NBA 2K18 probably had the worst balance between VC value and accessibility of any version in the series history. As usual, VC was the main component in upgrading your MyPlayer, but there weren’t enough ways to earn, and the prices of items and upgrades were a little too high.
Thankfully, NBA 2K19 is much more consumer friendly, even though some still take issue with the overall pay-to-upgrade model. If you’re like most NBA 2K players, you’re probably looking for some ways to upgrade your player as quickly and inexpensively as possible. After hours of gameplay, researching and noting the variety of VC payouts for in-game actions, and speaking to 2Kologist Nelson Blake II, I’ve put together five tips for building a MyPlayer on a budget.
Obviously, you can accelerate your MyPlayer’s progression by buying VC at any point, but none of the following tips requires you to spend.
Determine Your Objective, And Set Your Difficulty
Credit: Brian Mazique – NBA 2K19
There are a ton of ways to play NBA 2K. The game’s depth is both a gift and a curse. While it offers more layers than any other game on the market, it’s multi-dimensions creates a seemingly unlimited number of sub-groups and it’s impossible to please them all.
That said, you need to know which group you’re in and what you’re looking to gain from your MyPlayer experience. If you’re playing to enjoy every aspect of the game–especially the MyCareer experience–I’d advised putting your difficulty settings on All-Star or Superstar.
This will give you a decent challenge and the most realistic MyCareer experience while your player evolves. I prefer organic progression, but that’s because I’m not necessarily building my player to be a beast in PARK and Pro-Am. If your No. 1 priority is taking it to the streets, there is no need to crank up the difficulty in MyCareer. Essentially, that mode is just a piece of your grind, and you’re probably not all that interested in the story. You likely just want the VC payouts and to receive the progressions on badges, fans, and level breakers.
If this is you, don’t be ashamed to put your difficulty rating on rookie. It’ll make it easier for you to put up huge stat lines while accumulating top-notch teammate grades. You’ll get your challenges from human opponents in PARK and Pro-Am.
Remember, you might get less VC for styling on rookie, but you’ll be able to do it so often that you’ll likely earn more than you would on a higher difficulty–despite higher VC payouts.
Play Every Mode
Credit: 2K
I know we’re primarily talking about MyCareer here, but there is a lot of VC to be earned in other modes of the game. Play Now Online, MyLeague, and MyGM all have some healthy VC payouts. NBA 2K19 players stand to gain VC and a more well-rounded experience from broadening their horizons.
Establish A Grinder
Many NBA 2K players have multiple MyPlayers. Most do it so that they have more than one option to turn to when they are looking to team up with friends at the PARK or in Pro-Am. The good thing is that the acquisition of your VC can be applied to all of your players. Your individual MyPlayers don’t have separate VC banks.
Look at your collection of MyPlayers as their own team. Their ultimate purpose is to earn you VC. One of your MyPlayers is bound to be a more prolific earner. Determining which of your MyPlayers takes that role has a lot to do with what you do best in the game.
If you’re a skilled dribbler, your best farming MyPlayer might be your guard might be your most consistent VC earner. If you’re a newbie or just someone who simply excels at playing on the inside, your big man might be your best source of VC. In any case, establish a schedule and routine for your VC-earning build. As they earn VC, plan on dividing their earnings amongst all of your MyPlayers with your favorite builds getting the highest percentage of the take.
Know Your Build
It’s important to know your build. Understanding what the maxes are for each attribute category is essential. You can see this during the character selection just before the Prelude. If you use this as a guide, it’ll tell you the kind of player you should become if you choose that build.
Only Upgrade The Attributes That Really Matter
Likewise, it’s vital to understand what attributes you need to upgrade. If you’re a Pure Post Scorer with good size (6’11” to 7’3″) your player will automatically come with certain strength advantages because of their size. Also, your player will have elevated shot-blocking prowess because of his height. In turn, you’re not going to need to make shot blocking and strength your top priorities as you upgrade.
Each build has similar dynamics, and you must learn them to build your MyPlayer most efficiently.
Badges > Attributes
Don’t get me wrong, attributes are important, but badges are what really make the difference on the virtual court. For example, if you can get any of your three-point shooting ratings between an 80 and 85, and accompany that with the Limitless Range, Deep-Range Deadeye and Corner Specialist, you’ll find it much easier to sink deep shots than you would if simply built the ratings to a 90 with a Pure Sharpshooter.
Don’t be mesmerized by the rating, it’s only part of the equation.
Cater Your MyCareer Performance To Fit Your Badge Grind
When you’re playing MyCareer, you can really speed up your badge acquisition by letting your journey dictate your style of play. If you’re trying to upgrade or obtain a Corner Specialist badge, look for that shot. The same rule applies to badges like Pick-and-Roll Maestro, and more.
It seems simple, but sometimes it’s easy to lose track of the individual goals you might be chasing.
