One of the first things you will notice in this game is WOW there are a LOT of different ways to spend money. While you can decide to be a free to play member of the game, you may also decide to treat yourself a little (or a lot), and want to know how best to spend your money. This guide is just to highlight a few key areas that are great for investment.
The first thing to know, is instead of buying things in game, head over to the PNS Top Up Shop and buy vouchers instead. Not only will you get 10% extra diamonds, you also are not charged tax, and they give you coupons to help you save money. Vouchers can then be used in the game to buy things. Using the top up shop is also a great way to set yourself a budget – buy the amount you want to spend this week, and limit yourself to that in game until your next top up!
You can also unlock 2x multipliers in events, generally by buying the 2nd tier of rewards (price can vary, but is usually only $5 – $10). If you are a regular spender, I recommend aiming to get one of these before a big purchase! The 2x multiplier will give you 2x the rewards (excluding diamonds and vouchers). Before it is used, the game will give you a pop up asking if you want to use it, or save it for another purchase. It is important to know, after claiming this multiplier from an event, you typically only have 24 hours to use it – and you want to make sure you use it before you lose it!
Some days also have a Top Up event – these are great days to buy things, as they generally have diamond purchase goals, and when you reach them, you get extra items.
Next up, what to buy:
The very first thing I would recommend to all players who know they are going to spend money, is invest in the 5 star Builder Gear set and 5 star Technology set. You can find them in the mall, under Build & Research and they cost 9999 Vouchers ($139.99 CAD). The earlier you invest in these, the more savings you will see. As you progress, things become more and more expensive in resources to upgrade and research. Having these items early, means you will save more resources long term, which will help you upgrade faster! If you aren’t certain about the 5 star gear, based on the high price tag, it is still beneficial to invest in the 3 or 4 star gear as well, which come with smaller price tags. You will also see training gear here, but the benefit does not match the price tag, so I wouldn’t worry about it.
The second best thing I will suggest you purchase, that will drastically increase your strength, is unfortunately something that isn’t unlocked until HQ 31. When you get to HQ 31, you unlock something called Cores. You will unlock the Horizon Hub building- this is where you obtain your Cores, Crystal Dust for upgrading, Sim EXP for levelling up, and Classified Blueprints to aid in research and building.
Cores offer a HUGE boost in stats, and are arguably one of the best items to boost Troop stats in the game. You will want to target getting Epic cores, and to get them consistently, you will have to progress to Level 4. The best way to do this is buying the Advanced Challenge (999 vouchers) and Expert Challenge (2999 vouchers). You will want to make sure you buy this at the start of the 30 day period to give yourself time to complete it. Not only does it give you a bunch of extra rewards, but it also gives you a pass regeneration bonus. This will help you get to a higher level, to unlock higher cores, and also give you more crystal dust to upgrade those higher tier cores once you get them!
There is one hero you can only obtain via purchasing. You’ve seen her pop up, it’s Scarlett! It is wise to purchase her first pack, and then use all 5 star Hero Perfect Frags you obtain (through events, or purchase) on her, until you get her to +8. The biggest benefit to Scarlett is the increased Troop Size stat. More troops = more power! Her first pack (499 vouches / $6.99 CAD), also comes with a 2x multiplier, which can be great to use on another purchase.
The next thing I will speak about is buying resources. You may have already realized, but resources will be one of your biggest bottle necks. You never seem to be able to have enough, especially the further you advance in the game. While you can farm diligently, go hunting other HQ’s (especially during Valiant Conquest), and earn resources in events, you may also consider buying resources in the shop. I would try to resist the temptation of buying resource boxes in the shop, and instead, opt for the Wasteland Shop subscription in the Gift Center. For only 4999 vouchers, over one month, you will receive 112.5M Food, 112.5M Wood, 22.5M Steel, 5.625M Gas, 450-hr of Speed ups, 36K diamonds, 1.8M antiserum, and 600 gear refiners. You get a much better value, compared to buying an equivalent amount of resources in the mall.
There is another subscription in the gift centre that I think is worth checking out. The silver W.Card, is a great value for the cost. You can subscribe for either 7 days (499 vouchers), 14 days (999 vouchers) or 30 days(1999 vouchers). This pass gives you 3x speed in Match-3 battle (if you haven’t unlocked it), Build Speed and Research Speed 20%, a 50% resource output in your sanctuary, and daily rewards. The best daily rewards I enjoy from this pass are the 1 perfect hero frag (for the above Scarlett grind) and the speed ups (which are essential for your growth).
Lastly, a great spot to check for deals is the “Daily Sale” page, as well as the “Limited Offer” page. The Daily Sale, and the “Daily Box” on the Limited Offer page are both always aligned with the on going events for that day. By buying things that align with the events, you will be able to use them to get more rewards in the events, causing a better bang for your buck. These pages are almost always where I use my 2x multipliers. To assist with growth, I generally look for promoter sales. Boxes with Promoter III’s in them are a great item to use your 2x multiplier on, as they are very difficult to earn for free in the game. On the “Daily Sale” page, sometimes it can be advantageous to buy the first “level” of an item, to unlock a better deal, before using your 2x multiplier. For example, you can buy a Grand Promoter set (which includes 150 Promoter II boxes) for 999 vouchers , and after you buy that, you unlock a 300 Promoter II sale, for 1999 vouchers. The “Limited Offer” page, also has the benefit of having a purchase progress reward bar, where you get extra items the more you buy. Unless you are a big spender, you won’t progress far in this, so I wouldn’t make it your sole reason to buy from the Limited Offer page for this benefit.
There are lots of other things to spend money on in the game. There is always a special event on going, that may have special rewards like event exclusive skins, HQ’s, frames, or stickers. Before paying for those events, I always recommend doing a rough calculation of how much you will need to spend to get that final reward you desire, so you know it is in your budget, and you won’t get halfway, and realize you don’t want to spend enough to get the rest. Ultimately, the choice is yours if you want to spend, or be a free to play player. Both play styles require a lot of patience, but you will grow faster if you spend wisely! Whatever you buy, ALWAYS try to be patient, and wait to use the items on the day of an event, so you get extra rewards for using them! The name of the PNS game is double dip everywhere you can. You will grow SO much faster!
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