🔒 Cartel Empire – New Player Survival Guide

1. Missions & Survival Basics

The first 7 days are your protection bubble. No one can touch you—so use it wisely. Focus on learning the interface, completing missions, and pushing through courses. Missions aren’t filler—they reward you with stats, money, and course progress. Skipping them is like leaving cash on the street.

• Do all beginner missions – they unlock jobs, courses, and features.
• Follow the chains – each mission line builds your foundation.
• Keep notes – missions sometimes hint at future unlocks.

2. Energy Management

Energy is your lifeblood. Donator/Subscriber doubles it (100 → 200). Without it, you’ll always lag behind. Every point spent builds your empire, so don’t waste it.

• Spend smart: Prioritize jobs → gym → attacks → productions.
• Boost carefully: Alcohol and drugs give surges but watch OD risk.
• Events: Fiesta del Gran Poder (May 10–12) = stockpile energy & cooldowns.

3. Jobs & Reputation Grinding

Jobs aren’t just side hustles—they unlock productions, money, and prestige. Reputation is your ticket to the real game.

• Progression: Standard → Robbery → Advanced.
• Raise Intelligence early before grinding jobs.
• Best prestige = Time Reduction (more rep/hour).
• Goal: 160k Rep for Cocaine & Alcohol production unlocks.

4. University & Intelligence Training

Intelligence is the backbone of progression. It powers your training efficiency, jobs, and prestige. Courses + missions will raise it, but training energy on Int becomes necessary later.

• Start with Medical, then Business.
• Early goal: ~65 Int from missions + courses.
• Max Intelligence = 1200.

5. Battle Stats & Gym Strategy

Strength, Defense, Agility, Accuracy. Together they make your build. Choose wisely—your ratio defines your cartel role.

• Pure builds: One stat maxed (e.g. Pure Speed).
• Balanced builds: Even spread for flexibility.
• Focused builds: 2–stat combos (Tank, Glass Cannon).

Remember: Intelligence boosts training efficiency. Don’t neglect it.

6. Productions & Passive Income

Productions are your cartel’s real backbone—steady income and supply. Reputation unlocks them step by step.

• Street Crimes – 1,200 Rep
• Weed – 40,000 Rep
• Alcohol – 80,000 Rep
• Cocaine – 160,000 Rep (the big one)

Balance narcos, materials, and money. A production line without supplies is dead weight.

7. Properties & Upgrades

Properties are more than flex—they’re powerhouses of upgrades and storage. Don’t sit in a shack when you could be training smarter.

• Save for Town House (~11–12m).
• Upgrade path: Vault → Study → Library.
• Final goal: Private Estate (~350–400m).

8. Expeditions & Sicarios

From Quack’s notes: Expeditions are long-term investments. Build your teams carefully with balance: Caution, Morale, Combat.

• Focus on: La Paz → Beni → Cochabamba (fastest Tarija unlock).
• Always aim for 100% success + high speed = reduced time.
• Use rerolls wisely—don’t blow them early.

9. Attacking & FFM

Attacks aren’t random brawls—they’re business. The Fair Fight Multiplier (FFM) means bigger rewards if you fight near your level and stat range.

• Pure Speed build: 0/0/100/0 – dodge master.
• Tank build: Heavy Defense/HP to soak hits.
• Balanced: Spread across all 4 for flexibility.

10. Cooldowns, Items & Events

Cooldowns are the hidden chains on your growth. Manage them well.

• Booster max = 24h, Drug max = 24h.
• Cycle items—don’t stack them wastefully.
• Events (Fiesta, Holiday drugs) are growth multipliers.

11. Advanced Tips & Builds

• Don’t hoard cash—invest or vault it.
• Use cartel perks: revives, cooldown cuts, training boosts.
• Plan builds early → avoid wasted energy.
• Expeditions = long-term play. Don’t overinvest day 1.