Let’s start by admitting a couple of things. First of all…YES…This Event is just like every other event in recent history. It looks a lot harder than it really is…but it is made a bit more difficult by the HUGE NUMBER OF GLITCHES (some real, some perceived) that come with every update from EA. It is another SNAFU (Situation Normal All FREAKED Up!).
That said. I also admit to having none of the major glitches that are being reported. My game isn’t “laggy” and I am already ahead of the calendar, with hardly a donut dropped (except on a couple of Premium Items that only kinda help).
So…How Did I Do It??? What’s The Secret Math? What makes me the Master of This Update????
Well…pretty much the same as every other update. I am logging on faithfully every 4 hours… doing the basics…and then moving on. Most of all…I’m not panicking.
Here are some basic tips to help you CHILLAX!!!
1. Crafting takes a long time. It is meant to. It lasts for the ENTIRE 6 weeks. You aren’t meant to just blow through it, unless you have a ton of donuts. If you farmed them…cool. If you bought them with real money, you need your head examined, or someone taking away your credit cards.
2. There are some really funny wrinkles that feel both old and new. The old is the digging up the runes… which is just like digging up the prehistoric artifacts…because they use the same code, the same “Lisa blather” and the same system. So YES… Safi’s System for the Old Digging…works quite well for the NEW digging. And yes…it takes a four-hour cycle to earn the pickaxes.
3. Visiting neighbors has once again been reduced to a “why bother,” on some terms. You can only do 30 actions (3 actions per neighbor) with each earning the same as tapping in your town… 35 Fangs and 1 Incantation. So…a total of 1050 Fangs and 30 Incantations EVERY 24 HOURS. Big. Woop!
4. People are forgetting about something that Alissa wrote in the first post…
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SPEND CRAFTING CURRENCY TO UNLOCK THESE PRIZES. So you do not have to choose between crafting and upgrading the Tomb. It’s automatically done for you. (Caps and bolding from Alissa’s Post).
So… What kind of return can you expect for logging on every 4 hours and “doing the work” to maximize your take?
Some Hard Numbers to Keep In Mind
1. The number of axes 
So. you COULD have 10 regular characters earning 120 fangs and 2 axes…plus Nosferatu, who earnes 180 and 3 axes. That’s 1200 fangs and 20 axes from the Freemkium- with another 180/3 from Nosferaturu- or 5520 for four cycles a day (6900 if you do five…I do 6a, 10a, 2p, 6p, 10p) Very doable…even if you work.
2. Every Successful “Dig” at the the Old Ruins, earns you a minimim of 240-360 fangs, 15 Incantations, and 1 axe (which you will undoubtedly keep using to try to keep winning). Even when you lose, you get 20– 80 Fangs. So…depending on how proficient you are (or lucky), you are going to get between 360 and 1520 every 4 hours…minimum! So…even if you are “average” at picking…you will earn between 750 and 1520, four times a day…(as many as 7600 for five cycles).
TO IMPROVE YOUR ODDS...USE SAFI’S DIGGING TECHNIQUE
But YES YOU CAN REALLY MESS UP AND KEEP MISSING THEM…
3. The math for the tapped minions is sketchy. You are supposed to get 1 every 5 minutes. But, I have received more, and I have received less. Ideally, you should be able to find and tap 48 every 4 hours (with a max of 60). That is what is in the files. I have yet to hit that number in the morning, when I should be able to tap out 60 quickly. And YES…the radius of the Anvil is pretty small…but efficient.
So again…let’s stick with 40 every 4 hours, times 5 plays…that works out to 7,000 Fangs. (See? I told you this was adding up!).
4. UPGRADING takes a LONG time…but will help a ton (as far as your sanity goes). The tapping radius has been reduced by glitch or by method…but it will increase as you upgrade. There are a TON of upgrades…but again…remember…this is going to last for SIX WEEKS. It isn’t meant to be something you can do in a few days. And you can earn upgrades for adding stuff to your Bonus Area (placing items you have crafted), as well as upgrading though the Tome.
Three upgrades are available…which will make it EAsier to EArn. But, you don’t really need much of any of them to get it all!
1. Tapping Radius for Minions
2. Cool Down Upgrade cuts down the time between Tome Use
3. Dig Site Upgrade Increases the percentage of prizes awarded
Again…these are helpful…but, not really needed to get everything.
The TARGET IS JUST 17,786 a Day… As I showed above, the key is logging in 4-5 times a day, and Doing The Stuff That Matters…
1. Clear and Replace your Peeps at the Holy Forge
2. Do Some Digging
3. Use the Tome when it is available for a quick clear…but clear every Minion that is available until you see the “all clear” signal.
And yes…even then…there may be a few hiding if you have the time.
FINALLY… A couple of misconceptions and tips…
1. CLEARING A STUCK MINION– yes… once you have cleared everyone, once in a while you have an extra character that won’t clear, and when you tap the box in the top left…the game freezes…mostly. SOLUTION…just go to your neighbors and back….it clears the game cache.
2. Yes…The Countess is floating around your town…even though you haven’t won her yet. SHE IS ENCHANTING AND CONVERTING! I have watched her hunt down “Evil Homer” repeatedly (every 5 minutes), and it is a hoot!
3. Yes…the game is miserably tested before they go live. There are always glitches…and almost always bug fixes. Be patient. Play what you can…
4. Only buy Premiums that you really WANT in your game. Yes…Nosferatu helps with event currency…but I bought him for the ship, and Bonus %. I haven’t bought any of the others, even though I have the donuts…except for the Gorge…because it looks cool…and earns a smidgen of event currency.
5. YES…they Did Increase the Hard Item Limit...kinda.
I just tested it…its now 1900 Items. Which will help…because this update has about 150 items available! (Kidding)
5. CHILLAX!!! It’s just a game…right?
Keep on Grindin’… that’s really all you can do in TSTO and Life. Right?