Candy Crush Booster Bonanza: A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Power-Ups

Candy Crush Saga, the universally loved puzzle game, isn’t just about matching candies; it’s also about strategically employing powerful boosters to conquer challenging levels. These helpful tools can transform seemingly impossible scenarios into sweet victories. This comprehensive guide will delve into each booster, explaining how they work, when to use them, and offer advanced tips to maximize their effectiveness. Whether you’re a Candy Crush newbie or a seasoned veteran, understanding boosters is crucial to reaching those sky-high scores and unlocking new levels.

Understanding Candy Crush Boosters

Boosters are in-game power-ups that offer distinct advantages. They can clear obstacles, create special candies, or give you extra moves. They come in various forms, and their availability often depends on your progress through the game or through purchasing them with gold bars. The key to using boosters effectively lies in understanding their functions and deploying them at the most opportune moments.

Types of Boosters and How to Use Them

Pre-Level Boosters: The Setup Saviors

These boosters are activated before a level begins, giving you a head start and making things easier from the get-go.

1. Lollipop Hammer

Description: The Lollipop Hammer is your trusty single-candy removal tool. It allows you to manually break any single candy, obstacle, or blocker on the board, regardless of its type.

How to Use It:

1. Identify Obstacles: Scan the board before the level starts and pinpoint blockers or candies that are hindering your progress.
2. Select the Target: Tap on the Lollipop Hammer icon before you begin the level.
3. Apply the Hammer: Click or tap on the obstacle or candy you want to remove.
4. Strategic Usage: Use it to create matching opportunities, remove hard-to-reach blockers, or free up crucial space on the board.

When to Use It: Best used when facing initial blockers that make early matches difficult or when you need to strategically clear the path for a special candy combination.

2. Free Switch

Description: The Free Switch booster allows you to swap two adjacent candies without expending a move, allowing for better opportunities for matches at the start of the level.

How to Use It:

1. Analyze the Board: Identify two candies that, when swapped, create a potential match or a special candy.
2. Select the Free Switch Icon: Tap on the Free Switch icon before starting the level.
3. Swap Candies: Click or tap on the two candies you wish to swap.
4. Evaluate the Outcome: Observe how the swap has changed the board and plan your next move accordingly.

When to Use It: Most effective when used to create an initial special candy at the start of the level, or to activate a cascading effect for multiple matches.

3. Extra Moves

Description: Extra Moves, are perhaps the simplest booster to grasp. It adds five extra moves to the beginning of the level, offering you a greater opportunity to reach the level’s target.

How to Use It:

1. Activate before Level: Click or tap the Extra Moves icon before starting the level.
2. Enjoy the Benefit: You’ll notice your move count has increased by five.

When to Use It: Use this booster for levels with tight move limits or where you anticipate needing just a few extra moves to complete the objective.

4. Coconut Wheel

Description: The Coconut Wheel booster creates three special candy combinations: wrapped candy, striped candy, and color bomb.

How to Use It:

1. Activate before Level: Select the Coconut Wheel booster.
2. Spin the Wheel: At the start of the level, the wheel spins and generates random special candies.
3. Strategically Match the Candies: Make the matches for those candies at the start and benefit from a cascading board.

When to Use It: Best used at the start of difficult levels where initial special candy combinations can clear obstacles and give you a good advantage.

5. Lucky Candy

Description: The Lucky Candy booster will give you a random special candy at the start of the level.

How to Use It:

1. Activate before Level: Select the Lucky Candy booster.
2. A Special Candy Appears: At the start of the level, a random special candy will be created.
3. Match the Candy: Use the special candy at the start for better board clearing.

When to Use It: Most useful when a random advantage at the start can change the board.

In-Level Boosters: The Mid-Game Miracle Makers

These boosters are used during an ongoing level, often when you are running out of options or moves.

1. Striped Brush

Description: The Striped Brush is used in-level, it transforms a normal candy into a striped candy, which then blasts a row or column of candies when matched.

How to Use It:

1. Activate during the Level: Select the Striped Brush icon while playing.
2. Select a Candy: Tap on the candy you want to turn into a striped candy.
3. Activate the Striped Candy: match the striped candy to activate it
4. Strategic Usage: Target candies that will effectively remove blockers or candies with different colours.

When to Use It: When there’s a need for clearing multiple candies in a row or column to clear the way for making better matches.

2. Wrapped Brush

Description: The Wrapped Brush transforms a regular candy into a wrapped candy, which explodes when matched, clearing the surrounding candies.

How to Use It:

1. Activate during the Level: Select the Wrapped Brush icon.
2. Select a Candy: Tap on the regular candy you want to transform.
3. Match the Wrapped Candy: Once matched, the wrapped candy will activate its effect.
4. Strategic Usage: Use this booster in areas where you need to clear a larger area to clear blockers.

When to Use It: Use it to clear blockers around a given area or when needing more space to make more complex combinations.

3. Color Bomb Brush

Description: The Color Bomb Brush transforms a regular candy into a color bomb, which removes all candies of the same color when matched.

How to Use It:

1. Activate during the Level: Select the Color Bomb Brush icon.
2. Select a Candy: Click or tap on the candy that you want to transform into a color bomb.
3. Match the Color Bomb: match the created color bomb to activate it
4. Strategic Usage: Create color bomb next to the highest number of same colored candies

When to Use It: Best used when there are several candies of the same color on the board that will clear a lot of space when activated.

4. Jelly Fish

Description: Jelly Fish will eat candies and blockers from the game board. Each Jelly Fish targets random blockers and candies when activated.

How to Use It:

1. Activate during the Level: Select the Jelly Fish icon during the level
2. Jelly Fish Will Emerge: The fish will appear and swim around the level, eating blockers.
3. Watch the Effect: The fish eats blockers, clearing the way for making matches.

When to Use It: Best used in levels with numerous blockers, or when you need to clear a random area of the board.

5. UFO

Description: The UFO booster will create special candies on the board after it is used.

How to Use It:

1. Activate during the Level: Select the UFO icon
2. UFO Appears: The UFO will fly over the board, creating several special candies
3. Activate the Special Candies: match the newly formed special candies to clear obstacles and get points.

When to Use It: Use the UFO on complex levels, when special candies are needed to clear a large portion of the board. Use it to activate a combo of special candies that already are present.

6. Sweet Teeth

Description: The Sweet Teeth booster will eat the candies needed to meet the level goals. For example, if you have to clear 10 jellies, Sweet Teeth will eat those candies.

How to Use It:

1. Activate during the Level: Select the Sweet Teeth icon.
2. Sweet Teeth Appear: Sweet Teeth will come and eat the candies needed to complete the level goals.
3. Meet Your Goal: With the candies removed by Sweet Teeth, you will complete the goal more easily

When to Use It: Use this booster when you are very close to completing your goal but have no moves left, or when you are having trouble reaching the level’s requirements.

7. Party Popper

Description: The Party Popper booster is a simple booster that clears a few blockers or candies on the board when used.

How to Use It:

1. Activate During the Level: Select the Party Popper icon.
2. Popper Activates: A party popper will emerge and blast a few random blockers and candies.
3. Continue Playing: Continue playing after the popper removes blockers or candies.

When to Use It: The Party Popper is very useful when there are a few blockers preventing you from reaching goals. Use it as the last resort, when you run out of other options.

Advanced Booster Strategies

Now that you’re familiar with each booster, let’s delve into some advanced strategies:

1. Combine Boosters: Some levels allow you to use a combination of pre-level boosters and in-level boosters. Think strategically how these will interact, especially at the start of the level.
2. Prioritize Boosters Based on Level Type: Different level types benefit from certain boosters more than others. Jelly levels, for instance, might benefit more from the Lollipop Hammer and Striped Brush, while ingredient levels may favor Wrapped Candies.
3. Save Boosters for Tricky Levels: Conserve your boosters for levels that are significantly challenging. Don’t waste them on easy levels where you can win with normal game play.
4. Booster Combinations: Consider using special candy combinations, like combining a Color Bomb with a Striped Candy or Wrapped Candy. Plan your matches so that you can activate more than one special candy at the same time.
5. Observe Patterns: As you play more, you’ll start to notice patterns in level design. Use this knowledge to predict where blockers might be placed, and when to use certain boosters.
6. Plan Ahead: Before the level starts look at the entire board and think ahead to how you are going to win the level. Think of what special candies you need to create and if boosters will help you get to that point.

How to Obtain More Boosters

Boosters are a valuable asset, but they don’t last forever. Here are common ways to replenish your booster supply:

• Level Rewards: Many levels offer boosters as rewards for completing them. Keep an eye out for these level rewards.
• Daily Rewards: Check in daily and claim your daily rewards, some of which may include boosters.
• Events and Challenges: Participate in in-game events and challenges. Boosters are often among the prizes.
• Buying with Gold Bars: If you are desperate for a booster, you can buy it with gold bars.
• Gift Requests: Ask your friends who also play the game for boosters, or send boosters to them.

Conclusion

Mastering boosters in Candy Crush Saga is not just about using them randomly; it’s about strategic planning and proper execution. Boosters will allow you to tackle the hardest levels and gain even more enjoyment from this addictive game. By understanding how each booster works and implementing the right strategies, you can turn even the most challenging levels into sweet victories. So, go ahead, give those boosters a spin and crush your way to the top!