Colony Flow Level 173 Answer Key, Walkthrough & Solution
Level 173 Video Walkthrough
Watch how to clear level 173 without boosters. Want to practice first? Play Colony Flow free in your browser ↗
📋 Written practice guide (web version)board preview, color breakdown & loading order for the playable web level
Board Preview
What You're Up Against
Level 173 paints Mushroom with 170 tiles across 4 colors, split into 6 cubes in the tray. You have 5 waiting slots and two nest holes.
- Purple: 76 tiles → cubes of 38, 38
- Brown: 38 tiles → cubes of 38
- Black: 32 tiles → cubes of 25, 7
- Orange: 24 tiles → cubes of 24
⚠️ 1 hidden “?” cube in the tray.
Spoiler: what they hide
Black 7
Step-by-Step Solution
This loading order was computed from the web level layout with a reachability-first strategy: always feed the ants colors they can actually reach, and never let all 5 slots fill with blocked colors. Tap hidden “?” cubes only when you have slot room to absorb a surprise color.
Load the cubes in this order, letting the ants work between picks. Unless noted, a cube's tiles are fully reachable when you send it.
- Send the Black 7 cube.
- Send the Purple 38 cube. Only ~28 of its 38 tiles are open at this point — park it in a slot and let the surrounding colors clear the rest of the way.
- Send the Black 25 cube. Only ~22 of its 25 tiles are open at this point — park it in a slot and let the surrounding colors clear the rest of the way.
- Send the Purple 38 cube. Only ~16 of its 38 tiles are open at this point — park it in a slot and let the surrounding colors clear the rest of the way.
- Send the Brown 38 cube. Only ~19 of its 38 tiles are open at this point — park it in a slot and let the surrounding colors clear the rest of the way.
- Send the Orange 24 cube. Only ~18 of its 24 tiles are open at this point — park it in a slot and let the surrounding colors clear the rest of the way.
Finish without boosters for 3 stars and bonus coins. If the board jams anyway, a Shuffle or Vacuum booster is the cheapest way out.