by oxnardfabrique

Created on: September 28, 2009   Last Updated: October 02, 2009

So you got an invite from one of your Facebook friends to play some game app with the dubious name "Mafia Wars" - and now you're hooked. What do you do now, and how do you get ahead in the mob-eat-mob Mafia underworld?

First, don't cheat. Don't even bother trying. Historically, there have been glitches that unscrupulous players could take advantage of to their benefit, but those glitches no longer exist, and many of the players that used them excessively have been banned from playing. Before you get locked into the "I have to get 501 of my closest friends to join my mafia or my life is over" mindset, take a step back and realise that this is, after all, just another Facebook app (albeit a fiendishly addictive one).

Second, evaluate your priorities. If you use Facebook solely for its entertainment value and most of your existing friends do the same, then go ahead and invite them all to join your mafia. Then, unleash the spam. Take advantage of all those annoying Mafia Wars pop-ups that offer a free reward or bonus to celebrate the fact that you just reached level 72 or killed your twelfth victim. If you publish them at every opportunity, then odds are your friends will, too. If you don't mind giving out one of your e-mail addresses, sign up for the updates on the Home page to get yet another gift (and before you get any ideas, don't bother entering more than one; it won't work). Several Facebook groups exist solely to help players bulk up on mafia members, and there are threads on the Maria Wars forum for those who are recruiting. On the other hand, if you prefer your privacy and use Facebook for more professional networking purposes, skip the spam. It is possible to remove friends after adding them to your mafia without losing mafia numbers or benefits, but players will have to make this choice on their own.

Third, buy properties in bulk. Buying ten vacant lots at once (assuming you have none already) will cost you $50,000. Buying the same ten vacant lots one at a time will cost much, much more. This is due to the fact that the price for any property increases depending on how many you own.

Fourth, tool up your crew. All the gangsters in the world won't help you if they're only carrying brass knuckles and .22 pistols. Buy or loot the best for your crew, and pay attention when you lose a fight. Click that wonderful "show items used" link in the fight box, and assuming you weren't totally outnumbered (which would mean you weren't paying attention when you picked your opponent), you'll probably find that your opponent's whole gang was toting chain guns, body armor, and riding around in armored vehicles.

Fifth, take advantage of your friends. Promote members of your mafia to receive bonuses depending on their level and stats. Share loot and rare items back and forth using the gifting options. Ask for help on lucrative jobs. Go to war. Take advantage of all the wonderful bonding opportunities that whacking rival mobsters affords.

Sixth, watch your stats. High stamina is useless without good attack and defense. Energy is great for leveling and getting loot, but useless in fights. Keep in mind that your defense rating is usually the only thing preventing you from getting robbed blind. Of course, it's also nice to find a nice sum of cash in your account from winning fights that occurred when you were offline and didn't cost you a single stamina point.

Seventh, don't waste Godfather points on special equipment. The Mafia Wars publishers put out so many new items every week that there really is no point. Use them to get more mafia members or increase your stats, instead.

Have fun!

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