Mafia Wars Tips and Strategy Blog » Mafia Wars Tips

Job Mastery and Mastery Rewards Explained

Phillip Scott — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:00:04 +0000

Mafia Wars is undoubtedly one of the most popular games on the internet today. There are no fees or special software needed to enter the world of the various mafia entities of the world. All you need to play Mafia wars is a computer and membership in one of the popular social networks such as Facebook or MySpace.

One of the first things that you will notice when you play Mafia Wars for the first time is that you do not have to worry about running quests for advancement. The game operates on a mastery system allowing you to claim various rewards for completing tiers in the cities of New York, Moscow, and Bangkok.

Every job has three levels of mastery and as a player you must complete each level for the entire tier before you can move on to the next. The levels of mastery are commonly referred to as bronze, silver, and gold. The only exception to this is in the Bangkok expansion where there are 4 levels of mastery per tier.

As you progress through the levels of mastery you will notice that the cash payout climbs, energy cost and experience climb and the percentage of completion per job will decrease. Jobs completed on the silver level of mastery contribute less to completion than those on the bronze level and so on. This means that you will have to complete the job more times to complete the level of mastery.

You are rewarded with a new title for each level of mastery that you complete.

New York		Moscow
Mastery Level	Title	Mastery Level	Title
1	Tier Title	1	Tier Title
2	Skilled	2	Umelyj
3	Master	3	Matyoryj

		Bangkok
Cuba		Mastery Level	Title
Mastery Level	Title	1	Tier Title
1	Tier Title	2	Apprentice
2	Experto	3	Skilled
3	Principal	4	Master

When you complete all three (or 4) levels of mastery you have mastered the tier and are rewarded with an item.

New York Mastery Items
Tier	Item	Notes
Street Thug	Pistol Bayonet	Fight Damage Inflicted +4%
Associate	Bugatti	Fight Damage Suffered -7%
Soldier	Golden Skull	Health Regeneration Timer Reduced 30 Seconds
Enforcer	Money Plate	Properties Cost Discounted By 5%
Hitman	Chainsaw Bayonet	Stamina Regeneration Timer Reduced by 30 Seconds
Capo	State Senator	Property Repair Cost Reduced By 5%
Consigliere	Helicopter	Energy Regeneration Timer Reduced By 30 Seconds
Underboss	Private Island	Experience Points For Jobs Increased By 5%
Boss	Golden Throne	Energy Points Regenerated Are Doubled

Cuban Mastery Items
Tier	Item	Notes
El Soldado	El Rey Roadster	40 Attack, 30 Defense
El Capitan	Guerrilla Commando	38 Attack, 35 Defense
El Jefe	Avispa Machine Gun	54 Attack, 24 Defense
El Patron	Che’s Beret	46 Attack, 34 Defense
El Padrino	Cocodrillo APC	42 Attack, 56 Defense
El Cacique	Cazador Assault Rifle	60 Attack, 25 Defense

Moscow Mastery Items
Tier	Item	Notes
Baklany	Barsuk SUV	36 Attack, 52 Defense
Boets	Boss Karpov’s Pistol	45 Attack, 38 Defense
Brigadir	Ex-KGB Bodyguard	48 Attack, 30 Defense
Avtoritet	Cossack Armored Vest	18 Attack, 48 Defense
Vor	ZPR Pulemut	28 Attack, 65 Defense
Pakhan	The Drakon	54 Attack, 22 Defense

Bangkok Mastery Items
Tier	Item	Notes
Brawler	Tiger Sak Yan	65 Attack, 42 Defense
Criminal	Royal Thai Police Tank	58 Attack, 74 Defense
Pirate	Harpoon Cannon	88 Attack, 51 Defense
Commandant	Armored War Elephant	96 Attack, 69 Defense
Oyabun	Ronin Armor	72 Attack, 111 Defense
Dragon Head	Pair of Typhoon Cleavers	70 Attack, 112 Defense

Completing mastery levels and tiers in Mafia Wars can produce some very nice rewards.

The Return of Robbing In Mafia Wars

Phillip Scott — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:39:44 +0000

For all of those who just love a good heist, robbing has returned to Mafia Wars for some players. Yes it seems that the new robbing feature is being implemented in the same way as most Mafia Wars content and updated features. If you do not have access to it yet I am sure that it will not be long until you do.

Times have changed in robbing since it was removed from the game. Today when you rob a property it costs a specific amount of stamina and higher value targets consume more stamina. Mafia required has changed as well. In order to rob higher value targets you will use more mafia than you would when attacking low value properties. In addition there are now two ways to rob players.

1.) From the Fight Tab

Operating from the Fight Tab is basically the same way that you conducted robberies before the were removed from the game and reinvented but with a twist. Robbing from the Fight Tab will give you random targets in a grid containing properties that can be robbed and are color coded to represent the level of difficulty that you will encounter when trying to rob them. The more difficult the property the more stamina robbing it will consume. If you can finish the entire grid you will be given a chance to win one of the new Robbing Collection items, which are rare.

2.) From the Profile Page

When viewing a player’s profile page you will be able to rob directly without having to go to the Fight Tab. You will be presented with a list of their properties along with the costs in stamina to rob them. Robbing from the Profile Page may seem the easy way to go but there are a couple things that you need to understand. Properties are NOT displayed with a degree of difficulty with a color code so rob at your own risk. Also you will not be able get the rare collection items and robbing in this manner will not increase mastery.

Defenders fear not there are a few bells and whistles for you as well. When you get robbed finding out who did it is easy as pie. You will be able to see which properties have been robbed and you can simply hold your mouse over the property and you can see who the mug is who hit you. You can then just click on their name and you will be whisked away to their Profile Page where you can alert your mafia or handle the problem yourself.

To keep robbing to a minimum keep an eye on your properties and bank the cash that they generate as soon as it is ready to collect.

Robbing has returned to Mafia Wars with a brand new face and ease of play. Rob from the Fight Tab or Profile Pages. Find out who robbed you with a single mouse over and alert your mafia for some retribution.

Zynga Crack Down Or Scam?

Phillip Scott — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:43:32 +0000

Over the weekend I received the following letter supposedly from Zynga.

————————————————–

Hello fellow Zynga customer,

The last 4 days we have noticed some unreasonable activity related to your account that is not acceptable amongst our Terms of Service, due to the nature of these rule breaks your account is under investigation and shall be watched for the next few days to see what activity you are really getting upto, if you are caught breaking any of our rules implied through our ToS your account will be closed down with-out prior notification and Facebook will be contacted to take serious action against you as a client of their software.

Although we acknowledge many people are doing this to gain an advantage of some sort with-in our game we can only monitor a few at a time and your account has come under action due to irregular chages in the past few days which is the reasoning behind this action we are currently taking against you.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may be causing you at this moment in time but we are getting to the bottom of this as soon as we can.

Kindest Regards
Zynga Customer Care Team

——————————————————————–

If you received this letter as well I suggest that you take steps to secure your account by changing the password and telling it to absolutely no one. I believe this letter to be false and possibly a precursor to a scam.

The reason that I believe that this letter is not legitimate is two fold. First read through it and you will find a number of spelling mistakes. Second while reading it you will notice that the language and sentence structure is for lack of a better word “clunky.” In my estimation this letter is a scam.

Many times scammers “break the ice” by sending something like this to gamers to set up a relationship. In the next few days you will get another email saying something like “we need to verify you username and password.” Unfortunately many inexperienced people fall for this.

Here are a few tips that you can use in any game to avoid being scammed.

1.) NEVER give your password to anyone.

Don’t give it to friends, relatives, and never to someone who asks for it by email. A gaming company will NEVER ask you for your password. Any email that asks for this kind of information is a scam.

2.) Change your password frequently and always after a scam attempt.

3.) If you are in doubt regarding an email or other scam attempt contact your game provider by email or even better telephone (many have toll free numbers).

4.) Be very wary of websites that use the word “cheats”. While not all are working a scam the word “cheats” is used because many people would rather cheat the game than play it and will jump at the chance to find a new method.

If you get this letter report it to Zynga immediately and under no circumstances provide anyone with your password (to you social network such as facebook or myspace), doing so could result in your account being used for less than legal purposes.

Great Mafia Wars Wish List Site

Phillip Scott — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:03:41 +0000

Getting and receiving gifts is a big part of Mafia Wars. If used properly you can build up massive amounts of the best equipment in the game in no time. I used gifting as a medium for setting up quite a few of my characters so they had the best equipment possible for their mafia before I ever started recruiting.

For a long time I used Mka Vesasto’s Wish List Adder to manage my wish list but unfortunately the bookmarklet quit working awhile back. It’s a shame since I really liked the bookmarklet since it made things so easy.

Recently I came across a new site that has a great wish list tool that I love and I think that you will as well. You can find the site at the address below.

http://wishlister.zymichost.com/

At the site you will find everything broken down into a tabbed menu at the top of the screen which makes finding the exact loot that you are looking for quite handy. When you view the loot any that has green text can be gifted. The green text makes it really easy when you are looking for the perfect gift to give or request.

To add an item to your wishlist all you have to do is click on the item and you will be taken to facebook if you are not logged in already and the item will appear on your wishlist. How easy is that?

Other features of the site include a weekly poll and super fast load times on the images. If you are looking for particular items you can use the “Search O Matic” to find it in record time.

Head over to the site and take your time learning everything that you can and you will find that both gifting and requesting gifts just got much easier.

More Ways To Expand Your Mafia And More

Phillip Scott — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:50:50 +0000

If you have been playing Zynga’s Mafia Wars and or reading this blog for any length of time you know that building a super strong mafia is very important. When it comes to fighting or defending against other players the size of you mafia and their equipment is very important.

Let me recap some of my other posts by refreshing your memory on how to build your mafia.

Ask real life friends or co-workers to join your mafia.
Send an invite to all of your friends on your social network. (Facebook, Myspace, etc.)
Search you social network for “add me” groups and post a message asking to be added to the mafia or other players.
Use “add me” email lists to ask other players to join your mafia.

All of these methods are good ways to grow your mafia, but Zynga has now implemented a way that can help you as well.

When I logged in a few days ago and noticed a new selector on the add friends page in Mafia Wars. In addition to the normal tabs (Mafia Wars Friends and Facebook Friends) there is now a tab called “FarmVille Friends.” So I thought that I would check it out on some of the other Zynga games that I play and sure enough some of them have a tab that says “Mafia Wars” friends.

This tab is going to be quite helpful when trying to grow your mafia, especially for those who came to Mafia Wars through playing other Zynga games. The tab gives them the ability to tap into the friends base that they have already built in other games and convert them to Mafia Wars players and more importantly mafia members.

Remember that building a large mafia and equipping them with the best that the game has to offer is sure to make you a hard target. Use any or all of the methods listed in this post and keep your eyes open for potential members in other games that you play.

Tags: Mafia Wars build mafia, how to grow your mafia, huge mafia, large mafia, how can I grow my mafia, how can I get more mafia members

Mafia Wars On Autopilot

Phillip Scott — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:03:41 +0000

In today’s article I am going to tell you about something that both Zynga and I discourage. Why am I telling you about something that I do not approve of? When I started this blog it was with the intent of bringing useful information to the players of Mafia Wars, including answering as many questions as I can. I have received a number of questions over the last few months regarding how to play Mafia Wars on autopilot.

There is a script that once set up and running allows you to play the game without any intervention on your part. That script is called Facebook Mafia Wars Autoplayer (Rebirth).

In order to use this script there are a couple of prerequisites.

You must be running Firefox
Getting Firefox is easy. Simply browse to http://www.mozilla.org and click on Firefox and then download and install the latest version. The next step requires that you have Firefox up and running as your browser.
Greasemonkey
Next you will be downloading and installing an Add-on to Firefox called Greasemonkey. Browse to https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748 and click on add to Firefox. Follow the instructions and restart Firefox when told to do so. This will ensure that Greasemonkey is running.
Facebook Mafia Wars Autoplayer
This is the piece of script that will put Mafia Wars on Autopilot. To get this script browse to http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/64720 and click on the green “install” button at the top right of the page.

I do not use the script so I cannot give detailed instructions on how to set it up so read everything that you can on the userscripts Facebook Mafia Wars Autoplayer (Rebirth) page. View the discussions and especially the video tutorial links.

Once you are running Firefox, and have installed both Greasemonkey and Facebook Mafia Wars Autoplayer (Rebirth) as well as developed a firm understanding of how the script works and how to set it up for your style of play the game will become effortless.

**Disclaimer**

I am neither condoning nor promoting use of third party utilities of any kind. Using this type of utility may result in suspension or even termination of your account and I accept no responsibility for your actions. All information presented here is for educational purposes and/or in reply to questions that have been received.

Mafia Wars Complete Required Item List

Phillip Scott — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:49:18 +0000

When you get right down to it Mafia Wars is a game of numbers. We concentrate growing our mafia to 500+, worry about our energy pool, attack and defense skill and much more. For those of you who are number crunchers (like I am) here is a list of all of the items that you will need to purchase when playing Mafia Wars.

Mafia Wars Item Costs
New York
Item		# required		Cost Each		Total Cost
Armored Sedan		20		$60,000		$1,200,000
Baseball Bat		1		$300		$300
Body Armor		20		$16,000		$320,000
Bonus Weapon		5		$200,000		$1,000,000
Bullet Proof Vest		3		$6,000		$18,000
Chain Gun		20		$200,000		$4,000,000
Colt Pistol		2		$1,000		$2,000
Crowbar		1		$700		$700
Delivery Truck		12		$20,000		$240,000
Getaway Cruiser		12		$90,000		$1,080,000
Grenade		10		$3,000		$30,000
Hacksaw		1		$10,000		$10,000
Machine Pistol		1		$5,500		$5,500
Motorcycle		4		$15,000		$60,000
Sawed Off Shotgun		2		$2,000		$4,000
Sedan		3		$40,000		$120,000
Speed Boat		2		$400,000		$800,000
Tommy Gun		10		$120,000		$1,200,000
Town Car		40		$400,000		$16,000,000
Total Cost for New York				$26,090,500


Cuba
** $ = Cuban Currency (C$)
Item			# required		Cost Each	Total Cost
.308 Sniper Rifle			4		$32,000	$128,000
Barge			8		$27,000	$216,000
Bazooka			8		$40,000	$320,000
Camo Fatigues			3		$10,000	$30,000
CM Seta			2		$10,000	$20,000
CM Venga			5		$22,000	$110,000
Commerical Helicopter			5		$45,000	$225,000
Gaduka 5-Pistol			14		$24,000	$336,000
Hatchet			2		$12,000	$24,000
Hired Thug			16		$22,000	$352,000
Jeep			2		$18,000	$36,000
Jungle Tracker			3		$14,000	$42,000
Lead Pipe			18		$5,000	$90,000
Local Guide			2		$4,000	$8,000
Local Tough			8		$8,000	$64,000
Machete			2		$1,000	$2,000
Oso-12 Cargo Truck			5		$38,000	$190,000
RAS-29			26		$15,000	$390,000
Rebel Sniper			4		$38,000	$152,000
Wise Guy			30		$30,000	$900,000
Total Cost for Cuba					$3,635,000


Moscow
** $ = Russian Currency (R$)
Item	# required			Cost Each		Total Cost
Arctic Camo	30			$11,800,000		$354,000,000
Balaclava	18			$1,800,000		$32,400,000
Beovoy Nozh	24			$2,200,000		$52,800,000
Bronezilet	30			$5,400,000		$162,000,000
BYK-922	12			$14,200,000		$170,400,000
Dubina	15			$500,000		$7,500,000
Dvina	12			$3,200,000		$38,400,000
Enforcer	54			$16,800,000		$907,200,000
Forest Camo	30			$11,800,000		$354,000,000
KRZ8	12			$16,500,000		$198,000,000
Listsa	32			$6,800,000		$217,600,000
Mototsykl	12			$500,000		$6,000,000
Pistolet Bess	18			$900,000		$16,200,000
RAS-28 SMG	45			$7,500,000		$337,500,000
RAS-55	45			$16,800,000		$756,000,000
Riot Helmet	30			$7,200,000		$216,000,000
Shturmovaya	36			$5,200,000		$187,200,000
Snayperskaya	15			$21,500,000		$322,500,000
Sokel Helicopter	15			$24,500,000		$367,500,000
Taksi	9			$1,000,000		$9,000,000
Tracked Truck	15			$26,500,000		$397,500,000
Tracksuit	24			$900,000		$21,600,000
Zharpesta	15			$27,000,000		$405,000,000
Total Cost for Moscow				$5,536,300,000

Good luck in your criminal activities.

Some Serous Advice on Godfather Points

Phillip Scott — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:30:21 +0000

With Mafia Wars quickly becoming the most popular social networking game on the internet I felt the need to clue the new players and maybe even some of your old veterans in on what Godfather Points are, how to get them, and how to use them.

Godfather Points – A definition

Godfather points or reward points are a form of currency in Mafia Wars. They can be used for a number of things within the game.

Godfather Points – What they can be used for

.These points may be used for a number of things including

Full Energy Refill
Extra Mafia Members
+4 Skill Points
Money
Full Health Refill
Full Stamina Refill
New Name
Crates
Limited Loot

How to acquire Godfather Points

Godfather points can acquired in two ways.

They are earned through leveling your character
They may be purchased in lots of 21, 42, 85, 170, 215, 440, 700 for real world cash.

You used to be able to get Godfather Points by completing offers and doing surveys but it seems that those options have been removed from the game.

Advice on how to spend your Godfather Points

If you have a copy of The Ultimate Mafia Wars Leveling Guide then you already know all of this as well as how to level as quickly as possible using sound time tested strategies. This information is for those who do not have the guide.

If you follow a strict plan on leveling you will never NEED to spend Godfather points on anything. The only thing that I have ever spent any points on is “+4 Skill Points.” I know there are those who will say that buying energy refills are the way to go but I guarantee you that in the long run the skill points will pay off much more.

The bottom line is that other than the points that are earned for leveling Godfather Points cost money but purchasing them is not necessary. If you are someone who wants all of the items available in the game and have the cash to purchase points by all means do so. But…If you are a cheapskate like me you don’t have too.

4 Simple Mafia Wars Tips For A Strong Character

Phillip Scott — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:25:55 +0000

I have been playing Mafia Wars for quite some time and have built numerous characters so I thought I would pass along four simple things that are the basis of creating a strong character.

1.) Use your Energy effectively

This is probably the most important thing in Mafia Wars. If you want to level quickly you need to make sure that you put your energy to the best use. Visit one of the bookmarklet pages and pick up a tool to help you determine how to manage your energy when completing jobs.

2.) Linear Jobs

Complete jobs in a linear manner for the best results in the long run. If you are starting a new character begin with the Street Thug tier and complete all three levels of it before moving on. Resist the urge to jump around on the tiers simply because you are high enough level for them. This holds true for expansion as well. Visit them to get your business started then forget about them except for collecting your business payouts.

3.) Build a Strong Mafia

Spend time visiting add me pages or add me email pages to build your mafia. Only 500 of your mafia may participate in a fight but having a huge mafia is a boon in and of itself. Some of the advantages of having a large mafia are completing collections and re-vaulting for boosts. You will be surprised how quickly you can finish out collections and get the bonuses by simply asking for the items. Always be sure to gift in return when you can as well.

4.) Equip Your Mafia

Your mafia is only as strong as the equipment that you provide them. When you enter into combat you will provide each of the 500 members of your mafia with an offensive weapon, a defensive item, and a vehicle. Having the best is a way to ensure that you are a formidable enemy for anyone who chooses to attack you.

These four tips might seem like “no-brainers” but you would be surprised at how many people do not follow these simple ideas. Many are racing to get to the highest level they can and pay little or no attention to building and equipping a strong mafia. Others have no idea how to maximize their energy or where to find a bookmarklet to help. Use these simple tips to make your Mafia Wars experience more enjoyable.

What You Need To Know About Facebook Changes

Phillip Scott — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:23:52 +0000

Recently Facebook announced changes being made to the privacy settings of its users. While these changes are designed to make things easier and simpler for its users is it more of a pain in the butt than helpful? You decide.

The default settings for the new privacy features will make all of your information available not only to the 350 million Facebook users as well as search engines such as Yahoo, Google and others.

Does this open up your account to even more danger in the form of hackers, scammers and other unscrupulous entities? I believe that it can, but you can do more to protect yourself by tweaking the following settings.

Search Settings

With the release of these new privacy settings all accounts were set to a default configuration. This configuration includes resetting your public search settings to the on mode. This setting means that you are allowing your information to be seen by any search engine. If you do not want your information to be available to anyone who wants to see it you need to reset the option to the off mode.

Hyper Control

It seems that with the new “privacy” features Facebook is actually removing some of your control over who can and cannot view your information. If you want to have more control over who can see updates, photos, etc all you have to do is go to the Privacy Settings > Profile section and you can decide who can see your information.

Friends List

While Facebook generally controls your friends list you do have some control you do have control over who can see it. If you want your friends list to remain private (as I do) all you have to do is click on your profile link at the top of the page, then look for a pen icon next to your friends list. When you click this icon simply remove the check mark in front of “Show Friends List to everyone.” Should you want to allow your Friends List to be seen by specific people you can enter their name in the box in this area as well.

Password Protection

One of the smartest things that rolled out with these privacy upgrades was the requirement to enter your password to make any privacy changes. This step would go a very long way to keeping your account safe and hackers on the run if it only worked as intended. It seems that though the system is in place it needs a bit of tweaking by face book.

While Facebook has rolled these changes out under the façade of “more secure privacy” in my opinion is that they have implemented these changes to give search engines more access to its members and thereby increasing their search engine revenue. Not only do these new privacy settings allow search engines to readily see your information they also open up your email address to spammers.

If you want your personal information to remain personal you need to adjust your settings to limit search engine access as much as possible.