When should the red curtain start counting in Beads Out Level 174?

After the two `?` blocks are broken, the green-brown and red-pink arms are gone, and the inner W-shape's three pockets have fed the bottom spout, so the 1x4 pending row climbs to 50% in order and the curtain steps from `3` to `0` while the lower outer ring is still draining.

Why does the 4x3 cube grid stay locked near the end of Beads Out Level 174?

Because the bottom-right cell of the grid only frees once the gray pending slot has reached 50% and the curtain has stepped past `1`, so the red `1` chip, the green `3` chip, and the small brown `3` chip have to sit on the left of the spout until the curtain opens.

Beads Out level guide

Beads Out Level 174 Walkthrough

expert 12 colors

Beads Out Level 174 is a 3-pronged double-U shell with two `?` mystery blocks at the top of the long arms and a tight W-shape body, over a 1x4 `50%` pending row, a 4x3 cube grid with a missing bottom-right cell, a red `3 -> 0` curtain, a small brown `3` chip, a red `1` chip, a green `3` chip, and three powerup pouches. Break the `?` blocks, thin the W-shape pockets to walk the pending row to 50% in order, drop the curtain from `3` to `0`, and only then clear the cube grid and the side chips.

Board Notes

Layout: The shell is a 3-pronged double-U shape with two long vertical arms rising off the top edge, each capped by a small black `?` mystery block. Between the arms, the body forms a tight W-shape with three inner pockets: a brown-blue inner-left pocket, a pink-orange inner-center pocket, and a green-orange inner-right pocket, all draining into a single bottom spout. The reserve holds a 1x4 `50%` pending row (red, blue, green, gray), a 4-column 3-row cube grid (pink, cyan, pink / green, blue, yellow / dark-green, white, magenta / gray, purple) with a missing bottom-right cell, a red `1` chip and a green `3` chip next to a small brown `3` chip, a red curtained chamber stamped `3` on the right, and three powerup pouches (+1, bomb, paint) along the very bottom.
Goal: Break the two `?` blocks and thin the inner W-shape pockets before the 1x4 pending row, the 4x3 cube grid, the red `1` chip, the green `3` chip, the small brown `3` chip, and the red `3` curtain all start sharing the same bottom spout.
Opening: Break the two `?` blocks, clear the green-brown left arm and the red-pink right arm, then sweep the brown-blue inner-left pocket, the pink-orange inner-center pocket, and the green-orange inner-right pocket into the spout while the pending row, the cube grid, the side chips, and the red `3` curtain stay closed.
Danger Zone: The 1x4 pending row, the 4x3 cube grid, the red `1` chip, the green `3` chip, the small brown `3` chip, and the red curtain all share the same bottom spout, so when the W-shape pockets all drain at once the queue jams against the still-blocked bottom-right cell and the curtain never gets room to step from `2` to `0`.
Mechanics: Level 174 is a `?`-capped double-U shell with a 1x4 pending row, a 4x3 cube grid with a missing bottom-right cell, a red `3 -> 0` curtain, a small brown `3` chip, a red `1` chip, a green `3` chip, and three powerup pouches, so the timing has to keep the W-shape pockets feeding the spout while the pending row climbs to 50% in order and the curtain is still mid-count.

Quick Tips for Beads Out Level 174 (spoiler-free)

Watch the gray pending slot — when it reaches 50%, the curtain should be stepping from `3` to `2`. Start pulling the 4x3 grid only after the gray slot fills and the curtain has room to count down.
With 12 colors in play, clear the pair with the fewest blockers first so the board opens up instead of tightening.
Think in chain clears. The best move is the one that sets up the next two moves, not just the quickest current match.

How to Solve Beads Out Level 174 — Full Solution

Break the two `?` mystery blocks at the top of the long arms and clear the green-brown left arm and the red-pink right arm while the 1x4 pending row, the 4x3 cube grid, the red `1` chip, the green `3` chip, the small brown `3` chip, and the red `3` curtain stay closed.
Sweep the inner W-shape's brown-blue left pocket, the pink-orange center pocket, and the green-orange right pocket into the bottom spout, and let the red, blue, and green pending slots climb to 50% in order.
Walk the curtain from `3` to `2` once the gray pending slot has also reached 50%, so the 4x3 cube grid starts to free its bottom-right cell.
Let the curtain step from `2` to `1` to `0` while the orange, white, and green bands of the lower outer ring finish draining into the spout, popping the curtain to expose the small brown `3` chip and the held inventory.
Drain the top and middle rows of the 4x3 cube grid (pink, green, gray, then cyan, blue, white, purple) while the red `1` chip, the green `3` chip, and the small brown `3` chip sit on the left of the spout.
Clear the bottom row of the 4x3 grid (pink, yellow, magenta) once the bottom-right cell has opened.
Finish with the red `1` chip, the green `3` chip, the small brown `3` chip, and the +1, bomb, and paint powerup pouches once the board has fully flattened.

Colors in this level:

Green, Brown, Orange, Pink, Red, Blue, White, Gray, Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Purple

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the inner W-shape pockets empty before the two `?` blocks are broken, which starves the 1x4 pending row and leaves the curtain stuck at `2` while the bottom-right cell of the 4x3 grid is still blocked.
Spending the red `1` chip, the green `3` chip, or the small brown `3` chip before the curtain has stepped from `2` to `0`, which strands the late pink, cyan, and yellow cubes in the grid behind the bottom-right cell.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should the red curtain start counting in Beads Out Level 174?
After the two `?` blocks are broken, the green-brown and red-pink arms are gone, and the inner W-shape's three pockets have fed the bottom spout, so the 1x4 pending row climbs to 50% in order and the curtain steps from `3` to `0` while the lower outer ring is still draining.
Why does the 4x3 cube grid stay locked near the end of Beads Out Level 174?
Because the bottom-right cell of the grid only frees once the gray pending slot has reached 50% and the curtain has stepped past `1`, so the red `1` chip, the green `3` chip, and the small brown `3` chip have to sit on the left of the spout until the curtain opens.