Dens guide
How to play Dens
Dens is a logic puzzle with monster families. The board is split into coloured dens, and every den gets exactly one monster. But monsters are loners: never two in a row or column, and never touching, not even at a corner.
Dens rules
The rules in one minute
A board of 5×5 to 10×10 cells is split into as many dens as it has rows. Each colour is the home of one monster family. Place one monster per den so that:
- Every colour is a den. Each den gets exactly one monster.
- One per row and column. No two monsters share a row or a column.
- Monsters are loners. They never touch, not even at a corner. The eight cells around a monster stay empty.
That is all. You never have to guess where a den ends: its tiles are joined by little bridges. Every level in Beasties has exactly one solution, and you can always find it by logic.
How to play
Dens in Beasties, step by step
The board in the middle, three tools below it: Monster, Cross and Undo. Gnatz peeks over the top edge and follows every tap.
- Tap to move in. With the Monster tool, a tap puts a monster on a spot. Tap it again to take it back out.
- Swipe to cross out. Pick the Cross and swipe over the board to mark many spots at once where no monster can live.
- A den lights up. As soon as a den has its monster, its colour gets brighter and Gnatz cheers.
- Undo is free. Undo takes back your last step, a tap as well as a whole swipe.
Crosses are just notes for you. The app does not check them, so cross out whatever helps you think, and swipe again over a cross to remove it.
Stars and mistakes
Three stars at stake in every level
You start every level with three stars. Keep your eyes open: a monster on a spot that another one already sees costs one.
- A seen spot costs a star. Put a monster where another one can already see it, and the spot flashes red, gets its cross, and one of your three stars falls.
- Three gone: try again. With all three stars gone the level is lost, and you start the same board again. Undo does not bring a star back.
- Everyone home: keep them. When every den has its monster, the stars you have left fly into your counter.
A monster in a spot nobody sees is never a mistake, even if it turns out to be wrong later. Take it out again for free and try another spot.
Difficulty levels
Four difficulties, fixed levels
The boards below are level 1 of each difficulty. Size is not what makes a level hard: every difficulty mixes small and big boards. What changes is the technique you need to find the next monster.
Chill
5×5 to 8×8 boards
Small dens and clear spots. One spot left, or a den that fits into one row: that is all you need.
Normal
5×5 to 9×9 boards
Look where monsters would crowd each other: a spot that sees a whole den is out.
Tricky
6×6 to 9×9 boards
Think in groups: two or three dens that share as many rows or columns, right to the end.
Devilish
8×8 to 10×10 boards
Try a spot in your head and follow it until something breaks.
Within one difficulty, level 1 and level 999 ask for the same. Chill, Normal and Tricky have 150 free levels each. You unlock the rest for free with the stars you win, or all at once with Pro. All of them are the same for every player in the same order, so the solutions on this site match your app, from level 1 to 999 on every difficulty.
Dens techniques
From the first monster to the last
These six techniques are what Beasties uses to rate its levels, from easy to hard. Every example comes from a real level of the app.
Technique 1
Cross out around a monster
A monster rules out its whole row, its column, the rest of its den and the eight cells around it. Cross them out right away and the board gets smaller with every monster.
- A monster moves in. This den has a single cell, so its monster has no choice.
- Its row and column. No other monster may live there. Cross them out.
- The cells around it. Monsters never touch, so the diagonal neighbours go too.
Technique 2
One spot left
Go through the dens one by one. When only one free spot is left in a den, its monster lives there. The same works for a row or a column.
- Go through the dens. Look at each den on its own.
- Count the free spots. Most of this den is already crossed out.
- One left: move in. The monster goes there, and its neighbours, row and column are crossed out.
Technique 3
A den in one row
If every free spot of a den lies in one row, its monster will live in that row, wherever it ends up. No other den can use the row. Works for columns too.
- A den in one row. All free spots of this den lie in the same row.
- The row is taken. Whichever spot its monster takes, it lives in this row.
- Cross out the rest. No other den can use the row any more.
Technique 4
Crowded spots
Some dens are down to two or three free spots. A spot that sees or touches all of them can never hold a monster: the den would be left with nowhere to go. The key to Normal.
- A den with few spots. Only two or three free spots are left in it.
- Who would crowd it? A monster on the red spot would see or touch every one of them, and the den would have nowhere left.
- So cross it out. No monster can ever live on that spot.
Technique 5
Two dens, two rows
Two dens that only fit into the same two rows fill those rows between them. Everything else in the two rows is out. Three dens in three rows work the same. Needed from Tricky on.
- Two dens, two lines. These two dens only fit into the same two rows or columns.
- They fill both. Two monsters, two lines: each line gets one of them.
- Cross out the rest. Every other spot in these lines is out. It works with three dens and three lines too.
Technique 6
Try a spot
Devilish levels sometimes leave you no clear move. Put a monster on a spot in your head and follow what it forces. If a den, row or column ends up empty, that spot is out.
- Pick a spot. When nothing else works, choose a spot with few options around it.
- Follow it in your head. Imagine a monster there, cross out what it sees, and see which monsters follow.
- Something breaks. A den, row or column ends up without a single spot.
- So not there. Undo it all in your head and cross out the spot you tried.
Tip: start with the smallest dens and the ones squeezed against the edge. They run out of spots first, and every monster you place crosses out a lot.
Solutions
Stuck on a level?
Every level has its own solution page, free and Pro. You see the board, find the next monster with the reason why, and open the whole solution only if you want to.
FAQ
Dens questions, short answers
What are the rules of Dens?
Place one monster in every coloured den. No two monsters may share a row or a column, and no two may touch, not even diagonally. A board with n rows has n dens and n monsters.
Can I look up the rules during a round?
Yes. Tap the gear at the top left of the round: Settings open, and their Game guide row takes you straight to the rules of this game, what is special in it and how the stars work. You also find the guide behind the ? on the level start and in Settings on the home screen.
What kind of puzzle is Dens?
A region placement puzzle: one piece per row, column and region, and pieces may not touch. In Beasties the pieces are monsters and the regions are their dens.
Where do I start?
Look for the smallest dens first, especially a den with a single cell. Place its monster, cross out everything it sees, and look again for a den, row or column with only one spot left.
What does a mistake cost?
Putting a monster on a spot that another monster already sees costs one of your three stars, and the spot gets its cross. A monster on a free spot is never a mistake, even if it turns out wrong later.
Do I need to guess in hard levels?
No. Every level has exactly one solution that you can reach by logic. Devilish levels sometimes ask you to try a spot in your head and follow it to a contradiction, but that is logic too, not luck.
Is level 37 the same for everyone?
Yes. The levels are fixed and come with the app: the same boards in the same order for every player. New levels are only added at the end.
Does Beasties need the internet?
No. Beasties works completely offline, and there are no ads.