The basics: what is a merge-2 game?
In a merge-2 game, two identical items combine into one better item. Two pieces of flour make dough, two doughs make pita, and so on up a chain of ten or more levels. The higher an item's level, the more it is worth.
Taverna Tales is a merge-2 game with a story. Every dish you make goes to a customer, every coin you earn goes into restoring a seaside taverna and the town around it. If you have played Gossip Harbor or similar merge games, you already know the core loop.
Generators make items
Generators are the special items on your board that make new things. There are six: the market basket, the copper cezve, the fishing net, the fig tree, the sweet cart and the olive press. Tap one and it pops out an item next to it. Each tap uses 1 energy.
Generators can be merged too. A higher-level generator makes better items and holds more charges. Some rest for a while after a burst of taps; the timer is shown on the generator.
Orders pay coins
Customers wait at the top of the screen, each with a plate showing what they want. When you have the item on the board, tap Serve or drag it straight onto the customer.
Not sure how to make something? Tap the item on the customer's plate to see its chain and which generator makes it. Changed your mind about a move? Tap Undo.
Restore the taverna
Coins pay for the taverna's tasks: clear the terrace, fix the door, plant the herb garden. Each task you finish earns XP, moves the story forward and reveals part of the restored scene. Finish all of a chapter's tasks to complete a place, then move on to the next one on the map of Olive Bay.
Along the way you also collect decorations, like a bougainvillea pot from the neighbours. Tap Decorate on the map to place them and make Olive Bay more beautiful.
Energy, gems and chests
You can hold up to 100 energy, and it refills by 1 every 2 minutes. You also get it from level-ups, chests, daily gifts and energy jugs. Gems are the rare currency: use them for more bag space, to skip a timer or to keep a lucky bubble before it pops.
Chests drop from level-ups and events. Tap to open one and its rewards land on your board.
Crates and nets
Early boards are full of wooden crates. Merge two items right next to a crate to open it and free the square. An item caught in a net can't be moved: merge its twin onto it to set it free.
12 merge game tips that actually help
Keep the board tidy
A full board is the most common reason players get stuck. Sell low-level items you have too many of and leave a few empty squares for generators to drop into.
Use the bag
Items you'll need later go in the bag, not on the board. It frees space without losing anything.
Think before you pop a bubble
Some merges release a lucky bubble holding a bonus item. Keeping it costs gems, so only do it when the item is something you really need.
Look at the orders first
Before tapping a generator, check what the customers want. Make for the orders, not for the sake of making.
Serve the big orders
Higher-level dishes pay more coins and more festival tokens. A single big order is often worth three small ones.
Don't let energy overflow
Energy stops refilling when it's full. Spend it before bed or a long break so none goes to waste.
Merge generators early
A higher-level generator makes better items for the same energy. Upgrading one early pays for itself quickly.
Check the chain
Tap any item to see its full chain. Knowing what comes next helps you decide what to keep and what to sell.
Save your boosters
Scissors split an item in two, the Rainbow Gem lifts any item a level and the Hourglass speeds up timers. They are most valuable on high-level items, not low ones.
Claim your daily gift
Pop in once a day for the Daily Gift and weekly tasks. A few minutes a day adds up to a lot of free energy and coins.
Play the festivals
Festivals run in short rounds and reward orders you would serve anyway. Glance at the festival goal before choosing which order to fill next.
Sign in with Apple
It takes a second in Settings and keeps your progress safe if you lose or change your phone.
Merge game words, explained
- Merge-2
- A game where two identical items combine into one better item.
- Generator
- An item you tap to make new items. Uses energy.
- Chain
- The ladder of levels an item climbs as you merge it.
- Order
- A customer's request. Fill it to earn coins.
- Energy
- What generators use. Refills over time.
- Booster
- A special item, like scissors or the Hourglass, that helps on the board.
