FAQ: How to get Units in MCOC

DNA3000DNA3000 Member, Guardian Posts: 19,846 Guardian
in General Discussion

FAQ: How to get Units in MCOC

One of the most commonly asked questions, at least periodically, is where can you earn Units in MCOC and how much can you earn. I decided to look for all the units in the game, where they are, and how much you can earn. I've broken it down into four sections: Minimal Grind, Moderate Grind, Non-repeatable sources (you can only earn them once) and Spending required. Where appropriate, I try to calculate both how much units are available, and how much you could earn in a year using those sources, to give an idea of the overall rate at which you could tap those sources of units with sufficient play.

Note: These numbers are as of November 18, 2024.

Minimal Grind Unit Sources

Monthly Calendar: 100 units/month, 1200 units/year
Requirement: sign in every day

Monthly Event Quest
Contender exploration total: 150
Proven exploration total: 151 (not a typo)
Conqueror exploration total: 150
Uncollected exploration total: 150
Requirement: fully explore each difficulty tier (less for completion)
601 units/month, 7212 units/year

Total minimal grind unit sources: 8412 units/year

[Note: for sufficiently strong rosters, the difficulty tiers with units can be completed with autofight and thus are classified here as minimal grind; for lower players this may require more moderate to high amounts of grinding content]

Moderate Grind Unit Sources

Arena milestones
Basic: 135/cycle
Featured: 135/cycle
Summoner Trials: 270/cycle
Catalyst Clash (basic, class, alpha): 30/cycle
Requirement: complete all milestones for each arena
Basic/Featured/Trials: 56160 units/year (2 cycles per week, 52 weeks)
Catalyst Clash: 3650/year (30 units per cycle, 3 day cycle)

Total arena milestone units: 59810 units/year

[Note: grind time is roster dependent: for sufficiently strong rosters Basic and Featured arenas require low amounts of effort while the trials requires moderate levels of grind. For smaller roster players this can take much more time to complete]

Super Daily Event: 30 units/day, 10950 units/year
Requirement: sufficient activity to reach milestone every day
(Note: the Daily Super Event replaces the 25 units in the 22hr event as of November 22, 2024)

Total Moderate Grind unit sources: 70760 units/year

Non-repeatable Unit Sources

Back Issues
Back Issue 1 (Classic/Variant): 225 units/360 units
Back Issue 2 (Classic/Variant): 225 units/360 units
Back Issue 3 (Classic/Variant): 150 units/270 units
Back Issue 4 (Classic/Variant): 150 units/270 units
Back Issue 5 (Classic/Variant): 150 units/360 units
Back Issue 6 (Classic/Variant): 150 units/360 units
Back Issue 7 (Classic/Variant): 150 units/360 units
Back Issue 8 (Classic/Variant): 150 units/360 units
Back Issue 9 (Classic/Variant): 150 units/360 units
Total Units in Back Issues: 4560 units
Requirements: exploration (completion grants partial units)

Act content
Book 1 Act 1: 445 units
Book 1 Act 2: 610 units
Book 1 Act 3: 1520 units
Book 1 Act 4: 1080 units
Book 1 Act 5: 1840 units
Book 1 Act 6: 2160 units
Book 1 total units: 7655 units
Requirements: exploration (completion grants ~ 1/3 of the total)

Book 2 Act 7: 2160 units
Book 2 Act 8: 2160 units
Book 2 Act 9.1: 540 units
Book 2 total units to date: 4860 units
Requirements: units are in specific path rewards on each quest. From 7.1 to 8.2 units each quest map has two paths with 45 units each, from 8.3 onward there is a single path per quest map with 90 units.
Note: this will increase over time as more Act content is released.

Road to Labyrinth: 360 units
Requirements: Exploration. Every quest has a single path with units in the rewards.

Total non-repeatable unit sources: 17435 units

Spending required

Test of X event milestones: 75 units/week, 3900 units/year
Requires: Sigil subscription, completing all event milestones weekly

$5 USD Unit card: 735 units/30 days, ~ 8820 units/year
Requires: buying unit card, claiming units daily (note: this is the most efficient unit purchase that normally exists)

Most efficient no-limit purchase of units normally available
- In-app purchase: All Father Odin's Vault: 3100 units/$100 USD
- Webstore: Namor's Sunken Riches: 7040 units/$200 USD

Other Unit Sources

Daily crystals have 1% chance to drop small amounts of units (progression-dependent, 10-50 units)
[Note: webstore gives free daily crystal, so it is possible to earn two daily crystals per day with daily logins and daily checks of the webstore]
(currently unknown what the exact return rate is, but it is very small)
- Estimated units per year with double daily crystals for Valiant progression players: ~300 units per year

Quest crystals have rare chance for units
(currently unknown what the exact return rate is, but it is very very small)

Random Fights have a very rare chance to drop units
(currently unknown what the exact return rate is, but it is vewy vewy vewy small)

Double-track events: Variable
These events generally have a free track and a separate paid track that award units periodically. Requires minimal to moderate activity during the event to collect all units. Typically approximately 1000 units for the free track, additional 1000 units for the paid track.

Arena crystals have 15% chance to drop units.
When purchased with Battlechips, the average drop rate per one million BC worth of arena crystals is 1875 units regardless of which crystal is bought. More expensive crystals drop larger amounts of units in direct proportion to cost.

Note: grinding arena has open-ended rewards: even when all milestones are exhausted you still earn Battlechips for arena rounds won, and because these can be exchanged for arena crystals that randomly award units this is the unlimited unit grind option for free to play players.

Comments

  • JLordVileJJLordVileJ Member Posts: 4,954 ★★★★★
    W write up
  • UsagicassidyUsagicassidy Member Posts: 1,495 ★★★★
    This is pretty exhaustive (complimentary)
  • Graves_3Graves_3 Member Posts: 1,560 ★★★★★
    I thought this is post about “free” units
  • GravityGravity Member Posts: 2 ★
    Proven has 171 units
  • startropicsstartropics Member Posts: 985 ★★★★
    have many do you grind a month @DNA3000 ?
  • SirGamesBondSirGamesBond Member Posts: 5,391 ★★★★★
    Proven is the only difficulty I have been exploring, after blitzing TBEQ during first 2-3 days.
    Do a completion of the unit ones.
    Skipping cav EQ for a long time.
    Used to do some arenas but not anymore.
    I'm fine with whatever I have gathered.
  • DNA3000DNA3000 Member, Guardian Posts: 19,846 Guardian
    Another thing I should add when I get a chance is that the units are in the paths with two star chests in 7.2, aka the “experimental” quest reward section of Act 7.
  • UnknownUnknown
    edited November 19
    This content has been removed.
  • PT_99PT_99 Member Posts: 4,902 ★★★★★
    Graves_3 said:

    I thought this is post about “free” units

    Arena is free
    F2p can earn units there
    What's wrong?
  • UnknownUnknown
    edited November 19
    This content has been removed.
  • pseudosanepseudosane Member, Guardian Posts: 4,008 Guardian
    Very exhaustive list.
    My only "concern" is the use of the word Moderate haha. I never do summoner trials fully in arenas. But this list covers everything!
  • peixemacacopeixemacaco Member Posts: 3,585 ★★★★
    If we do all this, we may have 1 hour for real life haha
  • DNA3000DNA3000 Member, Guardian Posts: 19,846 Guardian
    peixemacaco said:

    If we do all this, we may have 1 hour for real life haha

    Doing everything listed as minimal to moderate grind would, for a player with a sufficiently strong roster, take on the order of a few hours a day. That’s assuming they could auto fight most or all of the low tier difficulty EQ and thus wouldn’t have to spend much time on that (their phone would have to spend time doing it, but not the player) and they had a sufficiently strong roster that they could do both of the higher tier arenas in 30-40 rounds each using 6s and 7s. Trials takes substantial time for everyone because you’re limited to 4* champs, but that can still be done in maybe three to four hours spread out over three days.

    The non-repeatable stuff is potentially hundreds of hours of effort, but players don’t generally grind that, they just do that over time normally.

    There are of course other things to do in the game besides grind units, but the unit grind doesn’t have to take up ludicrous amounts of time on its own. And no one has to do everything: even half these units would still be a lot (and take less than half the time to acquire, because there are diminishing returns in many unit sources like arena milestones).
  • PolygonPolygon Member Posts: 4,724 ★★★★★
    pseudosane said:

    Very exhaustive list.
    My only "concern" is the use of the word Moderate haha. I never do summoner trials fully in arenas. But this list covers everything!

    That 4* arena is in desperate need of a buff
  • peixemacacopeixemacaco Member Posts: 3,585 ★★★★
    edited November 20
    DNA3000 said:

    peixemacaco said:

    If we do all this, we may have 1 hour for real life haha

    Doing everything listed as minimal to moderate grind would, for a player with a sufficiently strong roster, take on the order of a few hours a day. That’s assuming they could auto fight most or all of the low tier difficulty EQ and thus wouldn’t have to spend much time on that (their phone would have to spend time doing it, but not the player) and they had a sufficiently strong roster that they could do both of the higher tier arenas in 30-40 rounds each using 6s and 7s. Trials takes substantial time for everyone because you’re limited to 4* champs, but that can still be done in maybe three to four hours spread out over three days.

    The non-repeatable stuff is potentially hundreds of hours of effort, but players don’t generally grind that, they just do that over time normally.

    There are of course other things to do in the game besides grind units, but the unit grind doesn’t have to take up ludicrous amounts of time on its own. And no one has to do everything: even half these units would still be a lot (and take less than half the time to acquire, because there are diminishing returns in many unit sources like arena milestones).
    Agree.
    That was an ironic answer

    With luck I can get 100 units in a day if Arena wins and Hero use milestones are open👍
  • DNA3000DNA3000 Member, Guardian Posts: 19,846 Guardian
    Polygon said:

    pseudosane said:

    Very exhaustive list.
    My only "concern" is the use of the word Moderate haha. I never do summoner trials fully in arenas. But this list covers everything!

    That 4* arena is in desperate need of a buff
    That single unit source can generate over 28 thousand units a year spending about an hour and a half a day six days a week. That’s over $900 USD of premium currency a year for relatively low amounts of effort.

    The only way I see them buffing the unit rewards in the Trials is if they remove the units from the other two arenas and shove them all in there, tripling the number of milestones and forcing everyone to spend three times as much time getting them. But as to simply directly buffing that arena, I think the odds are much better that the devs buff Hercules.
  • PolygonPolygon Member Posts: 4,724 ★★★★★
    edited November 20
    DNA3000 said:

    Polygon said:

    pseudosane said:

    Very exhaustive list.
    My only "concern" is the use of the word Moderate haha. I never do summoner trials fully in arenas. But this list covers everything!

    That 4* arena is in desperate need of a buff
    That single unit source can generate over 28 thousand units a year spending about an hour and a half a day six days a week. That’s over $900 USD of premium currency a year for relatively low amounts of effort.

    The only way I see them buffing the unit rewards in the Trials is if they remove the units from the other two arenas and shove them all in there, tripling the number of milestones and forcing everyone to spend three times as much time getting them. But as to simply directly buffing that arena, I think the odds are much better that the devs buff Hercules.
    It definitely feels more than an hour and a half if youre going for the max milestone, since the refresh time is so short, and since the points it rewards are so small, you have to constantly keep doing it. Im the only one in my alliance that goes for 4mill points in it. The rest either go for 1-2mill or just skip it entirely
  • DNA3000DNA3000 Member, Guardian Posts: 19,846 Guardian
    Polygon said:

    DNA3000 said:

    Polygon said:

    pseudosane said:

    Very exhaustive list.
    My only "concern" is the use of the word Moderate haha. I never do summoner trials fully in arenas. But this list covers everything!

    That 4* arena is in desperate need of a buff
    That single unit source can generate over 28 thousand units a year spending about an hour and a half a day six days a week. That’s over $900 USD of premium currency a year for relatively low amounts of effort.

    The only way I see them buffing the unit rewards in the Trials is if they remove the units from the other two arenas and shove them all in there, tripling the number of milestones and forcing everyone to spend three times as much time getting them. But as to simply directly buffing that arena, I think the odds are much better that the devs buff Hercules.
    It definitely feels more than an hour and a half if youre going for the max milestone, since the refresh time is so short, and since the points it rewards are so small, you have to constantly keep doing it. Im the only one in my alliance that goes for 4mill points in it. The rest either go for 1-2mill or just skip it entirely
    It takes around 120 rounds or so to do all of the milestones in Trials with ranked up 4* champs, depending on things like if you use recoil masteries. It takes between 90 and 120 seconds per round. Worst case scenario is about 240 minutes, or about 4 hours. A bit less than 1.5 hours per day across a three day cycle. If you don't have enough ranked up 4* champs it might take 140 rounds, but probably not much more than that for a reasonable sized roster. That would be closer to 5 hours of time, or a bit more than an hour and a half per day. An hour and a half per day is a reasonable estimate for the average player grinding all the milestones in Trials with anything approaching a reasonable sized roster for that arena.

    These days it takes me less than two hundred arena rounds total to get all the milestones from all three of the normal cycle arenas, which is on the order of about 6-7 hours per cycle, about two hours a day (I don't do it every cycle, just as time permits). There's no way the devs intended players to farm 540 units in six hours over and over and over again. That's about an Odin every three weeks with a couple hours of grind per day. Seems unlikely they would deliberately change things to go even faster, especially because roster inflation is going to make the arenas even faster all by themselves. The 7* arenas will get automatically faster as higher ranks become available, and rather than encourage the devs to speed up Trials to keep up, it puts pressure on Trials to not add to the acceleration over time.

    To put this into a larger context, if a player decided to grind all of the low to moderate grind options I listed for a year, they would accumulate an amount of units roughly comparable to about $2300 USD in spending, most of it coming from the arena. I am unaware of a F2P game of similar structure that allows F2P players to grind two grand of premium currency a year with a couple hours of play a day. That would be considered borderline economically broken in most games, demanding an immediate nerf. It is remarkable MCOC has grandfathered that into the economy, because there's no obvious reason for that to be allowed to happen, and most game economy designers in other games wouldn't allow that to happen.

    Which is why I keep saying, it would be better if the devs forgot the arena exists for a while.
  • Sunstar19Sunstar19 Member Posts: 235 ★
    This validates my view that current state of arenas has a great balance between rewards and efforts. Amount of units add up after each arena provided you have time to do so. If you have gone through the early iterations of arena you would find the current version to be vastly improved.

    To make my grind for 4 stars arena interesting I’d now rank up the new champion in 4 star rarity and test out in the arena. I don’t complete all the milestones but just halfway as I have limited time but that’s ok.
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