Fun Fact: Two images were used in this post, and contains some achievements I wouldn't mind sharing. Happy new year, everyone! And a new post will come in on the first day of new year.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Learning to Fly
Learning to fly... a remote control helicopter.
They seem to be getting to be popular this year. At least the hover ability on more expensive ones really help.
Small Note: RC Helicopters (at least the ones sold from Brookstone) have a high failure rate (by failure meaning you can't fix it up using the built in repair kit), though your mileage may vary. Four out of seven people in line were returning helicopters.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Meanwhile On Christmas Eve
So... what did you do on Christmas Eve?
I had a particularly long day and some new experiences, including: Seeing an airport up close for the first time, flying a remote controlled helicoptor, and playing Halo 3 ODST (and losing badly since I wasn't accustomed to the controller scheme). Getting only three hours of sleep got me tired early, but at least it was fun.
I will take a short Christmas break, and not update anything on this blog for this day (25th) (and maybe tomorrow). Happy holidays, everyone.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Eclipse, Start of Winter, New Board
Today: Lunar Eclipse, start of Winter, new Zuma board (with a winter theme).
Makes it easy to do those gap shots, over... and over again. In the end I got over 1.4 million and didn't reach the level to unlock the spirit animal associated with that score so all I got was this angry face.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Gapshots FTW: Questions Part 2
Doing the triple quad gap.
So many questions to answer...
What do the spirit animals do for you if anything, as you upgrade them?
They currently don't do anything (other than producing humorous messages at higher levels when you reach them), but if it does, I'll put it up here. Example: Jackal Chief rank reads "The jackal is the cleverest of beasts, but don't ask him to install your printer."
Also, if you're going for Gap Shots, do you just work on one side till the other fills up? I'm not sure how to set it up properly. My highest score has been just over 500k but that was just by working fast and getting 2 Red Frogs - barely, if any gaps.
Good question. One column works best, as explained below. As for setting up gap shots, there are several ways to do it:
- capping and creating a hole. (see image) Instead of matching the last one at the end, put a different color, which allows you to prepare for a gap shot on the next ball.
- Using explosives to create a hole. This can be a bit difficult, since the explosion radius is 4-5 balls in length, and any gap shots scored at this point would be quite low due to the size of the gap.
- Rapid fire (2) - Firing two (or more shots) at a time, one to create a gap and the second to create the match past the gap. You can get at least one if you don't aim bad. You can get even more if you're lucky.
- 'Near a curve' shot: with a long chain, instead of aiming towards the one closest to you, aim for the one further back.
Going gap shots on both sides can give you more opportunities to make a gap shot, but it's risky as you'll probably end up with times where you're waiting a while in order to get that gap shot, losing out on potential points / powerups. It's best to leave it to one column as while you're waiting for that gap shot with that one ball, you can still get points on the other side using the other ball on hand. (Though getting to red frog once before doing this is recommended as it allows you to build up multipliers first which make these shots all the more valuable.)
Above: (using a red line as a guide) Green and red... could make a match on green... but seeing a possible gapshot, fire red at the end. Blue's next... seeing a possible gap shot, fire green and then blue in quick succession. The green ball clears the way for the blue ball, creating a gapshot (+10k points). Wait any longer and the blue ball would stick.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Questions Part 1
Questions I received regarding the tips section on Zuma Blitz:
What does the potion do? Also, there is a 'dog' that is on the refill screen, after you clear a level...what is that 'dog' for?
Potions - they double XP / Mojo. There's a timer on the bottom right if you have them active. The multiplier factors into your Mojo/XP earned on the final score screen.
Oh, and the dog? Similar to a star medal in Bejeweled blitz, this indicates the spirit animal earned associated with your score.
Have you figured out what the ZUMA in the upper center of the screen does? It randomly starts getting full. Also I don't know what to make of the blue bar on top of the frog.
ZUMA - similar to the progress bar in other Zuma games, it will light up 'Z','U','M', and 'A' at 45, 30, 15, and 0 seconds on the timer respectively.
Blue bar - determines how close you are to red frog mode, will fire faster the closer to red it gets. Will reset if matches aren't made fast enough (around 2 matches in 3 seconds?)
This is probably really stupid. But I can't seem to get the Last Hurrah or the Bombs to work when I play. How do I make them work?
After the end of the game (or on the title screen), click on the button labeled 'powers'. Click on a powerup to activate / deactivate it (send it to the top). If it's on the top, it's active the next game (given enough mojo to do this).
Monday, December 13, 2010
Zuma Blitz Level Up Table (Kroakatoa)
Note: This level up table covers Zuma Blitz Kroakatoa Island. The table for Classic Zuma Blitz can be found here.
When you level up, you'll be glad you got a fresh supply of coins. With the XP potion active, 17 more games until more coins arrive.
Summary - XP:
- XP is gained at the end of each game, as long as you don't abort the game.
- You will get a minimum of 100 XP per game. This is halved if you died.
- Score and balls cleared do not raise your XP. Only curve clears, hot frogs, fruit and gap shots as well as time played will raise your XP at the end of the game.
- +1 XP per fruit collected in-game.
- +1 XP each time you get hot frog.
- +1 XP for each curve clear.
- +1 XP for the first gap shot and every four gap shots after that
- Around 1 XP per five seconds after a minute in one game.
- Most players typically get between 110-150 XP a game.
- XP requirement to level up considerably reduced. (compared to the old island at the same level)
Summary - Upgrades:
- Kroakatoa uses Stars for levels, with a new rank each 10 levels.
- Coins are not given after each game, only when leveling up.
- Levels only unlocks major game features (food, daily spin, monuments) and powers.
- No minor frog upgrades like on the old island (crit hit, fruit increase, golden frog, etc.)
- Any powers you had on the previous island will transfer with you, but your level will not. (If you were previously level 80 before transferring, you will most likely be leveling up only for the purpose of getting coins, since there's really nothing major that gets unlocked after lvl 10.)
Feel free to comment if a patch changes one of the effects mentioned here.
Level Up Table
Last Update: 10.29.12 (Added warning that using Speed Shot powers can produce a score not ending in zero)
Brief Summary of Coin Bonuses:
When you get a star (level up), you will get coins based on your current rank. You will also get a one-time bonus when you receive a promotion. Coins earned per game on average based on 110 xp earned a game. XP required to next level assumes it increases without any upper bound. (To compare, the max mojo you can get per game without using potions is 1125 at lvl 49.)
Note: Even if you don't see the level up screen (above) when you get a new star, you will still get your coins.
There are 40 ranks in the game, with the max level capped at 400*; after that point, the only way to obtain coins without having to buy more is through Zuma spins and through friends' posts.
(Avg user level: 59, based on rank survey)
| Stars | Rank Name | Coins Gained | Bonus | Avg Coins/Game | XP to this |
| 1 | Newbie Newt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Able Amphibian | 4,000 | 0 | 1333 | 880 |
| 8 | Bouncy Frog | 4,000 | 0 | 421 | 1,870 |
| 10 | Cheerful Croaker | 8,000 | 20,000 | 843.6 | 3,980 |
| 20 | Dapper Dartfrog | 12,000 | 24,000 | 774.2 | 17,020 |
| 30 | Energetic Toad | 18,000 | 36,000 | 878.05 | 37,480 |
| 40 | Fearless Frog | 25,000 | 50,000 | 980.4 | 64,540 |
| 50 | Graceful Leaper | 35,000 | 70,000 | 1147.54 | 98,200 |
| 60 | Harlequin Hopper | 45,000 | 90,000 | 1267.60 | 138,460 |
| 70 | Invincible Frog | 55,000 | 110,000 | 1358.79 | 185,320 |
| 80 | Jovial Jumper | 65,000 | 130,000 | 1428.57 | 238,780 |
| 90 | Kissable Toad | 75,000 | 150,000 | 1485.15 | 298,840 |
| 100 | Lucky Leapfrog | 85,000 | 170,000 | 1531.53 | 365,500 |
| 110 | Mahvelous Frog | 100,000 | 200,000 | 1652.89 | 438,760 |
| 120 | Nonstop Darter | 125,000 | 250,000 | 1908.4 | 518,620 |
| 130 | Optimal Toad | ~150,000 | ~300,000 | 2127.66 | 605,080 |
| 140 | Plucky Jumper | 200,000 | 400,000 | 2649 | 698,140 |
| 150 | Questing Frog | 225,000 | ~400,000 | 2743.27 | 797,800 |
| 160 | Rare Amphibian | 250,000 | ~400,000 | 2826.5 | 904,060 |
| 170 | Salty Croaker | 275,000 | ~400,000 | 2900.55 | 1,016,920 |
| 180 | Talented Toad | 300,000 | 400,000 | 2966.84 | 1,136,380 |
| 190 | Unbeatable Hopper | 325,000 | ~400,000 | 3026.53 | 1,262,440 |
| 200 | Vivacious Frog | 350,000 | 400,000 | 3080.57 | 1,395,100 |
| 210 | Wide Eyed Leaper | 350,000 | 400,000 | 2941.18 | 1,534,360 |
| 220 | Xtreme Toad | 350,000 | 400,000 | 2813.85 | 1,680,220 |
| 230 | Yo Mama Croaker | 350,000 | 400,000 | 2697.1 | 1,832,680 |
| 240 | Amazing Amphibian | 350,000 | 400,000 | 2589.64 | 1,991,740 |
| 250 | Bustling Frog | 350,000 | 400,000 | 2490.42 | 2,157,400 |
| 260 | Classy Croaker | 350,000 | 400,000 | 2398.52 | 2,329,660 |
| 270 | Dashing Dartfrog | 350,000 | 400,000 | 2313.17 | 2,508,520 |
| 280 | Ethreal Toad | 350,000 | 400,000 | 2233.67 | 2,693,980 |
| 290 | Fantastic Frog | 350,000 | 400,000 | 2159.47 | 2,886,040 |
| 300 | Gifted Leaper | 350,000 | 400,000 | --- | 3,084,700 |
| 310 | Heavenly Hopper | 350,000 | 400,000 | --- | |
| 320 | Imminent Toad | 350,000 | 400,000 | --- | |
| 330 | Jolly Jumper | 350,000 | 400,000 | --- | |
| 340 | Kinetic Frog | 350,000 | 400,000 | --- | |
| 350 | Lyrical Leaper | 350,000 | 400,000 | --- | |
| 360 | Majestic Toad | 350,000 | 400,000 | --- | |
| 370 | Ninja Darter | 350,000 | 400,000 | --- | |
| 380 | Outrageous Frog | 350,000 | 400,000 | --- | |
| 390 | Piquant Jumper | 350,000 | 400,000 | --- | |
| 400 | Quicksilver Croaker | 350,000 | 400,000 | --- |
Full Table
You can gain a cumulative total of around 32.7 million coins by the time you reach level 200 from leveling up alone. This is substantially higher than the total mojo collected from level up bonuses and games through three entire levels of mastery in the old Zuma Blitz without using powers or potions. (However, you're paying almost twice as much as usual for powers/food...)
I would side with the tons of people who concluded after a few days of play that the new island is ripping them off because they're apparently getting less coins overall, but I can't find sufficient evidence to back this up.
| Stars | Rank Name | Coins Gained | Unlocks | Notes |
| 1 | Newt Recruit | 0 | 6 Life Containers 10:00 regen timer Multiplier balls |
- Given when first starting the game or for those who didn't install the app
- Lifes are giftable to friends |
| 4 | Able Amphibian | 4000 | Bombs I Cost: 1000 |
- explodes and removes surrounding balls when matched. |
| 5 | Able Amphibian | 4000 | ? | - Starting level for most players who transferred. |
| 6 | Able Amphibian | 4000 | Wild Shot I Cost: 1500 |
- Wild Shot occurs every 15 balls
- Matches any ball it touches, including single balls. - If you don't hit a ball dead on, the game will choose the nearest ball cluster that scores the most points, priority given to powerups |
| 7 | Able Amphibian | 4000 | ||
| 8 | Bouncy Frog | 4000 | Food Items | - You will get 5x Hasty Pudding for free |
| 9 | Bouncy Frog | 4000 | Daily Spin | - Free spin once a day, additional bonus for spinning consecutive days - Payout ranges from 500 to up to 1 million coins |
| 10 | Cheerful Croaker | 28000 | Monuments Cannon Cost: 2000 |
- Monuments have a chance of popping up prior to starting a game. |
| 11 | Cheerful Croaker | 8000 | ||
| 12 | Cheerful Croaker | 8000 | ||
| 13 | Cheerful Croaker | 8000 | Speed Shot I | - Increases shot speed by 10%
- Increases speed bonus by up to 80% (WARNING: Using this power may cause your score not to end in zero) |
| 14 | Cheerful Croaker | 8000 | ||
| 15 | Cheerful Croaker | 8000 | Zuma Spin | - 2.5% chance of a spinner appearing in place of a fruit (max 2 in one game)
- When collected, adds another daily spin (access on top-right after the game) - Payouts are limited to right hand side (500-10k coins). - You keep your spins even if you died before timer expires or aborted the game. |
| 16 | Cheerful Croaker | 8000 | ||
| 17 | Cheerful Croaker | 8000 | Color Nuke I Cost: 3000 |
- Mark a ball using the laser to destroy all balls on the same color on that curve
- You can't hit fruit using the laser - You can't discard a laser shot - Missing won't break your chain |
| 18 | Cheerful Croaker | 8000 | ||
| 19 | Cheerful Croaker | 8000 | ||
| 20 | Dapper Dartfrog | 36000 | ||
| 21 | Dapper Dartfrog | 12000 | ||
| 22 | Dapper Dartfrog | 12000 | ||
| 23 | Dapper Dartfrog | 12000 | Fruit Master I Cost: 1500 |
- Increases the frequency of fruit by 3 seconds (25%) |
| 24 | Dapper Dartfrog | 12000 | ||
| 25 | Dapper Dartfrog | 12000 | ||
| 26 | Dapper Dartfrog | 12000 | ||
| 27 | Dapper Dartfrog | 12000 | Doubler Cost: 3000 |
- Start game with x2 multiplier |
| 28 | Dapper Dartfrog | 12000 | ||
| 29 | Dapper Dartfrog | 12000 | ||
| 30 | Energetic Toad | 54000 | ||
| 31 | Energetic Toad | 18000 | ||
| 32 | Energetic Toad | 18000 | ||
| 33 | Energetic Toad | 18000 | Inferno Frog I Cost: 2000 |
- Adds one extra shot to Hot Frog (total of 4) |
| 37 | Energetic Toad | 18000 | Chain Blast I Cost: 3000 |
- Explosion after 10 consecutive matches (and every 5 after) |
| 43 | Fearless Frog | 25000 | Sands of Time I Cost: 2000 |
- Time balls add six seconds to the clock when matched |
| 47 | Fearless Frog | 25000 | Bombs II Cost: 1500 |
- Upgrades Bombs I
- Increases frequency of bomb powerups |
| 53 | Graceful Leaper | 35000 | Speed Shot II Cost: 1500 |
- Upgrades Speed Shot I
- Increases shot speed by 20% - Increases speed bonus by up to 160% (WARNING: Using this power may cause your score not to end in zero) |
| 57 | Graceful Leaper | 35000 | Color Nuke II Cost: 4000 |
- Upgrades Color Nuke I
- Increases frequency of Color Nukes |
| 62 | Harlequin Hopper | 45000 | Chain Blast II Cost: 4000 |
- Upgrades Chain Blast I
- Explosion after 9 consecutive matches (and every 4 after) |
| 65 | Harlequin Hopper | 45000 | Cannon II Cost: 3000 |
- Upgrades Cannon I
- Increases the frequency of cannon balls |
| 66 | Harlequin Hopper | 45000 | Sands of Time II Cost: 3000 |
- Upgrades Sands of Time I
- Time balls add seven seconds to the clock when matched |
| 68 | Harlequin Hopper | 45000 | Wild Shot II Cost: 2000 |
- Upgrades Wild Shot I
- Wild Shot occurs every 13 balls |
| 72 | Invincible Frog | 55000 | Fruit Master II Cost: 2000 |
- Upgrades Fruit Master I
- Increases frequency of fruit by 5 seconds (50% normally) |
| 78 | Invincible Frog | 55000 | Inferno Frog II Cost: 3000 |
- Upgrades Inferno Frog I
- Adds two extra shots to Hot Frog (total of 5) |
| 82 | Jovial Jumper | 65000 | Speed Shot III Cost: 2000 |
- Upgrades Speed Shot II
- Increases shot speed by 50% - Increases speed bonus by 200% |
| 85 | Jovial Jumper | 65000 | Fruit Master III Cost: 3000 |
- Upgrades Fruit Master II
- Increases frequency of fruit by 7 seconds (100% normally) |
| 88 | Jovial Jumper | 65000 | Bombs III Cost: 2000 |
- Upgrades Bombs II
- Increases explosion range of bomb powerups |
| 92 | Kissable Frog | 75000 | Wild Shot III Cost: 3000 |
- Upgrades Wild Shot II
- Wild Shot occurs every 11 balls |
| 95 | Kissable Frog | 75000 | Cannon III Cost: 4000 |
- Upgrades Cannon II
- Fires a four-way cannon blast when matched |
| 98 | Kissable Frog | 75000 | Chain Blast III Cost: 5000 |
- Also upgrades Chain Blast II
- Increases Explosion radius of Chain Blast |
| 102 | Lucky Leapfrog | 85000 | Color Nuke III Cost: 5000 |
- Upgrades Color Nuke II
- Color Nukes destroy balls of the same color on both curves |
| 105 | Lucky Leapfrog | 85000 | Sands of Time III Cost: 5000 |
- Upgrades Sands of Time II
- Time balls add eight seconds to the clock when matched |
| 108 | Lucky Leapfrog | 85000 | Tripler Cost: 4000 |
- Upgrades Doubler
- Start with x3 multiplier |
Programs Used: Camtasia Studio and Hypercam to record gameplay. x264vfw codec was used for video compression for web playback. VirtualDub to analyze games on a frame-by-frame basis in order to get those figures (such as powerup frequency / points per explosion, etc).
Comments:
Look over here to see if your question's been answered here before asking. Do not ask about freezing on idol wins / crit hits / levels past 80 as they have already been discussed on the official ZB discussion board forums. The comment board here is starting to get a bit long, so I may delete older comments if they're not relevant anymore.
Zuma Blitz Level Up Table (Classic)
This is the level up table for Classic Zuma Blitz (versions prior to the relaunch in September 2012). This page is for archival purposes only.
XP is gained at the end of the game, either whether you run out of time or die. The amount gained is proportional to the amount of balls cleared, not score (unlike bejeweled blitz). (show balls cleared to XP table)
XP is very important (for high scores). In Bejeweled Blitz, XP does absolutely nothing (other than informing you what level you are). However Zuma Blitz will get you something per level up. As you level, you have access to powerups and other perks that allow you to gain more points per game. Additionally, mojo and idol points are gained and health is fully refilled upon leveling up. (Powerups themselves can be bought for some money before the level you normally gain them on, but high level powerups and perks cannot be bought that way.)
Feel free to comment if a patch changes one of the effects mentioned here
Level Up Table
Last Update: 11.29.11 - Added Spirit Animal Monuments (bottom of table) and rebuilt the entire table to increase readability. New data allows more accurate measurements
Concise Table
- Time: 30 » 66 » 77. Multiplier: 34 » 79
- Fruit: 6 » 17 » 23 » 37 » 45 » 54 » 60 » 65 » 72 (power: 23 » 53 » 62)
- Critical Hit Upgrades: 14 » 36 » 48 » 55 » 57 » 61 » 63 » 67 » 70 » 74
- Mojo Upgrade: 20 » 29 » 40 » 49
- Treasure: 8 » 12 (3000) » 32 (8000) » 52 (4i) » 68 (8i)
- Hearts: 11 » 18 » 24 » 33
- Regen: 13 » 22 » 26 » 31 » 35 » 39 » 43 » 47
- Spirit Animals: 4 » 21 » 25 » 28 » 42 » 51 » 58 » 64 » 71 » 76 » 78
What I think are the most important upgrades. Number = Level number for upgrade.
Full Table
As of October 15, 2011 assuming no bugs occur in the game (such as the 'epic fruit power has no effect' bug)
| Level | Rank Name | Mojo Gained | Effects | Notes |
| 1 | Outcast | 0 | 5 Life Containers 8:00 regen timer Multiplier balls |
- Given when first starting the game or for those who didn't install the app
- Multiplier balls appear on-screen for 20 seconds before disappearing (5-19 seconds between appearances, though they have been observed to be up to 29 seconds apart) |
| 2 | Whelp | 0 | Time Ball | - +5 seconds when matched
- Matching a time ball after time is up results in a consolation bonus - Time balls appear on-screen for 20 seconds before disappearing (8-13 seconds between appearances, but they appear less frequently the more of them you collect in a game) |
| 3 | Tribeling | 0 | Hot Frog | - Shoots 3 explosive balls when the meter is full).
- Getting 20 matches with no more than a second between matches (doesn't necessarily have to be 20x chain) should do it. |
| 4 | Kudo Carver | 500 | Spirit Animals | - Various spirit animals are gained up to 1 million points. |
| 5 | Temple Sweeper | 3000 | Temple Bombs |
- Temple allows you to use powers
- Bombs explodes balls with a five ball radius* when they're matched. 500 mojo cost. - 7-10 seconds between bomb powerups appearing - Only three bomb powerups can be onscreen at any given time. - You will now receive 3 idols for each level up onwards |
| 6 | Fruit Scout | 4000 | Fruit (squash) | - Fruit appears on the game board when balls reach a certain point on the track, typically behind a row of balls.
- Base value 3,000 points, remains onscreen for 10 seconds. - Takes on average 14.5s between the fruit disappearing (whether it's collected or not) and another one reappearing, provided balls are far enough on the curve for it to appear. |
| 7 | Time Keeper | 9000 | Last Hurrah | - Explodes any powerups (as well as nearby balls) on the board and gives you points. 500 mojo |
| 8 | Treasure Keeper | 4000 | Treasure Chests | - Chance that the first fruit in a game is a treasure chest.
- When hit, allows you to spin a wheel and gives you a chance of winning various amounts of Mojo. - Initially 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 mojo are winnable. - Must survive the timer to spin. |
| 9 | Spear Sharpener | 6000 | 2nd Power Slot | - Can use up to two powers at once |
| 10 | Hut Builder | 1000 | Speed Ball | - Allows you to fire balls 10% faster*, 500 mojo
- Allows you to trade hearts for coconuts. |
| 11 | Heart Healer | 5000 | Extra Life Container | - 6 Hearts available |
| 12 | Treasure Herder | 1000 | Additional Treasure Slot | - Opens 3000 mojo slot
- 24 Hour Double XP Potion gained only on first playthrough. |
| 13 | Heart Mender | 3000 | Faster Life Regen | - New regen timer: 7:45 |
| 14 | Orb Smacker | 5000 | Critical Hit | - 1% chance a normal match is worth 2x its value
- You will hear a distinct sound and 'Critical 2x!' on screen when you get one |
| 15 | Temple Cleaner | 1000 | 3rd Power Slot | - 3 powers usable at once |
| 16 | Path Hacker | 3000 | Cannon | - Fires a three way piercing shot when matched in-game, 750 mojo
- Can trigger powerups and fruits - Stacks with hot frog power - Only one cannon powerup can be onscreen at once |
| 17 | Fruit Slicer | 5000 | New Fruit (mango) | - Base score raised from 3000 to 3300. |
| 18 | Heart Finder | 2000 | Life Container | - You now have 7 hearts |
| 19 | Powder Packer | 4000 | Inferno Frog | - Allows you to fires four explosive balls at once in Hot Frog instead of 3, 750 mojo |
| 20 | Mojo Monger | 6000 | More mojo | - Gain 50% more mojo from a game than usual. (This is factored into your total on the results screen) |
| 21 | Kudo Keeper | 1000 | Spirit Animal Eagle | Scores up to 1.2 million are recorded |
| 22 | Heart Cleaner | 2000 | Faster Life Regen | - New regen timer: 7:30 |
| 23 | Sphere Smasher | 5000 | Fruit Master | Fruit appears 25% faster, 750 mojo |
| 24 | Heart Collector | 3000 | Life Container | - You now have 8 hearts |
| 25 | Kudo Guard | 5000 | Spirit Animal Alligator | - Scores up to 1.3 million are recorded |
| 26 | Heart Doctor | 7000 | Faster Life Regen | - New regen timer: 7:15 |
| 27 | Sphere Basher | 2000 | Chain Blast | - Causes explosion at x10 chain, then at x15, x20..., 1000 mojo |
| 28 | Kudo Defender | 4000 | Spirit Animal Shark | - Scores up to 1.4 million are recorded |
| 29 | Mojo Collector | 6000 | More Mojo | - Gain twice as much mojo per game than usual |
| 30 | Sphere Crusher | 4000 | Chrono Balls | - Time balls now award +6 seconds when powerup is active, 1000 mojo |
| 31 | Heart Protector | 6000 | Faster Life Regen | - New regen timer: 7:00 |
| 32 | Treasure Sage | 8000 | Treasure Slot | - Opens top right, 8000 mojo square |
| 33 | Heart Champion | 3000 | Life Container | - You now have 9 hearts - final life upgrade |
| 34 | Sphere Smusher | 5000 | Multiplier | - Game starts with x2 multiplier, 1000 mojo |
| 35 | Heart Hero | 7000 | Faster Life Regen | - New regen timer: 6:45 |
| 36 | Orb Eliminator | 5000 | Critical Hit 2 | - Critical hit chance increased to 2% |
| 37 | Fruit Chef | 7000 | Fruit (Pineapple) | - Base score raised from 3300 to 3600 |
| 38 | Sphere Blaster | 9000 | Tiki Bombs | - Replaces Bombs powerup
- increases bomb frequency by 25%*, 1000 mojo |
| 39 | Heart Legend | 4000 | Faster Life Regen | - New regen timer: 6:30 |
| 40 | Mojo Maven | 6000 | More Mojo | - Gain 2.5x amount of mojo in a game. |
| 41 | Ball Cracker | 8000 | Mega Hurrah | - Replaces Last Hurrah powerup
- Doubles score value of Last Hurrah, 1000 mojo |
| 42 | Kudo Protector | 6000 | Spirit Animal Elephant | - Scores up to 1.5 million are recorded |
| 43 | Heart Master | 8000 | Faster Life Regen | - New regen timer: 6:15 |
| 44 | Ball Smacker | 10000 | Super Speed | - Replaces Speed Ball
- +20% ball firing speed, cost raised to 2000 mojo |
| 45 | Fruit Warrior | 5000 | Fruit (coconut) | - Base score raised from 3600 to 3900 |
| 46 | Ball Zapper | 7000 | Cannon King | - Upgrades Cannon powerup
- Decreases the time before another cannon ball powerup appears by 25%, 2000 mojo |
| 47 | Heart Chief | 9000 | Faster Life Regen | - New Regen timer: 6:00 (final regen upgrade) |
| 48 | Orb Decimator | 7000 | Critical Hit 3 | - Critical hit chance increased to 3% |
| 49 | Mojo Master | 9000 | More Mojo | - Gain 3x the amount of mojo from a game, final mojo upgrade |
| 50 | Ball Exploder | 11000 | Sun Frog | Replaces Inferno Frog
- 5 red frog shots, 1500 mojo |
| 51 | Kudo Mystic | 6000 | Spirit Animal Jaguar | - Scores up to 1.6 million are recorded |
| 52 | Treasure Guard | 8000 | Additional Treasure Slot | - Opens bottom right, 4 idol square |
| 53 | Ball Burster | 10000 | Juicy Fruit | - Replaces Fruit Master
- Fruit appears 50% more often, 1500 mojo |
| 54 | Fruit Champion | 8000 | Fruit (cacao) | - Base score raised from 3900 to 4200 |
| 55 | Orb Annihilator | 10000 | Critical Hit 4 | - Critical hit chance increased to 4% |
| 56 | Ball Crasher | 12000 | Super Chain Blast | - Replaces Chain Blast
- Explosion at 9x chain, x13, x17..., 2000 mojo |
| 57 | Orb Expunger | 7000 | Critical Hit 5 | - Critical hit chance increased to 5% |
| 58 | Kudo King | 9000 | Spirit Animal Bear | - Scores up to 1.7 million are recorded |
| 59 | Ball Smasher | 11000 | Voodoo Bombs | - Replaces Tiki Bombs powerup
- Increases explosion radius by 18%*, 2000 mojo |
| 60 | Fruit Smoothie | 9000 | Fruit (kiwi) | - Base score raised from 4200 to 4500 |
| 61 | Orb Eradicator | 11000 | Critical Hit 6 | - Critical hit chance increased to 6% |
| 62 | Ball Basher | 13000 | Epic Fruit | - Replaces Juicy Fruit
- Fruit appears twice as often (per 7 seconds), 3000 mojo |
| 63 | Orb Demolisher | 8000 | Critical Hit 7 | - Critical hit chance increased to 7% |
| 64 | Kudo Champion | 10000 | Spirit Animal Lion | - Scores up to 1.8 million are recorded |
| 65 | Fruit Mystic | 12000 | Fruit (peach) | - Base score raised from 4500 to 4800 |
| 66 | Ball Hunter | 10000 | Tempus Fugit | - Latin for "time flies"
- Replaces Chrono Balls - Gives 7 seconds per time ball matched when active, 2000 mojo) |
| 67 | Orb Eater | 12000 | Critical Hit 8 | - Critical hit chance increased to 8% |
| 68 | Treasure Champ | 14000 | Additional Treasure Slot | - Opens bottom left, 8 idol square |
| 69 | Ball Abolisher | 9000 | Super Cannon | - Replaces Cannon King
- Fires a four-way cannon shot, 4000 mojo |
| 70 | Orb Clobberer | 11000 | Critical Hit 9 | - Critical hit chance increased to 9% |
| 71 | Kudo Legend | 13000 | Spirit Animal Dinosaur | - Scores up to 1.9 million are recorded
- It's a T-Rex |
| 72 | Fruit Veteran | 11000 | Fruit (avacado) | - Base score raised from 4800 to 5100
- Last fruit upgrade |
| 73 | Ball Breaker | 13000 | Warp Ball | - Replaces Super Speed Ball
- Increases ball firing speed by 30%, 2000 mojo - Can help with leading shots |
| 74 | Orb Slammer | 15000 | Critical Hit 10 | - Critical hit chance increased to 10%
- Final Critical hit upgrade |
| 75 | Ball Blaster | 10000 | Mega Chain | - Replaces Super Chain Blast
- Increases explosion radius of Super Chain Blast by 18%*, 4000 mojo |
| 76 | Kudo Boss | 12000 | Spirit Animal Unicorn | - Scores up to 2 million are recorded |
| 77 | Ball King | 14000 | Time Lord | - Replaces Tempus Fugit
- Gives 8 seconds per time ball matched when activated, 4000 mojo - Required for any high scoring game - 2:24 extra time is possible for a single game |
| 78 | Kudo Veteran | 12000 | Spirit Animal Quetzalcoatl | - All scores are recorded |
| 79 | Ball Paragon | 14000 | Multi Multiplier | - Replaces Multiplier
- Start game with x3 multiplier, 2000 mojo |
80 | Golden Frog | 16000 | Golden Frog | - Permanently increases shot speed by 10% (unless playing as another spirit animal) and stacks with speed ball powers (Warp Ball + Golden Frog = 40% Shot speed increase)
- Gives your frog a new look. - Current level cap - No exp gain past this point). - Access to Totally 80s Club bonuses (cumulative total: 250 idols, 40k mojo, 2x 24hour lifes) - Can reset using Mastery Mode. |
80M | Zuma Blitz Master | 20000 (share post) 0 (you) |
(Inroduced May 4, 2011. Access it by clicking the golden progress bar.)
You will keep:
You will lose:
If you do go for it: Go for a high score early; you won't be on the Top 3 for quite a while. And unlock the bottom treasure slots FIRST (for 20/30 idols), you'll have a higher chance of getting 8 idols, and you'll get the x3 mojo potion for each level of mastery. If you used up your free revive / mojo boost during your first playthrough (from running out of life / mojo respectively) you don't get it again if you reset. You can still collect mojo/idol bonuses from Totally 80's Club emails. |
E | Spirit Animal Monument
(Play as spirit animals) |
You have a option to use them:
All spirit animals currently use 36,000 mojo normally unless otherwise listed and unleash a color clearing spirit blast (after last hurrah). Links are gameplay vids of respective animals. Spirit Animal Cat - +fireball per 13 shots, clears all blue balls at end of game
Spirit Animal Eagle (45k mojo)
|
Programs Used: Camtasia Studio and Hypercam to record gameplay. x264vfw codec was used for video compression for web playback. VirtualDub to analyze games on a frame-by-frame basis in order to get those figures (such as powerup frequency / points per explosion, etc).
Credits
Astein, AŻ, BlueViper02, brohan, Cédric, ClubMojo, Catherine Krueger, Curtis Tobin Sr., Danielle Buford, Duncan Watson, DJ B-Rad, JDPower, joehester, Matias, MC, RobertD, thexc, and several other anonymous users have contributed to a portion of this level up table, as well as the Zuma Blitz Tiki Talk videos for getting some values. And Lars Kristan for putting some of this info / linking to this page on the official Zuma Blitz discussion boards.
Comments:
This is an archive page only. Please see the current level up table to see or post comments.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Zuma Blitz + Tips
So... at the start of Bejeweled Blitz, I managed to stumble upon Zuma Blitz. And it's just as addicting as Bejeweled Blitz. In fact, they imposed a limit on how many times you could play in a short period of time (represented as lives). That didn't stop me, however, from playing ~180 one minute games and reaching level 25 in a period of two days. Three months later, I reached lvl 80.
At the time I started the game, none of my friends have found out about this game, so I had a decent head start.
The game was in a beta state until they removed that status on January 25, 2012. They relaunched the game under the title "Krokatoa Island" featuring two additional powers, a reworked coin and XP system (not for the better), and the ability to use food.
The Gameplay
It's like Zuma, but you get only one minute (typically more than this). Basically it was one board, 60 seconds to get as many points as possible. The thing that kept me in for quite a while, however, was additional perks upon leveling up, such as Additional multipliers (at lvl 34 / 79), time balls (can extend your play time to well beyond two minutes) as well as the Double XP Potion (Level 12), I got to a million at around lvl 34 the first time through.
In the end, if you want a high score, playing fast isn't all that matters; you've got to play skillfully.
Playing through 2nd level of mastery, one year later
Gameplay Tips
I have found official tips to be of some value, but likewise, once my friends start to play this, they'll probably be asking me for some pointers, just like on Bejeweled Blitz. So here are my tips:
General Tips
- Go for multipliers first, then timer bonuses. If you are short on time, go for the timer ball. If necessary and possible, you may discard balls off the screen rapidly until you get a color that you need to get that bonus.
- If any bonus disappears, you can still get it if you destroy the ball that used to have the powerup.
- Either play fast or play strategically. Since additional points are rewarded based on both your chain bonus and how close you are to the red frog bonus, it's helpful to work fast.
- If you're fast enough, it's best to keep making matches until you get a red frog for curve clears, then when you have a high multiplier base, work on gap shots. The multipliers gained instead will more than make up the difference from those shots.
- If you're strategic, make sure you don't miss. Each ball that doesn't hit its intended target (either to set up a combo or hit a powerup) is costly and you might not get the correct ball you want for a while.
- As you approach the red frog bonus, the balls you fire will speed up significantly. The speed bonus will be preserved after you fire your hot frog shots.
- Gap shots are key to high scores, especially very close gaps. They typically add five (and sometimes six) digits to your score if pulled off right. You can set them up in a way to continuously do this. See this post on gapshots. Don't do this too early though - if you can't get to time / multiplier powerups easily, which could be anywhere on the board, it is usually not worth setting them up until around x5.
- On boards with lots of gap opportunities, don't be hasty into blasting every single ball right away - sometimes the best option is to wait until you can shoot two balls in a row and get a gap bonus on the second.
- Don't invest in ball-clearing powerups when going for gap shots, they kill these opportunities easily. Additionally they do not provide as many points.
- Go for fruit if possible. Hitting them won't break your chain bonus, and they are rewarding over time, especially with the Epic Fruit power.
- If you hit a time bonus via a combo when the timer is up, you get a huge 'consolation bonus'. Same goes with remaining in Hot Frog when time is up, as well as in Cannon Mode (though you get significantly less points in this case)
- XP points are based only on curve clears / hot frog / fruit / gaps / extra time, which is discussed in the level up table.
- Red Frog + Cannon Shot = three explosion balls.
- The red frog meter takes 18 ball matches to fill up (15 with Ignition Sauce). If you wait more than a second between matches, it will start decreasing slowly.
- Try playing with no sound; it can help you concentrate better during the last 15 seconds of the game. Not looking at your score counter either until after the game also helps.
- Keep playing for XP. For returning players, they're essential to giving you coins... and that's about it. (Also, for new players, leveling up gives you better powers to earn more points easily and dominate the board.) A near comprehensive list is listed on this post.
- And one more thing... SHARE. Every daily spin, spirit animal promotion, monument, high scores (this includes a high score of zero) - each has the potential of giving others 1k in coins. TIP: If you've got lots of extra lives, at the start of a new week, start a new game (no powers), immediately quit the game, and you can share your high score of zero to others for the sole purpose of giving others coins. Repeat as many times as FB will allow.
- Also, collecting other friend's feeds might help too. Link to filter only Zuma Blitz posts
List of Levels
This is a comprehensive listing of all Zuma Blitz Kroakatoa levels since its release (Sept 23, 2012). A list of classic Zuma Blitz levels can be found here.
See also: Current High Scores.
Supply Drops: A supply drop of one power and food item will be released each week, and will be publicly available upon final approval of Popcap. Until then, it will display what the daily gifts were for that week. They will be highlighted green if they are collectible and you haven't collected them yet. All goods are provided 'as is'.
On the other hand, there is the daily gift that you can send to other players...
- Scores with links contain actual video proof of that particular score. Powers that were used in that game will be displayed if info is available. Most board screenshots show the best way to get high scores on that board.
- Board Specific Tips / Video replays are highlighted in green/blue text. Board changes every Tue 4PM PST.
| Level Image | Level Name | Introduced | Recordholder | Supply Drop | |
 |
Eagle Eyes | September 18, 2012 | Radek Domański 14,888,200 (Fixed Gap Scoring) Jerome Ooi 37,021,980 (Old Gap Scoring) |
None | |
 |
Journey to Kroakatoa | September 25, 2012 | Jerome Ooi 173,110,520 (Old Gap Scoring) |
Candy Lei (x20) Warp Ball (x20) |
|
 |
Bronze Board | October 2, 2012 | John Chan 17,060,870 |
Gapple Sauce (x20) Epic Fruit (x20) |
|
 |
Crab Board | October 9, 2012 | 黃柏雯 11,743,060 |
Kiwi Kebab (x20) Wild Shot (x20) |
|
 |
Roots Board | October 16, 2012 | Brendan Chan 17,055,010 |
Neil's Strongarm (x20) Inferno Frog (x20) |
|
 |
Platter Board | October 23, 2012 | Brendan Chan 12,528,010 |
Curvy Fries (x20) Epic Fruit (x20) |
|
 |
Halloween Board | October 30, 2012 | Brendan Chan 12,592,900 |
Combo Corn (x5) Sticky Apple |
|
 |
Hot Springs Board | November 7, 2012 | Tle Athimon 15,181,410 |
None | |
 |
Gold Mine Board | November 13, 2012 | John Chan 18,941,330 |
4000 Coins Gapple Sauce Hog Wild Sliders Hasty Pudding 10x Bombs Hog Wild Sliders |
|
 |
Thanksgiving Board | November 20, 2012 | Brendan Chan 10,311,070 |
10 Pound Turkey (5x) Canned Cran Blast (5x) Whipped Taters (5x) Hasty Pudding Kroakatoa Wave Key Lime Pie The Last Bite Candy Lei Smokin Hot Links |
|
 |
Clockwork Board | November 27, 2012 | Brendan Chan 15,949,090 |
Kiwi Kebab Animal Crackers Pyro Popcorn Igntion Sauce 1x Bomb Gapple Sauce Hog Wild Sliders |
|
 |
Sea Turtles Board | December 4, 2012 | Suzanne Freeman 13,989,460 |
Spirit Turtle 50k coins Hasty Pudding Kroakatoa Wave |
|
 |
Reef Madness | December 11, 2012 | Bembenk Flash 12,028,710 |
Nothing | |
 |
Winter Board | December 18, 2012 | Brian Santiago 15,191,480 |
3x Christmas Cake 3x Candy Spin 10k coins |
|
 |
Christmas Board | December 25, 2012 | Suzanne Freeman 17,416,250 |
||
 |
Lava Board | January 1, 2012 | Marío Herní 15,838,890 |
||
 |
Gold Board | January 22, 2012 | Brendan Chan 22,123,240 |
||
 |
Fireflies Board | January 29, 2012 | César Bobadilla 13,277,010 |
||
 |
Heartwood Board | February 12, 2012 | Brendan Chan 22,838,800 |
||
 |
Shamrock Board | March 12, 2013 | Bembenk Flash 29,054,030 |
||
 |
Progressive Board | March 19, 2013 | TBA > 27.9 million |
||
 |
Major Mouthful | July 2, 2013 | Suzanne Freeman 36,891,850 | ||
 |
Zulu Bravado | July 16, 2013 | Radek Domanski 40,338,750 |
||
 |
Dig It! | November 5, 2013 | Savas Topal 35,519,730 |
Questions or comments?
Questions here will be either answered on future posts, or can be answered by another reader's comment here.
Answered: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3
Revision: Oct 2012 (First version posted in Dec 2010)
| Zuma Blitz on The Other Side | |
| General | Level Up Table · Scoring Mechanics · General Tips · Questions Part 1 · Questions Part 2 (Gapshots FTW) · Questions Part 3 |
| Levels | (See above table) |
| Video Examples | Playthrough: 1200k · 2 million at lvl 33 · 4.7m on Above and Below · 10m Technical Demonstration · 4 Million (90 Degree Nightmare) · Beach Ball - 6.1M at lvl 67 (most points per second record) |
| Articles | Detailed Point Breakdown · Death by Curve Clear · Game Recording · Malware Issues · 2x or 3x Mojo? · Double Gaps - Sliding Gaps · On Mastery Mode · Multiplier Powerup Frequency Study · Triple Rollout Board (beta) - The Other Zuma Blitz Guide (completed, pdf) · Making the most out of Fortune Cookies |
Zuma Blitz Levels (Classic)
This page displays the levels for the Classic version of Zuma Blitz, and is for historical purposes only.
| Level Image | Level Name | Alternate Names | Introduced | Recordholder | Board Record |
 |
Hell Board | Temple Twister | December 7, 2011 | N/A | 853,100 |
 |
Mouth of Madness | Tongue Tied Ancestral Tongue (ZR) |
December 14, 2010 March 29, 2011 |
Joe Wu | 8,135,070
 |
 |
Creeper Copse (winter version) |
Snowbound | December 21, 2010 | Bruce Ota | 3,454,140 |
 |
Searing Visage (ZR) Leaderboard (ending 11/22/11) |
Leaping Lava | December 28, 2010 May 24, 2011 |
Bart Jansen | 7,598,660
|
 |
Shark Den (ZR) | Switchback Snap 90 Degree Nightmare |
January 4, 2011 June 14, 2011 |
Brendan Chan | 4,987,540
|
 |
Double Danger (ZR) | The Box | January 11, 2011 | Liang Hsu | 6,119,340
|
 |
Beach Board | Beach Ball | January 18, 2011 | Radek Domanski | 6,533,760 |
 |
Aqua Board | Round Surround | January 25, 2011 July 5, 2011 |
Yui Natsukawa | 3,895,200 |
 |
Creeper Copse (ZR) | Lost Galactic | February 1, 2011 July 12, 2011 |
Liang Hsu | 7,643,990
|
 |
Valentine's Day Board | Lovin' Easy | February 8, 2011 | Honza Melicher | 4,256,500 |
 |
Snakes Board | Serpentine | February 15, 2011 | Mark Bailey | 9,288,610 |
 |
Crossroads | Pretzel of Doom | February 22, 2011 | Joe Wu | 6,338,400 |
 |
Orbit Board | Inward Falls | March 1, 2011 | Bart Jansen | 4,437,210 |
 |
Above and Below | Whipcrack | March 8, 2011 | Bart Jansen | 7,622,480
|
 |
Pot o' Gold | Arches Board Lucky Spin |
March 15, 2011 | Liang Hsu | 5,255,590
|
 |
Happy Board | Sea Queen | March 22, 2011 | Bart Jansen | 5,897,660 |
 |
Life's A Beach | Secret Smile | April 5, 2011 | Radek Domanski | 6,297,400 |
 |
Major Mouthful Leaderboard (ending 11/08/11) |
(Unnamed Hand Drawn Lava Board) |
April 12, 2011 | Brendan Chan | 9,306,520
|
 |
Easter Board | Smooth Creamy | April 19, 2011 | Liang Hsu | 4,575,100
|
 |
90 Degree Nightmare | Sneakies | April 26, 2011 | Liang Hsu | 5,006,660
|
 |
Welcome to the Boneyard | Older Bone | May 3, 2011 | Liang Hsu | 4,916,780
|
 |
Splish Splash | Ripples | May 10, 2011 | Mark Bailey | 8,681,010 |
 |
Calamari Chaos | --- | May 17, 2011 | Mark Bailey | 5,297,300 |
 |
Face Your Fear (ZR) | Aweful Visage | May 31, 2011 | Brendan Chan | 7,656,580
|
 |
Snakes on a Plain Leaderboard (ending 11/15/11) |
--- | June 7, 2011 | Paidrig Aaron Syphrine | 10,133,950
|
 |
Summer Solstice | --- | June 21, 2011 | Mandy Lin | 4,800,750
|
 |
Eagle Eyes | --- | June 28, 2011 Feb 21, 2011 |
Padraig Aaron Syphrine | 11,340,440 |
 |
Spirit Monument | --- | October 11, 2011 | Padraig Aaron Syphrine | 6,736,590
|
 |
Spooky Spectre! | --- | October 25, 2011 | Padraig Aaron Syphrine |
7,126,710 |
 |
FALLing Skies | --- | November 22, 2011 | Liang Hsu | 5,407,130 |
 |
Zulu Bravado Leaderboard |
L17a_anniversary | December 6, 2011 | Joe Wu | 5,828,130 |
 |
Spiral Gateway Leaderboard |
--- | December 13, 2011 | Joe Wu | 6,913,870
|
 |
Snowpocalypse | --- | December 20, 2011 | Brendan Chan | 5,164,690
|
 |
Back to the Beginning | --- | December 27, 2011 | Brendan Chan | 6,202,000
|
 |
One Giant Leap... | --- | January 31, 2011 | Jerome Ooi | 8,530,900 |
 |
Driftwood | --- | February 7, 2011 | Joe Wu | 6,692,000 |
 |
Sweet Shot | --- | February 14, 2011 | Joe Wu | 7,903,840 |
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