TwoDots: Top 10 tips, hints, and cheats you need to know!

June 24, 2014

TwoDots is the sequel to the hugely popular game Dots. While the original Dots game is based on free play, in TwoDots you'll need to do a lot more than just match colors. There are actual levels to clear this time that come complete with obstacles and objectives that must be met. You'll also be limited on the amount of moves you can make in each level. Anyone who fancies a good game of Candy Crush Saga will most likely find TwoDots immensely enjoyable. But just like Candy Crush, there are lots of little tips, hints, and cheats you can remember to help you blaze through levels, restart whenever you need to without using your lives, and much more!

1. How to restart the game without losing a life

The key to clearing a level quickly and easily is starting with a decent board. If you've already been playing TwoDots, you probably already know that it doesn't always happen that way. Luckily, there's a way to restart a level right off the bat without losing a life. The key is to do it before you make a move. This returns you to the map and lets you start over again fresh. Keep doing this until you get a board you're happy with. Just remember that after you make a move, restarting will cause you to lose a life.

2. Get infinite free lives by cheating time

Like Candy Crush and many other life-based games, TwoDots isn't immune to the system time glitch. If you run out of lives and don't feel like waiting for them to refill, just hop into Settings > Date & Time on your iPhone or iPad. Since TwoDots requires 20 minutes to go by to replenish a life, forward your clock ahead at least 100 minutes. Launch TwoDots again and voila, your lives should now be refilled completely!

3. Play from the bottom

This rule is pretty standard for almost any board puzzle game. Playing from the bottom always causes the most new pieces to come on the board. This holds true in TwoDots. Working from the bottom gives you the best odds of finding a match or bringing down new dots you'll need. Focus on making squares and connecting large formations at the bottom.

Think of it this way, if you connect two dots at the very top, only those two dots will be replaced. However, connecting two dots at the bottom causes the entire board and two columns to shift down one. This could make the change you need for a larger combo.

4. Your first move sets the tone for the whole round

This goes along with my very first tip. If you have a good board sitting in front of you, be sure not to waste it! Evaluate the board carefully and make a good first move. If there is a square present on the board, you almost always want to take it before anything else. Avoid Z patterns and L patterns as they normally cause more mismatches than anything else. Stay diagonal or vertical for your first move if you can't clear a square right off the bat.

5. It's hip to be a square

Not only is a square typically your best first move, it's almost always your best move period. The larger square you make, the more it'll impact your score, so always be on the lookout for larger squares when you can. Even though it clears the same amount of dots, go big whenever you can for the highest score possible.

6. Bombs are your best friend in anchor levels

To create a bomb, you'll need to create a square that contains one lonely dot in the center. The square will remove all dots of the same color on the board while the middle dot will explode and clear anything remaining around it. This is a great strategy to use on anchors since you could potentially end up exploding more than one anchor at a time. It also eliminates the need to worry about bringing it all the way to the bottom anymore. That saves you time and precious moves you may need later.

7. Pay attention to how dots behave in each level

In some levels there are obstacles and twists and turns that will cause dots to take a path that isn't straight down. Pay particular attention to how dots fall in these levels as it'll be key to forming squares, which should always be your main goal. Use this in conjunction with my tip of working from the bottom and you'll be in good shape.

8. Try to avoid isolating single colors under anchors

Getting a lonely dot stuck underneath an anchor is the worst. You'll most likely need several moves to rectify the problem and get the anchor where it needs to be. The only other solution is to make a square of the same color in order to clear it. That can also prove difficult when you only have a few moves left. The best practice is to always make sure dots underneath an anchor have a mate. That makes them super easy to clear when the anchor starts to reach the bottom.

9. Intentionally cause a re-shuffle

There may not be a shuffle button in TwoDots, per-say. That doesn't mean you can't purposely make some moves that leave no possible matches left on the board. This is sometimes your best hope if you've got quite a few moves left but a crap board in front of you. Unless you haven't made a single move yet and can restart, forcing a reshuffle can sometimes save the day. So when you don't see another way of making squares or any worthwhile moves, aim for a reshuffle instead.

10. Keep an eye out for sandwiched dots

There are some patterns in TwoDots that are worth remembering. The most useful of all of them is the alternating, or sandwiched, dots that are paired with mates. For example, if you have two red dots that are sandwiched by two green dots, immediately clear the two green dots in order to make a square with the red dots. This type of pattern occurs a lot and is the easiest way to form squares.

Your best tips, hints, and cheats for beating TwoDots?

If you're as addicted to TwoDots as we are, be sure to let me know in the comments what tips, hints, and cheats have helped you work your way through levels the fastest. Do you use any of the above methods or do you think there are other strategies that work better?