Terwilliger’s Guide to Leveling Up Monsarno Research: Act One

Hey Howdy Hey Tappers!

Cecil Terwilliger has returned to Springfield to make amends…not almonds, despite what Homer thinks.  And in an effort to save himself from being ridden out of Springfield on the back of a horse he’s convinced the town to let him build a Monsarno Research Campus right in Springfield!  This way the residents of Springfield can benefit from all the advantages of GMO veggies!

So, now that you have the back story let’s talk about Monsarno Research.  Monsarno is basically the key to the entire event.  Once you build it you’ll unlock the event in Springfield, including the ability to craft items.  To craft items you’ll need (at least for Act One) Corn and Fertilizer.  One way you’ll get more Corn and Fertilizer is by sending characters on various tasks for these items.  And the way to unlock these character tasks?  Leveling up your Monsarno Research Center! Whew!  I feel like that took a really long time to get to that point…

Anywho…we gave you a quick breakdown of how to level up and what happens when you do in the Terwilliger Event Rundown Post.  But now let’s take a closer look at what’s required to level up and what exactly happens when you do…

How Do I Upgrade?

Well it’s pretty simple really.  You have two ways to upgrade your Monsarno Research Center.  You can either tap on the event menu (remember you access that via the Knife Trophy on the bottom right of your screen…icon looks like this: ).  And the last item listed is the Monsarno Upgrade screen:
See the Research Center Icon?  That’s the one you’ll want to be on.

You can also upgrade by tapping on Monsarno Research and hit the upgrade button.  This will take you right to the Event Guide and the Upgrade screen.

What’s Needed to Upgrade?

Fertilizer and Corn.  The same stuff needed for Crafting.  Different amounts are needed to upgrade to a new level. (we’ll get to that in a minute)

How Do I Earn Fertilizer And Corn? 

There are a couple of ways both items can be earned…the most common way early in the game is via character tasks.  Before you even upgrade your Research Center some characters will have tasks to earn these items.  Here’s a look at who can earn what before Monsarno is upgraded beyond level 1:

It looks like the Dimwits Group has the task….the task is an 8hr task that yields 9 Fertilizer.  Here’s a look at the Dimwit Group:

So those characters ALL have an 8hr task to earn 9 Fertilizer before you even start to upgrade your Monsarno Research.

How do you earn corn?  Via Cecil’s Daily Tasks.  Complete them to earn enough Corn to upgrade to Level 2.  Note: Once you upgrade to Level 2 you’ll unlock character tasks for corn.  We’ll cover those in a minute.

You can also earn more Fertilizer through Cecil’s Daily Tasks.

What Happens When I Upgrade?

Well, at each upgrade point you’ll unlock more stuff.  This stuff could be tasks to earn items, new craftable items or higher payouts on existing tasks.  Here’s a look at what you’ll earn at each Level:

Remember for a list of who’s in which group check out Bunny’s post on Cecil’s Daily tasks.

Level 1– Starting Point.  Dimwit Fertilizer Task.  (Automatically unlocked)

Level 2- Unlocks a Job for Gluttons to Earn Corn.  (This will be a 16hr task)

Level 3- Unlocks a Job for Pessimists to Earn Fertilizer.  (This will be a 4hr task)

Level 4- Unlocks a Job for Youngsters to Earn Corn.  (This will be an 8hr task.)

Level 5- Unlocks a Job for Seniors to Earn Fertilizer (This will be a 2hr task).  ALSO unlocks the Monsarno Research Cafeteria.  Note: you will get one for free when you reach it (at least I did) any additional you’ll have to craft.  We’ll cover this more below.

Level 6: Unlocks a Job for Criminals to Earn Corn (This will be a 4hr task).

Level 7: Increases the Fertilizer Rewards from Jobs (for Homer it changed his 9 Fertilizer to 14).  ALSO unlocks the Monsarno Chimp Resources.  Note: Like the cafeteria you will get one for free when you reach it (at least I did) any additional you’ll have to craft.  We’ll cover this more below.

Level 7 is the MAX level you can reach for Act One.

How Much Does It Cost to Upgrade at Each Level?

Here’s the breakdown…

 What Are the Payouts for the Character Tasks?

Here’s the breakdown before Level 7 and After Level 7 (upgrades)

Character Set/Task	Task Length	Earns Lvls 1-6	Earns Lvls 7+
Dimwits for Fertilizer	8hr	9	14
Gluttons For Corn	16hr	9	9
Pessimists for Fertilizer	4hrs	5	8
Youngsters for Corn	8hrs	5	5
Seniors for Fertilizer	2hrs	3	5
Criminals for Corn	4hrs	3	3

Once you’ve reached Level 7, the max level for Act One, you’ll unlock a 3-Day Corn Sale in your Store.What Happens When I’ve Reached the Max Level?

For 25 donuts you can purchase 575 Corn…you’ll find the deal in your Store:

It’ll only last 3 Days so if you want to take advantage of it…grab it before those 3 days are up.

So Fertilizer and Corn Are Required for BOTH Crafting and Upgrading, Which Should We Focus On?

Since upgrading will unlock the ability for more characters to earn these items, my strategy is to focus on upgrading to Level 7 first and then work on getting the items for Crafting.  This way I can send as many characters out to earn the items as possible.

As an example…let’s say you get to level 7. You’ll earn 5 Fertilizer for every 2hrs you send a Senior on a task.  There are 14 potential Seniors you can send (based on Bunny’s list here.)  So 14×5= 70.  That’s 70 Fertilizer you can earn every 2hrs JUST from sending Seniors.  Well it’s not unreasonable to think you’ll be awake from at least 7am-9pm everyday. So that’s 7 2hr shifts daily, plus 1 overnight.  So 8 total for the day.  8×70= 560.  That’s 560 Fertilizer you can earn each day, if you check and reassign tasks every 2hrs, JUST from Seniors alone.  (if you’re at Level 7).

Throw in the Pessimists, there’s 11 that don’t overlap with Seniors.  Send those 11 Pessimists on their 4hr task for 8 Fertilizer, that’s another 88 Fertilizer/8hrs.  Assuming same schedule that’s at least another 264 Fertlizer/day.

And that’s just those 2 groups…you continue to throw in the others WITH the daily tasks, my feelings are upgrading is the way to go.  Especially if you’re at Level 51 with a ton of characters.

If you’re not at a high level yet, I’d say below 25, you may want to only upgrade as you need to and earn items from whomever you can.

However, that’s just my strategy.  Which way you go is up to you. 🙂

What About the New Monsarno Buildings, How Do I Craft Those/What’s Up With Them?

As noted above Levels 5 and 7 will unlock new Monsarno Buildings.

At Level 5 you’ll unlock the Monsarno Cafeteria:

You’ll be given one for free once you reach Level 5…

And you can craft additional ones via the crafting Menu.  Here’s what’s required to craft more Cafeterias…
4,250
1,600

At Level 7 you’ll unlock Monsarno Chimp Resources

You’ll also be given one for free once you reach Level 7…

And you can craft additional ones via the crafting Menu.  Here’s what’s required to craft more Chimp Resources…
4,250
1,600

So if you like them and want more than 1 you can continue to craft after you’ve gotten your free ones.

And that my friends concludes the info on the Monsarno Research Upgrades for Act One!

What are your thoughts on upgrading? Have you upgraded yet?  Thoughts on the character tasks associated with earning more fertilizer and corn?  What are your thoughts on the event overall so far?  Sound off in the comments below, you know we love hearing from you!