How to PlayLink to this
The object of War of Words 2 is quite simple: earn more points than your opponent! This is accomplished by playing words to earn points, blowing up your opponent's words, poisoning your opponent, and other similarly nefarious activities.
Most of your screen consists of the board, which is the grid of tiles toward the top of the screen. On an iPhone, you can zoom in and out on the grid by double-tapping or pinching your fingers in and out.
The bottom portion of your screen contains the rack, a collection of eight tiles that you can use on your turn. Use your finger to drag tiles from your rack out onto the board. On iPhone/iPod Touch, you can see everyone's scores at the bottom left of your screen. On iPad, those scores are across the top of the screen.
Your goal for most turns is to spell a word. Words are how you get points. A word must consist of contiguous letters (in a row), and must be either horizontal or vertical. Words are read left-to-right or top-to-bottom.
You can't just put a word anywhere on the board. Every word has to connect to an existing letter on the board, or it needs to be positioned over at least one Star or Water tile.
When you're done with your turn, hit the Play button at the bottom. Any empty slots in your rack will be replenished from the supply. The supply contains an assortment of tiles that are shuffled and given out randomly to players as the game progresses.
If you can't play any words, you can choose to Pass your turn or Swap some tiles. If you and your opponents collectively pass their turns 3 times in a row, the game is over. You're only allowed to swap your tiles a total of 5 times throughout the entire game.
War of Words 2 contains many different board layouts. Each layout presents different challenges to overcome.
The game ends when the supply runs out of letters, and one player uses up all of their letters. The game can also end when players pass their turn three times in a row (so in a two player game, if you pass, then your opponent passes, then you pass, the game will end; in a 3-4 player game, if you pass and then two of your opponents pass, the game will end). If you're left with letters at the end of the game, the value of your remaining letters will be deducted from your score. The player with the most points wins! War of Words 2 games can end in a tie.
That's pretty much it. You don't have to play a word in every turn, but you do have to play something (or pass or swap tiles). Let's get into more advanced concepts next.
Action TilesLink to this
Most word games involve, well, words. So does this one. But there's a bit more than that.
Introducing Action Tiles
In addition to standard letters, War of Words 2 includes a set of tiles called Action Tiles. Action Tiles can be used for all kinds of evil things. Ever wanted to blow up your opponent's word? Maybe start a word in a new location? Or maybe you've got a great word ready to play, but no good bonuses to go under it? Action Tiles can accomplish all these things and more.
Here are some basic rules:
- You can play a word and one or more Action Tiles during the same turn.
- Many times, you'll want to put an Action Tile under the word you're playing in that turn. To do that, first drag the Action Tile out onto the board. Then, drag the letter on top of it.
- You don't have to play a letter on top of an Action Tile if you don't want to, or you can wait to do it later (if your opponent doesn't get there first).
- If you play an Action Tile on top of an existing Action Tile (even if that tile was pre-placed for you on the board), the new tile overwrites the old one. You can't stack two Action Tiles on the same square. (There are some exceptions to this. For example, Bomb, Blaster, Nuclear Bomb, Rain, Fire, Lightning, and Rewind are temporary, and won't eliminate any existing actions underneath them.)
To learn more about all the actions in War of Words 2, visit the Armory from the main menu.
Wildcard TilesLink to this
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A letter tile without any letter on it is a Wildcard Tile. These tiles aren't worth any points, but they can do magical things! Unlike in other word games, wildcards in War of Words 2 can be any letter — even multiple letters simultaneously! You don't even need to choose what letter you want it to be. The game will automatically find a letter that makes a valid word if it can. If you connect another word to the wildcard, it will be evaluated separately for each word that it is a part of. There is a limit of four (4) wildcard tiles in any single word.
Finding yourself in need of a wildcard at an opportune moment? You can purchase one from the Reserves. Learn more in the Other Features section below.
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Other FeaturesLink to this
War of Words 2 contains many additional features and systems that add up to a fun experience!
The Armory
The Armory is a special place designed to help teach you about all the Action Tiles in the game. The Armory shows you every action that you've unlocked, along with a preview of actions you have yet to unlock. You can see how much each tile costs from the Reserves here as well. If you tap on any of the tiles (even the locked ones), you will be taken to a detailed description of the tile, including a selection of frequently asked questions.
The Bonus Letter
Bonus Letters are an easy way to add to your score! The game will randomly choose a letter somewhere on the board. This letter will start glowing. If you can make a word that connects to or extends from that Bonus Letter, you'll gain an extra 10 points. In War of Words 2, those 10 points are multiplied by the total of any W multipliers placed under the word attached to the Bonus Letter. So if you utilized the bonus letter on your word, and your word had a 5W under it, you'd get 50 points instead of 10. Note that any Word multipliers that exist under the Bonus Tile do not count.
Those 10 points can also be counted more than once if you create two words in a single play that use the bonus letter.
The Bonus Letter is changed immediately whenever a player utilizes it, or if it is destroyed. It also changes every three turns. The Bonus Letter can be any letter on the board that has at least one open space above, below, to the left, or to the right of it.
Player Levels and Experience Points
Players have an experience bar. During gameplay on iPhone or iPod Touch, this is located at the top of the screen. On iPad, this is located at the bottom left of the screen. Your experience bar gradually fills up as you gain
experience points. Experience points are granted for:
- Constructing words
- Destroying opponent's tiles
- Finishing games with zero letters left in the supply
When your experience bar fills up to 100%, you will "level up" to the next level. Each new level unlocks one or more action tiles or game mechanics, as well as one or more new board layouts.
After each turn, you can visit the Combat Log to see how many experience points you gained.
The War of Words 2 Base Game has a level cap of 12. Expansions are purchasable from the Store, and these raise the level cap and grant even more actions.
Avatars and Titles
Avatars and titles are a great way to customize your character and show off your accomplishments! Most avatars and titles are awarded when you earn difficult achievements. A few titles and avatars are also available for purchase in the Store. You can change which avatar and title you are currently wearing from the Character screen.
Silver Stars
Silver Stars are used to purchase actions from the Reserves, as well as cosmetic items from the Store. They are earned naturally when you complete games and reach new levels, or they can be purchased from the Store. They can also be earned for free by watching a short video or completing an offer. If you don't want to use Silver Stars, just turn off the Reserves when you start a game. This option becomes available starting at level 6.
The Reserves
Ever wish for a Bomb in the middle of a game? Now you can call in the Reserves! At any point in a game, using your Silver Stars, you can purchase any action that's been enabled for the game (even if you haven't reached a high enough level to unlock it yet). Or, you can choose to purchase a Wildcard tile. Each player can make a purchase from the Reserves one time per game. Visit the Armory to see how much each tile costs. Access the Reserves by tapping More | Use A Reserve Tile. You can turn the Reserves off when starting a game, once you reach level 6.
The Store
The store allows players to purchase extra Silver Stars, avatars, and titles. You can earn free Silver Stars by watching a short video or completing an offer. You can also extend your concurrent games beyond the initial limit of 5, disable advertising, and jump to maximum level. Expansion Packs raise your level cap and unlock even more actions! Access the Store from the game's main menu.
The Combat Log and Effect Badges
All the action in War of Words 2 can get pretty complicated! Many things continue to work over several turns (or for the rest of the game). With everything that's going on, it can be difficult to follow the action. To remedy that, War of Words 2 has two features.
The Combat Log is accessible at any time, and tells you step-by-step everything that's happened, including which tiles were played. Access the Combat Log by tapping More | Combat Log. Or, on iPad, tap the radiation icon at the top right of the screen.
Effect Badges help you visualize how effective certain tiles were (Bomb, Blaster, Medic, Poison, Rain, and Whirlwind, for example). These badges can start to clutter things up, so if you don't like them, you can turn them off from the Options menu.
Statistics
War of Words 2 keeps detailed statistics of your performance in every game. You can see those statistics, as well as a complete list of every tile in the initial supply for each game, by tapping More | Statistics.
Nightmare Mode
Nightmare Mode is for truly courageous warriors. In Nightmare Mode, in-play scoring no longer functions. This means you can't see how many points a word is worth. Even worse, the Play button stops lighting up when the play is legal (instead, it just glows a menacing purple all the time). As if this weren't bad enough: if you try to play an illegal turn, you'll forfeit your turn without any warning! If players play 3 invalid turns in a row, the game will end immediately. Nightmare Mode offers several achievements and rewards for the bravest of the brave.
Frequent QuestionsLink to this
Troubleshooting
The game keeps crashing, locking up, or acting strangely. What should I do?Link to this
First, try restarting your device. Hold down your device's Lock button for a few seconds until a "slide to turn off" prompt appears. Slide it, and wait for the device to power off. Next, hold the Lock button again for a few seconds until you see the Apple logo, and wait for it to start back up.
Also, always make sure you have a strong connection to the Internet before playing (preferably on wi-fi).
If restarting doesn't help, the next step is to delete War of Words 2 and reinstall it. You won't lose any of your games when you do this, because we store them on our servers.
Still not working? Make sure you're running the latest version of iOS. Apple has an article about how to do it here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4623
You can update iOS wirelessly right from your Settings app, so it should be a cinch.
Next up: sometimes our third-party advertising providers cause problems. Many times, disabling ads will improve performance and prevent certain rare issues with the game. You can disable ads from the Store. We recommend trying this to see if it fixes the problem.
If you still can't connect, try resetting your Network Settings. This can be done by launching the Settings app, then choosing General, Reset, Reset Network Settings.
Here are some further network troubleshooting tips from Apple:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3780
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1398
If all else fails, something may be corrupted on your device. The next thing to try is a full restore of your device via iTunes on your computer. Here's an article from Apple that describes the process:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1414
If you still can't get your device to work, your last option is to take your device to an Apple store for technical support.
Sending turns and chat messages seems to take forever. Sometimes it times out. What should I do?Link to this
First, try restarting your device. If you're connected via wi-fi, try restarting any routers, switches, or modems on your network. If you're connected via cellular, make sure you have a strong connection. War of Words 2 will take slightly longer to send turns over a cellular connection. Also keep in mind that the War of Words 2 servers are located in the eastern United States, so there may be some latency (especially if you don't live in the United States).
Where do I send a support ticket?Link to this
From within the game, go to the Options menu, select Get Support at the bottom, and enter a description of your issue. We'll get back with you as soon as possible.
User Names and Invites
What is my user name?Link to this
Your War of Words 2 user name is actually your Game Center nickname (although we do remove a few special characters from your Game Center nickname if you used them, namely: ~, /, \, <, >, |, and ,).
How do I change my user name?Link to this
First, open the Game Center app on your device. Tap on the "Me" tab if it's not already selected. Next, find your email address listed toward the middle of the screen, and tap it. Select View Account. Enter your password if prompted. Scroll down to find your nickname, and change it. Your new nickname can't already be in use by another Game Center user. Tap Done when finished.
Now that you've changed your Game Center nickname, you need to log out of War of Words. Double tap your Home button to bring up the multitasking bar. Find the War of Words icon and tap-and-hold it. It will start wiggling and a minus sign (-) will appear. Tap the minus to close War of Words. When you launch War of Words again, it should pick up the new nickname you chose! (Note: Any games you had already created prior to changing your nickname will not pick up the new name. Future games you create will use the new nickname.)
How do I stop getting games from random players?Link to this
On the main menu, select Options. Turn off "Accept Randoms."
I have an emoji in my nickname. Can others send me games?Link to this
Yes, if they enter the emoji properly.
Titles and Avatars
Why do people have different icons next to their name in the game list?Link to this
Players in War of Words 2 each have an "Avatar", which is the representation of their character to the community. By default, players assume an avatar which is the first letter of their nickname. Players can earn avatars via achievements, or purchase many of them through the Store. This adds a layer of customizability.
Why do some of my opponents have extra text next to their name?Link to this
War of Words 2 players can earn various "Titles" as they play. Most titles are earned through achievements, and are the primary way players can show off to each other. A few titles are also available for purchase in the store. Want to know how your opponent got his or her title? Ask them!
How do I obtain new titles and avatars?Link to this
Most titles and avatars are awarded through earning various achievements. A few of them can be purchased from the Store.
When I change my title or avatar, or reach a new level, why don't my opponents see that change right away?Link to this
It can take some time for your opponents to see your new level/title/avatar. In general, as soon as they play a turn against you, they'll get updated with the right info. Or, if they challenge you to a new game, they'll also get updated. Restarting the game completely (by terminating it from the multitasking bar) will cause the game to refresh all your opponents' titles and avatars.
Gameplay and Action Tiles
It's really hard to see under the letters. What can I do?Link to this
War of Words 2 includes a "peek" feature just for this. On iPhone and iPod Touch, tap and hold on the score area at the bottom left of your screen. On iPad, you may either tap and hold the button near the top right of the screen entitled "Peek", or tap and hold the bottom left area by the Experience Bar. iPhone 5 players who are displaying the larger control area at the bottom may also use the dedicated Peek button.
The Peek function will start by dimming out all overlays, score badges, certain types of scenery, and other non-letter graphics. Keep holding Peek, and after about half a second, it will dim out all the letters on the board too, allowing you to see under them to the action tiles.
I keep forgetting what the tiles do!Link to this
If Tutorials are enabled within the Options menu, tap and hold an action in your rack for about a second. A pop-up hint will appear with a quick summary of what that tile does, and it will offer to take you through an interactive tutorial. Alternatively, you may visit the Armory via the Main Menu to view a complete description for each of the Actions.
How do I shuffle my rack?Link to this
Shake your device. iPad players can tap the Shuffle button near the top left of the screen. Players on iPhone 5 and up, who have their full interface enabled, can tap the dedicated Shuffle button.
Why can't I play certain tiles where I want to?Link to this
Tiles can't be placed on any letter that is currently in-play during that turn. So if you just laid down an "S", you can't play a 5W over that "S". Similarly, you can't play a 5W on top of another Multiplier that you played during the same turn. If you want to lay an action under a letter, play the action first, followed by the letter.
You can't play most action tiles on Water. You can't play anything except Black Hole on Lava. You can't play anything on top of indestructible scenery found in expansion packs.
How do I know which words are mine on the board?Link to this
Each player is assigned a color. Check your rack to see what color you are. By default, Player 1 is orange, Player 2 is purple, Player 3 is blue, and Player 4 is green.
To help reduce confusion, you can elect to always be a certain color. In the Options menu, there is an option called "Preferred Tile Color", where you can select a tile color you wish to be in every game. This will cause you to appear as that color to yourself in every game. Since your opponents may have selected the same color for themselves, they might see you as a different color.
After a destructive tile has caused an explosion and it is the next person's turn, can they play on the place where the destroyed tiles used to be?Link to this
Yes, they can! Be careful what you blow up!
What is the 11L Tile and where is it found?Link to this
When you destroy a scenery tile (things like bricks, wooden crates, flowers, dirt, stone, and plants), you have a 1% chance to reveal an 11L multiplier. If a Black Hole destroys scenery or a Titanium tile, it has a 10% chance to reveal an 11L tile. Pirate Ships, being equipped with generally high-quality treasure maps, have a 50% chance to uncover an 11L tile when they destroy scenery. When Quicksand collapses, it has a 10% chance to leave behind one or more 11L tiles.
It seems like I'm not getting enough Action Tiles. Why?Link to this
Most actions are balanced in War of Words 2, meaning that each player will eventually obtain the same number of them. Whichever actions are selected for a particular game are distributed evenly between the players. The actions are handed out at random times, however, so you never know when you'll get the actions you need. Some actions, like Nuclear Bomb, are handed out randomly and are completely luck-of-the-draw (not balanced between all the players).
In general, and especially once you reach level 17 and higher, it is in your best interest to play your action tiles very soon after you receive them. Hoarding action tiles in your rack causes the supply to get backed up, and will greatly reduce your chances of receiving all the actions in the supply.
Why are there no in-game score bubbles for Destructive Tiles prior to pushing Play? Link to this
Because the Destructive Tiles are so powerful in War of Words 2, it would detract from the game's strategy if a player were allowed to drag a Destructive Tile around the board until they found the most points to destroy. It takes effort to make the "big point words", thus it should then take some effort to figure out how to destroy them. Use the Peek button liberally, and work on your math skills!
Why don't I just get all the action tiles at the beginning of the game?Link to this
Although almost every action tile in War of Words 2 is balanced (meaning each player will eventually get the same number of them), we do want to maintain an element of luck. This is why tiles are distributed essentially at random. But if you need a tile right now, consider purchasing it from the Reserves!
Why doesn't the Statistics screen show which tiles have been used or given out?Link to this
Showing you which tiles have been drawn and/or played would eliminate the luck-of-the-draw factor. Similar to counting cards in a casino, it defeats a large part of the purpose of the game.
Expansion Packs
I'm bored! Will there ever be any new action tiles or boards?Link to this
Expansion packs are available for purchase in the Store. Expansions raise the level cap and add even more new action tiles, boards, and interesting mechanics to the game.
Why can't I destroy some of the new scenery like the Mayan Temple, Volcano, Shipwreck, Bridge, Burning Tiki Idol, or Fountain?Link to this
Expansion packs introduce a new type of scenery: indestructible scenery. These specific scenery types are used as "set pieces" that help stage the scene, or which provide certain mechanics for the board. Indestructible scenery cannot be destroyed by any means whatsoever. When you use Peek to look at the board, look for tiles with a red X on them. That indicates an indestructible location on the board.
On the Race Against the Volcano board, we can't play any more. How do we end the game?Link to this
The volcano usually wins. If you can't play any more on the Race Against the Volcano board, just Pass three times in a row. (Helpful hint: try using Black Holes to eliminate the lava, and play words using as many letters as possible in each turn!)
Your Games
How many games can I play at once?Link to this
War of Words 2 allows up to 10 active games at a time, including Pass and Play games. If you'd like to play more games at a time, visit the Store. There, you can purchase 5-packs of additional concurrent games, up to a maximum of 60 games. Or you can purchase the Gladiator's Bundle, which immediately unlocks all the content in the game, including 60 game slots.
If you'd like even more games, you can get 120 game slots by becoming a Patron. Visit the page here for more information:
Patreon Campaign
Can I play multiple games with the same person at once?Link to this
Yep!
What happens if my opponent doesn't play? Will the game time out?Link to this
Games with no turns played will automatically time out after 7 days. Once any turn has been played, games will time out after 30 days if no further turns are played. If one of your opponents makes the game wait for 3 or more days, any player can choose More | Kick Idle Player to remove them from the game. If there are at least 2 players remaining after the kick, the game will continue. The kicked player incurs a loss.
How do I delete games from the Finished Games tab?Link to this
There's no need to manually delete games from the Finished tab. They will automatically delete themselves as soon as you have more than 10 finished games. The oldest games will be deleted first.
Playing on Multiple Devices or with Multiple Accounts
If I have multiple devices, do I have to purchase Disable Advertising on each one separately?Link to this
Nope! As long as you use the same Apple ID credentials to log into the App Store, you only need to purchase Disable Advertising once. This applies even if you use multiple Game Center accounts and multiple devices. Here's a breakdown of how it works:
- When you purchase Disable Advertising, it applies to all Game Center accounts on the single device you purchased it on.
- If you move to a second device, but keep the same Game Center account, the ads will stay disabled for you.
- But if you move to a second device AND a second Game Center account, the ads will not be disabled. Luckily, there's a simple solution! On the second device, make sure you're signed in with the same App Store account where you purchased the item. Then go into the War of Words 2 Store, scroll all the way to the bottom, and tap Restore Purchases. It will then restore the Disable Advertising item to your new device, and that new Game Center user will permanently carry a record of having purchased the item.
Can I play War of Words 2 on someone else's device, even if they already play the game too?Link to this
You can play your own War of Words games on someone else's device. To do that, you need to sign in to Game Center using your own account.
On the other person's device, simply tap Home a few times until you see a black screen with a Search box. Type "Game Center". It should pull up the Game Center app, and you need to tap it to launch it. Once in Game Center, tap the tab at the bottom that says "Me". Then, there is a ribbon in the middle that says "Account: (email)". Tap that, and select sign out. From there, you can sign back in using your own credentials.
When you launch War of Words 2 next, it will detect the new user and take a moment to load in your games.
Once you're done playing, your friend will need to log in to Game Center using his or her own account.
Can I play War of Words 2 on the same device but with multiple Game Center accounts?Link to this
Yes. Simply launch the separate Game Center application on your device. Tap on your email address that appears, then tap Sign Out. Then, sign in using a different account. When you return to War of Words 2, it will detect the change and take a moment to switch its game list from the server.
Leaderboards
Where do you find the leaderboards?Link to this
On the main menu, select Leaderboards and Achievements, and then pick Leaderboards.
Is my Weighted Score reported to the leaderboards?Link to this
At the moment, Game Center does not support the leaderboard features necessary to incorporate your Average Score or Weighted Score. If Apple adds this feature, we'll add those leaderboards!
How do I move up in the ranking on the primary leaderboard?Link to this
The primary leaderboard is based on the number of games you've won. Win more games, and you'll move up! There are many other leaderboards based on other factors.
The Dictionary
What dictionary does War of Words 2 use?Link to this
The War of Words dictionary is derived from the Enhanced North American Benchmark Lexicon (ENABLE), a public domain word list. The list was originally released in 1997 and has been enhanced since then. War of Words uses a modified version of ENABLE, with certain objectionable words removed, and other words (particularly popular two-letter words) added. You should find the War of Words word list to be very similar to other word games.
In general, proper nouns and acronyms are not included in the dictionary. Certain highly used acronyms and modern slang may from time to time appear in the dictionary, even though most of them do not. Profanity is not allowed, but you may find certain words in the dictionary that are offensive to you. In general, the goal is to eliminate as many offensive words as possible, but this is not always completely achieved, especially since different countries, ethnic and religious groups will choose a different set of permissible words. Many two-letter words which are not in the official Scrabble dictionary are in fact in the War of Words dictionary. This enables additional gameplay by allowing more interesting two-letter combinations.
The official Scrabble dictionary is copyrighted, and cannot be used in other games.
You may from time to time find words in the dictionary that you do not think should be there. Or, you may have a word that you think should be in the dictionary, but is not. In every case, we are happy to hear your feedback, and future updates to the game may in fact take your suggestions into account. Just tap Get Support at the bottom of the Options menu.
The Store and Expansions
If I purchase something from the Store on one device, does it appear on all my devices?Link to this
Yes, as long as you are logged in with the same Game Center user on both devices. You only need to purchase something once from the Store. All purchased items are saved on the server, tied to your unique Game Center user. You may need to restart the game (by terminating it from the multitasking bar) in order to see new purchases made on a separate device.
If I purchase an Expansion Pack, can I challenge someone who doesn't own the expansion?Link to this
Yes, as long as that player has updated to the latest version from the App Store. As long as you own the expansion, you can challenge anyone else, bringing in any of the new tiles from that expansion, or using any of the new boards. The players you challenge may participate in games you start, but they can't issue their own challenges using the new tiles or boards unless they purchase the expansion for themselves.
What's NewLink to this
Welcome to War of Words 2! If you played the original War of Words, you'll notice many changes in this game. These changes were made to make the game more fair and balanced, to smooth out the learning curve for new players, and to enhance the competitiveness, sense of community, and sense of place. Take a few minutes to read through the changes below before you get started.
We intend this section to be read by players who already have experience playing the original War of Words (referred to as “War of Words Classic”).
Four Player Games
Games can now be created between 2, 3 or 4 players.
Player Levels
Players new to the War of Words series will start out at level 1. If you've completed at least 20 games in War of Words Classic, you're considered a Veteran! In that case, we promote you to level 7, which is where you get your first new action tile (Poison). From there, you need to “level up” by earning experience points. You earn experience points by playing turns and finishing games – it's that simple!
Once you fill up your experience bar, you'll advance to the next level. Each level unlocks one or more action tiles or game mechanics, as well as one or more new board layouts.
The War of Words 2 Base Game has a level cap of 12. Expansions are purchasable from the Store, and these raise the level cap and grant even more actions.
Avatars and Titles
Avatars and titles are awarded when various achievements are earned. They are a great way to customize your character and show off your accomplishments! Some titles and avatars are also available for purchase in the Store. You can change which avatar and title you are currently wearing from the Character screen.
Silver Stars
Silver Stars are used to purchase actions from the Reserves, as well as cosmetic items from the Store. They are earned naturally when you complete games and reach new levels, or they can be purchased from the Store. You can also earn free Silver Stars by watching a short video or completing an offer. If you don't want to use Silver Stars, just turn off the Reserves when you start a game. This option becomes available starting at level 6.
The Reserves
Ever wish for a Bomb in the middle of a game? Now you can call in the Reserves! At any point in a game, using your Silver Stars, you can purchase any action that's been enabled for the game (even if you haven't reached a high enough level to unlock it yet). Or, you can choose to purchase a Wildcard tile. Each player can make a purchase from the Reserves one time per game. Visit the Armory to see how much each tile costs. Access the Reserves by tapping More | Use A Reserve Tile. You can turn the Reserves off when starting a game, starting at level 6.
The Store
The store allows warriors to purchase extra Silver Stars, avatars, and titles. You can earn free Silver Stars by watching a short video or completing an offer. You can also extend your concurrent games beyond the initial limit of 5, disable advertising, and jump to the maximum level. Expansions are available for purchase, raising your level cap and granting you even more new actions.
New Action Tiles
Many new actions have been added to the game, and a few of the old ones have been removed. Unlike War of Words Classic, the various game boards no longer come complete with Action Tiles in the supply. Whoever starts the game gets to choose which actions to bring in. Visit the Armory to view all the action tiles included in War of Words 2.
Multipliers
Multiplier tiles now go up to 8L and 8W. When a game is created, the server randomly chooses three of the seven possible Letter Multipliers and three of the seven possible Word Multipliers, and gives one of each to every player. You never know which six Multipliers you'll get until you start a game and check the supply via the Statistics screen.
New Word Scoring
Word Multiplier Tiles are no longer multiplicative with each other; instead, they are additive. For example, let's say you played a word over a 3W and an 8W. In War of Words Classic, this would have multiplied your entire word by 24. In War of Words 2, it multiplies the word by 11. This has the effect of smoothing out scoring and making the game more evenly competitive.
New Destructive Scoring
Destructive tiles (like Bombs) now take multipliers into account. Just like word scoring, Letter Multipliers are counted first, then multiplied by the total of the Word Multipliers. The grand total is then deducted from the owner's score. This makes destructive tiles much more powerful.
Titanium Tile
The friendly Barricade from War of Words Classic has been renamed to Titanium. It's also almost indestructible! Bombs and Blasters and most other destructive tiles can't destroy a Titanium tile. The only thing that can eliminate Titanium is a Black Hole tile.
Bonus Letter
The Bonus Letter (you know, the glowing letter that gives you 10 extra points) has been made more powerful. In War of Words Classic, the bonus letter would grant you a flat 10 points. In War of Words 2, those 10 points are multiplied by the total of any W multipliers placed under the word attached to the Bonus Letter. So if you utilized the bonus letter on your word, and your word had a 5W under it, you'd get 50 points instead of 10. Note that any Word multipliers that exist under the Bonus Tile do not count.
Those 10 points can also be counted more than once if you create two words in a single play that use the bonus letter.
Bingos
In War of Words 2, there are three types of BINGOs that can be earned:
- 40 POINT BINGO: Play all 8 of your tiles in a single turn (with a mix of actions and letters)
- 65 POINT BINGO: Play 7 letters in a single turn
- 100 POINT BINGO: Play 8 letters in a single turn
Scenery Tiles
Scenery tiles – stuff like bricks, wooden crates, flowers, and dirt – have been added to the game. This gives War of Words 2 a sense of “place” and makes it more colorful. Scenery tiles are a lot like the Barricade tile in War of Words Classic – any destructive tile can destroy them.
The Combat Log and Effect Badges
The new actions in War of Words 2 get a lot more complicated. Many of them continue to work over several turns (or for the rest of the game). With everything that's going on, it can be difficult to follow the action. To remedy that, War of Words 2 adds two new features. The Combat Log is accessible at any time, and tells you step-by-step everything that's happened, including which tiles were played. Effect Badges help you visualize how effective certain tiles were (Bomb, Blaster, Medic and Poison, for example).
Official RulesLink to this
Placement Rules
- A single contiguous horizontal or vertical line of letters must be played on the board. This word must connect with at least one other word on the board, be situated over a Star, or be played partially or fully on Water. (If you don't know what Water is, check out the War of Words 2 expansions in the Store!) Letters can be placed so that multiple new words are formed simultaneously using neighboring letters, as long as each word that is created is valid.
- Portal Tiles drastically change how players may place words on the board. See the thorough description of Portal in the Armory for more details. Be aware that portals significantly complicate things, making it much more difficult to determine which word placements are legal. Many placements you expect to be legal may not be, and vice versa.
- In lieu of playing a word, one or more Action Tiles may be played. This counts as a turn.
- Any Action Tiles may be played as well as a word during a single turn.
- Moving a Rain or Whirlwind tile, and not doing anything else, does not count as a turn. At least one tile of any type must be played.
- Each word is checked for validity against the War of Words word list.
- The game automatically attempts to find a valid word when a Wildcard Tile is encountered. All possibilities for the wildcards are checked until a word is found. If no word is found, the word is not valid. Wildcards are evaluated separately for each word they are in; therefore, a single Wildcard Tile can act as multiple letters simultaneously.
- Players are only allowed 5 swaps total in a single game.
Turns are scored in the following order using the following rules.
Constructive Scoring
- For any letters played during this turn, multiply the score listed on each letter by the value listed on any L Multipliers under it. (Letters that are part of this word, but not played during this turn, do not utilize any Multiplier Tiles.) If the board is irradiated (meaning a Nuclear Bomb had been played at some point), all letters are worth 1 point.
- If the letter is positioned on Water which has been electrified, the letter will be multiplied by the listed electrification multiplier. This resulting value will be displayed directly on the letter tile itself.
- Add up each letter's score in the word.
- If the Bonus Letter is one of the letters in the word, add 10 points to the word.
- For each W Multiplier under letters that were played during this turn, multiply the entire word's score by the value listed on the Multiplier Tile. (Letters that were not played during this turn do not utilize any Multipliers.) W Multipliers are additive with each other. For example, if a word is played over a 3W and a 5W, the word's score is multiplied by 8.
- It's possible to create multiple words with the same play. When this happens, each new word is scored separately as above. Multipliers are counted multiple times if they are under letters that were played during this turn.
- If a player plays 8 letters in a single turn, they receive a "bingo" and an extra 100 points.
- Or, if a player plays 7 letters in a single turn, they receive a "bingo" and an extra 65 points.
- Failing that, if a player plays 8 tiles in a single turn (which can be any mix of letters or actions), they receive a "bingo" and an extra 40 points.
Destructive Scoring
- A Destructive Tile is an Action Tile that actually removes one or more tiles from the board.
- If a Bomb was played, all letters, wildcards, and scenery tiles (for example, bricks, wooden crates, flowers, dirt, stone, plants, etc.) in a 3x3 square centered on the Bomb Tile will be destroyed (unless a Shield owned by the opposite player is positioned over them).
- If a Blaster was played, all letters, wildcards, and scenery tiles to the left, right, above, or below the Blaster (depending on which direction the Blaster is facing) will be destroyed, unless a Shield owned by the opposite player is positioned over them, or until a Titanium Tile is encountered.
- If a Whirlwind was played or moved to a new location, all letters, wildcards, scenery tiles (for example, bricks, wooden crates, flowers, dirt, stone, plants, etc.) and Multiplier tiles in a 3x3 square under the Whirlwind's area of effect will be destroyed (unless a Shield owned by the opposite player is positioned over them).
- The value of all letters, multiplied by any underlying Multipliers, destroyed in this way will be deducted from the players who own them. Multipliers are not destroyed except by Black Hole, Quicksand, and Whirlwind. Other action tiles are not destroyed except by Black Hole. Any Multipliers revealed in this manner may be used again in a future turn.
- When a scenery tile is destroyed by a player, there is a 1% chance it will reveal an 11L multiplier. If a Black Hole destroys a scenery tile or Titanium, it has a 5% chance to reveal an 11L. When a Pirate Ship destroys a scenery tile, it has a 50% chance to reveal an 11L tile. When Quicksand collapses, it has a 10% chance to reveal an 11L tile.
- If multiple destructive tiles are played in a single turn, each one is evaluated consecutively from top to bottom and left to right on the board. Each destructive tile only destroys any given tile once. You can destroy the same word you play along with any destructive tile. You'll get credit for the word first, then lose the points for anything that was destroyed.
- The above scoring and logic applies to all destructive tiles even if not specifically listed above (e.g. Bomb, Blaster, Black Hole, Fire, Lightning, and Whirlwind). Nuclear Bomb is technically a destructive tile, but it behaves differently — it destroys all letters and scenery on the board, and does not cause any player to lose points. Black Hole and Quicksand are also special, in that Shields can't stop them.
Persistent Tiles and Effects
- Poison Tiles are evaluated every turn. In a 3x3 area centered on the tile, points are deducted from whoever owns any letters or wildcards in that area. 1 point is deducted for each letter or wildcard, unless the tile is over a Multiplier tile. If so, the listed number on the multiplier is deducted. So an 8L tile will cause an 8 point deduction, and a 5W tile will cause a 5 point deduction. These larger deductions only occur if a letter or wildcard was played on top of the multiplier.
- Medic Tiles are evaluated every turn. In a 3x3 area centered on the tile, points are granted to whoever owns any letters or wildcards in that area. 1 point is granted for each letter or wildcard, unless the tile is over a Multiplier tile. If so, the listed number on the multiplier is granted. So an 8L tile will cause an addition of 8 points, and a 5W tile will cause an addition of 5 points. These larger additions only occur if a letter or wildcard was played on top of the multiplier.
- Clouds exist only on the Cloudy Day in the Park board. Clouds obscure an area on the board approximately 5x5 in size. You can't see under clouds (the Peek feature will not hide them). If you're playing any tile under a cloud, in-play scoring stops working. This intentionally makes it more difficult to play words under clouds. After each turn, swap, or pass, the clouds move around the board independently in a random fashion.
- Black Hole Tiles exist for 4 turns. They start at a 1x1 size, and increase to 3x3, 5x5, and 7x7. After a black hole has been 7x7 for one turn, it collapses and disappears. During the collapse, it may reveal various random multipliers.
- Fire is evaluated every turn. Under each square that is currently pictured on fire, destructible scenery and letters are destroyed. All destroyed tiles are calculated together at once, including any Multipliers under them. After tiles are destroyed, Fire has a chance to grow to one or more additional squares. (It won't immediately destroy the new tiles it has grown to until the following turn.)
- Rain Tiles are evaluated every turn. In a 3x3 area under the pictured graphic, points are granted to whoever owns any letters or wildcards in that area. 1 point is granted for each letter or wildcard, unless the tile is over a Multiplier tile. If so, the listed number on the multiplier is granted. So an 8L tile will cause an addition of 8 points, and a 5W tile will cause an addition of 5 points. These larger additions only occur if a letter or wildcard was played on top of the multiplier. Additionally, Rain causes any Multipliers under it to grow by +1, with a maximum of 8L, 8W, or 9LW. When Rain is positioned over Sand, it has a chance to grow LW Multipliers. See the Armory for more details on this process.
- Water has an Electrification Multiplier that starts at 1. Each time a Lightning tile is played within Water, the multiplier is doubled, up to a maximum of 512 (which requires 9 Lightning tiles to achieve). Once the multiplier reaches 2 or higher, players will see a graphic indicating the current multiplier for that patch of Water. Each Water patch is normally independent of each other (with separate multipliers), except for the water on the River Delta and Swampland boards. The Electrification Multiplier is used to calculate the score for any letters played on that patch of Water.
- Whirlwind Tiles exist for 3 of their owner's turns, and are evaluated every turn. In a 3x3 area under the pictured graphic, all letters, scenery, and Multipliers are destroyed (unless the tiles are inside an opponent's Shield).
- Quicksand Tiles exist for 3 turns. They start at a 1x1 size, and increase to 3x3 and then 5x5. As Quicksand expands, it re-scores every tile within its area of effect, exactly as if all those tiles had been played by their owners during that turn. If a Sandstorm is active at the time, Quicksand additionally multiplies that score by 2. After Quicksand has been 5x5 for one turn, it collapses and disappears. During the collapse, it removes any letters, Multipliers, and Shields in its area of effect, and it may reveal various new multipliers at random. Quicksand has no effect whatsoever on areas of the board which are not Sand.
End of Game
- The game ends when all letters are exhausted from the supply, and one of the players plays all of their letters. Actions can remain in the supply, and can also remain in players' racks, and they will not stop the game from ending if all letters are used up.
- The game also ends on the third consecutive Pass. So in a two player game if Player 1 passes, then Player 2 passes, then Player 1 passes, the game will end. In a 3-4 player game, if Player 1 passes, then Player 2 passes, then Player 3 passes, the game will end, etc.
- During the first round of turns, any player may choose to Leave Game without incurring a loss on their record.
- Once the first round of play is over (play has come back to the original challenger), any player who elects to Forfeit Game will incur a loss. As long as at least 2 players remain in the game, the game will continue.
- If the game ends because the second-to-last player resigns, the remaining player wins the game.
- When a player doesn't play a turn for at least 3 days, other players in the game can elect to Kick Idle Player. This causes the idle player to incur a loss and be removed from the game. If kicking the idle player results in the game ending, and the remaining player has a higher score, the remaining player receives a win.
- Players who leave a game early become "inactive". Inactive players are not allowed to access the Combat Log or Chat. Inactive players may still observe the game as it is being played, but will not receive push notifications about the game (so the game will not auto-update at any time). Inactive players may still lose or gain points during the game, depending on persistent effects or if their tiles are destroyed by other players. Inactive players cannot win the game, however, even if the game ends and they have the most points.
- For the purposes of the win/loss record, players who leave a game early (but after the initial round of turns) take a loss and cannot win.
- Players who leave a game early never have their Average Score or Weighted Score adjusted.
- When the game ends, any letters remaining in each player's rack will be deducted from the player's score. This deduction occurs even if the game ended due to three consecutive passes. It does not occur when the game ends due to players resigning. Action Tiles that remain in the rack are not worth any points and will not change the score.
- Games can end in a tie.
- At the conclusion of the game, all players' scores are reported to the Game Center leaderboard.
Pass and Play Games
- Although Pass and Play games are played all on a single device, an Internet connection is still required in order to allow the server to process and store the turns appropriately.
- Players cannot earn achievements from Pass and Play games.
- Pass and Play games are not reported to Game Center leaderboards.
- You cannot use the Reserves in a Pass and Play game.
- Pass and Play games do not automatically prompt you to tweet high scores and wins.
- Pass and Play games do not save the last positions of tiles in your rack.
- You can't access Chat in a Pass and Play game. Instead, on an iPhone or iPod Touch, the Chat button at the top right of your screen turns into the Radiation icon, which brings up the Combat Log.
- You can't Kick Idle Player in a Pass and Play game.
- Resigning in a Pass and Play always ends the game immediately.