumsy Ninja: Top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats to train harder and level up faster!

The definitive Clumsy Ninja guide: How to gain XP faster, train smarter, and earn your next belt in no time!

Clumsy Ninja is the story of a warrior on a mission to find his friend, Kira. Before he can go on his quest, he needs a lot of training because... well... he's so very truly clumsy. But... that's where you come in! With the help of Sensei, you'll guide this clumsy ninja through quests, earn XP, train, and play together. Now, you may be asking how you can get that done as fast and as best as ninja-ly possible? We'll that's where iMore comes in! Here's our list of the top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats to get your ninja ready for battle in no time!

1. Train, train, train!

Clumsy Ninja Top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats: Train more

The easiest thing you can do in order to earn XP and level up to different belts quicker is train. As you progress through the game, you will continue to unlock new training items. Each of those typically has subsets inside of it as well. For instance, you can have many trampolines to work with. Lower level ones replenish faster so don't take them for granted. Whenever you can use them for training, make sure you do so you accumulate as much XP as you can, as fast as you can.

2. Don't pay for repairs

Clumsy Ninja Top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats: Don't pay for repairs

Every time you train you'll typically have to repair an item. Clumsy Ninja gives you a few options depending on the repair. One option is to pay in coins or gems. I typically recommend against this as there are other things that your coins and gems are better spent on. In some cases, you get the option to watch a short video or send out a tweet. I never have a problem doing either of these things over using my ninja's coins and gems.

Alternately, you can always just wait it out and let Sensei repair the item for you after a certain period of time. Wait before using coins or gems, unless you absolutely have to repair something. In my experience so far, there's never a reason to pay for a repair. Just train with something else instead for the time being.

3. Always use coins before gems

Clumsy Ninja Top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats: Use coins first

Gems are extremely hard to come by and don't accumulate anywhere near as fast as coins do. If you have an option between paying in coins or gems, always choose the coin option first. Since you can accumulate coins a heck of a lot quicker, you won't miss them nearly as much. Gems, you almost always miss.

When it comes to purchasing with real money, if you're going to buy anything, buy gems. Coins are easy enough to get that there really isn't too much of a reason to buy them with real money, unless you're super impatient. Gems however, are hard to accumulate. If you're cashing in real money, cash it in for gems.

4. Don't unlock items with gems, be patient and level up instead

Clumsy Ninja Top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats: Wait to unlock items

You always have the ability to unlock items with gems, even if you haven't reached the level necessary to use coins yet. That doesn't mean you should do it. As stated in tip 3, gems accumulate very slow and if you use them to unlock something that you can get with your earned coins in just a few levels, it's most likely worth the wait.

Long story short, save gems for things you really need, not for something you can simply cash in coins for in just a few short levels.

5. Pop balloons to get XP super fast

Clumsy Ninja Top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats: Get the blue balloon

For some reason, popping balloons gives you a ridiculous amount of XP, with the exception of the Fiery balloon. Luckily you can get the Sky balloon relatively early on for only 4 gems. This is one instance where you want to spend your gems since the rewards are so great. Once you get to level 9, you can cash in a mere 25 coins in exchange for 5 blue balloons.

If you're looking to level up faster, balloons are a relatively cheap and easy way to do it. Just keep buying balloons with your coins and pop them. If you're struggling to level up or are getting impatient with a specific task, start popping balloons. Here's a breakdown of what each balloon earns you in XP per pop and what they cost:

  • Sky balloons - 25 coins for 5 or 4 gems for 10 - 430 XP
  • Natural balloons - 50 coins for 5 or 6 gems for 10 - 1,100 XP
  • Sensei balloons - 75 coins for 5 or 8 gems for 10 - 6,300 XP
  • Multicolored balloons - 100 coins for 5 or 10 gems for 10 - 10,000 XP

I've used the balloon method when a level is going slow and an item I really want to unlock is right within my grasp in the next level. That's a perfect time to use this strategy. I almost always use coins too, hardly ever gems unless I'm really in a pinch.

6. Complete all training before putting the game down each time

Clumsy Ninja Top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats: Complete training

Since you have to wait for Sensei to repair things each time you use them, it's a good idea to make sure you use all the items and get all the XP and coins you can before closing the game. Training is typically short and makes for easy money.

Before closing the game each time, have each item in for repair with Sensei. This way you aren't wasting any hard earned coins or gems getting repairs that can happen on their own while the game is closed.

7. Keep up with quests

Clumsy Ninja Top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats: Complete quests

Sure you could just keep popping blue balloons all day and level up fast, but don't mix up leveling up and belts. For some belts and ninja moves, you absolutely need to follow and complete the quests. Not to mention, quests are a very easy way to accumulates coins, and in some instances, gems too.

It's the way the game is supposed to be played so unless your goal is simply to level us as quickly as possible, complete the quests. You'll be glad you did.

8. Collect your daily bonuses!

Clumsy Ninja Top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats: Daily bonuses

Each day you put your ninja to sleep and come back, you get a daily bonus. Even if you don't have time to play Clumsy Ninja that day, pop in just long enough to collect your daily bonuses. Then make sure you put your ninja to sleep for the day. If you don't, your daily bonus doesn't show up.

Get to 7 days in a row and you can collect 1,000 coins in one go. That's a lot of balloon money!

9. When all else fails, play with your ninja!

Clumsy Ninja Top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats: Play with your ninja

The charm of the game is all the ways you can interact with your ninja. Tickle him, throw him around, drag him on the ground. Each day you can collect XP doing all these basic things. It isn't a ton but it adds up over time and only takes a few seconds. So remember to take time off from quests and just go exploring with your ninja. You may be surprised what you find.

10. Collect animals as soon as you can, but use coins!

Clumsy Ninja Top 10 tips, tricks, and cheats: Collect animals

The chicken is the first animal you encounter as of level 10. You can of course use gems in order to acquire them quicker but it isn't really worth it. Collect animals if and when you can. They earn you money each day for doing nothing so they're a good investment over time.

Again, it's worth it if you're using coins but using gems takes a heck of a lot longer to recoup your investment.

Your tips?

If you play Clumsy Ninja regularly, let us know how far you've gotten and what tips and tricks you've used so far. Have you spent real money or are you sticking to the story line in order to work your way through the game? Let us know!

Allyson Kazmucha

iMore senior editor from 2011 to 2015.