by Scott Bader

Created on: October 06, 2009

So, you've mastered the jobs in New York, and you're ready to move on to bigger things? Cuba is just the place for you, but don't think things are going to be easy for you. Things are different there than they are in New York.

Mafia Wars has given us a new place to explore as we try to make our mark on the world of organized crime. There are several changes to the way things are done that genuinely reflect life in a country like Cuba. One of the biggest is the need to bribe the officials for just about everything. At first, this seems like no big deal until you realize that making money is harder in Cuba than it was in New York. To help you, here are some tips to help you on the way to mastering Cuba.

If you didn't learn it in New York, always bank your cash. Pesos are much harder to get, and no one wants to lose any of it. Always bank your cash at the end of a play session and before you do any fighting with other mobs. Just like New York, Mafia Wars charges a 10% laundering fee in Cuba. This fee is small compared to what you can lose to another mob family in a fight.

Keep building the size of your family. The bigger your mob, the lower the chances of another mob taking a bite out of you and the better your chances of winning a fight. Mafia Wars is part of one of the largest social networks around, and there are many fan pages out there with people eager to join mobs and expand their own.

You start in Cuba with one business, a bodega. This gives you a little foothold in Cuba for making those Pesos, but it won't be nearly enough. As soon as you can afford it, start taking over the other businesses listed and building them up. My suggestion for building them up is this. Start with improving the quality of the goods in the business before you focus on the quantity it holds. Better goods mean higher profits, and you can always increase the quantity later on in the game.

Buy only what you need for the jobs you're doing. Every buyable item in your inventory comes with a job bribe penalty. Simply put, it decreases the amount you gain from missions. This penalty is cumulative, so the more gear you have the more you have to pay in bribes. Keep only what you need for the job tier on which you're working. If you don't need it, sell it even though you get less than you paid back. Gaining some money is better than losing more money every time you do a job. If you're worried about gear for fights, let your loot fill that role since it has no effect on bribes.

Jobs in Cuba take more energy than a lot of the jobs in New York, so you may want to invest in getting more energy when you level. Doing missions in Cuba is a good way to make those elusive pesos, so the more missions you can do, the more you can earn.

Just like New York, achievements are our friend, and Cuba brings with it more achievements. More achievements mean more rewards, and while they are not always easy to achieve, they can prove valuable in the long run.

With these tips in mind, go out and knock 'em dead, kid. Make your family proud.

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