Since the 5.14 update there is that one OP strategy that makes my guide outdated and actually almost useless. You can read all about it here 5.14 market-based strategy.
If markets will get nerfed in future updates I'll maybe resume writing. Until then I'll just keep the rest of my guide just as a memory of the good old times.
(Parsifal - 06.09.21)
Back to the WZI Guide ------> Warzone Idle Guide
Money is very needed at all stages of the level: at the early stages to upgrade army camps and mines, at middle game to upgrade hospitals and at the end stages to recruit all your mercenaries. Also for digging artifacts non stop!
Until recently I was using the smelters and crafters mostly to get the needed alloys/items for the tech tree, and was completely neglecting their potential to increase profit.
I was playing recently through Triskelion and decided to center my strategy on the market for a change and see if there is any advantage for a faster money generation.
Dealing with the resources can be tedious, because of the so many variables.
First of all, remember that each level has it's own tech tree requirements, and a different smelting/crafting/selling ratio!
Secondly, each of you will have a different collection of buffs that will affect your market: unlocked techs, invested advancements and artifacts of different grades.
I want to show an example from my own play through Triskelion.
Crafting/Smelting
Market/Sell prices
We like money, so we should go for the priciest item and craft a Robotic Arm! 14 hours of crafting for 1.89T seems like a good deal. But is it really? Let's calculate how much time does it really take (I'm going to round up numbers for simplicity).
For 1 robotic arm we need:
19 Samariums
28 Terbiums
17 Dysprosiums
4 Unobtainiums
It takes a lot of time to smelt those, but thankfully we have 15 smelters at our disposal. If we let them all run simultaneously we'll need:
19 Samarium ---> 4h4m
28 Terbium ---> 4h30m
17 Dysprosium ---> 6h2m
4 Unobtainium ---> 3h20m
We also need additional 48 min for the 4 Titaniums and other lesser alloys, but let's say we were able to smelt them in parallel with the Unobtainiums.
So, 18h for all the needed alloys and 14h for the robotoc arm. In total: 32h or 1d8h! ..... Easy!.... actually not so much:
You also need the ores for smelting the alloys. (Check my ore totals below):
Thorium 17/s or 61.2K/h --- the time it takes to get the needed amount ---> 263h or 10d+
Uranium 16/s or 57.6k/h --- the time it takes to get the needed amount ---> 182h or 7d+
Samarium 10/s or 36K/h ---- the time it takes to get the needed amount ---> 312h or 13d
Lanthanum 7.41/s or 26.6K/h --- the time it takes to get the needed amount ---> 515h or 21d
Terbium 6.55/s or 23.5k/h ---the time it takes to get the needed amount ---> 221h or 9d+
Yttrium 4.99/s or 18k/h ---- the time it takes to get the needed amount ---> 285h or 11d
Dysprosium 4.99/s or 18k/h --- the time it takes to get the needed amount ---> 319h or 13d
Unobtainium 2.88/s or 10.3K/h ---- the time it takes to get the needed amount ---> 61h or 2d+
21 days for the Lanthanum?!.... Let's hope we can get most of the needed Lanthanum and maybe some of the other ores from Resources Caches - in that case it will take 11-13 days to gather all the needed ores....
The problem here is that you won't get the mines for the rarest ores until the very end of the level. (Those ore/sec stats are taken at the moment I've finished the level). At that point I didn't need the robotic arm any more!
In any case, I completed Triskelion within 20 days, so 11 days on collecting resources for one item doesn't seem like a smart choice.
I could of course accelerate the process by upgrading my mines even more (my mines for the rarest resources were all between level 1-4), but remember that upgrading the rare mines is very expensive, and you'll be probably spending most of your income on digging, hospitals and mercenary camps anyway.
So no robotic arm for me. What are then the best options for investment?
To understand which alloys/items will give you the best profit I really recommend unlocking Statistics up to level 3!
It will give you access to your Recipe Stats:
Smelting
Alloys in general give small profit. Rare alloys tend to sell at a loss! In my case here, starting from Thorium (Every map has it's own prices and it will be also different from player to player!)
You will of course still smelt non-profitable alloys for tech upgrades and/or crafting items, but make sure to check your stats before you decide to invest in the wrong one.
Upgrading your Alloy Sell Value advancement should solve the bad pricing of rare alloys, but better go for crafting!
Crafting
Selling items will give you generally a good profit. Investing in them should be very rewarding in theory. The problem with this strategy is that it isn’t very practical. And I'm not talking about the robotic arm anymore:
My smelters/crafters were working for resources for the tech tree. After I finished most of the upgrades, I decided to concentrate on two items: Transformer and Circuit.
Both sell for an acceptable price, both require only Silicon and Aluminum and their derivatives Twine and Welding Rod. That was the "lazy but convenient" option.
My smelters/crafters worked non-stop, but when I was completely done with Triskelion I was only able to craft 2 Circuits to that point.
Getting 326B was nice, but it wasn’t a game changer at all. At the end, it wasn’t worth all the trouble.
Maybe then investing in "single-alloy"-items is the better way.
I would consider investing in Tin Cans for the middle game, and in Welding Rods and Structs for the later stages. Other candidates like Screws, Bolts, Glass, Boiling Flasks, Relays, Explosive Bolts and Magnets may be also profitable. Keep checking your stats!
Note that as you progress the game and invest in different upgrades it's going to be easier to craft expensive items. Maybe after a couple of ascension even getting a robotic arm is going to be possible.
End results
The level stats at the end showed me that selling all my resources got me a total of 3.35T, which was about a third of my income. Most came probably from selling ore and the excessive items that were left from my tech tree.
Getting 1 Robotic Arm or a CRT Screen would significantly boost my income, but as I've shown earlier, investing in them isn't practical at all
Maybe if I chose to not upgrade all my techs and instead sell all the items I would get more money and finish the level even quicker. This theory needs some research.
But for now, going for the complex items is not my preferred strategy.
Mines
As you can see from the victory stats, selling ores gave me the biggest profit. You can have a maximum of 65 mines (full list on Wiki: https://www.warzone.com/wiki/Mines)
I don't have a rule on when to upgrade a mine. I normally upgrade them if I have money left from upgrading army camps and hospitals or if I'm in great need of some ore. At the end of Triskelion the first 15 mines were upgraded to levels 16-20, the next 15 to levels 11-15, the next 15 to levels 5-10, the rest between levels 1-4.
BMB, TMB & MB (in my case all on rare level)
Bonus Money Boost, Territory Money boost and Mine Boost are the three artifacts that increase your money income. Supposing your first slot is occupied with Army Camp Boost (you really should!), how to choose between these three artifacts for the last two slots?
BMB and TMB are easy to calculate, just check you money/sec bar at the right top of your screen and see the direct increase.
What about MB? Could this artifact potentially generate even more money via ore selling?
Compare the two columns. Left one without MB, right one – with:
Income: without: 4,114,425/sec --- with: 4,416,352/sec
The difference is 302K/sec
TMB alone gives a boost of 725K/sec
Note that this is the end of a level. Money generation changes during the level. Sometimes you get more income from territories, sometimes more from bonuses. At some point MB may generate more money/sec than TMB, BUT remember the following:
If you go for the MB, you are getting income in ore value! In order to get the compensation in the loss of money for not equipping the TMB, you'll have to constantly sell the excessive ores. This requires frequent calculations, and you'll probably just end up upgrading your tech tree a little faster - the moment you invest in tech upgrades the money from th
e ores is gone!
If you go for the TMB you could potentially upgrade you mines a little faster, thus outproducing MB.
Speedy Crafters
Could Speedy Crafters outproduce Territory Money Boost?
The simple answer is yes. If for example you let 3 crafters work simultaneously on three magnets and Speedy Crafters is equipped, then you will outproduce TMB!
A combination of different items is of course an option.
Make sure that you don't find yourself suddenly out of ores and/or alloys, otherwise you'll lose income!
Also remember to constantly sell those items to have a stable flow of money.
In conclusion
- maps are going to differ on recipes and selling prices
- maps are going to be affected by your personal buffs
- unlocking tech tree is probably the main purpose of the market
- let your smelters constantly work. If you are not gathering resources for a specific upgrade, check your tech tree and prepare the next one. If all the near techs are unlocked and you haven't yet found the needed recipe for further upgrades, smelt your most profitable ores. Same for crafters!
- recheck once in a while your stats - ore/money generation ratio will change with your progress
- don't forget to equip Discount and Boost artifacts before your actions!
- BMB and TMB are normally better than MB
- upgrading Statistics to the max (level 4) gives you access to Modifiers, Totals and Stats and reveals completely you tech tree - all those are going to help you to better adjust your strategy to the level:
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GG
Parsifal (05.09.2021)