The four starting elements
Every game begins with the same four elements in your list: Water, Fire, Wind and Earth. Everything else, from Steam to Dragon to Minecraft, is built from these four, two at a time. You can't use them up. Each time you drag one out of your list you get a fresh copy, so you can use the same element as often as you like.
How to combine elements
To combine two elements, put one on the board and drag the other on top of it. When you let go, the result appears on the board and is added to your element list.
On a computer
Click an element in your list, hold the mouse button down, drag it onto the board and release. Then do the same with a second element, but release it on top of the first one.
On a phone or tablet
Use your finger instead of the mouse. Press an element in your list, drag it onto the board and lift your finger. Then drag a second element until it sits on top of the first, and lift your finger again.
To combine an element with itself, such as Fire with Fire, drag two copies of it onto the board and drop one onto the other.
The board and your element list
There are two places to keep track of. Your element list holds everything you've discovered so far, starting with the four basics. The board is your workspace, where you place elements and combine them. Moving things around the board, or clearing it, never changes your list, and every result you make is added to the list.
A good habit is to keep only what you're working with on the board and to drag anything else out of the list when you need it.
Finding elements with search
After a while your list gets long. The search box, marked "Search..", filters your list of discovered elements so you don't have to scroll through all of it. Type part of a name, such as "Sand", to narrow the list down to the matches you've found, like Sand, Sandstorm and Sandbox. Empty the search box to see your full list again.
Clear, remove and reset
Three options help you tidy up. They do very different things, so it's worth knowing which is which before you use them.
Clear the game board
This removes all the items lying on the board. Your discovered elements stay in your list, so nothing is lost. Use it whenever the board gets crowded, then drag back only what you need.
Remove elements
This switches on a mode where you select elements to delete from your list. It's useful for getting rid of results you know you won't use. Because the same two elements always give the same result, you can make a removed element again later by repeating its combination.
Full reset
Full reset wipes all of your discoveries and takes you back to the four starting elements. Before anything happens, the game asks "Do you really want to reset?" so you have a chance to back out.
Dark mode and sound
The Dark mode toggle switches the game to a dark color scheme, which is easier on the eyes at night or in a dim room. The Sounds toggle turns the game's sounds on or off, which is handy if you're playing somewhere quiet. You can switch either one back whenever you like.
How your progress is saved
Your progress is saved on your device, in the browser you play in. You can close the tab, come back the next day and find your list still there. Because the save lives in your browser, a few things can remove it or make it seem to vanish:
- clearing your browser's cookies and site data, or its storage for this site;
- playing in a private or incognito window, which browsers usually wipe when you close it;
- opening the game in a different browser or on another device, which keeps its own separate save.
If you're building up a big collection, play in your usual browser and leave its site data for this site alone.
Interface languages
The game is available in ten languages: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Ukrainian. It opens in your device's language if it's one of these, otherwise in English, and you can change it in Settings under Language. Element names are translated along with the menus. The guides on this site use the English names, so if you want to follow one step by step, switch the game to English first.
Ten combinations to try first
These ten pairs are every combination you can make from the four starting elements, including each element combined with itself:
- Fire + Fire = Volcano
- Fire + Water = Steam
- Fire + Earth = Lava
- Fire + Wind = Smoke
- Water + Water = Lake
- Water + Earth = Plant
- Water + Wind = Wave
- Earth + Earth = Mountain
- Earth + Wind = Dust
- Wind + Wind = Tornado
Next, combine those results with the basics and with each other. Fire and Steam make Engine, Steam and Wind make Cloud, Dust and Earth make Planet, Earth and Plant make Tree, and Lake and Water make Ocean. The combinations chart shows many more one-step results like these.
Your first big element: Life, then Human
Life makes a good first goal. It takes six combinations, and one more turns it into Human. Follow these steps in order. Each one uses only the four basics or something you made in an earlier step.
- Fire + Fire = Volcano
- Volcano + Wind = Eruption
- Earth + Wind = Dust
- Dust + Earth = Planet
- Eruption + Planet = Mars
- Earth + Mars = Life
- Earth + Life = Human
The chain is easier to remember once you see the logic: an Eruption on a Planet gives you Mars, Earth and Mars give you Life, and Earth and Life give you Human. Life stays in your list afterward, and it leads to more. Life and Tsunami, for instance, make Death (Tsunami is Tornado plus Water). The Life guide and the Human guide show these same paths on their own pages.
When a combination gives something unexpected
Results are generated by AI, so they don't always follow the logic you had in mind. You might get a pun, a pop-culture reference or a word you didn't expect at all. That's part of the game. Here's how to handle it:
- Don't retry the same pair. The same two elements always give the same result, so try a different partner instead.
- Test the surprise with Water, Fire, Wind and Earth. Odd results can be useful steps: Flying Starfish sounds random, yet it leads to both Pikachu and Superman.
- If you're sure you won't need it, take it off your list with Remove elements, or clear it off the board with Clear the game board.
- Look it up in the recipe explorer to see what it combines into.
When you're ready for more, our tips and strategies page covers ways to find new elements faster.