Ball sort puzzle FAQ
Short answers to the questions people ask about ball sort puzzles and about Orb Alchemy. If yours isn't here, how to play covers the rules in full.
Is every ball sort puzzle solvable?
Not in general: a random mix of balls can leave no way to finish, and working out whether a large board can be sorted is a hard problem (it is NP-complete). In Orb Alchemy the answer is yes. Every board is generated and then checked by a solver before you see it, so there is always a way to finish.
What is the fewest moves for a ball sort puzzle?
It depends on the board, so there is no single number. Every Orb Alchemy board shows a par, which is the number of moves in the shortest solution our solver found. On the largest boards a player can sometimes beat it. As a floor, every orb that sits on top of a different colour has to move at least once.
Is Orb Alchemy free and without ads?
The website is free, has no ads and needs no account. That covers the daily puzzles, the archive, unlimited play and the solver. The app, when it arrives, will be free with ads and optional purchases.
Do I need an account?
No. The website has no accounts. Your progress, streak and settings are kept in your own browser, so they stay on that device and are lost if you clear your browser data.
How many puzzles are there each day?
Eleven boards. The Daily Brew has three, with 5, 7 and 9 colours. The Magnum Opus has eight, from 4 colours up to 12, including one board with clouded orbs and one with a sealed vial. Everyone gets the same boards on the same date.
Do the daily puzzles get harder through the week?
Yes. Monday is the easiest day and Sunday is the hardest. A new set arrives at midnight, your time.
Can I play past daily puzzles?
Yes. The archive has a page for every Daily Brew since launch day, and the Grimoire in the main game shows which days you have finished. Only today's puzzle counts towards your streak.
What are clouded orbs and sealed vials?
They are two twists on the basic puzzle. A clouded orb hides its colour until it reaches the top of a vial. A sealed vial stays shut, so nothing goes in or out, until you complete another vial. How to play has a board of each to try.
Is ball sort the same as water sort?
Nearly. In ball sort you move one ball at a time; in water sort a pour moves every touching unit of the same colour at once. A board that can be sorted in one can be sorted in the other, but the move counts differ. See ball sort vs water sort.
Can I get stuck?
You can reach a position with no way to finish, even though every board starts out solvable. Undo takes moves back, Restart puts the board back to the start, and Hint shows the next move of a solution from where you are, or tells you if there is no way through.
Is there a solver for boards from other games?
Yes. The solver takes any ball sort or water sort board you set up and shows the shortest solution it can find, one move at a time. It runs in your browser.
Is there an Orb Alchemy app?
Not yet. An app for iPhone and Android is planned, with a target of November 2026. It will be free with ads and optional purchases. The website will stay free with no ads.
Who makes Orb Alchemy?
Orb Alchemy is made by the Unbeaten Studios team, who also make Queens Court.
Try a board
Four colours, easy. No account, no ads.