Candy Crush Saga Level 173 Guide: Completing Special Candy Orders

To beat Level 173 in Candy Crush Saga, prioritize clearing lower candies to open board space, align five candies to create Color Bombs, and protect those special candies from accidental detonations until their partner pieces are directly adjacent. Because Level 173 is an Order Level, you must physically swap the specified special candies directly into one another to register order progress before running out of turns.

Level 173 Mechanics and Tactics

Level 173 provides an open board without severe choke points, but a five-color spread increases the risk of unintended cascades. Progress is measured solely by completing the designated special candy combinations within the allotted move count.

Level Factor	Operational Challenge	Recommended Approach
Move Count Limit	Wasted turns if combinations fail to form	Plan two to three moves ahead rather than making aimless matches.
Combo Objectives	Premature detonations destroy order pieces	Form combinations in lower-risk columns away from volatile drops.
Five-Color Spread	Cluttered boards prevent alignments	Match low to clear space, but halt broad cascades once pieces form.

How to Set Up and Protect Color Bombs

Color Bombs require five matching candies in a single straight row or column. Once formed, keeping them intact until you position a partner piece (such as a Striped Candy) is critical.

Avoid matches directly beneath a Color Bomb: Clearing tiles below drops the bomb, which can trigger an accidental three-of-a-kind match with plain candies.
Scan the surrounding perimeter: Confirm that neighboring tiles will not form an accidental match during a cascade elsewhere on the board.
Build the partner candy nearby: Construct the required companion piece within one or two squares of the Color Bomb instead of attempting to drag it across the board.
Clear overrepresented colors elsewhere: If a Color Bomb is stuck in an awkward position, make matches using dominant colors on the opposite side to drop fresh pieces into adjacent tiles safely.

Executing Required Combinations

To count toward the level order, you must swap the two designated special candies directly into each other. Sliding a standard candy between them detonates the pieces separately and does not satisfy the objective.

Match dominant colors for Striped Combos: When pairing a Color Bomb with a Striped Candy, build the Striped Candy using the color most prevalent on the board. This maximizes the board-clearing blast and opens space for subsequent orders.
Prioritize lateral switches: Vertical drops carry high cascade risks. Line up the two special candies on the same horizontal row and slide them together sideways.
Stop matching low once specials exist: Bottom matches generate a suction effect that clears space, but broad cascades can accidentally trigger uncombined specials. Shift to targeted three-candy matches near the target tiles to maneuver pieces into place.
Ignore redundant specials: Do not spend moves detonating extra special candies once an order objective is complete, unless detonating them directly clears an obstacle for the final order.

Finishing Orders When Moves Run Low

When remaining turns drop below ten, transition from broad board setup to direct combination execution:

Calculate vertical fall distance: Count the exact number of squares an item will drop when clearing candies beneath it to drop diagonal pieces into alignment.
Focus on immediate alignments: Spend moves only on direct horizontal or vertical matches that immediately create or join the missing pieces.
Rely on Sugar Crush for score: Disregard your point score and star thresholds entirely during final moves, as any unused specials automatically clear for bonus points once all orders are met.