Understanding Strength, Rank and Experience

Day 2,599, 08:09 Published in USA USA by Gnilraps

I Don't Want To Grow Up (Mandatory listening)
Day 2599 of the New World
January 1, 2014



by Gnilraps


This is a updated version of an original article published as part of a 10-part series from a year ago called How to Succeed in eUSA.

A few things have changed in a year, and so as I update my guide I will be reflecting those changes. But there is one thing that remains absolutely true - new players should heed the advice to STRENGTH UP while avoiding EXPERIENCE GAIN. This is explained below.

The timing for this article is perfect, as Plato has just toggled the Training Grounds Upgrade Sale. So if you are a new player… READ THIS ARTICLE!





There are three escalating game metrics which influence how your Citizen impacts the New World. With the exception of “unlocking” certain game features (almost all of which come very early in your career) by growing in XP (experience points), all three dynamics impact the military aspect of the game ONLY. In other words, other than a very few exceptions, there is no direct political or economic impact from the gain of Strength, Rank, or Experience.

Much of this discussion, then, revolves around the Military dynamics of the game. But before you learn about the details of how battles and fighting work, you need to understand how Strength, Rank, and Experience impact your Citizen.



Strength

The Strength metric is the most cherished of the three. This is for two reasons.

First, Strength can only be added once per day by “Training”. So there is a hard limit to how quickly Strength will grow. (Occasionally eRepublik will also use “Strength” as a reward for certain achievements. Whenever it is offered thusly, the successful Citizen will endeavor to reach these achievements. Few should ever be missed.)

To maximally increase your Strength, Gold must be spent on improving Training Grounds. For this and a few other reasons, Gold is the most valuable monetary commodity in eRepublik. Under no circumstances should the successful Citizen ever skip a day of training.

Second, relatively speaking Strength is the most impactful metric on determining each Citizen’s effectiveness on the battlefield. While each minor increment of strength seems only to add a minimal effect on your Influence output, the true value of Strength is that it can be increased without greatly impacting Experience. And as you will see below, this is extremely important.

Strength is of such maximal importance, the improvement of your Training Grounds should be your first and only true priority as a new player. The more you heed this advice, the more successful you will be in the long run. There is no reasonable argument against this fact.

To wrap this advice into a single memorable nugget: Save all Gold for Training Grounds upgrades until all four TG’s are Q4. Meanwhile, build your Strength. But don’t spend Gold for training until all 4 TG’s are Q4. Until that time, you should only train for free and save all gold.



Rank

The Rank metric is really nothing more than a series of plateaus which are solely achieved by accumulating battlefield “hits”. It is the second most important Military metric.

With each increase in Rank, you are awarded a 5% multiplier increase. But there is also a cost.

With each battlefield “hit”, you accumulate 1 Experience Point (XP). As you will see below, accumulating XP in eRepublik, contrary to what you have known from every other game, is a bad thing until you’ve reached Division 4 (XP level 70). After that, XP increases become desirable.

The game will taunt you with a constant visual reminder of your rank, even including a progress bar on the battlefield. Ignore it. Don’t let it suck you into feeding it. Gaining rank is NOT VERY IMPORTANT until you reach XP level 70.

Memorable nugget: Exercise restraint by ignoring your Rank ; let Rank take care of itself in the long run while you focus on Strength and the Daily Military Goals which I will explain in my next article..



Experience

All you need to know about XP can be understood by listening to the song linked at the top of this article. “I Don’t Want to Grow Up” by Tom Waits is a great song, and its main principle should be applied to eRepublik XP until your Citizen reaches XP level 70.

Yes, this is counterintuitive to every other game you’ve probably ever played. But believe me on this, you don’t want to grow up.

There is really only one reason for this, but it is so vastly compelling that only one reason is needed. When you level up in XP, your Citizen moves closer to (or into) the next highest Division on the Battlefield. Read that again, then read on.

You will gain a more complete understanding of this concept after you’ve read my next article on Military Game Mechanics.

For this discussion it is enough for you to understand that whenever your Citizen matriculates into the next highest Division, you will be competing against Citizens whose Strength and Rank are far more developed. Your relative impact on the battlefield decreases as your Division increases. The only way to slow down your progress into the next Division is to avoid gaining XP.

This means that the successful Citizen will measure every single battlefield hit against the question: Do I really need this next kill? If the answer is “no”, then walk away. Over time this will have a hugely positive impact on your success as an eRepublik fighter.

What determines the answer to that question? That answer comes in my next article on Military Game Mechanics. I will publish it very soon.

But the most important concept to understand about Experience is that the successful Citizen will avoid XP level 35 as long as possible. That is when you will hit Division 2. Then you should avoid Division 3. Once you are in Division 4, the XP dynamic changes.

Memorable nugget: XP is bad. Avoid it like leprosy.



In review, here are some basic facts about Strength, Rank, and Experience.

Strength is always good, and the more you can get of it, the better off you are. Rank is OK and provides a benefit, but it should only be gained accidentally; it should never be pursued. Experience is bad and should be avoided until XP level 37.

Strength and Rank impact your Battle Influence. XP impacts your Battle Division. It is better to have high strength and fight in a low Division than to have lower strength and fight in a higher Division.

Building Strength will cost Gold.
Building Rank will cost USD (in the form of weapons and food).
Building XP will cost you in relevance.



My next article will go into detail about how the Military dynamics can be taken optimal advantage of for the benefit of your Citizen.




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