Talk:Level 1538/@comment-24693751-20160302104643

Hi guys, I wanted to write about this level first since it just came out on iPad due to how difficult it is (Insanely Hard is almost an understatement), people quitting the game over it, etc. I finally passed it yesterday morning on PC after days of playing it. I haven't struggled so much with a level since pre-nerf 181! It definitely is an evil, horrible level and I understand why people would want to quit over it! But I was sharing my experience of finally passing with a friend & realized I might be able to help someone else who's struggling so like I said, just going to share my experience, I wouldn't go so far as to call it a strategy!

So it took me 39 tries to pass, 2 stars (132,800 points) and multiple BU. In total I used 11 boosters(would've been 13 but one time it took my boosters then froze and I had to restart my computer). I only used the wrapped/striped & CB boosters, not any extra time ones & I finally passed using those two boosters. And you know what? I felt like I'd won the lottery, I didn't even care that I'd used boosters, I was just so thrilled to have passed! I'd come close 2 other times. One was about my 15th try, I got 81,580 points. That made me hopeful I could pass but then I wasn't getting anywhere near there again. I would've used the extra time booster honestly if I'd had the gold bars but I'd accidentally wasted them all. Anyway I decided to give it one more set of lives on PC yesterday. I had a few CB boosters but only one w/s. I didn't use them right away as I wanted to warm up a bit first. After a few tries, I managed to get close again-almost 80k and I had a feeling I might be able to beat it with the boosters. The biggest problem for me with these timed levels is that I get extremely anxious & then of course that actually prevents me from passing. Of course you need a good board to start, if you get one that keeps reshuffling you're doomed & on this level especially I noticed in the beginning there's usually only one move you can make until you're able to open the board. So that part is luck dependent. But the biggest challenge for me(and I think for many others on timed boards) is staying calm enough to be able to see & make the available moves, and when I actually forced myself to start out as calm as possible, that's when I was able to find the right move. That being said, being calm doesn't mean being slow. If you're using a CB booster I suggest using it right away because it will give you more opportunities. I'd quickly scan the board to see if I could match it to a color of at least some of the +5s and then set it off, same with any w/s matches. Anyway, the thing I noticed that was most helpful for me was of course you want to get as many +5s as possible and aside from matching them, one other way to do this is to make as many wraps as possible and then set them off near the +5s. Just as in the last timed level in the last episode, the more +5s you match, the more the board will give you. I was also very fortunate to have either made another CB or the board made it & I was able to make a CB/wrapped which I'm sure was a huge factor in my passing. Obviously if you see an opportunity to make a CB, grab it but I found if I spent too much time looking for an opportunity, that was it. But if you clear the board as much as possible, like with any board with lots of space, you'll start to get a cascade. I had another CB form, than explode. But for me the most helpful thing was the wraps really, as soon as I saw a +5 I'd start looking for a match or if I could make or explode a wrap near it. And like the other person below who managed to pass with only a few tries and no boosters and got 3 stars(God Bless lol), it is all about speed. You just have to keep matching & making specials as fast as possible once the board opens up. But at the same time, for me anyway, I had to do it as calmly as possible. If I started freaking out, I was done. And for that reason I also never look at my score as I'm playing, ESPECIALLY if I think I might pass. Anyway, I know this is an extremely long comment even for me but I really wanted to try and encourage people not to give up, this is doable, though it will take some "time"(sorry bad pun). But seriously I felt like giving up a few times too & I'm glad I persevered. Good luck everyone!