merge mansion beginner’s guide and tips

The game Merge Mansion might look like an adventure or mystery game, but it is very easy to play. Dramatic and mysterious scenarios are teased in promo videos, but these are mostly absent in the end product. Still, it remains a favorite among gamers.

For over three years, Merge Mansion has been the hottest thing, with 2 million daily active users. Many consider it to be the most relaxing mobile game. The fun comes from its quirky and unique theme.

In this blog, we shall discuss Merge Mansion and provide you with a beginner’s guide plus tips to get you started. Whereas Merge Mansion might have looked like an adventure or mystery game, it more-so operates as a relaxing and entertaining mobile game. We are going to discuss how to play, what to look out for, and tips that will ease your journey and reinforce your joy.

about merge mansion

In a nutshell: You merge items every day to restore an old, huge villa and its gardens. You play as Maddie; by fixing some rooms and clearing up an overgrown area, you slowly learn about the family’s story and especially that of her mysterious grandmother, Ursula.

So really, Merge Mansion is for people who love Homescapes, Gardenscapes, or Hidden Hotel games. But, instead of match-3 levels, Merge Mansion is all about merging things on your board to create higher-level items, which are used to complete tasks, unlock new areas, and foster the story.

Shortly after installation, you are greeted to a little intro featuring Maddie and Ursula. Maddie then receives a key and proves herself to the tangled courtyard. The villa looks so tired and broken. Your first task: locate the next key so you can proceed in cleaning. Tap on the house to the left, and your first merge board will open. Merge items and begin working.

After some time, you’ll start spotting the occasional chest dropping from some producers. Start opening those, merge what you get inside, and you’ll build some really nice stuff, like gardening gloves, which will come in handy to clear leaves and make the grounds tidy. And with every step, the property begins showing signs of life.

Buying and Selling Items in Merge Mansion

Sure, if you don’t want something, you can sell it. Things to be careful about: before selling it, open the item’s info panel and make sure that it’s not going to be part of a chain you will need very soon. Many players sell something important by mistake. If you are unsure, keep it.

You can buy items in the Shop for coins. Lightning Deals and Daily Deals sometimes present useful goodies and crates. These help save time when you are stuck on a chain or want a particular piece.

Coins – The Most Important Currency

Coins do the heavy lifting in Merge Mansion. You’ll need them to:

Grab Lightning Deals, Daily Deals, and Crates in the Shop

Get extra inventory slots for your storage (very useful later)

And what rewards you with Coins? Tasks, events, selling extra items, and sometimes deals! Just don’t spend them all in the beginning. Storage slots feel boring to buy at first, but they’re very much worth it as your board fills up.

Merge Mansion Tips

Keep an empty board and progress made until now:

1. Merge to higher levels when you can. You will gain XP and sometimes open special chests rewarding more progress.
2. Tap any item on the blue [i] button to see its chain of merging all the way up to the highest level you discovered.
3. Not everything in the game is fully explained, which is part of the fun.
4. Looking for something your current items cannot produce? Search for a chest that contains it or spawns its chain.
5. Regulate your board frequently. Messy boards hide matches and waste your energy.
6. The quickest way to progress is by merging according to the main story missions and not at random.
7. Most story missions want you to work with certain items. Click on the blue exclamation point (!) in tasks to see a breakdown and hints.
8. In producer mode, play through Ignatius Boulton story events so that producers can show on your main board.
9. Collect blue XP to level up in the main game, and green XP to level up inside story events. Both should be collected wisely.
10. Leave the board anytime, then tap “Tasks” (bottom-right) in the estate view to obtain Maddie’s next objectives. The list scrolls and shows target XP.

Do You Need a Table Saw to Make Wooden Boards in Heikki’s Sauna?

No. You will take the output from a Reclaimed Wood producer to make wooden planks for Heikki’s sauna, not the output from the Table Saw.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Hung on to as many Nails as possible from using the Level 1 Piece of Rubble producer.
2. The rubble breaks down into Charred Wood.
3. Put the two Knives and the Axe on the Charred Wood to activate it.
4. Tap this activation to go from Charred Wood to Recycled (Reclaimed) Wood.
5. Activate the Reclaimed Wood using a Level 11 Saw Set.
6. Tap away to get that Thick Planks (Level 1)!

Neither do you need a table saw to produce planks!

How to Find the Merge Chain of a Specific Item?

If an item is on your board, tap on it, then tap the blue “i” in the upper-left corner. You will now see the whole merge chain up to your highest merged version of that item. You shall also see what producer produces it, if there is one.

Some items are event-only, like the Hood Ornament or Casey’s Shield. You shall be able to grab those only during events.

Learn How to Check Merge Chains (Step-by-Step)

• When a task requires a particular item, tap the blue (!) in the task.
• The game will then display the upgrade tree that shows what is needed and what to combine for that item.
• Follow that tree; merge along it; and do not sell anything in that chain until the end.
• You can also tap any item on the board and hit [i] to check its chain and where it comes from.

If you cannot find the item on your main board and it does not appear in your chains either, it is apparently an event item and must be made with the help of an event producer.

How to Play Secret Stash Event

1. Request to enter the event. Place it on the board, and then tap to begin.
2. You are given 10 Secret Tokens, which appear at the top near the gems and coins. Each token allows you to run the Secret Stash machine once.
3. Press the green button at the bottom to run the machine; each press consumes one “battery.”
4. Items pop out of a tube from the machine. Items of the same kind automatically merge.
5. When the items reach their maximum level, they disappear and give away points.
6. Keep pressing the button for more points — but if the machine overheats, you will need to start with another Token.
7. Try to score enough event points and take the featured prize before it overheats.
8. Tap on the menu (bottom right) to check the current rewards and main point targets.

Tip: Pace your button presses while keeping an eye on heat. Plan to merge efficiently to get the best points from each token.

How to Get to the Events

Events become unlocked as you finish certain story tasks. The further your estate has gone, the more events open up.

To check the producer cooldowns and when you will be able to collect again, see the clock icon next to the item. It will show how long until that producer is ready. Use these timers to fit your runs with them so you will not waste energy.

If You Deleted an Item by Accident

It happens. If you removed something important (say the Tool Barrel) and got stuck:

1. Check the Lightning Deals in the Shop for the item from time to time.
2. If not, go to Settings → Contact (top-right in-game) and send a message to the developers explaining what you deleted and at which point you are blocked. Most of the time, they will help you.

Type of Events You Can Find in the Game

You will find the following:

Story Events (repeatable, 3 days):

• Ignatius Boulton
• Lindsay’s New York Adventure
• Casey & Skatie
  These give away special item chains.

Mini Events: Recurring regularly with event duration of 4-7 days. A nice variety for more loot.

Seasonal Events: Approximately monthly, and probably contain unique decorations and themed rewards.

Story events are conducted in a particular order: Ignatius → Lindsay → Casey & Skatie.

Upon completing the last objective of any Story Event, items related to that event disappear from the Garage Board, transforming into one coin each. After completing a story event, it will not appear again until it is cyclically brought back (or inserted in the schedule for a future rotation by the game).

New in Level 12+: An Event at Maddie’s Spa

A seasonal-type event which does not grant you a separate event board. You play on the normal board. As the merging happens, Rose Petals will appear randomly. Merge them to collect the petals and fill a progress bar that will yield rewards at each stage. Keep the board clear, as petals might block the main chains from forming.

How the Scissors Work

The Scissors Booster cuts in half the combination level of the targeted item. Just drag the scissors over to the item you want to cut down, taking care that there are enough spaces on the board to accommodate the split result.

The Scissors Booster will stack to lessen its space usage.

To the right of its description is a little indicator that tells you how many uses remain.

This is the best booster for undoing mistakes or bringing a chain down to a workable craft level.

How to Get the Drill with Power Supply

First, you have to make a Non-Powered Drill:

1. Merge a Pencil until it turns into Level 10: becomes a Non-Powered Drill.
2. Merging one with a battery: becomes a Power Drill.

The simple flow: Pencil to (merge to L10) Non-Powered Drill + Battery to Powered Drill.

How to Get Planted Flowers

The Planted Bush now produces Planted Flowers (it used to produce cans, but that changed). To get planted flowers, you level up and use the Planted Bush, tapping its cooldown repeatedly.

Decorations for Your Villa Property

Seasonal events also often feature decorations as rewards. Generally, you will earn them by performing certain tasks in the Seasonal Combination Board or by hitting milestones. Keep an eye out for ongoing and upcoming events if you would like to decorate the estate. It is a nice change from high efficiency.

How Boulton’s Flash Card Works

Dragging this booster onto any item capable of displaying a lightning symbol upgrades that item to the next level immediately. It doesn’t work on max-level items.

• You can stack them to save on space.
• The cards show the number of remaining uses next to their descriptions.

You could think of this as just a fast-forward button for items that qualify.

Learn How to Play Lindsay’s New York Adventure

You unlock this event after obtaining the Hood Ornament task in the Calendar.

• The primary producer stands to be the Level 3 Tower.
• It produces Level 1 Coin Purses and Time Charger Fragments.
• Upgrade the Purse to other levels to unlock producers that produce:

Level 1 Hat Boxes

Level 2 Jewelry Boxes

Level 3 Shoe Boxes

Level 1 Service Bells from Level 3 Shoe Box. As the merging goes upward, those Green XP stars will drop as an effect of the increase in level, and those stars are important for event progress. Likewise, the higher levels in the “Hotel Stay” chain will drop Green XP.

The event lasts for three days (72 hours), after which your progress will be reset.

Every event level gives Makeup Items which you have to merge into a Level 5 Cosmetic Brush. The brush will produce Lindsay Level 1. To get the Hood Ornament: merge Lindsay L1 → L11.

How to Get a Border (Skirting Board)

• Merge Thick Planks (Level 1) all the way into Level 7 to make a Skirting Board.
• Thick Planks are produced by activated Reclaimed Wood.
• Tap activated Charred Wood to make Reclaimed Wood and then activate it with a Level 11 Saw Set to produce Thick Planks.

It is a short chain; however, activations have to be done in the correct order.

What Happens When You Tap the Calendar

The Calendar shows repeatable Story Events for the players. They allow doing 3 special tasks and reveal more secrets about the Boulton family. Use the calendar to plan for your event runs and look out for upcoming rotations.

Ursula’s Blue Card

Drag this boost onto an item without a lightning bolt symbol to boost its item level by one. It will not work on max-level items.

You can also stack Blue Cards to save space. The card shows the number of uses left in the description.

How to Get Charred Wood

Operation of the One Piece of Rubble results in the production of Charred Wood. To start up, drop in two Knives and one Axe. Once it becomes active, it may be tapped to progress (for instance, into Reclaimed/Recycled Wood, then onward for Thick Planks, depending on what you want).

How To Use the Table Saw In The Merge Game

In Rufus’ Park, some tasks require Wooden Planks or Carpentry Tools from the Table Saw.

• You obtain the Table Saw by completing the “Digging Up Dirty Pavement” task in Rufus’ Park.
• Your last task before you finish the area needs the Table Saw. Empty it before you finish.
• After finishing the area, you won’t need the Table Saw again for that arc, so you are good.

Note: The sauna planks for Heikki earlier are from Reclaimed Wood + L11 Saw Set, not from the Table Saw. Different chains, different uses.

What Are Time Chargers For Exactly?

Time Chargers make you go through events in the story faster.

Level 1 Time Charger Fragments are acquired from:

The Grandfather Clock in Ignatius Boulton

The Tower in Lindsay’s New York Adventure

Basically, meld these fragments all the way up to Level 4.

At Level 4, you merge them again to create a Small Time Charger (also Level 1), which has a 2-hour duration. You can later craft bigger chargers that last longer.

How to use them:

• Activate it by double tapping.
• They speed up all the timers twofold for producers and summoners in the eight surrounding positions on the board.

Great for use when trying to hammer an otherwise slow event chain through.

Where You Get Paint in Merge Mansion

Paint can mostly be looted from Toolboxes. It is very scarce. It appears occasionally in flash sales, and not very often in reward crates. Whenever you see Paint, buy! So many renovation jobs need Paint at the most inconvenient times.

Tips for the Ignatius Boulton Event

To make the most out of Ignatius:

• Stock up on Energy before starting.
• Merge Green XP until you reach Level 5 to gain more efficient energy utilization.
• Clear some space on your main board for combining the Stone Archway and Stone Box after the event.
• Upon completion of Stage 1 in the event (gaining 41 XP in 3 hours, the maximum duration of the event), the reward items are unlocked along the producer chain, allowing you to get Stone Box.
• Merge Reward Items post-event on the main board to Level 6 Stone Bow and Unlock Stone Box.
• Keep replaying the event to snag more Stone Archways and build Stone Box in no time.

How to Play The Great Escape

Grandma Ursula is escaping from prison! There are three ways to keep moving:

1. Earn points by crafting money briefcases and rewarding levels.
2. Merge tools (i.e., bolt cutters) to actually free Grandma.
3. Find Secret Letters from inmates for extra rewards.

Messy cells are on the right of the event board. Clearing them yields items. Use three facilities on the left: recycling room, storage, and cafeteria. These get activated by using an appropriate badge; messy cells too can be cleaned up if you use a badge of a higher-level item.

If you have no clue what these cells require, tap a cell and then hit the [i] button to view the materials needed.

The Game Has Received an Update

Here are the new features that have been added:

1. Explore and decorate Boulton Boulevard, a new shopping area.
2. Something silly is coming to Grandma’s villa; I wonder what?
3. Back in a big city again, and could it be anywhere else but Paris?
4. Fun events plus two new Mystery Passes.

There are frequent updates; hence never a dull moment.

And If You Have This Problem…

The Daily Task Timer keeps showing days instead of hours (after an update in August)

Restart the game; the timer usually fixes itself after a fresh load.

Features of the Game

1. Gorgeous graphics that make the mansion come alive
2. Easy-to-use controls that even a kid can learn in seconds
3. Players numbering in the millions worldwide
4. Countless mini-games and events for a limited time
5. All kinds of events (story, mini, seasonal)
6. A solid gameplay loop: merge, build, unlock, merge, build, unlock
7. Optional in-app purchases
8. Frequent content and area updates

Here Are the Game Links

Android

iOS

(Or search ‘Merge Mansion’ on Google Play or the App Store if you want the official listing.)

Conclusion

Merge Mansion is a calm, clever merge game that deviates from the typical set of games. The ads serve the purpose of drama; however, the slow and steady pleasures arise out of cleaning, merging objects, unlocking rooms, and decorating to create a huge, charming mansion. It keeps the brand interesting with constant updates, rotating events, and a mild mystery with the background ever so faintly lingering.

If that sounds like something you might enjoy-a bit of relaxed progression, neat merge chains, and a warm sense of order-go ahead and try it! It is worth trying since even after four years it still feels fresh.”