Arrow puzzle rules: when can an arrow leave?
Learn how arrow removal puzzles work, how to trace an exit path, why a blocked tap fails, and how to check a move before you make it.
Updated 2026-11-13
An arrow can leave when the straight path ahead of its arrowhead is completely clear. Tap a clear arrow to remove it; a blocked tap leaves the board unchanged and adds a mistake.
Read the head before the body
An arrow may have a bent or winding body, but its head gives the direction to inspect. Start immediately in front of the head and trace a straight line in that direction until you are outside the board. Every occupied cell along that exit line matters, even if it belongs to a distant part of the picture.
Do not trace along the curves of the arrow's body as though you were following a road. Those curves tell you which cells the arrow occupies. They do not turn the straight exit line into a route around obstacles. Another arrow in that line blocks the move, and the selected arrow's own body can block it too.
A small example
Imagine an arrow called A pointing right. There is an empty cell immediately ahead of it, followed farther right by part of arrow B. A is blocked: a nearby gap is insufficient. If B has a clear exit of its own, remove B first, then inspect A's entire line again.
Now suppose arrow C points upward and has no occupied cells above its head. C is available even if arrows touch its sides. Side contact alone is not the test. The question is whether anything occupies the straight ray ahead of the head.
| Observation | What it means |
|---|---|
| Empty cell just ahead | Keep checking farther along the ray |
| Another arrow on the ray | The selected arrow cannot leave yet |
| Own body on the ray | The selected arrow is blocked |
| Empty ray all the way out | The arrow can be removed |
What a tap does
A legal tap removes the selected arrow. It does not push a neighbour, shove a row, rotate a piece, or make a bent arrow turn a corner. A blocked tap adds a mistake and leaves the arrows in place. Repeating that tap without removing the blocker therefore cannot help.
This distinction changes how to plan. In a pushing puzzle, moving one object might put it in another object's way. Here, removing an available arrow reduces occupied cells. An arrow that was clear does not become blocked because another clear arrow disappeared. You do not need to find a single prescribed removal order.
Your first board, step by step
- Pick a head with a short, easy-to-read exit line.
- Follow that line all the way beyond the occupied board.
- Check for thin body segments as well as obvious arrowheads.
- Tap only after the whole line passes the check.
- Revisit arrows whose lines crossed the cells you just cleared.
Repeat this process until all arrows are gone. A large picture may need many repetitions, but the move rule stays the same. The picture's outline is a visual aid rather than an extra rule about which part must disappear first.
Common misunderstandings
An outward-facing head is a useful place to start looking, but it is not automatically unblocked. A protruding part of the picture may still lie ahead. Likewise, an arrow deep inside the board may have a clear corridor straight through an empty opening. Inspect the actual cells rather than deciding from the head's distance to the edge.
When you hesitate, distinguish uncertainty about the rule from difficulty seeing the line. Restate the rule, then scan slowly. If you still cannot identify an available move, a hint can highlight a removable arrow. Before tapping it, trace its ray yourself so the hint becomes a repeatable lesson.
Where to play
Arvia offers arrow-removal puzzles on iOS, including a 25,000-level campaign and picture-shaped boards. Start with a campaign board and practise checking each complete exit ray before tapping.