The Mathematical Trap of Landmark Upgrades Houses or Roads Analyzing the Optimal Path

Monopoly GO is a game that successfully combines the classic board game experience with modern mobile mechanics. One of the most important decisions a player faces is how to manage their landmarks. It seems like a simple task but there is a significant mathematical trap involved in the process. Many players ask whether they should focus on houses or roads first or if they should simply upgrade whatever is cheapest at the moment. Understanding the optimal path for upgrading can save you billions of dollars and help you progress much faster through the boards.

The first part of the strategy is understanding the cost of progress. Each landmark on your board has five levels of upgrades. The price increases with each level and the total cost to clear a board grows exponentially as you advance to higher levels. The trap that many casual players fall into is building landmarks one by one as soon as they have enough cash. This is a mistake for two reasons. First it makes you a target for other players. If you have buildings on your board they can be attacked in a Shut Down which forces you to pay for repairs. Second it is not cost efficient because you miss out on event bonuses.

The optimal path to maximize your efficiency is to save your cash until you can afford to complete an entire board at once. This is often referred to as the save and spend method. By waiting until you have enough money to finish all thirty landmark upgrades you ensure that no one can damage your buildings while you are offline. More importantly you should wait for specific events like Landmark Rush or Board Rush. These events reward you with extra dice and cash for every landmark or board you complete. If you build during these times you are essentially getting a rebate on your investment which makes each upgrade much cheaper in the long run.

When it comes to the order of building it is generally best to upgrade the most expensive landmarks first while you have the cash. This is because the cost of repairs is based on the level of the landmark. However the goal of building is not just to clear the board but to trigger the color set wheel spins. Every time you place houses on a full set of colors you get a chance to spin for rewards like sticker packs and extra dice. This is where the true value of landmarks lies. The landmarks themselves are just a means to an end. The real prizes are the stickers that help you finish your collections.

As you move into the higher boards you will realize that cash becomes harder to get unless you have a constant supply of dice. The game is a cycle where dice lead to cash and cash leads to landmarks. To keep this cycle moving you need to finish your sticker albums. A single completed set can provide you with the thousands of dice needed to generate the cash for your next ten boards.

If you find that you are missing a few rare cards to complete your sets and you are tired of having your landmarks destroyed while you wait for rewards you can take a shortcut. For a smooth and reliable experience many top players turn to the mmowow store to fill the gaps in their albums. It is the best place to find cheap monopoly go stickers that will give you the dice you need to dominate the board and avoid the mathematical traps of landmark upgrades forever.