Can Candy Crush be played without buying gold and using free turns

@christinewupp Pyro is the one testing, I'm guessing for his own reasons. I'm just doing this for my personal satisfaction to get gold crowns on levels I either hadn't gotten years ago or to get gold crowns King denied me for no reason. 😅 I figured I could provide related info about *what* makes levels difficult though.

If my last comment (s) wasn't clear, it doesn't matter to me if I lose a level so long as it's not one I hadn't gold-crowned previously. Not sure why you wrote about playing now v. playing the same level in the future as for me this play-through is a one-time thing. I only mention the levels where I use gold to win to highlight tricky levels. But you're right that levels can change unexpectedly. Case in point, they recently changed 976, what used to be one of the easy/fun levels similar to the old 1055. 😞

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3144258#Comment_3144258

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/465107/can-candy-crush-be-played-without-buying-gold-and-using-free-turns

I am not sure what it is precisely you are trying to test out and prove here.

The game is definitely designed to be playable without buying gold. Boosters and gold bars available from events are sufficient to play well beyond level 1000 and probably up to level 15,000 right now if you play at a pace that is not excessive. But gold crowns and passing on your first attempt at all costs is not part of the strategy design of this game in 2024. Those win streak blocker levels are in the game for a reason. Some levels ending in the digit "5" in the 200s range are clearly designed for players to fail on their first attempt and then pay gold to pass at a later attempt. Which levels these are changes from week to week so taking advantage of this fact will come to your aid in gaining gold crowns @Deryck given your sneaky method. I do think that paying more than 10 gold per level to keep a win streak is a folly. I'm not sure what it would prove if you managed to do it, because a few weeks from now they'll change the level difficulty, and then you would have to do it all over again to prove the same point. To succeed in Candy Crush is about when you play and when you pause playing. So if the game gets unplayable for two days of the week, then there is an easy way out! Surely this must mean that the answer to your question is "Yes, but only if you choose the right time and speed to play".

Perhaps @Pyrolight on your next test game you might tighten the criteria to "one episode each day", or "two episodes per day". I do believe how fast we play affects the game play, so this information needs to be included if we try to prove anything.

weekend check-in for my alt. game: I'm at L366.

In the 200 range, I lost 205, 220, 260, and 261, which was OK as they were gold-crowned in the past. 261 - not actually hard, but I find these "This level does not affect your win streak" type levels are dependent on a lucky board.

Full disclosure: I did pay the 10 gold to gold-crown two levels, I think 240 and 245. The trend I'm finding in this level range that makes them tough is few moves to clear the layers of frosting blockers.

I'm kicking myself for losing L327. This level highlights what you spoke of about boosters being a hindrance than a benefit. Using the boosters from the Win streak necklace forced a "no more possible switches" message upon starting the level. After losing the streak, I won the level on my next play, NBU, go figure. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Then I paid 10 gold each to gold-crown 360 and 364 when I saw winning was possible with one more move.

Next update should come after next week's Top That! ends.

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3142990#Comment_3142990

Yes, I've seen those. Never trust a UFO especially if it's not frosting that needs to be taken out. I usually play that UFO with two moves left, so I can use another boosters to mop up the jelly left behind. It's just too infuriating if you then have to either pay for the upteen extra moves (so you wasted the UFO because with upteen extra moves you didn't need it) or you waste the UFO because you quit. Either way a UFO wasted. Deliberate ploy by King to make us play on: The "Sunk cost" effect, as it's called in business. They play on this psychology a lot: You paid 10 gold for 5 moves, but they are not enough. So just because you already wasted 10 gold you feel you must spend more: That's why the price inflates and you pay 16 gold for the next lot of extras. In reality, if you quit and played the level one more time, you'd pass with just 10 gold.

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3142425#Comment_3142425

I forgot to add

The Gandalf levels…(You shall not pass)

There are levels where the game absolutely wants you to buy turns.

Pregame boosters do not improve chances of wining the level. You might get more cleared but you will never get anywhere near one or two candies left.
In game booster only act as their basic mechanic. ie A UFO is 3 wrapped candies. It does not have the "luck" boost you normally see.
In game boosters are also as stupid as possible.

An example was a level I was playing, in the late 600s, was being very annoying and usually is. I ended up with around 6 jelly and 1 or two toffee on top of some of them. I decided I was not really in the mood to grind this level past the 200 extra moves since I was not even getting close. So I launched a UFO on the last turn of try 21.

Wrapped candy on one edge of the jelly
Wrapped candy on the other edge of the jelly
Wrapped in the mid… nope it dropped on a completely unrelated part of the screen.
3 Jelly left…

The algorithm intentionally put the last wrapped in a spot where it would not let me win.

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3142241#Comment_3142241

It would take a year to get to level 1000 if any pro players had to go through that (assuming they would watch ads for lives and have lots of friends to send them lives). Ironically, Im doing a Free2play run where I complete levels without using boosters or extra moves. So far I’m on level 265 but Its impressive because right now I’m on level 291. A couple more levels until my Free2play run matches my times booster filled one. It did take a while though.

^ Yep, 46 is all about that lucky board. Without it, you're at the mercy of 3-move matches that go nowhere—why I lost haha. If the necklace Win streak had started sooner, it probably would've made a difference, but alas.

Good point re. Top That! This'll be the first time I make the most of it and not just have it lazily in the background as I play a new episode. Since it'll be a rush play-through where I'm not bothering to achieve a high score (just want my crowns), I definitely should speed through episodes. We'll see if that 250 GB prize is possible…

I know what you mean about boosters being a detriment sometimes. L54 is one of the earliest offenders; if a color bomb and/or stripe & wrap is in the wrong place, it can force a loss right away.

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3142318#Comment_3142318

Haha level 46, I know which one you mean. That level…

Up to 205 is quite fair in general. You then run into sections of nonsense 200s, 400s, 650 to 800ish. They have fixed a few of the worst offenders so far but still a lot of shockingly hard levels for where they are in the grand scheme of the game.

Since you are < 200 you will miss Top That! for this week. Be curious to see what you think next week depending on how many episodes played.

I am not 100% sure if it is the level of Top That! you are on or if they are just making Wed/Thurs very hard since those are the last two days. Had we not had it vanish on Tues would have been able to tell pretty easily.

I have also found at times using boosters makes the levels harder even when it should not. It seems counter intuitive but I have been finding some very odd results were no using any boosters made the episode (even legendary levels) easier than using boosters.

I can offer some partial insight, @Pyrolight. I recently discovered if you start a new game and then log in to your main account, the progress in the new game supersedes the main. Specifically, levels I've gold-crowned in the new game become gold-crowned in the main. King sure knows how to feed my quasi-OCD. 😳

So, I'll only play the new game on the one device till I reach the same progress of my main account (L3500ish).

Currently I'm at L186 and have only lost one level, L46—but that's fine because for whatever reason that level had already been gold-crowned in my main game in the past. The status of the main game takes precedence, meaning I don't lose the gold crown for the level.

Haven't used any gold bars to continue levels so far, and the only boosters used are the timed ones from Win streak (necklace) + episode checkpoints (timed lollipop hammer) and Chocolate Box.

Note if anyone does this it'll reset your Episode Race streak and Chocolate Box progress though. (their progress in the new game transfers to the main)

I'll check in to this thread occasionally to let you know how I'm doing in the new game.

Anthony7

I got to level 16,114 without buying gold bars. I won 754 champion races in a row. So I won a lot of gold bars. There no way in hell can win this game without gold bars. I finally used all of my gold bars now I am stuck on level 16,114. If I don't buy gold bars I will never past this level because I need extra moves to beat this level. Gold bars cost to much money, they want $100.00 for a 1,000 gold bars. For a $100.00 I would buy it if I got 3,000 gold bars. Unless I get free gold bars I am done with this game. It's been fun but now I'm done.

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3142109#Comment_3142109

I can see the no boosters, been testing those and finding some interesting results. As for the extra moves that I really wonder about with the more recent changes. Four months ago I would be less iffy about the prospect.

I would love to see some of the best players just start from scratch and go, no boosters/extra turns and see how it goes and record the results in charts and such.

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/465107/can-candy-crush-be-played-without-buying-gold-and-using-free-turns

I had a great time playing during the two days when Top That was down (by some error I assume). I was playing 132 levels since Monday morning, reaching up to about level 690, passing easily with my usual strategy of: starting boosters for hard/nightmarish or legendary levels only, lollipop or switch for nightmarish or legendary levels that leave me just short on my last move. I kept my win streak easily and all levels were passable without paying gold for extra moves with win streak plus starting boosters. I stopped playing due to a family emergency on Tuesday evening. Now the Top That and Gold Club events are back I have struggled to complete the unfinished episode. The last level 695 I lost my win streak and was unable to pass at all with timed boosters. Eventually I paid 10 gold bars to pass.

Another strange happening: When I scroll back after failing a level to replay an older level the moves offered goes up even for the replayed level. I've never had that before. Usually I only ever get the offer of 5 extra moves for playing on after a failed old level. Also after I fail Candy Royale it shows up again a few levels later, with the trophy at exactly the same spot where it previously was. So I am left with a 3 level version of Candy Royale (and a small gold prize). Strange. 🤔

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3142318#Comment_3142318

It technically is possible to beat the game without buying/using gold bars, without boosters, and without extra moves. But it does take a while to get used to because without any help. This game can drive you crazy.

Comments

Colleen Companion Welsh

Have a great day 😊

August 27, 2024 - 11:15 AM NST

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3144258#Comment_3144258

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/465107/can-candy-crush-be-played-without-buying-gold-and-using-free-turns

I am not sure what it is precisely you are trying to test out and prove here.

weekend check-in for my alt. game: I'm at L366.

Then I paid 10 gold each to gold-crown 360 and 364 when I saw winning was possible with one more move.

Next update should come after next week's Top That! ends.

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3142990#Comment_3142990

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3142425#Comment_3142425

I forgot to add

The Gandalf levels…(You shall not pass)

There are levels where the game absolutely wants you to buy turns.

Pregame boosters do not improve chances of wining the level. You might get more cleared but you will never get anywhere near one or two candies left.
In game booster only act as their basic mechanic. ie A UFO is 3 wrapped candies. It does not have the "luck" boost you normally see.
In game boosters are also as stupid as possible.

Wrapped candy on one edge of the jelly
Wrapped candy on the other edge of the jelly
Wrapped in the mid… nope it dropped on a completely unrelated part of the screen.
3 Jelly left…

The algorithm intentionally put the last wrapped in a spot where it would not let me win.

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3142241#Comment_3142241

I know what you mean about boosters being a detriment sometimes. L54 is one of the earliest offenders; if a color bomb and/or stripe & wrap is in the wrong place, it can force a loss right away.

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3142318#Comment_3142318

Haha level 46, I know which one you mean. That level…

Since you are < 200 you will miss Top That! for this week. Be curious to see what you think next week depending on how many episodes played.

So, I'll only play the new game on the one device till I reach the same progress of my main account (L3500ish).

Haven't used any gold bars to continue levels so far, and the only boosters used are the timed ones from Win streak (necklace) + episode checkpoints (timed lollipop hammer) and Chocolate Box.

Note if anyone does this it'll reset your Episode Race streak and Chocolate Box progress though. (their progress in the new game transfers to the main)

I'll check in to this thread occasionally to let you know how I'm doing in the new game.

Anthony7

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3142109#Comment_3142109

I would love to see some of the best players just start from scratch and go, no boosters/extra turns and see how it goes and record the results in charts and such.

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/465107/can-candy-crush-be-played-without-buying-gold-and-using-free-turns