Merit Spending Guide
Source: Andyman [471591], thread t=16054007. Karma 80,158. 634+ merits. Additional source: Broker [689823] t=16221707 (150 perks breakdown).
War / Combat Priority (what to max first)
| Merit | Max | Effect at 10/10 | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Points | 10/10 | +50% max life | #1 |
| Critical Hit Rate | 10/10 | +10% crit rate | #2 |
| Rifle Weapon Mastery | 10/10 | +30% rifle damage and accuracy | #3 |
| Brawn (Strength) | 10/10 | +30% strength | #4 |
| Evasion (Dexterity) | 10/10 | +30% dexterity | #4 |
| Sharpness (Speed) | 10/10 | +30% speed | #4 |
| Protection (Defense) | 10/10 | +30% defense | #4 |
Spread Brawn/Evasion/Sharpness/Protection evenly if balanced. If you whore a stat, max that one first.
Why These Three Are #1-3
Life: The only "battle stat" you cannot train in the gym. +50% life at 10/10 is massive. More life = more hits you can survive, and medical items scale with max life.
Crit Hit Rate: Merits are basically the ONLY way to increase crit rate (aside from the Anatomy biology education and mission laser attachments). No other way to get this. Cap it.
Rifle Mastery: Rifle is the best weapon type in the game. Best reachable rifle: Armalite M-15A4. Accepts the widest range of weapon mods and special ammo. +30% damage and accuracy at 10/10 is enormous.
Other Merits: Should You or Shouldn't You
| Merit | Verdict | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nerve Bar | Only if daily refiller | Worthless if your nerve sits full |
| Bank Interest | Only if passive player | Skip if you actively trade cash |
| Masterful Looting | Good if you mug | +50% mugging gains at 10/10 |
| Crime Experience | Only if crime-focused | Probably less useful past 60 NNB |
| Education Length | Early game only | Reset tree once all educations done |
| Awareness | SKIP | Nerfed hard, basically useless now |
| Stealth | Skip unless chain-focused | |
| Hospitalizing | Skip | Only relevant for top 500 war factions |
| Addiction Mitigation | Situational | Reduces workstat penalty from addiction, NOT rehab cost |
| Employee Effectiveness | Skip unless needed for job |
Andyman's Quick Build Summary
For combat/war player:
Life 10/10 → Crit 10/10 → Rifle Mastery 10/10 → Brawn/Evasion/Sharpness/Protection evenly
For crime player:
Nerve Bar 10/10 + Crime Experience 10/10. Work 10* pub, refill daily, drink beer.
For money player:
Bank Interest 10/10 (+$1M/day interest) OR Masterful Looting 10/10 (doubles mugging gains — bigger payoff if you mug actively)
Key loop: "Crimes lead to money, money leads to stats."
The 150 Personal Perks Achievement (Broker)
If you want the 10-stack honor (150 personal perks), sources:
| Source | Perks | Cost / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Education | 68 | Complete ALL education courses |
| Faction | 28 | Join top faction with many unlocked perks (aim for 18+) |
| Merits | 27 | 1 point each on every branch (27 merits total) |
| Enhancers | 22 | ~$55-70M for all (buy all crime enhancers) |
| Stocks | 13 | First 8 = ~$1B total. Full set = ~$5B. Start with cheapest first |
| Property | 4 | Max Private Island (owned, rented, or married into) |
| Company passive | 4 | Work at Gun Shop, Law Firm, Car Dealership, Meat Warehouse, or Lingerie Store |
| TC Jobs | 3 | City jobs: Medical (revive), Education (-10% time), Law (+10% crime) |
| Book | 1 | Reading a book counts. Get from city finds, mission credits, or subscriber |
| Total | 170 | You need 150 to unlock the achievement |
Budget path: Don't need $15B. First 8 stocks = ~$1B. Skip Wind Lines Travel ($4.3B) and other expensive stocks if you have enough perks elsewhere.
Key Combat Perks from Education (not from merits)
These are permanent and come from completing courses:
| Education | Perk |
|---|---|
| Common courses | +5% Str, +13% Speed, +19% Dex, +11% Def (flat stat bonuses) |
| Biology (Anatomy) | +3% critical hit chance |
| Biology | +1% damage |
| Combat Training | +1% accuracy, +5% rifle accuracy |
| Sports Science x4 | +1% gym gains per stat (stack these, total +4-6%) |
| Sports Science | +10% temporary booster effectiveness |
| General Studies | +5% temporary weapon accuracy and damage |
Do Biology (Intravenous Therapy) early anyway for blood bags. The Anatomy course there gives +3% crit stacks with your merit crit. Do Combat Training ASAP for the rifle accuracy perk.
Best Stocks for Combat / Perks
Cheapest perk-giving stocks to start (sorted by price): 1. International School TC ($32M) — education perk 2. Yazoo ($35M) 3. Messaging Inc ($47M) 4. Westside University ($64M) 5. I Industries Ltd. ($87M) 6. Tell Group PLC ($221M)
Stick to these first ~$500M then evaluate. Total 6 stocks = ~6 perks for under $500M.
Related
- Battle Stats and Builds (Vladar)
- My Stats and Analysis
- Torn City Bible (Darkfall)
- Which Company to Join (VYNICAL)
- Passive Income Investment Guide (Deadringers)