Merit upgrades
What TornLife's research has established about Merit upgrades, and the questions players asked about it.
What TornLife has verified
- Miscellaneous upgrades per level: Nerve Bar +1 max nerve; Critical Hit Rate +0.5% (base about 12%); Life Points +5% max life; Crime Progression +1% crime experience and skill gain; Education Length -2%; Awareness +20% items found; Bank Interest +5%; Masterful Looting +5% mug money; Stealth +0.2; Hospitalizing +5%; Addiction Mitigation 2%; Employee Effectiveness +1. (documented; Merit › Upgrades › Miscellaneous Upgrades, )
- The in-game wording quoted by players in 2017-2019 was: a continuous boost of 3% to the effect of your crime experience resulting in increased success rates. Players found this ambiguous and asked whether it raised CE gain or success rate. (player reports; Crime Experience merit gain, the truth, )
- Weapon mastery upgrades exist for each weapon type. Each level adds 1% damage and 0.2 accuracy. Temporary Mastery only affects damaging temporary weapons. (documented; Merit › Upgrades › Weapons Upgrades, )
- Free merit resets can be used any time, must be used before buying one with points, and do not raise the points cost. They come from the book High School For Adults and have been given every year since 2018 as a Christmas gift. (documented; Merit › Free Merit Reset, )
- Historical changes: casino token merit removed 02/03/12; stat, health and sword merits removed; hospitalization merit changed from +10 minutes to +5% in the 2021 Medical Revamp. (documented; Merit › Historical Notes, )
- The Life Points upgrade is level-independent: spending at level 1 equals spending at level 50, since the bonus is a percentage of max life. (documented; Merit › Upgrades › Miscellaneous Upgrades, )
- Under Crimes 1.0 the merit gave 3% per upgrade, up to 30% at 10/10 upgrades; a 2017 wiki capture calls it crime success ability, and a 2024 capture of Crimes 1.0 says it boosts crime experience by +3% per merit. (documented; Crimes 1.0 › How to Increase Odds in Crime Success, )
- Fighting stat merits (Sharpness, Brawn, Protection, Evasion) give 3% each to the matching stat, so 30% at 10/10. (documented; Merit › Upgrades › Fighting Stats, )
- Education merits give -2% education time per level, max 20%. Reductions multiply with the WSU stock block and Principal perk, giving 35% with all three. They apply only to courses started afterward. (documented; Education › How to shorten Education time, )
- Each upgrade is incremental, with price rising 1 merit per level, up to 10 upgrades costing 55 merits in total. (documented; Merit › Upgrades, )
Questions about Merit upgrades
- What is the best order or strategy to spend merits in Torn?
The two guides that rank merits (2020 and 2026) both put Education Length first. It costs 55 merits for all 10 levels . After that the order is playe…
- Does Torn ever offer a free merit reset, such as during Christmas?
Yes. The wiki says free merit resets have been given every year since 2018 as a Christmas gift, and they can also come from the book High School For …
- Does the Crime Experience merit increase crime experience gained, or only crime success rate?
In Crimes 2.0, the merit (now Crime Progression) increases the crime experience and crime skill you gain, at +1% per level, up to +10% in total . Und…
Crimes ·
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