PUZZLE TECHNIQUES

STAR BATTLE PUZZLE TECHNIQUES

After studying our tips and techniques you can solve Star Battle puzzles much faster online. Follow the procedure below:

• Click on a black cell to change to a WHITE STAR.
• Click on a WHITE STAR to change to an ORANGE STAR.
• Click on an ORANGE STAR to change to a RED CROSS (= no star can be here).
• Click on a RED CROSS to change it to a black cell.

What is the intention of making a Star Battle puzzle?

• Place 1 STAR (=level 1) or 2 STARS (=level 2) in each column, row or area.
• Make sure that stars NEVER touch each other, not even diagonally.

Below you will find an overview of useful tips and techniques to find the solution of a Star Battle puzzle much faster.

STAR BATTLE PUZZELS WITH 1 OR 2 STARS

You can use the rules below for puzzles with 1 or 2 stars.

AREAS THAT COVER AN ENTIRE ROW OR COLUMN

Look for areas that cover an entire row or column. Than the star or stars must be in that row or column. So you can mark the other cells with a red cross as unsuitable places for a star.

AREAS THAT ARE WIDE ONLY 1 CELL

If there are areas that are only 1 cell wide, then you can mark the other cells of that row or column with a cross as places where no star is allowed.

STAR BATTLE PUZZLES WITH 2 STARS

The rules below are mainly useful for puzzles where you have to place 2 stars.

FORCED POSITION

Below an example for level 2 puzzles where you have to place 2 stars. This rule also applies to level 1 if the area contains only 1 cell.

Search for small areas. Then you are sometimes forced to place a STAR in a certain cell to avoid stars from touching each other.

We see a area with only 5 cells. We can place 1 star and indicate 8 cells that cannot contain stars.

INTERNAL ELIMINATION

In small areas, placing a star in the middle can cause internal exclusion, leaving no space for a second star. So we can place a cross in that cell.

If we were to place a star in the cell with the cross, there would no longer be room for a second star in that area.

EXTERNAL ELIMINATION

Sometimes the shape of an area can determine the placement of a cross in an adjacent area.

If we were to place a star where the cross is now, there would be no more room for 2 stars in the lower area.

ROW OR COLUMN ELIMINATION

If the area is a rectangle that is only 1 box wide, than the other areas in the same column or row can not have any stars.

Also in the 2nd column we can cross out a number of cells by applying the external elimination technique.

GROUPING OF ROWS OR COLUMNS

If you combine several columns or rows, you sometimes get information about the areas that partially fall into this group.

We group the last 3 columns and notice that 3 areas fall completely into this group. A group of 3 columns together needs 6 stars. In this example, the 3 areas that fully fall into this group will each claim 2 stars. That is why we can remove all the boxes from the areas that fall partially in this group.