Level up FASTER on Zwift // No Cheating Required!

Levelling up on Zwift is a way to unlock new equipment and earn the ability to buy even more items in the Drop Shop. Levelling up FAST without cheating is a question that often comes up. In this video I detail a method that resulted in me earning over 3000 XP per hour....but there are a few details to know about before heading up the Alpe towards that prize wheel!

Links:

♫Music By♫
●howl. - Mochi [Bass Rebels Release]

Video Index:
0:00 Intro
0:16 Why Level Up?
0:39 How to Earn XP
1:19 Heartlandsg's Method for 1000 XP/hr
1:42 Can We Improve on 1000 XP/hr?
3:08 Zwift XP Farming - My Method
5:40 Hands-On Alpe XP Test Ride
12:58 Full Results / Comments
13:45 Is There a Faster Method?
12:56 Wrap Up

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#Zwift #IndoorCycling #Cycling

[ZwiftInsider]

This is why we’re friends. Ride on, Lama!

[davidrowe]

I like to do a lot of climbing and wish Zwift would introduce XPs for ascent, not just distance, to encourage us climbers.

[zwifting]

Amazes me how when someone just posts a helpful little video like this, that is no way controversial or has any fuel for negativity, manages to somehow attract people with something negative to say. I'm enjoying reading most the comments that are grateful for the tips or have some nice suggestions to leverage some extra XP points, but of course you come across the usual people that just have to their negative little digs - the irony being some of the comments are about how Zwifters interested in XP points and levels are wasting their time, yet the time spent watching a video you have no interest in and then going to the effort of actually typing up a comment with your negative thoughts on the matter is somehow time better spent 🤷‍♂
Anyway - thanks Shane. I'll be implementing these tips over xmas to try and level up to 26 where I can get a couple of new frames I want. All part of the fun.

[guybadman]

That worked well :) I split the 70 mins into 7x 10 minute interval blocks, and it gave me 119xp per block (not on fast track). Got the wheels at the top and spun big XP for 250xp, also picked up a 10xp on the way back down. Totalled 2473 xp.

[EricWohnig]

10:26, I was a little caught off guard to see my name pop up giving you a Ride On!

[peckproject-keithpeck]

Awesome video Shane! I commented over a year ago on one of your videos about using the prize wheel at the top of the climb as a way to level up faster than some of the more popularly discussed methods. Back then I thought the big bonus odds were increased by having an unused power-up when you passed through the summit arch. Your idea to switch to a workout to get XP by time on the climb instead of distance is pure gold!

[leetaylor]

You should descend ADZ on a TT bike. You get those 10/20xp power ups. Times three for the descent this is an extra 30/60 xp. Do a few ascents/descents and this soon adds up.

[donb]

I’ve been doing the 90 minute riders choice workout which lets you pedal at whatever power you want. You will always get the star even if you stop peddling to take a break for a minute.

[leoaz]

Great information GP, Thanks. Currently slogging my way through the 40's. Will definitely use this option.

On a similar note.
I think Zwift have missed an opportunity here to keep the long time Zwifters happy. Why not just add a multiplier x2, x5, x10 to routes. This could be as simple as showing the multiplier on the users achievement screen, or for those who like to show there wears perhaps a multiple stamp on the jersey pocket for the user when riding the route in game (ridden the route 7 times, then x7 on the rear pocket). From a game perspective perhaps match XP points to multiplier. eg: x7 + 1.7 XP points per km. The guys and girls at Zwift could create an infinite chase by letting users multiply their routes on an individual and set base, be that full set (PRL eeeek) or by world, Watopia, Richmond, France, etc.

Pinball machines were around when I was growing up and part of the draw to the game was levelling up, getting points faster or chasing a prize in the game that required a level of skill not ordinarily seen. Whilst there are some Zwift achievement badges based on this, speed, power, thumbs up for those who **chase** these it's easily obtained by level 30's.

One other thought that comes to mind. Some video games have easter eggs. There are enough roads on Zwift to create a one off easter egg route. The user would not know where the route starts or finishes, thus for those who wish to search for the route it increases usage of a specific world or roads not popular. If the route is ridden within a specific set period of time say a month. Then the user collects that unique badge. Obviously with the internet word will get around, hence the short period of time to search and collect. Zwift can then recreate a new easter egg at a future date increasing the gamification and enjoyment for habitual users.

[BigMeanyVids]

Good timing for me as been on zwift about 1.5 months so starting to dig in more to the details.

[alexanderkoch]

You need to play with the length of the intervals a bit as in some cases you can earn one XP by making a workout block slightly longer. According to Zwiftinsider it's 1 XP every 5.55 seconds for zone blocks. So for zone blocks the most efficient way to earn XP are 111 seconds blocks as you lose no XP (with 60 seconds you lose about 0.8 XP every block) and if you fail one star you don't lose much.

BUT there is a caveat. I run Zwift on a 2019 iPad (or sometimes an older MacBook Pro) and with that Zwift's internal timinings are a bit off and after a while the running stopwatch in the top right corner is lacking behind a few seconds. One hour workouts never lasts an hour (according to the stopwatch) on my hardware. It doesn't seem to affect you as your 70 minutes workout ended exactly at 1:18:40 and you started at 0:0:8:40.

Every so often I don't get the full 20 XP (only 19 XP) for a 111 seconds block. Second in line is a 50 seconds block (0.009 XP lost) but with that I also sometimes don't earn the 9 XP (only 8 XP) it should give me. I think it has to do when Zwift can't put out the frames fast enough you lose fractions of a second and thus makes the block virtually a bit shorter. Only with 28 seconds blocks (or 139 seconds) I could get a constant output of XP on my hardware (this would be 6th place in the "losing the least XP on a zone block" ranking; 0.045 XP lost every block).

Would love to see your findings on interval blocks and playing with the length of these in seconds.

[CodyMH]

Hi @gplama, I've heard a lot of conflicting numbers over the years on how much XP per minute an interval block yields, so I ran my own experiment to try and debunk all the conflicting info for myself and thought you might find the results interesting. I built nine different workouts using the smallest interval block possible (4 sets) that were comprised of the following durations: 0:58 x4, 0:59 x4, 1:00 x4, 1:00/1:01 alternating x2, 1:01 x4, 1:52 x4, 1:56 x4, 1:58x4, and 1:59 x4. I had heard somewhere that 1:52 blocks yield the same as 2:00 so I thought I’d try that out along with other durations close to it. I rode all nine workouts at the same power (170w) in ERG mode. The winner turned out to be 1:59 blocks where I earned 94 XP over the course of four 1:59 sets at 476 seconds total, which comes out to 11.97 XP per minute. The next two closest interval blocks earning 11.95 XP per minute each were 1:58 and 0:59. The lowest was 1:00 sets at 11.75 XP per minute, so we’re talking very marginal differences here, but gains are gains! It sounds like the most XP you can possibly earn per minute using zone blocks is around 10.8, so interval blocks definitely seem to be the way to go. If all of this isn't nerdy enough for you, let me know and I'll share my full spreadsheet with you!

[mvp_kryptonite]

9:30 I really like that map view! Man my watts are none existent. Cool ride, hopefully I can do some of this some time in the future. For now, just base fitness then gran fondo training

[SnappyWasHere]

If you make those intervals 61 seconds it’ll rack up faster. Just adding 1 second to each interval gives you one extra xp. And lots of stars and xp if you make each interval separate and not part of a repeating loop like you did.

[mikeymouse]

Wow ! Thank you for working that out for us.
You might want to try 'String Theory' next - should be a 'walk in the park' after this. 🙂

[mathewrose]

I clicked on the video, and. found out your method is . . . exactly what I've already been doing with the exception being that I'm not doing it in workout mode. I'm somewhere between 100 and 200 ascents of the Alpe at the point because I use it as an interval training game, picking either odds, evens, or every third segment and trying to pace them above threshold for a segment PR. I also do Fire and Ice (slightly less efficient) because I like the 20 something minutes of lead-in before the climb to get my music choice and fan angle dialed in.

[D.J.Hunter]

I used to do something similar when trying to get the Tron bike, as I wanted to still get good XP whilst climbing. I did 61 second under and overs (sometimes 60seconds would get 1 XP less than 61 seconds) to minimise risk of losing a star and XP. It was a LOT of stars/blocks so I used to edit the workout xml in a text editor so it would only take a couple of minutes to make. I'd mostly use it for recovery rides though, slow up hill but same XP as if I was smashing hard intervals.

[inferno]

Nice one! Big motivation to do more climbing for sure!

[alterntive]

Being able to sell bought, unused items in the garage would also be a great way to gain back points or add some additional XP

[MrSTRDDD]

I’m enjoying this method. I currently have my intervals set at
28 seconds
139 seconds
Repeated twice.
=66xp
With a 30 second rest block between.
=5xp
A total of 71xp every 6:04.
Does anyone have a better ratio? What interval timings are better?