[Guide] Extra Credit

Discussion in 'Guides' started by Muschi, Oct 31, 2018.

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    Wondering what those orange diamonds are? They are Extra Credits, or ECs for short. They are the game's premium currency, and are used to purchase a wide variety of highly desirable items. There are many ways to either purchase or earn ECs to help enhance your gameplay. Moreover, getting an effective strategy down for ECs is essential. With seemingly endless possibilities, in the words of Tess, ECs make the world go 'round!

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    Basic Bundles


    ECs can always be purchased in the Shop. Whether it is through the in-game shop or through the PIMD Web Store, there are several permanent bulk bundles of ECs. These "basic bundles" are always available in either shop, with a few being exclusive to one or the other.

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    Top: In-Game ShopBottom: PIMD Web Store
    The prices pictured are in USD.


    These bundles contain only ECs and, at higher tiers, an extra box of exclusive goodies for you and your clubmates. These are called Social Shopper boxes officially, and colloquially called buddy boxes or BBs for short. Social Shopper boxes were introduced on November 24th, 2017.

    Basic bundles are the most common and reliable way to purchase ECs. There are 7 tiers for basic bundles. These tiers, their location availability, and their allotted Social Shopper boxes are listed below.
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    20 Extra Credits
    ✘ Social Shopper Box (You) | ✘ Social Shopper Box (Club)
    ✓ In-Game Shop | ✘ PIMD Web Store


    70 Extra Credits
    ✓ Social Shopper Box (You) | ✘ Social Shopper Box (Club)
    ✓ In-Game Shop | ✓ PIMD Web Store


    200 Extra Credits
    ✓ Social Shopper Box (You) | ✓ Social Shopper Box (Club)
    ✓ In-Game Shop | ✓ PIMD Web Store


    405 Extra Credits
    ✓ Social Shopper Box (You) | ✓ Social Shopper Box (Club)
    ✘ In-Game Shop | ✓ PIMD Web Store


    765 Extra Credits
    ✓ Social Shopper Box (You) | ✓ Social Shopper Box (Club)
    ✓ In-Game Shop | ✓ PIMD Web Store


    1,050 Extra Credits
    ✓ Social Shopper Box (You) | ✓ Social Shopper Box (Club)
    ✓ In-Game Shop | ✓ PIMD Web Store


    2,750 Extra Credits
    ✓ Social Shopper Box (You) | ✓ Social Shopper Box (Club)
    ✘ In-Game Shop | ✓ PIMD Web Store

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    Some people even hold events called "Buddy Box Bombs," or BBBs for short. This is when people join a club together and all purchase a certain tier to maximize the amount of Social Shopper boxes received. These are most commonly held for people to purchase the 1,050 ECs tier.

    It is recommended to schedule yourself a slot at an upcoming BBB if you plan to purchase either this tier or the 2,750 ECs tier exclusive to the PIMD Web Store (linked above). Here is a thread where people can post banners for BBBs. You can also ask in Campus chat.

    Daily Sales


    Every day, a unique sale is available to purchase. This sale is referred to as a Daily Sale. After logging on for the first time that day, the latest Daily Sale is available for purchase for 30 minutes. It refreshes at 12am Pacific Time.

    Daily Sales were introduced to the game on September 8th, 2015. They pop up on your home page the first time you log in every day, and can also be found in the Shop on the banner carousel above the EC and DN basic bundles for the 30 minute duration of the sale.

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    The price pictured is in USD.

    Daily Sales can include several different items, and quite a few contain various amounts of ECs within. These sales often have much better deals than any of the regular priced bundles, allowing you to get more ECs (and other content) for your money.

    Here is a list of all the Daily Sales and the items they include. The Daily Sale you get each day is randomized; however, they will always start out at the smallest tier as detailed in the linked thread. You increase in tiers (and savings) as you purchase lower tiers.

    My personal favorite sale is the 3rd tier Deal Maker sale (pictured above), which includes 1,500 ECs and more. This Daily Sale costs the same amount as buying 1,050 ECs from the basic bundles in the Shop. This shows you simply how much you're saving with Daily Sales.

    During Black Friday events, there are special types of Daily Sales that take place hourly. These hourly sales differ from the normal Daily Sales in their contents as well as their frequency, including selling bentos. These sales do not include EC deals; however, they include many items you might normally spend ECs on that aren't usually available for direct purchase. Additionally, these Black Friday sales are only available for 5 minutes instead of 30 minutes.

    VIP Subscriptions


    The VIP subscriptions come with a variety of daily and weekly rewards, one of which is Extra Credits. VIP subscriptions were first introduced on November 24th, 2017 and recently received a revamp on April 13th, 2023. VIP Subscriptions can be accessed in the Shop under the "Plans" tab or in the PIMD Web Store under the "Plans" section.

    There are currently 3 tiers of VIP subscription: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. These tiers offer 10 ECs, 25 ECs, or 75 ECs weekly, respectively.

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    Molly's Deals


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    Molly's Deals is a relatively new section of the Shop, only being introduced on April 28th, 2021. It features limited-time bundles that change on a consistent basis. Most bundles are exclusive to the current events (the monthly theme and the ongoing hunt). Molly's Deals can be accessed in the in-game shop under the "Deals" tab and in the PIMD Web Store under the "Special Bundles" section.

    Occasionally, these bundles can contain various amounts of ECs. These ECs are typically packaged with other coveted items, such as Doctor's Notes, PIM Keys, or Hypnocats. If you plan on using your ECs to purchase any of these items, it is worthwhile to check if Molly's Deals has any bundles available. The EC value of the items in the bundle could exceed what you would be spending in real world money, compared to the basic bundles.

    Many of these bundles also have a limit of one or two purchases per account. These limitations, if applicable, are stated in the description of each bundle.

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    The Offer Walls


    The Offer Walls are a great way to earn ECs for free. It was introduced on September 18th, 2018. Currently, there are two Offer Walls: one is run by the company Tapjoy as of August 27th, 2019 and the other is run by RevU as of August 29th, 2023. You can visit Tapjoy's website here and RevU's website here.

    To access the Offer Walls, visit the Shop and select either of the "Free Extra Credits" buttons.

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    You'll be taken right to the list of available offers for you. These offers are unique to you, and therefore other players may not have the same offers that you see. The offers also change frequently, so check back every once in a while for any new ones that might pique your interest.

    The offers vary in the amount of ECs rewarded, as well as what tasks you need to complete to earn them. Most offers are ones that require you to download a new mobile game from the app store and reach a certain level in it within a certain amount of time. You can view the requirements for each offer by tapping it from the list.

    Using RevU
    On RevU, you can access the support page by selecting the headphones icon (🎧) in the upper right of the Offer Wall's screen. On this support page, you can check the status of offers currently in progress, view previously completed offers, and contact customer support for offers that are not working properly and/or not rewarding Extra Credits.

    Using Tapjoy
    On Tapjoy, you can check on the status of offers you currently have in progress by following the steps pictured below. You can view these steps in the Offer Wall itself by tapping the hamburger menu (the symbol) highlighted in the upper left, and then selecting "User Support Guide."

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    If you're having issues with receiving the rewards for an offer you have completed, you can contact Tapjoy directly from the Offer Wall following the steps pictured below. You can also view these steps in the Offer Wall by accessing the hamburger menu and then selecting "User Support Guide."

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    You can also read Tapjoy's customer support FAQ, which is also accessible from the hamburger menu within the Offer Wall under "General FAQ."

    Occasionally, the EC rewards from offers will receive a special boost called a Flash Sale! This usually happens around holidays like New Year's, but can also occur randomly. These Flash Sales can reach up to double the amount of ECs you would normally receive from an offer, and thus are a great incentive to start working on a new offer. Keep an eye in the Announcements section of forums for a post from the game developers announcing the Flash Sale.

    Keep in mind that ATA does not run the Offer Wall themselves, so all support regarding it will need to be done through the providers.

    The Prize Spinner


    The Prize Spinner isn't the most reliable way to earn ECs, but it can be a nice surprise! The Spinner was introduced on July 3rd, 2015. It contains many items that players can win, including various amounts of ECs.

    Currently, the amounts of ECs that a player can win are: 1 EC, 5 ECs, 10 ECs, 50 ECs, and 100 ECs. The larger the amount, the more difficult it is to win. However, those small earnings do add up and are useful in their own right!

    To celebrate, winnings of high amounts of ECs are automatically announced in Campus chat.

    For any questions regarding the Spinner, check out Prize Spinner FAQ.

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    Variety of Options


    Extra Credits are used to purchase a variety of items in the game. These items are easily identifiable and can be found all over the game.

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    Just a few examples of items that can be purchased using ECs are: PIM keys and furniture keys; premium party items like Pizza Bikinis, Hypnocats, Moneydogs, and hunt-exclusive invites; story passes; avatars, furniture; some gifts; and they are also used to ask out a new Relationship and to open up avatar shard boxes.

    There are many possibilities, and you may have purchased or earned ECs with some specific ways to spend it in mind. New items to spend ECs on are added regularly, so it is important to stay up to date via the Announcements and Events sections of forums for new releases.

    Strategies for Spending


    Because of the vast amount of options for spending ECs, it can be difficult to deduce how to spend them smartly and efficiently. How do you want to spend your ECs? Do you want to use them to gain a profit, or did you just have your eyes on opening hunt boxes to try to get the latest avatar?

    In terms of when and how to efficiently purchase ECs and other goodies, @Vo's Moneys Spending guide provides various tips.

    If you're looking to turn your ECs into a more flexible in-game profit, then by far the most profitable way to spend your ECs is to exchange them for bentos by selling premium party drops like Hypnocats. Purchasing them in bulk on Black Friday is encouraged, since Hypnocats only cost half the amount of ECs they usually are. If you save up ECs throughout the year using the Offer Walls (and especially during Flash Sales), you can buy a hefty supply of Hypnocats to last you until the next Black Friday. At 3 bentos per Hypnocat drop, this is a very easy way to get lots of bentos using your ECs.

    Similarly to buying Hypnocats on Black Friday, buying premium party invites to sell to other players can also be a beneficial way to get bentos. These invite parties are often available during holiday-themed hunts, such as Valentine's Day, the 4th of July, and Christmas. There is also typically a cash promo period for invites during the hunts they are available, which increases interest in purchasing and therefore can also be a lucrative way of earning ECs.

    Story passes can also be a worthwhile purchase if you're active enough to make decent headway through the storyline. The rewards often contain multiple avatars, stat items, Hypnocats, and other useful goodies. Selling tradeable versions to other players for bentos can also be profitable, especially when the story pass is first released and is therefore worth the most.

    If you don't mind a little gambling, raffles can sometimes be a great way to turn a profit too. The rewards, such as unique stat items, can often be resold for high amounts of bentos. You aren't guaranteed to place in a raffle, though, so it could also turn out to be a waste of ECs from that standpoint.

    Want to spend your ECs at an opportune time? Wait for the Live Fabulously (also known as Extracredible) Extracurricular to begin and then earn more rewards for spending, such as both furniture keys and PIM keys.

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    Some common ways to spend ECs that are very tempting but aren't necessarily the most efficient are PIM keys or furniture keys, any speed ups, Slow Jams, and Pizza Bikinis. Most of these items can be acquired easily, either for free through storyline completion or by purchasing other bundles that provide a better deal than buying directly with ECs. Slow Jams and Pizza Bikinis can also be purchased for very cheap off other players using chibis, and because of their abundance are sometimes even given for free. Therefore it isn't recommended to use EC to purchase any of these items.

    Ultimately, though, it is your choice on what to spend your Extra Credits on!

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    Contributor Accolades


    A guide takes a lot of work! Making and, years later, completely revamping this guide to what you see today was a joint effort. I'd like to give a shout-out to a few people that helped me, both big and small.
    • • • • •
    @Epistemologia
    For providing 'spending strategist' tips!

    @GoddessHailey
    For providing 'spending strategist' tips!

    @_Helium_
    For providing 'spending strategist' tips!

    @Jerk123123
    For creating the original guide to ECs, from which I learned as a noob.

    @Kiibo
    For providing 'spending strategist' tips!

    @Reee
    For providing 'spending strategist' tips!

    @Schwanz
    For proofreading this for me. And also for being you.

    @Witchee
    For providing 'spending strategist' tips!

    And a special shout-out to my bestie Monte, who doesn't play PIMD. Despite not understanding a lick of the lingo, he still helped me proofread this guide!
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    Your assistance and support on bringing the Extra Credits guide to fruition is much appreciated.

    Other Guides by Yours Truly


    Avatars on PIMD | Chat Channels | Mods / HS / Devs
    PIMD Crates | Relationships | The Battle List
    The Official PIMD Timeline
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    #1 Muschi, Oct 31, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 9, 2023
    Kefo, GoddessHailey, Li and 4 others like this.
  2. You just gonna update every guide now?
     

  3. Some of the guides do need updating and, with the new method of earning EC being added, it seems reasonable to update the EC guide. :)
     
  4. Can't hate, she rocks at it. Thanks Hailey!
     
    Muschi likes this.
  5. nicely done Hailey
     
    Muschi likes this.
  6. :lol: ‘twas a genuine question
     
  7. Very helpful!?
     
    Muschi likes this.
  8. Every guide that needs updating, sure. Some of them are good as is. Tbh I find it fun making them. :p

    And thanks everyone! <3
     
    PoolNoodle likes this.
  9. You get a clap from me, well done. ?
     
    Muschi likes this.
  10. Doubt those who really need the guide even know where forums is
     
  11. True lol
     
  12. Maybe so, but when I was a noob I relied pretty heavily on guides to learn things which is partially why I like updating the ones that need it! I also often refer people to forums to locate guides if I see them ask a question (I'll give a summary answer and be like "for more info...").

    I've also had experienced players tell me they learned something they didn't know from my guides (or guides in general)!

    Overall, I think there's no harm in updating them. Someone will always find them to be of use, and those that cannot find it on their own can be pointed in the right direction.
     
    Gossamer and PoolNoodle like this.
  13. Jenn, Ch, Lily, and now Muschi/Firebends.
    There's a lot of people who have deep appreciation for everything you have done in forums. POTD, while snake slithers in. Thank you for helping the community grow, continually.
     
    Muschi likes this.
  14. M not getting any ec with those extra earnings ec.. Wt shd I do
     
  15. Please read my original post. I explain what you should do.
     
    PoolNoodle likes this.
  16. Thanks for update
     
    Muschi likes this.
  17. I have a question.. Most of the time it shows me that "No offers avalible" on the offer wall.. Why is this happening?.. (It's easier to wall me back than to reply to this post)
     
  18. Walled. :)
     
    PoolNoodle likes this.
  19. My earn extra credit can't working plz I need a solution
    Ty?
     
  20. Please read my original post.
     
    PoolNoodle likes this.