If you want to have the spiffiest Javelin in all of Bastion, you’re going to need to know how to earn Coins fast. It’s true. The more you play Anthem, the more you’ll realize having a nice chunk of change is helpful. While you start off with 40,000 coins, as you level up, you may want to change your look and a new Javelin suit can cost up to 61,000 Coins (or more). Looking like a badass Freelancer doesn’t come cheap.
Most items you buy with Coins are cosmetics, but you can also spend coins on crafting materials such as Epic and Masterwork Ember, and unique gear for each class at the Regulator Store in Fort Tarsis. Some cosmetics can be purchased with Shards (which requires real cash), but everything can be acquired with Coins if you’re not afraid of a bit of a grind.
How to earn coins fast in Anthem
If you know what activities in Anthem get you the most Coins for your time, then earning them en masse can be a lot easier. These are the various things you can do to rack up Coins quickly in Anthem.
1. Use the Alliance System
By default, Anthem loads you into each mission with three other freelancers. It’s a co-op game at heart, and while you can enjoy it solo, you’ll be missing out on some Coins if you do. Anthem has an Alliance system that doles out monetary rewards at the end of each week.
At the end of the week, Anthem calculates how much you and five friends have played, factors in your Alliance level, and then tacks on a multiplier bonus based on the amount of time put into the game (5X is the max multiplier).
You can still earn Alliance coins without playing with a consistent group of friends. Anthem will automatically calculate the bonus based on five recent players you played with in matchmaking. Your bonus is likely to be lower if you go this route, but you’ll still probably earn a couple thousand coins per week just from playing the game.
You can check your Alliance status by going to the icon in Fort Tarsis labeled Alliance System. It’s the table with the scale on it, right next to the hourglass table.
2. Complete daily and weekly trials
Check out your map the next time you’re in Fort Tarsis and look for Lucky Jak’s icon. Jak is the bearer of daily and weekly challenges. He also holds the requirements for monthly challenges, but as of now, those challenges only hand out rare materials (still do these, of course).
The trials are also on display in the Path of Glory section in the Challenges menu. Each trial rewards you with a set number of coins, with the weekly trials offering better rewards and the daily trials taking less time to complete. The best part about these trials is that you can usually knock them out while doing another activity that earns you coins.
3. Participate in Freeplay world events
Besides two instances throughout the campaign, you don’t actually have to partake in Freeplay. You can spend your time completing contracts and replaying missions if you like a little more direction. However, Freeplay can be the most lucrative source of Coins.
Each world event you complete earns you up to 2,000 Coins. Freeplay events, which you find by flying around Bastion until an icon pops, typically take around ten minutes or less. This makes them more economical in terms of time than story missions.
It’s slightly annoying that you cannot see world event locations on the map so you know where to go, but flying around Bastion has its perks. If you find a treasure chest during your travels, you can also get up to 2,000 Coins as well as several nice items.
4. Complete Challenges
Some challenges you’ll complete naturally as you play through the campaign, but it’s smart to check the challenges menu to see what you should be aiming for. Challenge rewards vary, with some handing out less than 1,000 Coins and others worth more than 2,000. Some challenges reward blueprints instead. There are plenty of challenges to complete, from weapons to combat to exploration and more. So get in the habit of checking the challenges menu regularly.
Missions and contracts
You’ll earn a decent amount of Coins simply from playing through the campaign. You can replay missions to earn more Coins, though you won’t earn the full amount again in our experience. Optional contract missions, which can be grabbed from any of the three contract boards in Fort Tarsis, also reward you with a couple thousand Coins. Contracts, as side content, take less time than the story missions.
Where to spend coins in Anthem
You’ll never retire in Anthem, so there’s no use in saving your money endlessly. You can spend your coins in multiple places. As mentioned earlier, the Regulator store sells crafting materials. It’s right in front of the launch bay in Fort Tarsis. You can also check out the featured items at the Regulator store. These items rotate out every couple of days and range from vital crafting materials to full suits.
Alternatively, you can look at the featured items in the store by going into your map menu and toggling to “Featured.” You’ll see the same items from the Regulator store here. You’ll also see the same items in the Featured store in the market in Fort Tarsis. There’s a lot of repetition throughout Anthem‘s various storefronts, so it will be interesting to see how Fort Tarsis’ economy evolves over time. We imagine there will be more variation as time goes on.
Next time you visit the Forge to swap your gear, check the “Buy” tab when modifying your appearance. Here you can buy new helmets, vinyls (themed Javelin skins), and animations such as your landing and victory poses. Updating your look can get quite pricey, though, so make sure you keep an eye on how many coins you’re throwing at each purchase.
