Well I reached me first year of Torn, and what a journey it has been so far. What started off as an interesting game to kill time, has become such a large part of my day to day life. I would like to share some of the things I have learned along the way, and some things I would go back and change if I could. Maybe some of our new players will see this, and help guide their path a bit.
When I first joined Torn, I instantly became hooked. I was on constantly in my first few days, and learning as much as I could. I had a few offers to join a faction, but then one offer stood out, and I found my home on day 3, where I hope to live the rest of my days in Torn. Activity was key. Factions hunt for fresh, promising, young talent. If you are very active, and showing good growth, and an attempt to learn as much as you can, a faction WILL find you. Thanks to advanced search features, you will get yourself a good home pretty fast. People are always watching. Finding a solid, active faction will be the key to your Torn success.
My biggest regret to date, is not sticking to a music store as my job. I used to be in a 10* music store that sold, and disbanded. After that, I chose to do the baseline job paths to get the perks. Unless you plan on being a healer as your career path, do NOT waste time doing the medical path until later. Education only is fine, and MAYBE law, but it requires alot of endurance to complete (a bit too high imo). Music store is key to getting new gyms faster, which in turn, equals faster growth. When you get to heavy weight gyms, and unlock specialty gyms, thats when you will start to skyrocket. That should have been my first priority, and I wish I had got these gyms much sooner.
Make the most of your booster cooldown! I have been lazy. I have slacked on boosters and missed out on a pile of growth. If your booster cooldown is sitting idle at 0, start chugging those beers, or munching those candies. That is, unless you are still in happy jump range, you will need that booster for Edvd's. You want to keep doing those crimes as much as possible, and never stop growing. Don't forget your daily nerve and energy refills! Points seem expensive, but keep them topped up, and always do your daily refills. You're just losing out on growth if you don't. I don't see the point in casino refills, unless going for the merit.
Get yourself a private island (rent one, unless youre rich and can buy, but renting is cheaper for the first year). What I failed to do, was do the max upgrades on my rented PI. I thought the owner could only get it to max happy. Upgrade it all! Every bit of happy counts for those gains.
Don't forget your Xanax! Unless youre going for the Sports Science Lab gym (which is a crazy grind), do your best to get your 3 Xanax daily. Never stop taking them. Xanax will consist of 95% of your diet. No time for food, or drinks, or anything else in your life. Xanax is your best friend for growth (and ecstasy if still in happy jump range).
Those are just some of the things I wish I did differently, or did better on. When you take a look back, it all adds up, and makes a huge difference in the long run. I'll finish off with a couple of my findings (personal opinion only) on some money making, as I have tried many avenues out to test what works best for me.
Ranked wars are going to be a large part of your profit. In a good faction, and depending on your participation, you can make anywhere to a few million, to over 100M per war you do. Put in the effort to every war! Its worth it. When I first started out, I flew a bit, but never really liked it. Wasn't my style (although I should fly in my off time). I did plushie/flower trading. As a newcomer in my first 2 months, there were days where I turned 1-5M profit/hr. But low, sell high! Always search the market for those good deals. After plushies, I tried trading anything/everything else, but I found myself holding on to random things for too long which I didn't like(please somebody buy my packs of trojans. I'm begging you). Then I tried stock trading (this is still my favorite income). Stock trading is very volatile like the real world. You can win big, and you can lose big. Monitor the markets (not just the daily changes, but even the monthly change). Just look for the large drops, and try to buy in at bottom dollar. I find its pretty easy to turn a profit, and then turn around and re-invest, growing faster each time (I make more money per week than bank invest, which is why I preferred stocks). Last thing I'm currently in the stage of trying, is RW trading. Its a risky game, but the profits can be high. It's also a slow process. Some things sell fast, some sell slow. This takes a more dedicated player, and there's a lot to learn, but don't get discouraged. It's fun, and worth it in the end if done right.
I didn't expect my rant to go this long. Torn has alot to offer, and it could be written about for days. For those who stuck around to the end, kudos to you, and I hope this message helps even 1 person in the end. One final note in the end, be nice to people. Torn, like Amy game has its toxicity around, but just be nice, and have fun. We all want to enjoy the game, and the better you are to people, the better they will be to you. It will make your game experience alot more enjoyable.
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful Torn experience 👍