Is an arc useful if you don't hyper level it?

[DeletedUser35976]

If I bring it level 9 or 10. Every arc I see is 50+. I don't have the FP income to do that though, as I only make about 100 FP per day, it would take years to get to that level.

So is arc useful at level 10?

 

[RazorbackPirate]

If I bring it level 9 or 10. Every arc I see is 50+. I don't have the FP income to do that though, as I only make about 100 FP per day, it would take years to get to that level.

So is arc useful at level 10?

At level 10, you get a 32% reward boost. That means 32% more FPs, medals, an BPs from taking reward spots on others' GBs. Around level 20 or so, the best way to level a GB is by selling off your top spots to Arc 80 contributors. My current Arc level costs 1,844 FPs to level. Of that, I will contribute a total of 113 FPs with 190% locks. Without breaking a sweat, I've been adding a level each day. Leveled correctly, an Arc becomes it's own feedback multiplier.

BUT ... Even fully leveled, an Arc is only valuable if you actively invest in leveling others' GBs and earning reward spots.

 

[DeletedUser36624]

An Arc is awesome from level 1 on up. Mine is currently level 8 and I have oodles of FP pouring in. You will also find others eager to spend FP on any slot that has BPs attached to it, so you probably won't have to spend as much leveling it as you think you might.

 

[Snarko]

Do you get FP rewards from GBs? If you do, regularly, then Arc is useful at level 10.

100 FP per day is enough to start the Arc grind. You'll need to find people to swap with to get enough bps. Once your Arc reach levels 20+, for sure after 30, you will want high level Arc owners to lock the top spots at a predetermined rate. 1.9x is amazing if you can get it but that's usually up to your guild. Anything less than 1.8x the reward is not good enough. You'll have to be careful after level 30 as your Arc can be sniped at a profit.

 

[Emberguard]

Is it useful? Yes. Is it worth it? *shrug* Depends on how much daily income you have, how long you want to spend lvl'ing it and what else you wish to do in the game. If you don't have a high income I wouldn't be taking it beyond lvl 10 unless you want to camp.

https://foe-tools.github.io/
^ that'll calculate cost and stuff

To reach lvl 10 that'll need 4,770 FPs total. Compare that to the Zeus which only takes 2,500 to get to lvl 10.

If you're gaining 30 FP a day into the Arc that's 159 days (about 43% of the year). If you had 50 FPs a day going into it that'd be 96 days (26% of the year). 100 FPs daily and it's 45 days (so a month and a half). If you use the FP packs gained from the Arc that'll reduce the amount of time needed to raise it.

Basically I'd only go for the Arc if you're either intending to play long term, already have enough of a daily income that it won't be taking forever to build up or are aiming to get in with a top guild.

If you're aiming for a top guild then it doesn't really matter how long or how far you take the arc beyond personal goals. You'll benefit just from being in a high lvl'd guild and most would require a Arc just to get in or possibly a Observsatory.

Not to mention the main reason for a treasury GB is simply so you don't have to gather goods from your main city. So it saves everyone a lot of time that would have been needed to continuously grow extra goods

 

[Agent327]

If I bring it level 9 or 10. Every arc I see is 50+. I don't have the FP income to do that though, as I only make about 100 FP per day, it would take years to get to that level.

So is arc useful at level 10?

You can ask this question about every GB.

 

[DeletedUser33179]

I respect your opinion but disagree with alot of what you said. Remember, OP is specifically asking if Arc is worth it if only leveling it to 10.

Is it useful? Yes. Is it worth it? *shrug* Depends on how much daily income you have, how long you want to spend lvl'ing it and what else you wish to do in the game. If you don't have a high income I wouldn't be taking it beyond lvl 10 unless you want to camp.

OP question is about only leveling to 10, not beyond. How long a person plans to take leveling it is irrelevant. If you can't get to 10 rapidly then don't bother?? That's just wrong.

To reach lvl 10 that'll need 4,770 FPs total. Compare that to the Zeus which only takes 2,500 to get to lvl 10.

If you're gaining 30 FP a day into the Arc that's 159 days (about 43% of the year). If you had 50 FPs a day going into it that'd be 96 days (26% of the year). 100 FPs daily and it's 45 days (so a month and a half). If you use the FP packs gained from the Arc that'll reduce the amount of time needed to raise it.

How is this even remotely helpful to the question? Your calculations assume the the OP is completely self-leveling the GB, no donations whatsoever at any time. How is it fair comparing it to cost of getting Zeus to 10, the cheapest & earliest GB (not counting Oracle) in the game? choosing that comparison only serves to make Arc cost seem too high (which it's not). Maybe you're trying to illustrate amount of FPs/day to get it to level 10 the quickest & that OP would have to give essentially his entire daily fp income to achieve that (again, completely omitting the fact he'll have donators at each level). Please try stepping away from that "do it quickly" hyperleveling model for GBs that so many folks on the forums prefer. So what if it takes the OP many months to get to level 10. GBs aren't useless below level 80. They're also not useless below level 5.

Basically I'd only go for the Arc if you're either intending to play long term, already have enough of a daily income that it won't be taking forever to build up or are aiming to get in with a top guild.

Just.... Wow. This comes across - at least to me - as incredibly snobby. To your way of thinking, if you aren't in a top guild or aren't able to level it rapidly, then don't build it. I believe folks shouldn't get an Arc until they have a good fp daily income, but not because of needing to level it. Rather, you can't make use of its primary function of increased return of GB donation winnings while you're leveling it if you don't have enough fps to lock in any GB donation spots (even #4-5, as we all start at the bottom & work up). OP states currently making 100 fps/day - that's more than enough to take his time leveling Arc without ignoring his other GB priorities/interests + enjoy better GB donation rewards along the way to level 10. If he wishes to take longer than what you consider "taking forever" (which you seem to imply would be more than 1-2 months), that's his prerogative. It's unfortunate that you wish to discourage someone getting a GB if their rate of leveling it isn't to your arbitrary satisfaction.

 

[Emberguard]

They were asking for lvl 10. People don't usually start donating until around lvl 16 outside of FP swaps which I addressed the arc income could be invested.

OP is specifically asking if Arc is worth it if only leveling it to 10.

That's exactly what I was talking about

How long a person plans to take leveling it is irrelevant [...] I believe folks shouldn't get an Arc until they have a good fp daily income

That's what I was saying. Expressed differently, but no real difference. Most players that build an Arc focus purely on raising the Arc. It takes a lot of FPs. At lower ages that's not worth it IF you're not planning to stay in the game for an extended period of time. If you're staying for a few years then go for it. But if you've just started and plan to quit at the time the Arc would be finished being raised then you'd probably be better off concentrating on actually advancing through and beating the game for that game

 

[DeletedUser]

So is arc useful at level 10?

Since this is the only question you asked, it's really very simple. Yes, it is useful at level 10. The passive benefit of daily Treasury goods is actually worth it all by itself, but the extra you get from GB donation rewards reinforces the usefulness from the very beginning. You can actually play this game and enjoy it immensely without hyper-leveling any GB, contrary to what a lot of players will try to tell you.

 

[DeletedUser33179]

@Emberguard - there is a big difference between what you & I are saying.

Yours is a rather elitist attitude, coming from a hyperlevel-GB play point of view. This game can be played exceeding well using any & all GBs without exclusively rushing a GB to level10, hyperleveling GBs, or having Arc80s hand you most everything. At least 90-95% of all players aren't playing your preferred way, you know. The Arc is a very useful GB at every level. Even knowing it could take 4-6 months (or more) to raise it to level 10 should never be a deterrent to not getting it.

"People don't usually start donating until around lvl 16 outside of FP swaps."
... Yes they do. Hoodies & friends list players donate regularly at every level to the Arc & every other GB. Hyperleveled Arcs may ignore donating, as the perceived meager payout isn't worth their time. But a ton of other players definitely find those steady rewards (even for spots #4-5) quite useful. Don't discard all those fp donations as trivial to the leveling process simply because spots 1-5 weren't taken at the Arc80's 1.9 fp rate.

"Most players that build an Arc focus purely on raising the Arc."
.... Perhaps true of players you know, but entirely untrue of most of players. Of the many players with an Arc, a minority are hyperleveling it (my source is foestats.com, can see folks with GBs relative to levels of the GB amongst all players in each world). Of those simply bringing it to level 10, I don't see any data supporting the claim that most focus purely on that either. My anecdotal evidence of looking at all my hoodies GBs these past many months suggests otherwise - most are leveling it alongside other GBs being raised too.

"If you're staying for a few years then go for it. But if you've just started and plan to quit at the time the Arc would be finished being raised then you'd probably be better off concentrating on actually advancing through and beating the game."
... Exactly how long do you think it takes players to raise Arc to 10 without a large fp/day income or Arc80s doing the job? Beating the game as you've defined it is "advancing through" the Ages to the end. How long does that take - at least 2-3 years if that's your main focus & you're not unwisely trying to rush? Can't be less than that, I figure. So if you're just starting out or your fp/day income isn't high by your standards (above what # you don't specify but you seem unimpressed with OP's current 100 fp/day), you feel it'd take at least a couple years to get Arc to 10. And that an Arc at anything less than 10 wouldn't be worth it at all, I suppose.

Gosh, you honestly have no idea (or have forgotten) how the myriad of interrelated aspects of this wonderful game can be utilized to their fullest.

Perhaps giving you some perspective on what common folks can obtain in this game with some practice & study will help you. ...

I've been playing in my 1st (main) world ~13 months. Never been in a guild other than just me (so can do GE). After a couple months, I knew I liked the game but I've no idea for how long I'd play it (still don't). Currently, I'm in Colonial Age with 1.6M rank points, 88 fp/day income (includes 24 daily freebies but doesn't include any BG bonus rewards that may or may not happen). I've been able to fully complete every Event & complete GE4 every week ever since Iron Age, when playing for ~2 months.
Great buildings' levels:
10 for Zeus, CoA, LoA, RAH, CF, DT, SMB, Blue Gal
9 for TOR
5 for Seed vault
2 for Habitat
1 for Himeji castle
(FWIW, I don't have an Arc due to my playstyle/availability. My time's been split between building up my main & multiple GE diamond cities. As such, I'm unfortunately only checking for GB donations opportunities infrequently in main game. Improvement of GB donation rewards is the primary Arc benefit. If I'm not doing it consistently yet, the Arc is wasting my space).

My 1st higher level GBs - CF & DT - were obtained within 1st 1-2 months of playing (only had zeus, LOA & babel GBs). At that time, I was in IA with maybe 26-28 fp/day income (that includes the 24 daily freebies). Spent fps to purchase DT goods but got CF the hard way via goods from my city buildings/trading up in the market - took about 4 weeks of work. I've always raised GBs side by side for the most part - only one that well outdistanced the others to level 10 was CF. I easily could afford purchasing the high level GB goods for DT, SV, BG, habitat, & himeji - all for the competitive standard fp cost in my world (no special arrangements or discount prices). Blue galaxy was obtained about 3 months ago. The 7 other GBs currently at level 10 were already at that level or at worst 8 by the time I got BG , thus the potential BG bonus rewards were nice but not the primary source of fps. And 3 months ago my fp income was around 50-60/day.

You look at fp/day income as a limiting factor in whether or not someone should even consider getting higher level GBs like the Arc. It's not. If it was, how the heck could I have the GBs I have, when I got them & leveled them as high as I did - all within 13 months with a relatively low fp daily income? I'm not special. I don't play all day. I work full time & never check my game while working. I have a life outside the game. I don't set a timer to remind me to collect buildings. I often don't even collect on time. I'm not throwing real money at the game (did spend a small amount very early on - turns out I didn't need to, as learning a bit more got me what I wanted instead of needing cash). So, how did I do it?

The answer? I understand how to make great use of everything the game offers. Glad I never listened to advice like yours.

 

[DeletedUser29726]

... Exactly how long do you think it takes players to raise Arc to 10 without a large fp/day income or Arc80s doing the job? Beating the game as you've defined it is "advancing through" the Ages to the end. How long does that take - at least 2-3 years if that's your main focus & you're not unwisely trying to rush? Can't be less than that, I figure. So if you're just starting out or your fp/day income isn't high by your standards (above what # you don't specify but you seem unimpressed with OP's current 100 fp/day), you feel it'd take at least a couple years to get Arc to 10. And that an Arc at anything less than 10 wouldn't be worth it at all, I suppose.

About 1-2 years if your goal is to advance through tech. Whether the pace is "unwise" only relates to whether it affects your ability to reach your goals. And if your goal is to reach the end of the tech tree there's little you can do to speed it up beyond just advance already. GBs are mostly a distraction - some of them are potentially worthwhile QoL pauses or good at low levels (say <= 5) that won't take much off your tech progress. Also in the higher ages there's a good chance you become more constrained by goods than FP and at that point you could be catching up on your GBs.

In regards to the OP's question, Arc is worthwhile at 10 if you spend the time to donate to a lot of other people's GBs and get high spots whether that be from sniping your hood/friends or being very active in swap threads. However... If that holds, it's also worthwhile to take it past 10 because level 10 is the most "expensive" level until the late 70s in relation to the rewarded FP with good help. 100 FP a day is *absolutely* enough to a) level it in a timely manner to at least the high 60s with appropriate support from guildmates or friends and b) benefit from it if it meshes with your playstyle. By the time you hit the 50s you can be spending only 100-200 FP a level yourself with the rest coming from donors.

That said, if your goal is to *just play* I would not recommend building Arc particularly early. Not because it's not usable at any particular level - but because using it involves a playstyle that I don't really consider "just playing". It is not a huge benefit to someone casually levelling the GBs that directly affect their play to 10 or so. It is a huge benefit once you want to start taking buildings past 10 - and arc should probably be the first one you do so with. And it's a huge benefit if you spend time sniping the hood - in which case, yes get it early.

 

[DeletedUser]

When did the standard change from "worthwhile" to "huge benefit"? I could get on my personal soapbox, but suffice it to say that this is the problem with how some players both approach the game and give advice.

 

[DeletedUser29726]

When did the standard change from "worthwhile" to "huge benefit"? I could get on my personal soapbox, but suffice it to say that this is the problem with how some players both approach the game and give advice.

Apparently from paragraph 2 to 3. In general though, for thousands of FP of investment to be worthwhile when your goal is advancement, it does have to provide a huge benefit. You could be 1-2 ages ahead or you could have a level 10 arc. Is that level 10 arc providing enough benefit to catch up two ages? Probably not unless you're actively sniping with it and gaining a huge benefit.

 

[DeletedUser33179]

Apparently from paragraph 2 to 3. In general though, for thousands of FP of investment to be worthwhile when your goal is advancement, it does have to provide a huge benefit. You could be 1-2 ages ahead or you could have a level 10 arc. Is that level 10 arc providing enough benefit to catch up two ages? Probably not unless you're actively sniping with it and gaining a huge benefit.

Advancement up the Ages isn't the OPs stated goal. That is what the other poster I was responding to recommended the OP should do instead of getting an Arc if he couldn't level the Arc up to 10 quite fast. Sorry if my stuff didn't make that clear & muddied the message.

... That said, if your goal is to *just play* I would not recommend building Arc particularly early. Not because it's not usable at any particular level - but because using it involves a playstyle that I don't really consider "just playing". It is not a huge benefit to someone casually levelling the GBs that directly affect their play to 10 or so. It is a huge benefit once you want to start taking buildings past 10 - and arc should probably be the first one you do so with. And it's a huge benefit if you spend time sniping the hood - in which case, yes get it early.

Here we go again, the elitist attitude of some players. Apparently literally everything that does not involve hyperleveling every GB is "just playing", and the precious Arc even only at a measly level 10 isn't worthwile at all for such lowly pursuits.

The Arc at level 10 or below is a huge benefit for those "just playing" (that is, the 90-95% of players not hyperleveling GBs). It provides an essential set of benefits for city building - significant fps, bp's & medals - that aren't duplicated all wrapped together in any other GB or duplicated individually at such high levels within any single GB. Aren't having many sources of getting fps for leveling any GB, collecting a full set of bps quicker to place a new GB, or getting as many medals as possible for buying expansions huge benefits to a player? Those are things all of us are striving for irregardless of playstyle. Of course a person needs to be actively doing what it benefits if wanting it. But that's idea the same for all the GBs.

As a contrast, hyperleveled Arc becomes essential for those wanting to hyperlevel all their GBs. You can't gain enough fps or bp's without it.

 

[DeletedUser29726]

Here we go again, the elitist attitude of some players. Apparently literally everything that does not involve hyperleveling every GB is "just playing", and the precious Arc even only at a measly level 10 isn't worthwile at all for such lowly pursuits.

The Arc at level 10 or below is a huge benefit for those "just playing" (that is, the 90-95% of players not hyperleveling GBs). It provides an essential set of benefits for city building - significant fps, bp's & medals - that aren't duplicated all wrapped together in any other GB or duplicated individually at such high levels within any single GB. Aren't having many sources of getting fps for leveling any GB, collecting a full set of bps quicker to place a new GB, or getting as many medals as possible for buying expansions huge benefits to a player? Those are things all of us are striving for irregardless of playstyle. Of course a person needs to be actively doing what it benefits if wanting it. But that's idea the same for all the GBs.

As a contrast, hyperleveled Arc becomes essential for those wanting to hyperlevel all their GBs. You can't gain enough fps or bp's without it.

My message was not intended as elitist in the slightest. Everyone should play the game how they like, and I actually prefer what i referred to as "just playing" from that perspective and would do my best not to advise a first time player into jumping immediately into the hyperlevelled cancer the game has become and that I now play. Purely from a math perspective though, a level 10 Arc *just sitting there* does nothing but add goods to the treasury. So the question becomes "how are you using the arc?". If the answer is to snipe your neighbors for free FP, yes, it's great, and I stated as much. If the answer is casual swaps on sub-10 buildings - even if you get decent placings in them, the answer is likely "no, it's not worth it for you to have a level 10 arc - you can probably use 35 squares and thousands of FP of investment in a more effective manner". I see plenty of examples of people who build arcs who probably shouldn't have (yet at least).

For context, on Yorkton (my most recent world), I did not build my own Arc until Contemporary Era. I had most of the GBs of interest to me already at 10 before I built it - all built with own goods as I passed through the ages. I was willing to consider not building it then and continuing on to FE, but I got a decent enough deal on the goods and CE is easy GE.

Overall my advice on when to build an arc:
1) If you're planning to spend effort regularly sniping others, build it as soon as possible and work in your "core" buildings as you feel you need them while focusing arc first
2) If you're in a GvG guild, build it by the time you're in an age your guild wants to fight - for the treasury portion. They should help you out with figuring out how and when to level it further.
3) If you're planning to level buildings past 10, build it after your "core" buildings that will make you happy are up and at a level you can live with for a while - and take arc to at least level 60-70 or so (80-85% bonus) before taking others past 10.

Coming back to one of your more specific questions:

Aren't having many sources of getting fps for leveling any GB, collecting a full set of bps quicker to place a new GB, or getting as many medals as possible for buying expansions huge benefits to a player? Those are things all of us are striving for irregardless of playstyle. Of course a person needs to be actively doing what it benefits if wanting it. But that's idea the same for all the GBs.

If there were no cost for those sources, sure. But there is a cost - the FP you spend to get the goods and level the building could be used on another building or to advance in tech or whatever else your goal happens to be. The space you use for the building would also be used for other purposes. The question is will the investment in the Arc recover itself fast enough to justify the costs. Which I contend that for most people playing a casual playstyle the answer is going to be no. It doesn't mean they can't build it. It doesn't mean they can't get it to level 10. It doesn't mean they won't get some minor benefits for having done so. It means they probably could've gotten more benefit from doing something else with the same resources.

As a contrast, hyperleveled Arc becomes essential for those wanting to hyperlevel all their GBs. You can't gain enough fps or bp's without it.

Not strictly true... It's possible - painful, but very possible. I did a chateau-focused strategy on V and still don't have an Arc there and got it into the 50s. I could've kept it going, but I got pissed at assorted developments in the game and dropped down to just my main world.

 

[RazorbackPirate]

When did the standard change from "worthwhile" to "huge benefit"? I could get on my personal soapbox, but suffice it to say that this is the problem with how some players both approach the game and give advice.

The fact that I've chosen to push my Arc to 80 in no way diminishes the value of a level 9 or 10 Arc. In fact it was around level 9 or 10 that I really began to feel a noticeable impact on the rewards.

I've only ever built 1 or 2 GBs at a time so I could focus on leveling them to levels 6 to 8 before building the next one. Given that most low level GBs are not worth the tiles they take up, while others were filling their cities with low level GBs as fast as they could build them, I gathered and stored prints and goods to construct the GBs on my short list when I was ready for them. I built them in the order I needed to provide maximum impact at the time, then raised each to a level that delivered that desired impact.

Once I built all my essential GBs, I raised them all to a point of maximum productivity for my city, somewhere in the levels 10 - 12 range, before I ever built the Arc. I actually sat on the Arc prints and goods for months after I had them to focus on complely leveling the other GBs before building it. As I focused on leveling the other GBs, I also focused on building up my overall daily FP supply and my FP reserves in preparation to building the Arc and taking it to 80 as quickly as possible.

I did it that way not that I didn't see value in a level 10 Arc, but consistent with my play style, I knew once I dropped it, I'd want to level it to 80 quickly. I purposely positioned myself to have nothing else to spend my FPs on until I age up and build a new GB. Getting to a very noticeable 30% bonus only made me want to keep going, definitely not stop or slow down, so I'm glad I made the choices I did. Now I have no other GBs trying to pull my attention and FPs away until I reach my goal.

 

[- KQ -]

If I bring it level 9 or 10. Every arc I see is 50+. I don't have the FP income to do that though, as I only make about 100 FP per day, it would take years to get to that level.

So is arc useful at level 10?

Very much so. Go for it.

 

[DreadfulCadillac]

YES THE ARC IS USEFULL AT LVL 10

 

[DeletedUser33179]

I realize I'm up on my highest soap box. It's just that so many hyperlevelers just can't see anything other than that as worthwile play.

?.. Purely from a math perspective though, a level 10 Arc *just sitting there* does nothing but add goods to the treasury. So the question becomes "how are you using the arc?". If the answer is to snipe your neighbors for free FP, yes, it's great, and I stated as much. If the answer is casual swaps on sub-10 buildings - even if you get decent placings in them, the answer is likely "no, it's not worth it for you to have a level 10 arc - you can probably use 35 squares and thousands of FP of investment in a more effective manner".

Agree with you for the most part. The advice to only get a GB if it's primary benefit is for something you're doing is true for every GB. If a player feels aiding all her friends, neighbors & guildies every day is too boring, she shouldn't get a Seed Vault. If a player doesn't plunder, then kraken is useless. If a player doesn't have any Event main buildings/prizes or TFs, then he really won't get much bang for his buck having Blue Galaxy. If a player only infrequently donates to GBs, then that's not a good time to get an Arc. It does seem a number of players are seeking out the Arc far too early, while having an obviously disjointed, struggling city in most ways (believing the hype about those high Arcs without understanding the game fundamentals at all).

Yet, you're tending to lump players into only 1 of two categories when discussing the Arc. You've already defined everything other than hyperleveling as "just playing". Are you sure you're not now defining everything other than 'a multitude of daily very large fp donations to hyperleveled GBs' as "casual swaps on sub-10 buildings"? Sort of feels that way to me.

... there is a cost - the FP you spend to get the goods and level the building could be used on another building or to advance in tech or whatever else your goal happens to be. The space you use for the building would also be used for other purposes. The question is will the investment in the Arc recover itself fast enough to justify the costs. Which I contend that for most people playing a casual playstyle the answer is going to be no. It doesn't mean they can't build it. It doesn't mean they can't get it to level 10. It doesn't mean they won't get some minor benefits for having done so. It means they probably could've gotten more benefit from doing something else with the same resources.

That highlighted part above is where I somewhat disagree. The Return on Investment should make sense, but isn't limited to just replacing the fps spent. And getting that back "fast enough" is subjective.

Here's an example from my play. I got CF & DT within 2 months of playing. With an extremely low fp/day income of 26-28, neither would on the surface appear to be wise. Yet no one's dailyfp income accurately refects what can be easily obtained. Most prize chests for the Daily quests invariably have fps as the most likely outcome. With a good friends list of 75 players full of red tablecloths in taverns, I win a range of 5-9fp every day from visiting. GE at all levels gives fp prizes often. The Events often give alot of fps (& we have alot of events). If you make a few wise GB donations a week to friends/hoodies, the fp packs will add up (Oracles in BA/IA/EMA are quite profitable). Fp packs from utlizing RQs daily is of immense benefit. Perhaps that still wouldn't add up to getting my fps back quick enough by the definition of some folks. But what else did I get for ROI & how quickly? Within a week, I raised CF to level 4. That was plenty to immediately get rid of all my goods buildings opening up huge area for other things. And I could immediately negotiate through all of GE4 - all the diamonds, troops, buildings, etc. With the DT only at level 3-4 during that time, I could rapidly accumulate (via higher level goods received & trading down those goods as needed) enough goods to get SMB & RAH within ~2 weeks or so - much quicker than I could've done otherwise, especially since I wasn't in a guild. (Those GBs were important component for my plan for playstyle). Additionally, I got a head start of getting goods needed for the next Age's tech tree & GE. My "casual play" worked just fine, in my opinion.
That way of thinking also applies to the Arc. Can a person accomplish some of their game goals much quicker with "casual play" of the Arc? If so, I don't care if it takes several months (or more) to recoup the fps spent.

 

[Emberguard]

@Clara Osgood No I never put hyperlvl'ing into this. I was basing the view purely on getting to lvl 10 and then staying there. Lvl 80's handing over everything? Never said that and never done that for the first 10 lvls. Wouldn't be remotely worth either their investment or mine to do so. Never said it'd take multiple years to reach lvl 10, what I said was it's worth getting if you're intending to keep playing for an extended period of time. If you don't have the income to be able to raise a Arc to lvl 10 at a rate that'd allow you to benefit from it then you're better off waiting until you have a decent income. We both agreed on that but you insist mine is a elitist view.

The reason I mentioned getting into a high guild making the Arc worth getting earlier on is simple - if you can't get into a 6FP from guild hall guild without an Arc for that specific world, then simply having the Arc in your city is giving that in return as soon as it allows you into that guild

No one is arguing against the Arc being useful. Everyone has agreed on that point. The contention is at what point it's worth placing. The math was to give an idea on how long it'd take in comparison to other options of building your city. If your guild is desperate for goods then it's not a bad idea to get an Arc as then it's serving a purpose with immediate return though an Observatory is another option. If the guild doesn't need goods and you don't have the income to support the Arc until it can support itself then there's no point in getting it straight away.

GB costs are based on their respective ages. It's only natural that a Future Era player would be better equipped to raise a high cost GB then a Iron Age player. Nothing stopping players from getting ahead of their age - it just comes at a high cost. Certain routes will give more progression then others depending on the order it's done in and also depends on how the player intends to utilise the asset once it's obtained.