Anniversary Event 2026: Mechanics

Overview

Rewards

Mechanics

Sharpen your tools and step back into the dig site—our scientists are closer than ever to proving the origin of these mysterious ancient Gems. Your task is to spawn new Gems, free sealed Gems, and merge them to make your way through the board to earn rewards, advance the Grand Prize, and stock up in this year’s new Item Stores.

At first glance, the board may look familiar—but if you’ve played previous Anniversary Events, do not be fooled. This year’s expedition follows a new rhythm. The old chest flow is gone, keys are no longer something you collect, and Tasks now play a central role in your progress.

Start with the Gems

When the event begins, your board will be filled with locked Gems trapped behind shimmering glass. To free them, you’ll need movable Gems of the same color and level (size).

Spawn movable Gems	Unlock locked Gems	Merge to Level Up
Spend 10 Energy to activate the Spawner and generate new movable Gems on your board. Spawned Gems appear in random colors They can be used to unlock locked Gems They can also be merged together to create stronger pieces	Match a movable Gem to a locked Gem of the same color and level to break the glass: The locked Gem is freed and levels up You gain Grand Prize progress You also receive a small reward from a pool of event rewards Every unlocked Gem pushes the expedition forward—so each match is one more step toward your next breakthrough. Tip: Keep an eye out for Gems carrying the other half of a key—those special merges now trigger a powerful transformation.	At the heart of the event lies the merge mechanic: Merge two Gems of the same color and same level They combine into a higher-level Gem This is how you build the pieces you need to: unlock more sealed Gems reach higher-value matches and navigate the board more efficiently as space tightens The rules are simple. The strategy is where things get interesting.

Key Parts and the New Breakthrough: Merge, Transform, Adapt

Some Gems on the board contain key halves—either a top or a bottom.

A few important things to know:

• Spawned Gems do not contain key halves

• Key halves are found on board Gems, including those you unlock

• Keys are no longer collected, stored, or spent

New this year: full keys trigger an instant transformation

When you merge two Gems of the same color and same level, and one has a top key while the other has a bottom key, they form a full key.

But unlike before, that full key does not go anywhere. Instead:

• The merge completes and the Gem levels up

• The full key is consumed immediately

• That resulting Gem is consumed as well

• A new colorless Gem appears in the same spot, with no key

So while key halves still appear on the board, they are no longer part of a reward track. Instead, they now act as a trigger for a transformation.

Colorless Gems behave much like before:

• They can merge with any color

• They still level up when merged

Boosters to the Rescue

Even the most skilled explorer sometimes needs a little extra help. When the board gets tricky, your Boosters are there to keep the expedition moving.

	Gem Mines Booster: Spawn additional Gems directly onto your board—perfect when you need more pieces to work with. If there’s no room, you’ll be notified so you can make space first.
	Gem Pickaxe Booster:  Break down a higher-level Gem into two lower-level pieces to regain flexibility. If the original Gem had a key half, both new pieces inherit it, keeping your key options alive.
	Prismatic Essence Booster: Transform all Gems of a single color into colorless Gems. Since colorless Gems can merge with any color, this is a powerful way to break out of dead ends and set up unlocks and merges across the board.

Board Progression: Auto-Advance and Reset

Auto-Advance

Resetting the Board

Once you have unlocked all locked Gems on the board, that board is complete. This year, the expedition keeps moving automatically: No completion pop-up No conversion of leftover Gems No board completion reward The board simply advances to the next one The result is a much smoother flow—less stopping, more exploring.

If your current board isn’t giving you the pieces you need, you can reset it at any time: Your first reset each day is free Additional resets cost Energy That cost increases with each reset, up to a cap Reset costs return to normal at daily reset A confirmation window appears before the reset happens Resetting clears the current board and gives you a fresh new layout—use it when you need a new approach.

New Task System: Your Main Source of Progress

This year, Tasks take the place of the old chest-based reward flow. If you’re wondering where that part of the event went: this is it.

As you play, you’ll complete Tasks that now serve as one of your main ways to earn rewards and push the event forward.

You’ll always have three active Tasks:

• Easy

• Medium

• Hard

	Task rewards	Daily double rewards	Task Rerolls
	Completing Tasks grants: Anniversary Item Store currency World Challenge progress Grand Prize progress This means Tasks are now deeply woven into the event: they feed your store purchases, contribute to your world’s progress, and help you work toward the Grand Prize all at once. There is no daily limit to how many Tasks you can complete Completing a Task draws a new one from the same difficulty pool Task progress resets at daily reset Tasks remain active across boards, so auto-advance and reset do not replace them Completed Tasks must be collected With the daily reset, unclaimed rewards will be collected automatically, but we encourage you to claim Task rewards as you go	Each day, the first Easy, Medium, and Hard Task you complete grants: Double Item Store currency Double Grand Prize progress A strong start each day can make a big difference. Note: the World Challenge progress is not doubled with the first task of the day.	Not thrilled with your current objective? You can change it. Medium and Hard Tasks can be rerolled Each one gets 1 free reroll per day Additional rerolls cost Energy The reroll cost increases with use, up to a cap, and resets daily Rerolling resets any progress you made on that Task If progress has already been made, a confirmation prompt will appear first Use rerolls wisely when a Task doesn’t fit the board in front of you.

The World Challenge

The World Challenge returns this year, giving everyone on your world a shared goal to work toward throughout the event. As players complete Tasks and contribute progress, your world will move closer to unlocking milestone rewards for all. Your efforts will also help you earn currency for the World Challenge Item Store, where additional rewards await. Keep an eye on the World Challenge window to track your world’s progress and see how close you are to the next milestone.

Item Stores: Spend What You Earn

With Daily Specials gone, this year’s rewards are found in two Item Stores: the Anniversary and the World Challenge.

The Anniversary Item Store is your main event store that uses currency earned primarily from Tasks. It features:

• Daily refresh

• Manual refresh

• Randomised discounts

• Daily limits

• and a currency cap

The World Challenge store uses the special currency tied to your world’s shared event progress. It features:

• No refresh

• No manual refresh

• No discounts

• Permanent limits

A New Tutorial for a New Expedition

Because this year’s event flow has changed, the tutorial has been updated as well.

It will guide you through:

• the revised merge flow

• the new transformation mechanic

• Task collection

• and the smoother board progression

So even if you’ve played past Anniversary Events, it’s worth paying attention—this year’s journey does things differently.

Quick Tips from the Field

• Unlock with purpose: your main board goal is to free all locked Gems, so plan your merges around the matches you need most

• Watch for key halves: full-key merges no longer give you something to collect—they now create valuable colorless Gems instead

• Use colorless Gems well: they can merge with any color, making them perfect for rescuing difficult boards

• Collect your Tasks: completed Tasks are a major source of rewards, so don’t let them sit waiting

• Claim your daily doubles early: your first Easy, Medium, and Hard Task each day gives a powerful boost

• Use Boosters strategically: Mines for momentum, Pickaxe for flexibility, Essence for turning the board in your favour

With a smoother board flow, instant transformations, returning Boosters, and a Task system that powers nearly every part of your progress, this year’s Anniversary Event is all about adapting quickly, merging cleverly, and keeping the expedition moving.

Now gather your Energy, trust your instincts, and let the discoveries begin!

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