Goose Goose Duck Tips: All Roles Explained And More

Goose Goose Duck is an Among Us clone that has seen a massive rise in popularity over the last month or so. Similar to InnerSloth's breakout hit, Goose Goose Duck is a social deduction game that tasks players with sussing out the impostor--which is, in this case, a duck in goose clothing--and has only recently gained popularity despite launching back in April 2021. Also like Among Us, Goose Goose Duck players can explore a space station setting, make use of vents to sneak about for nefarious purposes, and--if they don't pass the group's collective vibe check--get jettisoned into space. But on closer inspection, the reason for the fanfare quickly becomes clear: Goose Goose Duck has way more to offer than Among Us. Frankly, calling Goose Goose Duck an "Among Us clone" isn't just an oversimplification--it's an outright lie. While it's true that the overall gameplay mechanic is lifted right from the Among Us playbook, Goose Goose Duck isn't a cut-and-paste clone, it's an Impostor.

Though the game may appear familiar on the surface, there is far more to Goose Goose Duck than meets the eye, and the game boasts loads of content that's guaranteed to keep players entertained for a long time to come--a stark contrast to Among Us' relatively repetitive gameplay. From dozens and dozens of different roles to loads of colorful maps and unique modes, the developers of Goose Goose Duck took the Among Us formula and drastically improved upon it. But with so many modes and roles to play, it can be easy for first-timers to get a little confused (especially if they've never played Among Us, or other social deduction games like Town of Salem). For this reason, we've put together a beginner's guide to help new players get familiar with the game and learn how best to strategically manipulate--or eliminate--their fowl enemies.

The basics

The general gist of the game is familiar: You play as either a good guy (goose) or a bad guy (duck). (Yes, the terrifying sky demons known as geese are the good guys in this game.) Depending on which mode you play and which roles are enabled, there may be only a single duck, or a whole team of them. Other birds--including dodos and pelicans--may also be involved, but more on them in a moment. For now, all you need to know is if you're playing a goose, your goal is to identify the impostor duck (or ducks) by voting them out before they manage to kill you. As a duck, your goal is to murder as many geese as possible without getting caught, while also completing tasks on a checklist.

To win, ducks must eliminate all non-ducks until they no longer have the voting majority. This can be done both by straight-up murdering a goose during a round, or convincing your party to vote out an innocent goose between rounds. Ducks can also sabotage various items on each map. Some sabotages are just annoying, while others, called critical sabotages, require player intervention to be dealt with. If the countdown timer on a critical sabotage runs out, the ducks automatically win.

Geese can win by either completing every task on their task list before the ducks win, or by successfully voting out all non-geese before the ducks can kill and/or sabotage their way to a win. This must also be done before any neutral player manages to complete their objective. So, what's a neutral player? I'm so glad you asked.

Roles

The world of GGD isn't as morally black-and-white as it may seem. There are several grey areas in the form of special roles players may be assigned at the start of a match (depending on the game mode and the choices of the player hosting the event). Some of these roles are neutral, while others are specific "good" and "evil" roles for ducks and geese.

Neutral Roles

There are six possible neutral roles, each with their own unique objectives:

• Dodo: The dodo wins if players vote them out.
• Dueling Dodos: Two dodos are assigned at the start of the match, but only one can win. To do so, one dodo must ensure that they're not voted out until after the other dodo has already died. To gain the ability to kill your dodo twin, complete the tasks labeled "fake" on the checklist.
• Falcon: Falcons only win if they are the sole survivor. In this instance, Geese can only win by completing all tasks, and Ducks can only win by sabotaging while the falcon is still alive. The falcon skips voting between matches.
• Pelican: Pelicans also win by becoming sole survivor, but they have a little added bonus: The ability to eat other players. Any eaten players do not die until the meeting that occurs between each round, so if you've been eaten, just sit tight--as long as the pelican is eliminated after eating you, you'll be spared. If the pelican stays, you get digested.
• Pigeon: Pigeons can only win a match if they manage to infect every single player in the game with some sort of avian-borne infectious disease. There's a catch, however: Your progress is reset each time a meeting is called, meaning you'll have to re-infect everyone all over again during the next round.
• Vulture: Vultures are the only birds in the game that are even remotely similar to their real life counterparts. To win as a vulture, you must ingest three corpses. But again, there's a catch: You can only eat corpses, not make them.

Duck Roles

Ducks may be assigned to any of the following roles:

• Assassin: If you guess a player's role correctly during a meeting, you win. Guess wrong and you die.
• Cannibal: Though cannibals can't eat as many corpses as vultures, they do have the added bonus of actually being able to kill and eat their prey. This is an excellent strategy if you've got two geese left to kill but don't want to be interrupted by a meeting, you can avoid anyone discovering the corpse of your first victim, giving you more time to hunt down the other one or complete a task before anyone realizes anything's amiss.
• Demolitionist: Demolitionists can plant bombs on other players. The bombs will eventually detonate, so if someone hands you a bomb, be sure to hand it off to another player ASAP. You don't want to be the one holding it when it explodes.
• Esper: You can talk to and kill other players remotely.
• Hitman: This role appears alongside the "Bodyguard" goose role. To win, kill the target the bodyguard is trying to protect.
• Identity Thief: When you kill someone, you take on their appearance until the next meeting occurs.
• Invisibility: You temporarily make yourself invisible.
• Morphling: Use a needle to transform into another character for 30 seconds.
• Ninja: You can kill two birds with one knife (provided they're close enough to you), but your kill ability cooldown is tripled. The kill ability refreshes faster when a player is in the forbidden passageways.
• Professional: Geese can't see your victims, but will automatically report the corpse when they get near. You cannot report corpses.
• Serial Killer: Killing your assigned target decreases your kill cooldown. Killing non-targets increases it.
• Silencer: Once per round, you can silence one other player during each meeting, but you can’t access vents.
• Snitch: If you're the only person to vote for someone's removal during a meeting, that person will be taken to jail.
• Spy: If you're the only person to vote for someone's removal during a meeting, that player's role will be revealed to you.
• Undertaker: You can drag bodies away to hide them, though your movement will be significantly decreased by doing so.

Goose Roles

Geese may be assigned to any of the following roles:

• Adventurer: You can survive critical sabotages that would otherwise kill a goose.
• Astral: Your ghostly form can float through walls.
• Avenger: If you witness another Goose being murdered, you are temporarily granted the power to kill.
• Birdwatcher: You can see through walls, but it comes at the cost of your normal vision.
• Bodyguard: Keep your assigned target safe from the hitman.
• Celebrity: Alerts other players when you are killed.
• Canadian: If someone kills you, they will automatically self-report your body.
• Detective: Investigate players to see if they have killed anyone that round.
• Engineer: The mini-map can temporarily point out the position from which living ducks are causing sabotages. You can also temporarily access vents.
• Locksmith: You can open the jail door whenever you wish.
• Lover: Stay alive with your lover to win (or complete all tasks and identify the ducks).
• Medium: You can see how many ghosts there are. If the number increases, you know someone was just killed.
• Mimic: Ducks see you as another duck, and can accidentally kill fellow ducks if they're not careful.
• Mortician: Investigating a corpse reveals that player's role.
• Party Duck: Can give players a high-pitch voice during meetings (like Silencer, but way funnier).
• Politician: If you're involved in a tie during a meeting, your choice wins. Additionally, you cannot be sent to jail.
• Sheriff: You can kill anyone, but killing a Goose kills you.
• Street Urchin: You can open locks from the inside.
• Stalker: You can follow players around to reveal details about them.
• Tracker: You can see who's outside during a sandstorm.
• Vigilante: You can kill one bird per game.

Which roles are available to you depends on several factors. For instance, GGD developer Gaggle Studios frequently adds, tweaks, or removes roles. Role accessibility also depends largely on who's hosting the game, so if you're sick of getting stuck in roles you don't like, start a game of your own (choose "public" unless you're only playing with a group of friends and don't want strangers joining you) and choose exactly which of the game's 40+ roles you do or do not want in your match. Try not to get too overwhelmed, though--compared to Among Us' paltry seven-mode offering, GGD can seem like a lot to tackle at first glance, but it's surprisingly easy to get the hang of.

While setting up your own match and picking which roles will be available, you'll be given a room code. Send it to anyone you want to join your game. You can also choose maps and game modes in this part of the menu.

Modes

Speaking of modes, GGD has a lot of them. While Among Us has only two game modes, GGD has six. The modes are as follows:

Classic

The standard Among Us experience. Either slice and sabotage your way to victory as a duck, or deduce who the killer is (and sidestep those pesky sabotages) as a goose.

Draft

Draft mode is Classic mode for experienced players who want some control in a world ruled by the RNG gods. Draft mode assigns players a random number, which decides what order players make their choices in. When your turn arrives, you'll be presented with three role options (along with a "random role" option) to choose from. This gives players a little more flexibility and strategic advantage, and if there's a certain role you absolutely hate, Draft mode is a great way to make sure you don't end up stuck with it.

Goosehunt

Goosehunt is effectively the same as Hide 'N Seek mode in Among Us. Players can choose to hide and pray the killer doesn't find them before time runs out, or they can attempt to complete tasks, which significantly reduces the amount of time left, but makes it far easier to get caught and killed.

Dine and Dash

This mode consists of two teams: the red team (consisting entirely of morphling-role ducks) and the blue team (made up of one falcon- and one vulture-role player). The falcon can kill ducks very quickly, and the vulture decreases the timer each time it ingests a corpse. The red team wins if the falcon and vulture take out all members of the blue team before the timer runs out. The blue team wins if at least one member survives until the timer runs out.*

Trick or Treat

This spooky mode consists of one player who acts as a "monster" while all other birds are villagers who must complete tasks to hold town meetings and vote on who they believe the monster to be. (This mode is a clear reference to Town of Salem.) The villagers win if they manage to kick out the monster before he's turned all of the villagers into monsters called thralls. Once "killed," a player joins the thrall team, meaning villagers can still win even if they've been attacked by the monster (as long as they don't mind teaming up with it).

Hanging Out

This mode isn't really a game mode so much as it is a chance to meet other players and familiarize yourself with the game's various features. Players can host a Hanging Out "match" at The Lounge or any of the game's other maps. Up to 16 players can be invited

*Recommended for at least 10 players, ideally with proximity chat enabled.

Maps

Goose Goose Duck just added its sixth map, Ancient Sands, a few days ago. In all, GGD players have access to the following maps:

• Ancient Sands: A new desert oasis full of secrets, Ancient Sands is the game's newest map.
• Goosechapel: A spooky seaside port where you're just as likely to get thrown in the brig as you are to get thrown overboard.
• Blackswan: Complete with floor vents, a nuclear reactor, and a secret room, this map combines futuristic aesthetic with a deep sense of foreboding.
• The Basement: This freaky dreamscape is where your nightmares (and geese) go to die.
• Mallard Manor: The manor is an elegant building with an air of murder mystery dinner melodrama.
• SS Mothergoose: A space-faring vessel, probably infested by Xenomorphs
• Jungle Temple: A stunning rainforest environment
• Nexus Colony: A futuristic lab that is definitely infested by Xenomorphs
• The Lounge: Where geese go to kick back, relax, and enjoy the break from constant mortal peril.

Each map has its own unique aesthetic and music, along with new interactive items for tasks and sabotages.

Tips

Even the most seasoned social deduction gamer may find themselves lost in the face of GGD's massive amount of content, but a little practice (and a cool head) will take you far. Follow these tips and you'll be decapitating your befeathered brethren like a pro in no time.

Know thy enemy. With a few exceptions depending on the chosen map and mode, most geese don't have the ability to kill, nor can they access vents. Be aware of your surroundings--if you see a goose engaging in non-goose behavior, it might be time for an emergency meeting to ensure you kick the fake goose out before they can kill anyone else.

Silence is golden. Whenever you can do so without being conspicuous, just silently plead the fifth. If someone is goading you on or repeatedly claiming you're a duck (regardless of whether or not you actually are), sometimes silence is the best option. The last thing you want to do is protest too much. Consider only speaking when necessary if you're struggling with the deception aspect of the game.

Play smart. There are times you will have to speak, so keep in mind that often, aiming a quickly murmured, "You sure seem invested in getting me booted. Hmm…" at your accuser will be enough to plant a seed of doubt in the minds of other players. If you're really lucky (or convincing), you may cause the entire lobby to turn on your accuser as they frantically try to defend their innocence.

Play dumb. An especially effective way to catch any avian accusers off-guard is to act confused. When someone's close enough to hear you via proximity chat, let them overhear you complaining about how confusing the map is, or muttering to yourself as you search for the location of the (fake) task you need to complete.

Ask basic questions during meetings and make comments during gameplay that indicate you're not familiar with the game. "Hold up, what do I press to report a dead body? Oh, right, I see it now." "Wait, so where am I supposed to deliver this food bag?" "Ugh, I keep trying to walk around this building and forgetting that dumb stack of boxes is in the way…" If they think you're unfamiliar with the game, you're less likely to be the first person who comes to mind when someone finds a goose corpse.

Another great method, especially when running down a narrow corridor and passing another player, is to say something to indicate you're being chased by someone you "think" is the killer. This gives you an alibi of sorts if you've already killed someone (just make sure you're not running around near the body--do this on the other side of the map), and also engenders a level of trust in the bystander. After all, you ran right past them, it was just the two of you, and you didn't kill them (yet).

Practice. One of the best things you can do to up your game is practice minigames, and practice getting to points of sabotage. The good news is that GGD's minigames aren't too hard, and there are quite a few of them. The quicker you can do them, the quicker you can knock seconds off a countdown timer or stop a critical sabotage (or start one). Get familiar with each minigame so you don't waste precious seconds trying to figure out what you're supposed to do and how to do it.

The best way to practice is to load up the tutorial, select a map from the list on the right side of the screen, select "Explore," and enjoy wandering the empty streets and hallways of GGD at your leisure, free of any would-be murder-ducks. Although you can't play as a duck in "Explore" mode (and thus can't practice the sabotage minigame), you can still get familiar with each map, locate shortcuts and secret routes, discover good hiding places, and make a mental note of where each sabotage item is located, even though you can't interact with them. You can, however, interact with all goose tasks and minigames, so practice those to your heart's content.

Find safety in numbers. The best place to be, especially in early rounds, is near other people--preferably at least three of them. Whatever you do, do not allow yourself to get cornered alone (unless you're a duck, in which case, being alone with your victim is ideal). But even as a duck, you'll want to spend some time visibly within a group of players, and also one-on-one with them, without killing anyone. The longer your victims think "Well, they've had like two chances to kill me, and haven't done it yet," the better. Votes are just as good at eliminating enemies as your knife is.

No loitering. You never want to get caught in the right place at the wrong time. If you're a duck, you're going to want to do those sabotage connect-the-dots minigames as fast as possible and then get as far away from the sabotaged object as you can. The last thing you want to be caught doing is loitering near a corpse or hanging around near a room that just spontaneously burst into flames.

Even if you're an innocent goose, be careful--if you need to do a task in a room that also has a sabotage object in it, make sure you're right in front of the minigame/task object and as far away from the sabotage object as possible, just in case someone walks in while you're there.

Wear a disguise. Once you join a game, you'll continue to play with the players in that lobby during the following matches. As such, they'll get to know you a little better, so that "I'm new, what's going on?" act probably won't work the third time around. You can't disguise your voice, but you can disguise your character. In between matches, while players are waiting for everyone to ready up, you'll see a changing area--usually a closet, wardrobe, mirror, or something of the sort. Get close and click on it to open the character customization page. Here you can change your outfit and use your winnings to buy cosmetic items. (They even have a Xenomorph mask!)

If you've built up a reputation you'd like to shed without moving to another set of players, use the dressing room to alter your character's feather color (this can be done for free), and spend some of the silver coins you've earned from playing to purchase a few new accessories. Update your player banner as well. You'd be surprised how many people completely ignore your username when you've changed your appearance, and instead just assume you're a new character, because surely that purple duck with the flower crown isn't being played by the same person who is now a red duck wearing a Xenomorph mask and a Star Trek shirt. Right?

Tell on yourself. This option isn't always available, depending on the match settings and what role you play. But when in doubt, tattle on yourself. If you just killed a fellow bird but can't eat, move, or otherwise dispose of its corpse, your best bet is sounding the alarm. Some people are suspicious of self-reporters, so don't employ this tactic too often (at least not within the same group of players) if you can avoid it. Still, you'll often see players get away with literal murder just because they happened to be the one to report it. If you're near a corpse and know someone is about to catch you, your best bet is to beat them to the punch.

Play by your own rules. The best thing about Goose Goose Duck is its customization features. Don't like a certain role? Play without it. Only want to play on one map? Go for it. Want to start a wild match filled with a zillion different roles and watch the chaos unfold? Live your dreams. Don't be afraid to start your own room for people to join. The maximum capacity for each game is 16 players, so public rooms fill up quickly. Alternatively, start a private match for just you and your friends--this is a fantastic way to actually get some practice with those sabotage minigames. GGD's sandbox features are part of what make it stand out from similar games.

Act your age. Kids play Goose Goose Duck, and should be able to do so safely. Still, no one should have to censor themselves just because a kid might be lurking somewhere. Thankfully, there's an option when creating a room that allows you to block anyone under the age of 18 from entering. But whether you're playing in 18+ lobbies or keeping it PG, remember that fowl behavior may be tolerated, but foul behavior will get you tossed out of the airlock (and possibly banned). Treat your fellow feathered friends with respect, and they'll return the favor. But if they don't? Well, that's what airlocks are for.

Crop dust silently. Geese communicate solely via farts. David Attenborough may not tell you that, but Goose Goose Duck will impart this knowledge the second you enter your first lobby. The little farts have different images inside them, and function somewhat like Apex Legends Mobile's emoji packs. Hearts, smiles, you name it--you can even buy extra-special fart designs from the in-game store.

This feature is quite silly, and was clearly meant as a bit of lighthearted fun. But as you will soon figure out after firing up the game, the actual sound that accompanies each emoji-riddled cloud of flatulence is annoying as all hell. Thankfully, it seems the devs at Gaggle agree, because if you open the settings menu, you'll see an option under the sound menu that says "Silent but deadly farts." Check the box and voíla! The fart emojis will appear without the sound effect. You'll thank me later.

Now that you know the ropes, it's time to grab a gaggle of friends and team up for a night full of feathers, fear, and fowl flatulence. Goose Goose Duck is free to play on Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac.