01 The short version
We ran the game's own rules through a simulation of an active player and someone who drops in four times a day, tried every way of playing and five ways to spend skill points. Here's what came out on top:
- Put your skill points into energy. It was the fastest build for both players we tested.
- Always do the newest job you can. XP per energy climbs with every job.
- Keep every contract running. They're a third or more of all your XP.
- Spend your stamina on fights. It's free XP on top of your jobs.
- Beat every district boss once. The first win pays a full purse and opens the way on.
- Join a mafia. Gift Energy Packs from friends add up fast.
02 Spending skill points
You get 3 skill points every level, and more for finishing districts. Every point in energy gives you one more energy and makes the bar refill faster, so it pays off twice: more jobs per visit, and more jobs per hour.
| Skill build | Active player: level 30 | 4× a day: level 30 |
|---|---|---|
| All energy | about 1½ days | about 6 days |
| Even spread (all five) | about 1½ days | about 8 days |
| Fighter (stamina, attack, defense, health) | about 1½ days | about 9 days |
| Stamina first, then energy | about 2 days | about 8 days |
Times from your first session, nights included, playing every part of the game. “Active” checks in every 15 minutes from morning to midnight; “4× a day” plays half an hour at breakfast, lunch, after work and before bed.
03 Jobs: newest first
Jobs open one by one as you level up, and each new job pays a little more XP per energy than the one before. So the newest job you can do is almost always the best one. Older jobs are only worth it for their stars and drops.
Do every job in a district once: that opens the district's boss and earns the district achievement (extra skill points). Some jobs need gear. It drops from earlier jobs, and the items list shows where everything comes from.
Every job in Miami, with its energy, XP and cash: Miami.
04 Contracts that pay
Contracts send your crew out on a job that takes time instead of energy, from a minute in the first district to hours later on. They cost some cash up front and pay XP when you collect them, sometimes with extra cash, gear or a collection piece on top.
This was the biggest surprise in our numbers: players who kept every contract running got a third or more of all their XP from them, and reached level 30 up to twice as fast as players who only did jobs.
05 Picking fights
Stamina is separate from energy, so fighting never costs you a job. Every win pays XP, and finishing someone off (icing them) pays 2× more on top. If no one's around at your level, the local hoods are always there.
06 Your first boss
Each district ends with a boss. Starting the fight costs 20% of your max energy, and the swings cost stamina. Beat every boss at least once: the first win pays the full purse, gives a chance at its gear, and beating a city's last boss opens the next city.
After that, a boss pays about as much XP per energy as its district's best job. So farm a boss for its cash and its gear, not to level. Your first one is Big Lars Brennan in Old Harbor.
07 Energy Packs and your mafia
- Energy Pack: 10 Favors, fills 125% of your max energy, and it can go over the max. You earn a Favor on every even level.
- Never wasted: levelling up refills your bars to the max, but never takes away what's above it. A pack is fine even right before a level-up.
- Your mafia: friends can send you up to 5 gift packs a day, each worth 25% of your max energy (they keep for 48 hours). For someone who plays a few times a day, that cut the time to level 30 by about a fifth in our tests.
08 How long it takes
| Level | Active player | 4× a day |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | your first session | your first session |
| 20 | about 7 hours | about 2 days |
| 30 | about 1½ days | about 6 days |
| 40 | about 4 days | about 11 days |
| 60 | about 12 days | - |
With all energy and every part of the game in use, and no Favors bought.
09 After level 30
Miami's last jobs open at level 39; beat its final boss and New York opens, with bigger jobs, new bosses and its own money. The same rules carry you on:
- Keep putting points into energy. A big bar refills faster, and that keeps paying off at every level.
- If you play often, add some stamina: a bigger stamina bar refills faster too, and fights matter more the more often you're online.
- Grow your mafia. More people means more contracts at once, more gift packs and help in boss fights.
- Pick up properties as they open. They earn cash every hour, even while you're away.