Plants vs. Zombies 2: Top 10 tips, hints, and cheats to pass levels faster

Plants vs. Zombies 2 is the sequel to Popcap's original, amazing, mega-hit, but it's also a completely new, completely different thing. It's freemium now, which means it's free to play, but it tries to encourage you to pay for extras via in-app purchase (IAP). Some people love that model. Some people hate it. We're not here to judge. We're just here to help you make the most of Plants vs. Zombies 2 no matter how you choose to play... or pay. And that means, of course, we're giving you our absolute best tips, tricks, and out-and-out cheats!

1. Maximize your Sunflower plant power!

Plants vs. Zombies 2: Top 10 tips, hints, and cheats to pass levels faster

Just like the first Plants vs. Zombies, Sunflowers are incredibly important. You want to aim for 2 rows of Sunflowers on each level, so they can support all the rest of your plant purchasing. Combine them with Potato Mines to cover your Sunflower planting, and you're pretty much set!

2. When supplies are limited, get the most bang for your plant bucks

When supplies are limited, get the most bang for your plant bucks

On levels where money or plants are limited, place plants that have area-of-effect attacks - Threepeater, Snapdragons, etc. - in lanes 2 and 4 and they'll cover the whole lawn for you.

3. Use plant food on a plant to to get an instant attack

Feed a plant plant food to to get an instant attack

You can use plant food to make a plant that's still in the middle of its refresh time "wake up" and attack immediately. This is especially useful for Coconut Cannons.

Note: This trick won't keep a plant "awake", it'll go back to its refreshing sleep immediately after its attack is over.

4. Kill the app to reshuffle the Purple World deck

Kill the app to reshuffle the Purple World deck

Don't like the cards you're dealt in the Purple World level? No problem. Just hit the Home button to exit Plants vs. Zombies 2, then double-click the Home button to open multitasking, then either touch and hold the Plants vs. Zombies 2 icon until it jiggles and tap the X to kill it (iOS 6), or grab the Plants vs. Zombies 2 card and toss it away (iOS 7). Once that's done, re-launch Plants vs. Zombies 2, and you'll have a whole new deck of cards to choose from!

5. Use Bonk Choy and Spikeweeds to survive Pirate World

Use Bonk Choy and Spikeweeds to survive Pirate World

If you're having trouble surviving Last Stand III in the Pirate World, try this formation. Using only Bonk Choy and Spikeweeds, you'll be able to complete the level without even looking. The Spikeweeds don't get eaten so the damage the zombies without ever having to be replaced. Any zombies that make it to the end get boxed into oblivion by the Bonk Choys.

6. Escape the level to prevent loss of a treasure yeti

Escape the level to prevent loss of a Treasure Yeti

If you are about to lose a level with the Treasure Yeti zombie, or if he is about to escape, you can hit Restart to redo the level and the Yeti and his treasure will be waiting for you when you come back.

7. Complete the level to get your Treasure Yetis treasure

Complete the level to get your Treasure Yeti's treasure

Don't think you can simply kill the yeti, get your treasure, and immediately exit the map without completing the level. PVZ2 don't play that. In order to get your happy lunch box of treasure, you need to both kill the yeti and complete the level.

8. Use Kernel-pults plants vs. Seagull Zombies

Use Kernel-pults plants vs. Seagull Zombies

The best way to knock a Seagull Zombie into the water, if they're flying over the sea, is by using a Kernel-pult. So, if you see Seagull Zombies in the line-up for a level, make sure you arm yourself with a Kernel-pult!

9. Know your zombie patterns

Zombies always attack in the same pattern, so if you make a mistake, remember the pattern for when you set up to replay the level. For example, if a regular zombie starts in lane 1, then another comes in lane 4, then another in lane 6, they'll do the same thing when you replay the level, and you can set up your plants in lane 1, 4, and 6, to take care of them.

10. Always have a roof-top plant catapult, especially a Kernel-pult

Always have a roof-top plant catapult, especially a Kernel-pult

In Plants vs. Zombies 2, it's always beneficial to have at least one rooftop plant (Melon-pult, Cabbage-pult, Kernel-pult, etc.) on hand. When you use plant food on them, they will hit every zombie on screen. I usually prefer the Kernel-pult as it launches butter and immobilizes the zombies, giving you more time to implement your other strategies.

Your Plants vs. Zombies 2 tips, hints, and cheats?

So there they are, my top 10 tips, hints, and cheats for Plants vs. Zombies 2. Let me know how they worked for you, and what's more, let me know any great tips, hints, and cheats you come up with!

Georgia

Senior Editor at iMore and a practicing therapist specializing in stress and anxiety. She speaks everywhere from conferences to corporations, co-host of Vector and Isometric podcasts, follow her on Twitter @Georgia_Dow and check out her series at anxiety-videos.com.