Layers Game #2

Sep 16 Hints

Reveal only what you need. Nothing on this page shows an answer until you open it.

Quick hint

Stars, talons, strings and something you read with breakfast.

Layer 1 hints

Mini puzzle 1 · Clue Stack

First clue: “It has remarkably sharp eyesight.”

Hint 1 · General direction

It's a bird.

Hint 2 · More specific

It builds huge nests called eyries.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

E _ _ L E

Mini puzzle 2 · Missing Link

___CASTLE · QUICK___ · ___BOX

Hint 1 · General direction

You'll find it on a beach.

Hint 2 · More specific

An hourglass is full of it.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

S _ _ D

Mini puzzle 3 · Word Shift

Start at WORM and shift 3 times. First clue: “Pleasantly hot”

Hint 1 · General direction

You'll end on a musical instrument.

Hint 2 · More specific

The last word has strings you pluck.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

W?RM → WAR? → ?ARP

Mini puzzle 4 · Letter Path

Clue: “A swift bird of prey — also a Millennium ___”

Hint 1 · General direction

It's used in the sport of hawking.

Hint 2 · More specific

The peregrine kind is famously fast.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

F _ _ C _ N — starts at the highlighted F (row 2, column 3)

Layer 2 hints

Most straightforward group

What the group is about

One group is written in the stars.

Two words that belong together

ARIES and LEO

Medium group

What the group is about

One group hunts from the sky.

Two words that belong together

EAGLE and HAWK

Tricky group

What the group is about

One group belongs in an orchestra or a bluegrass band.

Two words that belong together

VIOLIN and CELLO

Trickiest group

What the group is about

One group comes before a word you can write on.

Two words that belong together

WALL and NEWS

Final layer hints

Today's final layer is a First Letters.

Final hint 1

Use only the first letter of each key.

Final hint 2

It rolls onto the beach.

Final hint 3

The answer looks like: W _ _ E

Still stuck?

How to play

Every puzzle has three layers. Peel them one at a time.

  1. Layer 1 — Mini Puzzles. Solve four quick puzzles: a Clue Stack, a Missing Link, a Word Shift and a Letter Path.
  2. Layer 2 — Connections. Sort 16 words into four groups of four. Your Layer 1 answers are on the board, marked ●. Five mistakes and the groups are revealed.
  3. Final Layer. Each group gives you a key word. Use all four keys to crack one last question. You get three tries.

Stuck? Every layer has hints. A new puzzle unlocks at midnight in your time zone.

Read the full guide