8 Tips For Improving Your Dots Score

Need help beating your friends? Here's how!

So you decided to try Dots and now you can't put it down. Here are eight tips for improving your skills, and making sure you're always at the top of the score board!

1. Relax.

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Patrick Moberg, the creator of Dots, said he wanted to create a "zen-like" game, so relaxing and pacing yourself is vital.

2. Make Squares.

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While it may be tempting to connect a 6-dot string , don't do it! You'll only get major points for connecting squares. Once a square has been made, that color will be eliminated from the board, giving way to more squares.

3. Recognize Near Squares.

Zachary M. Seward at Quartz.com has found three pretty common near-square formations for you to look out for:

The Puppy

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Use your shrinker to remove the blue dot.

The Step Ladder

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Pop the green dot to make a purple square.

The Hamburger

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Swipe the red dots and keep the buns.

4. Anticipate Squares.

If you have an idea of where the dots will fall, you can anticipate squares that will form, improving your reaction time and speed.

5. Be Aware Of The Entire Board.

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You will have a higher concentration of same colored dots at the bottom of the board as you create squares, however be aware of any formations that may occur at the top and middle of the board.

6. Don't Waste Your Power-Ups.

Especially Expanders. At 5,000 dots for 5 Expanders, it's a pricy tool. Save power-ups for when you feel you have the opportunity to push your high-score.

7. Restart.

Don't feel bad about restarting if you don't have a good board. If you're not within one move of making a square, restart.

8. Don't Worry About Your Friends!

Dots is a social game, and your score is visible to all of your friends. Don't let the pressure get to you and focus on improving your personal best.