To break obstacles in Ancient Wonders: Atlantis, you must either make a match with a tile adjacent to the obstacle or hit it directly with a power-up like a Bomb or Line Blast. Each blocker type has a unique weakness: Chains break when you use the locked tile in a match, Stone Slabs require multiple hits, and Sand must be cleared before it spreads across the hex grid. Mastering these specific mechanics is the key to conquering every level.
This guide breaks down every obstacle you'll encounter on your journey through the sunken city, providing the exact strategy needed to dismantle it efficiently.
Your Obstacle-Clearing Toolkit
Before tackling specific blockers, you need to know your tools. While standard match-3s are your bread and butter, victory often depends on generating and deploying power-ups. These are created by matching more than three tiles at once.
- Bomb: Created by matching five tiles in an L or T shape. When activated, it destroys all tiles in a radius around it, damaging any obstacles within that blast.
- Line Blast: Created by matching four tiles in a row. It clears an entire horizontal or vertical line of tiles and deals one point of damage to any obstacle in its path.
- Rainbow Gem: Created by matching five tiles in a row. Swap it with any adjacent tile to clear all tiles of that color from the entire board.
The most critical technique is combining power-ups. Swapping two adjacent power-ups unleashes a much stronger effect. A Bomb plus a Line Blast, for instance, clears three full rows or columns—an essential move for cracking open tough levels packed with blockers.
How to Handle Common Blockers
These obstacles appear early and frequently. They are designed to restrict your moves and disrupt your strategy. Dealing with them quickly is paramount.
Breaking Chains and Double Chains
Chains lock a single tile in place, preventing it from being swapped. You can still use the chained tile to make a match, and doing so is precisely how you break the lock.
- Single Chains: These have a single silver chain wrapped around a tile. To break a Single Chain, you must use the chained tile to form a match of three or more. A power-up blast that destroys the tile will also break the chain.
- Double Chains: These appear as thicker, golden chains. They are a two-stage obstacle. The first match involving the tile breaks it down into a Single Chain. A second match is then required to break the Single Chain and free the tile completely.
Always prioritize chained tiles that are part of a potential power-up creation. Freeing a tile while also generating a Bomb is a massive tempo advantage.
Clearing Away Sand
Sand appears as a tan-colored hex tile that covers an empty space on the board. Its primary danger is its ability to spread.
- Removal: To clear a Sand tile, make a match in any of the six adjacent hexes. One adjacent match removes one Sand tile.
- The Spread Mechanic: If you make a move that does not clear at least one Sand tile, the Sand will spread to one adjacent empty hex on the board at the end of your turn. This can quickly overwhelm the grid if left unchecked.
Your strategy for Sand-heavy levels should be aggressive containment. Use your first few moves to create a buffer zone and stop the spread before it gets out of control. Power-up combos are excellent for clearing large patches of Sand at once.
Ancient Wonders Atlantis in-game screenshot
Smashing Through Heavy-Duty Blockers
These multi-hit obstacles are the real test of your planning. They act as durable walls, often protecting key objectives or choking off entire sections of the board. You cannot simply match around them; you must actively destroy them layer by layer.
Demolishing Stone Slabs
Stone Slabs are gray, multi-layered blockers that occupy a hex and prevent tiles from falling into it until they are completely destroyed. They cannot be swapped and must be broken by external forces.
- Damage: Each adjacent match or direct power-up hit removes one layer of the slab. The number of layers is indicated by the slab's appearance—a pristine slab might have five layers, showing progressive cracks with each hit until it shatters.
- Hit Count: A typical Stone Slab has 3 to 5 layers of health. You must hit it that many times to destroy it.
The most effective tool against dense clusters of Stone Slabs is a Bomb + Bomb or Bomb + Line Blast combo. A single match-3 is an inefficient way to deal with them. Focus on setting up power-ups to deal massive, concentrated damage.
Unpacking Wooden Crates
Functionally similar to Stone Slabs, Wooden Crates are multi-hit obstacles that block a hex. They often appear in levels where you need to clear a path for artifacts to drop.
- Mechanics: Like slabs, Crates are destroyed by adjacent matches or power-up blasts. They typically have fewer layers than stone, usually requiring 2 to 3 hits to break.
- Strategic Note: Because they are slightly weaker, it can be tempting to clear Crates with simple matches. This is often a trap. It's still more efficient to use power-ups, as this clears surrounding tiles and sets up cascades for your next move.
Ancient Wonders Atlantis in-game screenshot
Navigating Special Objectives
Many levels in Ancient Wonders: Atlantis aren't just about clearing tiles. They have special goals that interact with the obstacle system in unique ways.
Dropping Artifacts to the Bottom
In these levels, one or more special items (like Medallion Pieces or Poseidon's Tridents) appear at the top of the board. The goal is to get them to the bottom row, where they are "collected."
- The Path: Artifacts are subject to gravity. To drop an artifact, you must clear the tiles directly beneath it. It will fall down one hex for each tile cleared below it.
- Blockers: Obstacles like Stone Slabs or Crates will block an artifact's path. You must destroy them first to continue the artifact's descent.
Focus exclusively on clearing a vertical path for the artifact. Line Blasts oriented vertically are your single most valuable tool on these levels. Don't waste moves on matches that don't contribute to clearing the column below the artifact.
Ancient Wonders Atlantis in-game screenshot
Combining Power-Ups: The Ultimate Obstacle Breaker
Learning to consistently create and combine power-ups is the skill that separates frustrating losses from easy victories. While a single Bomb is good, a combo is game-changing.
Here's a quick reference for the most important combinations:
| Power-Up Combo | Result |
|---|---|
| Bomb + Bomb | Creates a massive explosion with a 5x5 hex radius. Essential for clearing dense clusters of Stone Slabs. |
| Line Blast + Line Blast | Clears one full row and one full column, intersecting at the point of the swap. Great for precision removal. |
| Bomb + Line Blast | Clears three full rows or three full columns. The most versatile combo for clearing paths and obstacles simultaneously. |
| Rainbow Gem + Power-up | Transforms all tiles of the swapped color into that power-up, then activates all of them at once. |
| Rainbow Gem + Rainbow Gem | Clears every single tile and obstacle layer on the entire board. An instant level-winner. |
Always look for combo opportunities before making a simple match. A single move that creates a Bomb + Line Blast combo is worth more than five separate match-3s, especially when you're fighting against spreading Sand or multiple layers of Stone Slabs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the fastest way to clear Stone Slabs in Ancient Wonders: Atlantis? The absolute fastest way is with power-up combos. A Bomb + Bomb combination will inflict massive damage to a whole cluster of slabs, while a Bomb + Line Blast can clear a path through them in a single move. Avoid using simple adjacent matches unless you have no other choice.
Can you break an obstacle that's underneath another obstacle? No. You must clear the topmost layer first. For example, if a tile is covered in both Sand and a Chain, you must first break the Chain by using the tile in a match. Only then can you clear the Sand by making a match adjacent to its hex.
Why isn't my power-up breaking the Chains? Chains have a specific rule: they only break when the tile they are locking is part of a successful match. While a Bomb blast will destroy the tile inside the chain, which also removes the chain, a Line Blast that passes over it without creating a match for the chained tile might not break it. The most reliable method is always a direct match.
How do I stop Sand from spreading? You must make at least one move per turn that clears a Sand tile. If you make any match on the board that isn't adjacent to a Sand tile, the sand will expand to a neighboring hex. Prioritize containing it early.
Final Thoughts
Every obstacle in Ancient Wonders: Atlantis is a puzzle with a clear solution. Success isn't about luck; it's about board awareness. Identify the most threatening blocker—whether it's a spreading Sand patch or a multi-layered Stone Slab guarding an artifact—and focus your efforts on creating the specific power-up or combo best suited to neutralize it. Plan two or three moves ahead, always hunt for those five-tile matches, and the sunken city will reveal its secrets to you.