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The first pay-to-pass level is 114. (Edit May 2026: not pay with real money but gold bars)

christinewupp

Edit May 2026: As someone recently added a comment to this older thread I would like to add that by "pay to pass" I don't mean anyone has to pay real money: Anyone with any common sense or a few brain cells will have gold bars to use to bypass this level when they approach it. These levels have not changed for months and usually only levels 90 and 100 require gold to pass within five attempts, which is how many lives players have. Each players is given 50 gold early on, plus the chance to easily win three episode races, so you should have this much gold to spend on your second attempt at level 114:

Anyone with no gold left at this point really needs to uninstall the app, reinstall the app and start all over again!

Here the original post:

Sorry guys, but making level 114 a 15 moves only version has rendered this level the first pay-to-pass level in the game. I find this far too early and it will spook new players. I am trying to find out what and if anything can trigger a lucky board here, but so far I am at the +125 moves offer mark with both my iPad and my iPhone games at this level. Nothing will help. Here the level:

The first dragon drops at the 10 moves left mark, the second at the 5 moves left mark. The last dragon invariably drops on the player's last move. This is completely unaffected by what boosters are played or how quickly the first two dragons or the blockers are cleared. This makes this 15 move version of the level the first pay-to-pass level in the game. The best possible outcome I have managed to achieve so far is this:

I will now take a real time break and see if that affects my luck.

To join the Conversation:

Comments

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3527362#Comment_3527362

Why have you posted this comment here in my thread as a reply to my post @WTFK ? You have been playing Candy Crush since at least 2019, so you cannot be a genuine new player to just arrive at this level.

In fact this thread is outdated now in 2026. Also: The header is really just a tease and not meant literally. In practice this level is far too early in the game for any player to spend real money. (Edit: I've now changed the header and edited the original post to stop people from adding inappropriate comments)

I created this thread as a complaint that new players would be put off by this level. However I now realise that in practice Level 114 is probably part of the training programme for new players: The game gives each player 50 gold bars to start off with and the preceding levels are easy to pass within the lives given, so every player should approach level 114 with some gold in their accounts. If the game holds players up at level 114 in 2026 this is likely part of the training method King now use to teach new players how to play the game properly: Get used to having to pay gold to pass some levels.

Candy Crush in 2026 is not a puzzle game, it's a resource management game.

(I borrowed this last sentence from another source in this community, by the way. I really like the description, so I hope that's o.k.)

WTFK

so you have to pay to play?

WTFK

I am not paying to play. This level just sucks

PyroFunk

Test group as always. I got the 15 turn version in one game before the wider community started to see it.

christinewupp

Well, some players now get 17 moves for this level, which would mean this is now passable as the last dragon will drop with two moves remaining. However, I am not sure if this is just a small test group or if the move count will be increased for everyone.

PyroFunk

Christine is referring to playing without using ufos, hammer and such. You objectively cannot pass every board without a miss without those unless you count a lucky day starting on level x and ending on the first miss ie could be 1 level.

michimune

If you have be offered more than 255 moves before passing it, this means today is not your lucky 🍀 day.

In a lucky day, pass every board without miss.

christinewupp

Yep, it's still impossible for a newbie to pass level 114 November 5th 2025. To remind anyone unfamiliar with this level: Boosters cannot help to pass this level since the last dragon only drops on the last move. Therefore if we pass or fail is entirely dependent on the luck written into the game. There is no strategy I can think of to induce luck for this level.

This is my luck today:

This screenshot says it all: You can see how often I have attempted this level already, and still I am left one move short.

I tried a few more times and still no luck. I reloaded the game and still no luck.

Eventually I tried to see if reloading after having spent all my gold would change my luck. It may be possible that the app tracks our gold balance and will refuse a lucky board to any player who has gold in their account. This may be so but would require more testing. My first two attempts failed:

But before my lives ran out I got lucky:

This was my winning move. Like last time all three dragons dropped at the same time.

SirPyroOfLight

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3424655#Comment_3424655

Not shocked the fish failed honestly, I find they tend to fail last turn a lot if no jelly and fish + booster is extra suck.

Interesting results with the popper and wheel.

christinewupp

I have revisited this level (October 2025)

None of the early levels have significantly changed since the beginning of September. Level 100 remains the hardest and seems to only have fish induced luck now.

I used a different strategy this time and bought 6 hours free lives plus 30 minutes starting boosters with my gold by the time I reached this level.

Starting boosters had no effect on luck. After three failed attempts I got this pop-up:

The party popper did clear the board in the first move.

But it did not affect outcome of the level:

This was my final move. I used the suggested move, which was the fish plus wrap combo:

There was no luck for many more attempts and I reached +115 moves offered. On my next attempt I decided to actually use the single party popper that the game had provided me earlier during this level. The theory was that as the game had earlier given me this booster and shown me what it does this might actually be the way to pass here:

We had established earlier on in this discussion that playing a UFO or party popper on your last move will not make the dragon drop as it's not counted as a move. The dragon will truly only drop on our last move. This was my true last move after the party popper cleared the entire board:

I had played all the starting boosters so the game provided me with a coconut wheel in the ideal space for a last move win. However I assume that had I not played the coconut wheel the game would have left me with a different cleared winning board for my last move. Clearly playing the party popper was the intended passing mechanism here for players who might have run out of gold by this point.

It's quite a neat solution I find. And therefore strictly speaking this is not a pay to pass level, if the game now keeps the free party popper in wraps until we reach level 114.

I passed of course with the coconut wheel.

SirPyroOfLight

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410418#Comment_3410418

In this case, it is not exactly the traditional lucky level where what you need just drops. I find you can actually over the course of 8 or so turns set up the last turn, only level I have really noticed this, and the game does not just trigger your special candies for no good reason all that much.

I find it honestly plays better than the old version. Still needs 1 extra turn though, would balance it nicely.

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410643#Comment_3410643

I don't mean the cap @michimune. But it's interesting to hear that all the same. I have neither the patience nor the willpower to play and replay any level as often or for as long as it would take to get there without the 30x multiplier, but I think you are suggesting therefore that a very patient person with lots of time on their hand could play offline and gain a lot of coloured candies. That is interesting, but definitely not for me! 🥱

Actually, I did find that I had a lot of catching up to do in the first hours of the All Stars final, which surprised me because I started very promptly, really with impeccable timing. And I was clearly faster playing than others, given that I overtook about 40 players to reach the top 3, eventually, and everyone was playing non-stop of course, with it being the final. I am now wondering if people were doing that to get a head start? Would that be possible, given that the event clock follows device time? It sounds risky to me, and nothing I have tried out. But I might check that one out now you've mentioned it.

In fact this observation is now making me sad. You tell me that the cap is now universal and so this method can no longer be used in next year's All Stars. The sheer fact that King have bothered to do this would suggest to me that this behaviour was indeed observed during All Stars. So this is probably true then: The fact I was having to catch up for so long in my finals group probably does indeed mean I was cheated out of a place in LA. King probably know this as they apparently disqualified the person who topped the board. 🤯😥

Techz_3712

Guys, let me just join because I'm also an explorer and observed these even in average levels.

Two things that stand out to me: (1) In theory this level isn’t strictly pay-to-pass because ads/UFOs and lucky boards can let you finish without spending. @Alienscar's run shows that clearly. (2) In practice it behaves very differently for brand new players — they won’t have spare UFOs, gold, or the experience to spot a last-move combo, and offers like “+moves +UFO” appear inconsistent across accounts (as @Nobody1 pointed out). That combination is what makes this level feel like a paywall for newcomers even if it’s not technically one.

And the screenshots in this thread already back that up really well — they clearly show the last-dragon timing, the move offers, and the way the board plays differently depending on style. So I think @christinewupp's core point holds: for someone truly new to the game, Level 114 plays like an early brick wall, ouch 🤕

michimune

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410595#Comment_3410595

When the candy cap first introduced into a tournament, it applies to new levels ONLY, you can still earn infinity of candy from old levels. But this candy cap has been applied to every levels whether it’s new or not since Candy Cup on September 2025

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410539#Comment_3410539

I'm not sure any of these dragon hiding levels are as effective now as they used to be even during this year's All Stars, @Alienscar and @michimune . I tried a few of them out whilst playing in the Candy Cup, including an old favourite in the 300s as a new player, so I was getting the 30x multiplier as well. It did not help as much as I was expecting, as there are now fewer cascades and fewer rogue colour bombs appearing. The algorithms have changed and I think the game no longer gives players these extreme lucky boards after repeated fails with lucrative cascades that we used to see. The above mentioned level did help me get a lot of points all at once, but after reflection I found that given the time that it took me, had I zoomed through regular levels I would not have scored much less. It may be time to rethink your All Stars strategy for next year, folks.

Alienscar

I know this is off topic @christinewupp but also as @michimune points out this probably makes level 114 a good points farming level for the All Stars

No need to hide the Sprink just don't play your last move

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410276#Comment_3410276

I get it now, thanks @michimune . I myself didn't understand what you were arguing until this last post which thankfully made it much clearer. You are right in your argument as Alienscar themselves demonstrated. I hope we can all agree now.

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410465#Comment_3410465

Oh goodness me of course @Alienscar ! I should have figured that out and let you know this ages ago, but I had forgotten about that fact.

This is absolutely right and I did know about this fact: In the highest levels of the game, when I was still playing the new releases, we got to these kinds of situations sometimes when the last order (often toffee swirls) were too slow to drop and therefore some of these levels were "mathematically impossible" because no matter how often you would play a party popper or UFO , no toffees would appear from the dispensers because playing boosters is not part of the moves count, so those levels had to go back to "the team" and get fixed.

Thank you so much for your perseverance in testing and for this feedback!

Alienscar

Please prove I am wrong

Thanks for your persistence @michimune I finally understood what you mean. You are right I have misunderstood the game.

I have just played the level again and you are right the UFO doesn't work.

I got the game to this point and played a UFO thinking that the last Sprink would drop as it was my last move. It didn't as I mistakenly thought that playing a UFO counted as a move like a colour bomb/wrap does.

I got the result you can see below

I played another UFO and got the same result, no Sprink.

Miraculously the two striped Candy survived. I played them and the last Sprink appeared. Finally I get what you mean.

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410318#Comment_3410318

You're not at all late to the party in my view and thank you for this precious information! Your insight and experience is a huge help for me to figure out why I even felt it necessary to create this thread.

So this is why: In your experience it takes 10 to 11 tries until the game helps us get the last dragon. And this week it took me to beyond the +175 moves offered mark, so that is twice as long, that would be luck on my 21st attempt. This is significant in the games of a new player with no friends! So to me that does mean this is a pay-to-pass level. (In gold term of course. Any sensible players should still have gold in the account at this point.)

The reason this level shocked me is now revealed: The "wait for luck" time on this level has been doubled. The question now is: why?

Just to make it perfectly clear what I really intended with this thread I have added the date in the header. Of course I know this level has been 15 moves for some time: It is not really the fact that the dragon drops on our late move that is at the core of making this a pay-to-pass level. It is the wait time for a lucky board. This wait time is what determines level difficulty in Candy Crush, it's what the AI computes and changes from week to week. It's what can make our games hell or fun. It's at the very core of the game.

SirPyroOfLight

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/509476/the-first-pay-to-pass-level-is-114-is-that-really-a-good-idea

Bit late to the party.

Wow… It has to be 6 or more months ago I first noted that this level has the last dragon drop on the last turn due to the number of turn change.

Also was going to say it is 100% passable, but you have to set up the last turn. What is kinda interesting is that the game actually allows you to do it. You can set up the last turn but and the game generally does not do they "you fail" nonsense but it is not easy. Usually 10-12 tries but at least once or twice it could have been less but for me flipping the wrong candy.

It is really an odd one as the old version, while more turns, was a huge "I am going to wreck your plans" fest.

michimune

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410167#Comment_3410167

Thanks for your detailed explanation 😲. But if the last move is colour bomb combine with wrapped candy, the player can pass this level absolutely, Christine has already shown me This Method twice on her two different accounts above. My question is: "How can the player pass this level after moving the last move and the dragon DOES NOT exit the board?"

I know you passed this level on your first attempt of re-play without using any extra moves given by ads. But what would happen if you don't have ads option and don't want to use gold bars either on your first attempt? You had moved your last move and the last dragon did not exit the board. You should have out of the moves and End. You could activate the Free UFO given by ads, it's because you have got an extra move as well even though you didn't use it.

That is a good point, but people can still use UFO without adverts.

You ABSOLUTELY cannot pass this level on your Example by using UFO instead of colour bomb + wrapped candy regardless of how many UFO you use. Please prove I am wrong 😁

Dear Christine, I think our discussion is not due to language issue. It's arise from he doesn't know the core of what you had intended with this discussion. (Unless I am misunderstanding)

You said level 114 is a pay-to-pass level, it's because the last dragon will appear only if the player has moved the fifteenth move ( the last move). There have many this kind of levels over the map. But is it good to player if it appears too early? This kind of levels appear too early on the map, a player doesn't have ads option, mostly have to pass over 1000 levels for ads option. Therefore if a player makes the last dragon appears and then can't exit it out of the board on the last move, the player must have to use gold bars for extra moves if he wants to pass this level without waiting for lucky board. The last dragon invariably drops on the player's last move. "This is completely unaffected by what boosters are played or how quickly the first two dragons or the blockers are cleared."

Some players misunderstood your thread, so I want to clarify that for you 😜

christinewupp

Guys, please! That is so sad you are having this argument over what is essentially nit picking over what is mostly language issues. None of it is relevant to the core of what I had intended with this discussion.

My beautiful thread all ruined….🙁

Alienscar

Even though you have noticed that but you appear to not understand that

but what is the purpose of using these before the last dragon appears?

It is plain from what you have written @michimune that it is you that doesn't understand.

The purpose of using the UFO before the last dragon appears is for exactly as I explained to you. Which bit don't you understand?

You can pass this level on your first attempt of re-play. It's not because you have got UFO by ads, it's YOU GOT EXTRA MOVES by ads.

Again you show little evidence of reading and understanding what I have previously written.

I was offered three moves and a UFO and the UFO completed the level before the three moves had even been added.

So nothing to do with EXTRA MOVES as I didn't have to use any extra moves to complete the level.

Maybe this will help your understanding. I have played this level eleven times now and completed it three times.

Twice with UFO and once with just a Colour Bomb and Wrapped combination

Here is the last move screenshot. Being the last move there is one Sprink still to appear

I play the obvious move and the last Sprink appears and exits the board and I complete the level.

Hopefully this explains to you in a manner you can understand why I suggested playing a UFO or other booster before the last Sprink is on the board.

Therefore if a player do not have ads, how can the player pass this level after moving the last move and the dragon does not exit the board?

As above

michimune

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410098#Comment_3410098

That is a good point, but people can still use UFO without adverts.

I think you have also misunderstood my point. As the last dragon only appears on the last move my point was would the exploding wraps of a UFO be lucky and let the last dragon exit the board due to their explosions.

Yes, People can use many UFOs without adverts, party poppers, switch hand, lollipop hammers or anything else without adverts, but what is the purpose of using these before the last dragon appears? Earn many blue candies for Summer Cup, green candies for Candy Cup or purple candies for All Stars🤔

The last dragon would not appear on the last move remaining, it will only appear after you have physically moved the fifteenth move ( the last move of a 15- move version).

Therefore if a player do not have ads, how can the player pass this level after moving the last move and the dragon does not exit the board?

You are wrong. I did notice the sentence

Christine wrote: "The last dragon invariably drops on the player's last move. This is completely unaffected by what boosters are played or how quickly the first two dragons or the blockers are cleared."

Even though you have noticed that but you appear to not understand that 😔

You can pass this level on your first attempt of re-play. It's not because you have got UFO by ads, it's YOU GOT EXTRA MOVES by ads.

Comments

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3527362#Comment_3527362

Candy Crush in 2026 is not a puzzle game, it's a resource management game.

(I borrowed this last sentence from another source in this community, by the way. I really like the description, so I hope that's o.k.)

WTFK

so you have to pay to play?

WTFK

I am not paying to play. This level just sucks

PyroFunk

Test group as always. I got the 15 turn version in one game before the wider community started to see it.

christinewupp

PyroFunk

michimune

If you have be offered more than 255 moves before passing it, this means today is not your lucky 🍀 day.

In a lucky day, pass every board without miss.

christinewupp

This is my luck today:

This screenshot says it all: You can see how often I have attempted this level already, and still I am left one move short.

I tried a few more times and still no luck. I reloaded the game and still no luck.

But before my lives ran out I got lucky:

This was my winning move. Like last time all three dragons dropped at the same time.

SirPyroOfLight

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3424655#Comment_3424655

Not shocked the fish failed honestly, I find they tend to fail last turn a lot if no jelly and fish + booster is extra suck.

Interesting results with the popper and wheel.

christinewupp

I have revisited this level (October 2025)

None of the early levels have significantly changed since the beginning of September. Level 100 remains the hardest and seems to only have fish induced luck now.

I used a different strategy this time and bought 6 hours free lives plus 30 minutes starting boosters with my gold by the time I reached this level.

Starting boosters had no effect on luck. After three failed attempts I got this pop-up:

The party popper did clear the board in the first move.

But it did not affect outcome of the level:

This was my final move. I used the suggested move, which was the fish plus wrap combo:

It's quite a neat solution I find. And therefore strictly speaking this is not a pay to pass level, if the game now keeps the free party popper in wraps until we reach level 114.

I passed of course with the coconut wheel.

SirPyroOfLight

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410418#Comment_3410418

I find it honestly plays better than the old version. Still needs 1 extra turn though, would balance it nicely.

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410643#Comment_3410643

Techz_3712

Guys, let me just join because I'm also an explorer and observed these even in average levels.

michimune

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410595#Comment_3410595

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410539#Comment_3410539

Alienscar

I know this is off topic @christinewupp but also as @michimune points out this probably makes level 114 a good points farming level for the All Stars

No need to hide the Sprink just don't play your last move

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410276#Comment_3410276

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410465#Comment_3410465

Oh goodness me of course @Alienscar ! I should have figured that out and let you know this ages ago, but I had forgotten about that fact.

Thank you so much for your perseverance in testing and for this feedback!

Alienscar

Please prove I am wrong

Thanks for your persistence @michimune I finally understood what you mean. You are right I have misunderstood the game.

I have just played the level again and you are right the UFO doesn't work.

I got the result you can see below

I played another UFO and got the same result, no Sprink.

Miraculously the two striped Candy survived. I played them and the last Sprink appeared. Finally I get what you mean.

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410318#Comment_3410318

The reason this level shocked me is now revealed: The "wait for luck" time on this level has been doubled. The question now is: why?

SirPyroOfLight

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/509476/the-first-pay-to-pass-level-is-114-is-that-really-a-good-idea

Bit late to the party.

Wow… It has to be 6 or more months ago I first noted that this level has the last dragon drop on the last turn due to the number of turn change.

It is really an odd one as the old version, while more turns, was a huge "I am going to wreck your plans" fest.

michimune

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410167#Comment_3410167

That is a good point, but people can still use UFO without adverts.

You ABSOLUTELY cannot pass this level on your Example by using UFO instead of colour bomb + wrapped candy regardless of how many UFO you use. Please prove I am wrong 😁

Dear Christine, I think our discussion is not due to language issue. It's arise from he doesn't know the core of what you had intended with this discussion. (Unless I am misunderstanding)

Some players misunderstood your thread, so I want to clarify that for you 😜

christinewupp

My beautiful thread all ruined….🙁

Alienscar

Even though you have noticed that but you appear to not understand that

but what is the purpose of using these before the last dragon appears?

It is plain from what you have written @michimune that it is you that doesn't understand.

The purpose of using the UFO before the last dragon appears is for exactly as I explained to you. Which bit don't you understand?

You can pass this level on your first attempt of re-play. It's not because you have got UFO by ads, it's YOU GOT EXTRA MOVES by ads.

Again you show little evidence of reading and understanding what I have previously written.

I was offered three moves and a UFO and the UFO completed the level before the three moves had even been added.

So nothing to do with EXTRA MOVES as I didn't have to use any extra moves to complete the level.

Maybe this will help your understanding. I have played this level eleven times now and completed it three times.

Twice with UFO and once with just a Colour Bomb and Wrapped combination

Here is the last move screenshot. Being the last move there is one Sprink still to appear

I play the obvious move and the last Sprink appears and exits the board and I complete the level.

Hopefully this explains to you in a manner you can understand why I suggested playing a UFO or other booster before the last Sprink is on the board.

Therefore if a player do not have ads, how can the player pass this level after moving the last move and the dragon does not exit the board?

As above

michimune

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3410098#Comment_3410098

That is a good point, but people can still use UFO without adverts.

I think you have also misunderstood my point. As the last dragon only appears on the last move my point was would the exploding wraps of a UFO be lucky and let the last dragon exit the board due to their explosions.

The last dragon would not appear on the last move remaining, it will only appear after you have physically moved the fifteenth move ( the last move of a 15- move version).

Therefore if a player do not have ads, how can the player pass this level after moving the last move and the dragon does not exit the board?

You are wrong. I did notice the sentence

Even though you have noticed that but you appear to not understand that 😔

You can pass this level on your first attempt of re-play. It's not because you have got UFO by ads, it's YOU GOT EXTRA MOVES by ads.