Angry Birds 2 F2P guide: How to avoid microtransactions and play without spending a dime

Angry Birds 2 is the thirteenth installment in the popular Finnish mobile game franchise. But in fact, this is the first full-fledged sequel, hence the number in the title. This sequel to Angry Birds follows the same simple story about the dramatic confrontation between birds and pigs, which actually may be one of the most controversial mobile releases this summer. You can learn more about this by reading the official GameSkinny review of Angry Birds 2.

In order to understand Angry Birds 2, you need to know about the intricacies of its free-to-play model and some pros and cons of microtransactions in the game.

Pay or lose?

The gameplay of Angry Birds 2 inherited all the best trademarks of the series. However, this time the endless fun is limited by the number of lives – if you fail, you lose one heart. You have only five of them, and the natural recovery time is half an hour. Here’s another innovation from Rovio, the game’s developer, – the majority of pig platforms is now randomly generated, which sometimes leaves no chance for strategic planning of wins.

It seems that all these restrictive mechanisms are implemented for only one purpose – to make us spend more money. Getting rid of these limitations is easy – just pay! An in-game currency is advertised at every opportunity. Don’t want to wait for the recovery of hearts? – Pay! Want to play the arena? – Pay! And so on.

But is it really that bad? Let’s look at two kinds of strategies you can use in the game: the first will focus on playing the game without paying a single cent and still winning although this approach may take a lot of time; the second will take microtransactions into account, if you feel slightly impatient, in a way that money is spent very carefully.

Play to win

It is very much possible to beat the game without spending money. This approach smartly bypasses all restrictions and focuses on targeted spending of awarded gems. So, the main advice here is to use every opportunity to get those gems.

• An in-game currency can be easily earned by beating the same quests over and over again or as a daily bonus.
• The most socially active gamers should synchronize the app with Facebook – you will get 70 gems for this.
• In order to restore life, earn an extra card or enter an arena – all you need is to agree to watch video advertisements.

Now, let’s look at improving your gameplay skills:

• Keep an eye on that scale of destruction – the harder you hit, the sooner it will be filled. You also get a random bird as a reward for that.
• Another way to earn birds is to specifically target golden pigs. Although it’s a rare encounter, be sure to hit it as soon as you get the chance.
• Rare spells must be activated only in the absolutely desperate situations, better save those gems.
• Try to use every single bird effectively, don’t waste them.
• Be patient and wait before the destruction is over, sometimes the physics of the game delivers unexpected chain reactions.

Pay to play

Let’s say you’re not a hardcore fan of the game, and you don’t want to grind free gems by beating the same level again and again. From a financial point of view, it is most advantageous to buy items in bulks – the more stones you pick up at a time, the less you will pay for each of them.

• This doesn’t mean that you have to buy a whole barrel of 5000 gems for about $38 (the prices may vary in different regions), which equals 416 lives, 250 additional cards and the same amount of spells with an additional golden duck. You simply don’t need that much, so don’t bother. However, a sack of gems for $6 should be enough.
• It is recommended to buy all available spells. Note: levels with bosses don’t allow the use of spells, but in the arena, they will give you a significant advantage.
• It also makes sense to look out for temporary discounts that appear time from time. This is a good opportunity to buy the currency at half the price, including related bonuses.

The best approach would probably be the combination of both of them. You can grind for free gems up to the point where you get bored or tired, and then you can buy some gems and spells to boost your game experience. But, of course, it’s up to you!

You can download Angry Birds 2 from iTunes or Google Play.