How To beat Level 404 at Candy Crush

Although a few elements in Candy Crush are random, including the types of candies that fall and how they are arranged on a board, items like blockers and special candies stuck in syrup/goop are actually chosen and placed with purpose.

And just as you can sometimes use available boosters as hints to clear a level, you can use "trapped" special candies as clues too.

In fact, this is the key to beating Level 404.

The objective in this level is to clear all the jelly in 50 moves while scoring at least 55,000 points.

There are a total of 54 jellies:

* 3 rows of 9 jellies at the top of the board
* 3 rows of 9 jellies covered in multi-layered frosting/meringue blocks at the bottom
* A row of Chocolate Machines complicates the level, not because the chocolate it produces absorbs candy but because it eats Jelly Fish.

Jelly Fish are the most important special candies on the board, and in general, they will determine your fate. It's certainly possible to pass Level 404 without using them wisely, but it is incredibly difficult.

So although the first step in all of CCC's level-specific tutorials is usually to follow all the basic tips to beat any level, even more important than that in this case is to protect the Jelly Fish.

There is a row of 9 goop-covered Jelly Fish sitting above the row of Chocolate Machines, which means that as soon as the fish are free, the chocolate will get at least one of them immediately. This is inevitable, so your task is really to preserve the remaining 8 and use them to clear the hidden jellies.

It may seem like no big deal to lose a few fish, as you still have plenty left, but you have the best chance of beating this level if you can use as many as possible.

As you may remember, each Jelly Fish removes 3 pieces of jelly. Nine fish, then, can clear 27 pieces of jelly. And wouldn't you know it - there are exactly 27 pieces of jelly hiding beneath the frosting/meringue blocks that would otherwise require multiple hits to clear. One fish, as mentioned, doesn't stand a chance at survival, but the other 8 can get rid of 24 jellies with no problem.

If you can wait to use the Jelly Fish until after you clear the top 3 rows of jelly first, then the fish will be forced to clear all the jelly in the bottom rows.

This is the ideal situation, but in reality, you'll end up losing a fish or two either from the chocolate or from releasing them when there's still top-row jelly to clear.

When you don't have all your Jelly Fish to work with, look very closely at the bottom rows to locate the hidden jellies. You'll probably have to squint, but you should be able to see the edges of the jelly peeking out from behind the metal frosting/meringue dishes. If the Jelly Fish were used well, then there should only be 3 or 4 hidden jellies left.

Once you've identified where these jellies are, try your best to target them with vertical striped candies and various special combinations.

Level 404 isn't as luck-based as some of the other levels in Candy Crush, so even if you don't beat it right away, it shouldn't feel as hopeless or impossible. Just keep trying, know when to quit, and have fun.