Introduction[]
Cash management is a simple but immensely important technique. If you don't have much cash on hand, you won't be able to buy the latest and greatest weapons or supply yourself with ammo into the indefinite future. With this in mind, this page includes the total cost of weapons unlocked at each rank along with the minimum amount of cash which will be earned by the time each rank is unlocked. For the purposes of this page, the ratio of experience to cash will be assumed to be $1 for every five experience points, though maps with bonus experience will have less cash per experience point.
Normal Ranks[]
In these ranks, as shown by the table below, even the minimum amount of cash earnings easily covers the cost of weapons. If you go around spraying non-pistol ammunition into walls, you may find weapons difficult to purchase, but otherwise you'll be fine.
| Rank | Minimum Cash Earned | Total Weapons Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 | $0 |
| 2 | $144 | $50 |
| 3 | $366 | $50 (New skill unlocks) |
| 4 | $679 | $170 |
| 5 | $1,079 | $370 |
| 6 | $1,579 | $370 (New premiums unlock) |
| 7 | $2,279 | $620 |
| 8 | $3,219 | $1,020 |
| 9 | $4,419 | $1,520 |
| 10 | $5,939 | $1,520 (New skill unlocks) |
| 11 | $7,799 | $2,120 |
| 12 | $10,354 | $2,120 (New skill unlocks) |
| 13 | $13,687 | $3,020 |
| 14 | $17,887 | $4,520 |
| 15 | $22,998 | $7,520 |
| 16 | $29,221 | $7,520 (New skill unlocks) |
| 17 | $38,243 | $12,520 |
| 18 | $50,783 | $12,520 (New skill unlocks) |
| 19 | $66,744 | $20,520 |
| 20 | $87,144 | $20,520 (New premiums unlock) |
| 21 | $112,544 | $20,520 (New skill unlocks) |
| 22 | $143,878 | $35,520 |
| 23 | $181,878 | $50,520 |
| 24 | $226,923 | $50,520 (New skill unlocks) |
| 25 | $279,775 | $80,520 |
| 26 | $341,037 | $120,520 |
| 27 | $413,837 | $120,520 (New skill unlocks) |
| 28 | $499,870 | $170,520 |
| 29 | $597,170 | $245,520 |
| 30 | $711,283 | $245,520 (New skill unlocks) |
| 31 | $840,036 | $395,520 |
| 32 | $987,058 | $545,520 |
| 33 | $1,153,725 | $645,520 |
| 34 | $1,340,725 | $645,520 (New skill unlocks) |
| 35 | $1,549,525 | $895,520 |
| 36 | $1,780,725 | $1,045,520 |
| 37 | $2,039,118 | $1,045,520 (New skill unlocks) |
| 38 | $2,323,951 | $1,295,520 |
| 39 | $2,637,082 | $1,295,520 (New skill unlocks) |
| 40 | $2,980,436 | $1,695,520 |
You may notice that almost every rank has a net cash surplus, the exceptions being ranks 31, 32, 35, and 40. The small deficits in these ranks are made up for by the ranks before them, which unlock skills that cost you nothing. The total cash surplus at rank 40 is $1,284,916 but unless you've been wasting ammunition you will probably have quite a bit more than that in the bank due to cash drops in equipment boxes.
Elite Ranks[]
These ranks earn elite experience instead of normal experience, so the cash ratio can be rather different because normal purges earn a certain amount of experience for completion, regardless of your kills and damage. The ratio remains 5 experience points to one dollar in onslaught and apocalypse. For the following table, cash earned in non-elite ranks is disregarded. The $1,284,916+ in surplus cash from earlier ranks should permit you to purchase every weapon as it is unlocked, but for reference this table shows that a declining cash balance is quite likely in elite ranks, especially between 41 and 45.
| Rank | Minimum Cash Earned | Total Weapon Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | $44,444 | $1,500,000 |
| 42 | $111,111 | $1,500,000 (New skill unlocked) |
| 43 | $199,999 | $1,850,000 |
| 44 | $311,110 | $2,100,000 |
| 45 | $444,444 | $2,900,000 |
| 46 | $599,999 | $2,900,000 (New skill unlocked) |
| 47 | $777,777 | $2,900,000 (New premium unlocked) |
| 48 | $977,776 | $2,900,000 (New skill unlocked) |
| 49 | $1,224,690 | $2,900,000 (New premium unlocked) |
| 50 | $1,588,326 | $2,900,000 (New skill unlocked) |
Note that the minimum amount of surplus cash from non-elite ranks ($1,284,916) plus the minimum amount of cash earned playing only nightmare mode in elite ranks ($1,588,326) add to more than the cost of all non-premium elite weapons. In other words, if you play well and do not waste ammunition or cash, you should be able to easily purchase every weapon as it unlocks. Note that most non-premium players in Elite ranks will play normal purge until at least rank 43, when the sniper is unlocked and you have a chance of surviving Nightmare Mode without spending 50K on minigun ammo. This will dramatically increase the cash:experience ratio, which will dramatically increase income. Minigun purges are break-even at best, but you should be able to avoid overusing that weapon. Also, the fact that non-purge matches give no experience unless played in Nightmare Mode allows you to make as much money as you want without ranking up and unlocking new guns to spend it on.
Cash Management Strategies[]
- Do not use expensive, inaccurate weapons and you shouldn't have too much trouble staying in the black
- Do not purchase large quantities of ammunition for weapons which you do not use as primary weapons
- Use pickup weapons as much as possible
- Avoid joining "rush purges" where elite players use premium weapons to quickly kill everything, leaving nothing for you to do: you will not earn any cash and your experience will rise quickly, leaving you unable to purchase everything you might want to as new ranks will be unlocked without earning the associated cash.
- Fire your weapons to full effect: if they pierce several zombies, try not to fire until you have a crowd large enough for the bullets not to shoot straight through it.
- Use short bursts rather than spraying ammunition constantly. In this game, time is not money. Money is money, and ammo costs money. Don't waste your money. If you want to get rid of a bad pickup, blaze away. Otherwise, let the barrels cool down once in a while.