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 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…
Now that Act 2 has arrived it’s opened up a TON of Leveling up options for Monsarno…an infinite number in fact! So we gave you a quick breakdown of what each level does in the Act 2 Rundown Post. But I know you guys are all about the bass details…so it’s time to get more specific (before the angry mob shows up at my door for not posting this any sooner!). So let’s take a closer look at what it takes and what happens when you Level Up Monsarno during Act 2…
Before I get into the Act 2 Level Up Details…let’s quickly recap the Leveling up basics for those that have may have forgotten…
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: 
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)
And now…let’s look at the new stuff….
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.
For a recap of Levels 1-7 check out the Act 1 Level Up guide
Level 8 will unlock a task for High Rollers to get DNA
Level 9 will increase your Corn payout for tasks
Level 10 will unlock a job for Kooks to get Fertilizer
Level 11 will increase Fertilizer rewards
Level 12 will unlock a job for Brainiacs to get DNA AND award the Monsarno Library for free
Level 13 will increase DNA rewards from jobs
Level 14 will unlock a job for Civil Servants to get Corn AND award Monsarno Human Resources for free.
Level 15 will increase Corn Rewards from Jobs
Level 16 will Unlock a Job for Celebrities to get DNA
Level 17 will increase Fertilizer Rewards from Jobs
Level 18 will increase Corn Rewards from Jobs
Level 19 will increase DNA Rewards from Jobs
Level 20 + will increase Fertilizer, Corn and DNA Rewards from Jobs
There is no cap on level upgrades for Act 2…so you won’t reach the max.
How Much Does It Cost to Upgrade at Each Level?
Here’s the breakdown…
| Level | Fertilizer | Corn | Reward |
| 8 | 1050 | 175 | Highrollers for DNA |
| 9 | 1200 | 200 | Increases Corn Payout from jobs |
| 10 | 1350 | 225 | Kooks for Fertilizer |
| 11 | 1500 | 250 | Increases Fertilizer Payout from jobs |
| 12 | 1650 | 275 | Brainiacs for DNA + Library |
| 13 | 1800 | 300 | Increases DNA Payout from jobs |
| 14 | 1950 | 325 | Civil Servants for Corn + Human Resources |
| 15 | 2100 | 350 | Increases Corn Payout from jobs |
| 16 | 2250 | 375 | Celebrities for DNA |
| 17 | 2400 | 400 | Increases Fertilizer Payout from jobs |
| 18 | 2550 | 425 | Increases Corn Payout from jobs |
| 19 | 2700 | 450 | Increases DNA Payout from jobs |
| 20 | 2850 | 475 | Increases DNA, Fertilizer & Corn Payout from Jobs |
| 21+ | 150 Each lvl | 25 Each level | Increases DNA, Fertilizer & Corn Payout from Jobs |
What Are the Payouts for the Character Tasks?
Here’s the breakdown, broken out by item (otherwise the chart would be huge)
Fertilizer Tasks
| Task | Length | Earns Lvls 7-10 | Earns Lvls 11-16 | Earns Lvl 17-19 | Earns Lvl 20 | Earns Lvl 21 |
| Dimwits for Fertilizer | 8hrs | 14  |
18 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
| Pessimists for Fertilizer | 4hrs | 8 |
10 |
13 |
13 |
14 |
| Senions for Fertilizer | 2hrs | 5 |
6 |
8 |
8 |
9 |
| Kooks for Fertilizer | 1hr | 3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
Corn Tasks
| Task | Length | Earns Lvls 7-8 | Earns Lvls 9-14 | Earns Lvls 15-17 | Earns Lvl 18-19 | Earns Lvl 20 | Earns Lvl 21 |
| Gluttons for Corn | 16hrs | 9  |
14 |
18 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
| Youngsters for Corn | 8hrs | 5 |
8 |
10 |
13 |
13 |
14 |
| Criminals for Corn | 4hrs | 3 |
5 |
6 |
8 |
8 |
9 |
| Civil Servants for Corn | 2hrs | n/a | 3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
DNA Tasks
| Task | Length | Earns Lvls 7-12 | Earns Lvls 13-18 | Earns Lvl 19 | Earns Lvl 20 | Earns Lvl 21 |
| Highrollers for DNA | 12hrs | 5  |
8 |
10 |
11 |
11 |
| Brainiacs for DNA | 6hrs | 3 (Unlocks Lvl 12) | 5 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
| Celebrities for DNA | 3hrs | n/a | 3 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
What Happens When I’ve Reached the Max Level?
There is no Max Level in this one…so be careful and don’t burn all your resources on upgrading to get to the Max, cause you won’t reach it.
If There’s No Max Level, When Should I Stop?
That’s really up to you. You’ve got to decide which tasks/payout upgrades you want & what’s worth it to you. However, I do recommend NOT upgrading past Level 19. As you can see the increase from 19 to 20 and 20 to 21 are pretty small, and IMO not worth the resources to upgrade there.
So Fertilizer and Corn Are Required for BOTH Crafting and Upgrading, Which Should We Focus On?
I’ve been saying it since Act 1…Upgrade, Upgrade, Upgrade! The more tasks/characters you have earning for you the better off you’ll be.
However, there was one exception to this…and it involved the Farmer’s Market. My advice was, if you were close to getting the Farmer’s Market (like a couple thousand away), I would continue working towards crafting that to get it out of your way and then you can focus on the new items. BUT that was just my opinion and what I would do. At the end of the day, you’ve got to do what you think is best for you.
What About the New Monsarno Buildings, How Do I Craft Those/What’s Up With Them?
As noted above Levels 12 and 14 will unlock new Monsarno Buildings.
At Level 12 you’ll unlock the Monsarno Library:
You’ll be given one for free once you reach Level 12…
And you can craft additional ones via the crafting Menu. Here’s what’s required to craft more Libraries…
At Level 14 you’ll unlock Monsarno Human Resources
You’ll also be given one for free once you reach Level 14…
And you can craft additional ones via the crafting Menu. Here’s what’s required to craft more HR Buildings…
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 Two!
What are your thoughts on upgrading? Have you upgraded yet? Thoughts on the character tasks associated with earning more fertilizer, DNA 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!