Mafia Wars Moscow – Picking Sides?
Ugh, I’ve been avoiding this topic like the H1N1.
Since Mafia Wars Moscow opened, the question everyone asks is, “What side is the best to pick?”
And that’s a miserable question, because the answer isn’t clear cut. It basically depends on what loot you like or need.
The good news is that Zynga doesn’t require you to make a permanent choice immediately.
You get off the plane, do a few jobs, and then, in the second chapter of each episode, you pick a side. But you can change sides every time you get mastery, up until Level 3 when your choice becomes fixed. And the side that you pick doesn’t prevent you from attacking anyone on the fightlist.
The choice you make will just result in a couple different jobs per chapter. And therefore different Mafia Wars Moscow loot!
Get the inside track on Mafia Wars – NYC, Cuba, and Moscow!
Which side has the best loot? Depends on the chapter.
And I don’t know about you, but the funky chapter names in Mafia Wars Moscow make me nuts. I have to check my spelling a thousand times! That’s why I’ve delayed writing this until Mafia Wars Bangkok is almost released. I’ve just realized I will have written nothing about Mafia Wars Moscow and a whole new venue is coming.
But don’t ask me when Mafia Wars Bangkok is being released. As far as I can tell even Zynga doesn’t know if/when they will get their programming done. The “late 2009″ date has been pushed to January 2010. But don’t hold your breath! I think Zynga has bitten off more then they can chew.
So, the two sides in Mafia Wars Moscow are Mafiya and Vory. If you care about your criminal paradigm – you know, do you want to have philosophy like Don Corleone or like Scarface? – then you might want the background on the two factions. Summed up, Vory is the old school, honor among thieves criminal element. And Mafiya is the modern, no code except violent self-interest criminal element.
But most Mafia Wars players could care less about Russian criminal history. We want to know one thing: Where’s the best Mafia Wars Moscow loot?
Mafia Wars Moscow Chapter one: Baklany
Mafiya can get the Molotok Pistol from the Collect the Hit Payoff job. It’s a good defensive weapon at att22/def26. So that loot beats the Vory’s Cherepakha Compact vehicle that has just def25. Lots of Cuban loot beats the stockings off that Vory vehicle.
Mafiya – better defensive weapon
Vory – okay defensive vehicle
Mafia Wars Moscow Chapter two: Boets
Vory has the better loot, but it costs 40 concealable cameras. That Severnyy Olen Snowbike from the Extract a Favor from the Winner job looks cool at att32/def20, but think how much the concealable cameras cost in energy to acquire and that loot loses its luster. So, I’d pick Mafiya and get the RAS-15 with att30/def18 from the Convince the Candidate to Withdraw job, I suppose.
Mafiya – good offensive weapon
Vory – very expensive (consumables), good offensive vehicle
Mafia Wars Moscow Chapter three: Brigadir
Mafiya gets the nod again, because the Volk Luxury Sedan looted from Steal the Bank President’s Car Keys (although far from the best defensive vehicle in the game at att24/def36) is still better than the Vory loot, comparatively. Sure the Vory Taiga Combat Shotgun, looted from Use the GUard’s Keys to Access the Bank Armory, is okay. But the Ubijca Assault Rifle is att33, while Taiga is just att32.
Mafiya – okay defensive vehicle
Vory – okay offensive weapon
Mafia Wars Moscow Chapter four: Avtoritet
Vory definitely comes out ahead. Being a Vory is a major win here. Doing the Rob a Troop Convoy job gets you the Shturmovik which is the best offensive armor att45/def28 available in Mafia Wars right now. And in Avtoritet, a Mafiya will need over 60 untraceable cell phones to get the Orel Armored helicopter. The Orel is a good defensive vehicle at att24/def40. But 60 UCP’s! Yuck
Mafiya – expensive (consumables), good defensive vehicle
Vory – best offensive armor in Mafia Wars
Mafia Wars Moscow Chapter five: Vor
This chapter is pretty darn near a tie for me. If you’re Vory, you get the best offensive weapon – Ubijaca Assault Rifle att43/def18 – from the Infiltrate the ULF Cell job. But it isn’t THAT much better than the top Cuban weapons. If you pick Mafiya, the Klyk-9 Machine Pistol is only one point shy of being the best defensive weapon you can get. Also a good bet. So, Vor is a toss up.
Mafiya – really good defensive weapon
Vory – best offensive weapon in Mafia Wars
Mafia Wars Moscow Chapter six: Pakhan
Sides are really hard to choose here. A Vory can get the Konstantin Cargo Carrier from the Hijack a Mafiya Cargo job. At att18/def44, it is the best lootable defensive vehicle in Mafia Wars. A Mafiya can get the Zmeya Carbon Blade from Hit a Vory Nightclub. The Blade is the best defensive weapon you can loot in Mafia Wars at att28/def44. Basically, the best approach to chapter 6 Pakhan is to switch sides from what you were in chapter 5!
Mafiya – best defensive weapon in Mafia Wars
Vory – best defensive vehicle in Mafia Wars
So what is my recommendation for picking sides in Mafia Wars Moscow? Well, I love the Vory loot on Chapter four and Chapter six. The Mafiya loot seems better in one, two, and three, but not dramatically better. And some of the loot is barely better than Cuba loot, which I already have.
I realize this is a wishy-washy answer to your question: What side should you pick in Mafia Wars Moscow? Look at it this way: There is no wrong answer.
My observations: Mafiya-specific loot is heavy on defensive vehicles (2) and weapons (4). Vory loot leans toward offensive equipment (4). And Vory has more vehicles (3) and includes the best offensive armor in the game.
So you could chose sides based on whether you need more attack equipment (Vory), or more defensive equipment (Mafiya) to strengthen your overall Mafia Wars profile. Or whether you need weapons (Mafiya) or vehicles (Vory).
I chose Vory. I admit to liking the Vory history and code. I’m a sap for history. But I think Mafiya is an intelligent choice, too.
Good luck! And see you in Mafia Wars Bangkok!
(Someday soon.)
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