One of the new features in 2016 Bunt is XP and Levels, and its one that I have found insanely interesting. It adds a new element and quest to the user experience and it is something that I have paid close attention to since starting last Wednesday. The system itself hasnt been without a few glitches, but overall, its something I think will be a positive addition to the game this year.

XP and Levels Introduction

To start, many returning users should have started at or around level 3, depending on how much you were involved last year. If you started at level 1, that’s fine, I think it might actually be beneficial. Ill get to that in a second.

Each level is comprised of XP, or experience points, that are accumulated for completing certain actions in the game. Things like opening packs, checking in daily, using card exchange, or playing in contests. For each level, the amount of XP needed to get to the next checkpoint grows. For the lower levels, its a small amount, where the upper levels are much more.

As you grow in level, you will gain access to more parts of the game (packs, etc), and you will sometimes be rewarded for your progress. If you reach a level that comes with an award, a bulletin will be sent. Always check your bulletins when leveling up.

Leveling Up

Over the last two days, we have finally gotten some inserts that will be valuable for 2016 marathon sets. This means there were finally some packs outside of the base that should be opened in large quantities. Pack opening comes with XP, although it isnt a huge amount. When you open a lot of packs in a row, the points can add up.

Similarly, when you pull an insert in a pack, you are supposed to get an XP bonus based on the quality of the insert. Rarer inserts gets better bonuses, which will be put to the test as Limited and Sigs hit the sheet likely this week.

Right now, the best and easiest way to level up fast is through the card exchange, as shredding for teals, purples and blacks can get you a lot of points with each step. I have seen already one Gold on the sheet, and the XP bonus had to have been huge. If you have any base you can shred to get to blue or orange, and you are in the lower levels, its definitely in your best interest to get going on the exchanges.

Level Awards

Right now, there are two types of awards for leveling up, but Topps Mike has mentioned that there will be a third type when contests go live.

With each level you will either get no award, a boosted base card pack, or an equipment pack. This is where starting at a lower level might be beneficial. More awards to achieve. I have gotten a pack of orange for lower levels, a pack of teal for higher levels, and the best I got was a pack of 3 purples for Level 10 or 11. You will also get packs of equipment that can contain higher levels than the boosted base. One pack I just got for 13 had a black helmet in it.

Eventually, it looks like there will be awards that grant access to contests, or maybe free entries into contests. I actually am trying to make sense of the tweets from team on this, as it isnt 100% clear yet. Being that the season doesnt start for a few days, that’s not surprising. Once contests are live, im sure we will be able to figure out what is going on with the awards for them.

Contest Seeding

One of the other advantages of the level system this year is that lower level users shouldnt be pitted against people who are super high level. This will help to make contests easier for casual players to win, and not force people into going against players who have enormous collections every time,

Although I would guess that all Bunt contests will be available in some format, levels should play into the contest structure pretty heavily this year. Again, once we get the first contests published, we should see more.

They announced on twitter that the first contests should be coming tomorrow or this weekend, so we wont have to wait long.

With everything so new across the app, I think the system will evolve and change as the season goes on. Nothing in Bunt ever remains 100% static for the entire year, as adjustments are always made. Keep in mind that your feedback might be a great indicator of where changes are needed – let them know what you think should happen on the different social media forums. Mike and Hanford are usually very responsive on Twitter. especially.