An arrow puzzle is about order, not speed. Every arrow can leave the board eventually. The question is which one can leave first, and which one it frees when it goes. Find that order and the board unravels on its own.
Here is how to read a board in Arrow Exit, and the habits that turn a scramble into a clean run.
How an arrow puzzle works
Each arrow points at an edge of the board. Tap it and it flies off in that direction, but only if every cell from its head to the edge is empty. In Arrow Exit, tapping a blocked arrow costs one of your three hearts and breaks your streak, and a clock runs on every level.
1. Look at the head, not the body
Only the line in front of an arrow's head decides whether it can leave. The rest of its body does not matter for its own exit. It matters for the arrows behind it, because it is in their way. Train your eye to follow the line from each head to the edge, and ignore everything else on the first pass.
2. Start at the edges
Arrows near the edge that point outward have the shortest path, and often nothing in front of them at all. Clear those first. Every arrow that leaves from the edge opens space for the next layer in.
3. Clear the arrow that blocks the most others
When several arrows are free, pick the one standing in the most paths. Clearing it does more for the board than clearing an arrow that blocks nobody. On large boards this single habit is the difference between a board that opens up and one you have to grind through.
4. Look for the chains
Many levels hide a chain: arrow A blocks B, B blocks C, and C blocks half the board. Find the chain and clear it from the free end. Once you spot the pattern, a crowded board becomes a short list of moves.
5. Use the grid on big boards
Turn on the grid on large levels. It makes lanes visible, and most wrong taps on big boards come from misjudging which row or column an arrow really sits in. Zooming in helps for the same reason.
6. A clean run beats a fast one
The score rewards accuracy more than speed.
| Part of the score | Points |
|---|---|
| Each arrow on the board | 3 |
| Time left on the clock | up to 400 |
| Each heart left | 120 |
| No hint or eraser used | 150 |
| Best streak of correct taps | up to +40% |
Three hearts and no help is worth 510 points before a single second is counted, more than the whole time bonus. The streak bonus multiplies on top. So a slow, certain tap beats a fast guess every time.
Hints and the eraser
You get three hints and one eraser per attempt. The hint shows a good arrow to take. The eraser removes any one arrow, blocked or not, which makes it the right tool for the single arrow at the centre of a knot. Using either costs you the 150-point no-help bonus, so save them for levels you cannot otherwise finish.
When you are stuck
Stop tapping. Pick any arrow and follow its line to the edge. If something is in the way, follow that arrow's line instead. Keep going until you reach an arrow with a clear path. That is your next move, and the chain you just traced is the order to clear the rest.
Ready to try it? Play Arrow Exit, or see all puzzle games.