Josephine [1923258] —
Original article
In a followup to the November article on level holders, we explore the bizarre playstyle which leads players to shun fame, favour and fortune in exchange for fun.
Level 1. The place where we all started. Few would choose to stay there, aside from the hundreds of players who registered and never played, stuck as measly level 1's for all eternity, clogging up the level Hall of Fame like an endless plague begging for the sweet release of death. But as is the case with all levels, some do choose, for one reason or another, to remain on the bottom rung of the Torn ladder.
These people have chosen to give up every upgrade, every bit of extra life, every chance to join a company or travel to other countries. And for what? Let us briefly put aside the debate as to whether these players have been stupid in their choice to never level up. Instead, I want to find out what these players get out of this situation. What is their status within the game? What have they achieved? When did they choose to limit the way they play Torn City, and why?
I have always harboured an interest in level holders and the Hall of Fame, so to me, it is no surprise that I find myself questioning the existence of these curious people. It all began shortly after I wrote an article about the #1s of each level in HoF, those who hold the foremost spot within their own level in terms of experience. There were many quirks to be spoken of on the subject, and through the course of the article, I was able to give mention to all 100 of the best of each level, including the top level 1 player, Shoogs.
Shortly after my article's publication, I was messaged by another level 1 player who goes by the name of You. She was pretty straight to the point.
"Hey, I was reading your article and I would have to say I am the best level 1 in Torn right now, my stats are double shoogs, although I don't have the defends I have more crimes and more attacks and have passed the other level 1's in defends leaving only shoogs higher than me."
Bold claims, to say the least. When I compared Shoogs and SiGagah - the highest and second-highest of the level 1's - I paid no mind to those other level 1's below them. There were several, active level 1 players down there, but I did not consider them contenders for the spots Shoogs and SiGagah held.
As you can tell from the above image taken of the level 1 HoF at the time, You was ranked at #5 of all the level 1's. Given how Shoogs and SiGagah were relatively weak to begin with, I found no reason to doubt You's claim of her strength. Perhaps it was true, perhaps this player was indeed the strongest of all current level 1's.
"Yeah ever since this report I've just been attacking and leaving marlonbrando to take lead, all my other level holding friends make fun of me because they are second or first at their level."
It was this message that made me realize that maybe my article had been read by the holders I was so interested in, which filled me with joy. Not to mention, it exposed me to an intriguing reality; someone (not the literal someone, we'll talk about them later) was power-leveling for the sake of achieving a #1 spot. and they were doing so all because they had read my article. Powerleveling for a goal - classic. Power-leveling off MarlonBrando - also classic.
"Thank you, maybe when I do become #1 you can do an article on me :p"
Was this a dare? If so, I have most certainly taken You up on it. It has been over six months since my first level-based article again, so I decided it was indeed time to revisit the level 1 HoF.
Much to my surprise, You kept up her efforts to rise through the ranks in the HoF. She has not achieved #1 status, but nevertheless, her progress is commendable. In addition, SiGagah has been surpassed by the former #3, Z7Z4846. However, despite what the table shows, there is apparently one other level 1 whom I have been neglecting to mention. A couple months after I'd published the previous article, the following anonymous message found its way into my mailbox.
"Your article about level holders was nice but it is absurd to talk about the best level holders and not even mention the most famous torn level holder of all time, someone [189399], who managed to stay a level 1 for more than 3000 days while achieving 4.5b stats, the most defends in the whole game (37k), having taken 3.2k xanax with no option to rehab, whose highest level beaten is 90...
"...a leader of faction called NameLess for more than 3000 days (a faction that was actually full of level holders and encouraged them to join, many people from your newspaper article were in that faction while it existed!! and it was a powerful faction), and someone whose real level was revealed to be 80+ by a new company special introduced two years ago...... she was and remains a role model to numerous torn players and all level holders showing that level should not be a barrier."
I found this message to be intriguing, but I would argue that there were many reasons why the old Someone was not included, the most prominent being that she is inactive and in federal jail, which makes her ineligible to appear on any HoF. I did know of her existence, even if with only minuscule details, but when speaking of the #1's of HoFs, her name did not come to mind. Perhaps this had been my mistake. Perhaps I should've mentioned her in my article. However, the details included in that message were all I knew of her aside from the fact that she had once existed.
Was she the best level 1 ever? That is quite likely, especially if her reputation is to be believed. I took it upon myself to try to verify this claim that she was the best and strongest of all level 1's ever. I began to wonder something I'd never even thought of before: Can you spy fedded people? It was time to find out. I hit up my favorite dealer, I mean, spymaster, and asked him to spy on someone. After I clarified that I meant Someone [189399], not just "someone", he provided me with her details
Name: 189399 [189399]
Level: 1
You managed to get the following results:
Strength: 501,622,608
Speed: 524,860,120
Dexterity: 1,516,061,757
Defense: 500,861,450
Total: 3,043,405,935
Amazing. Truly amazing - although she clearly wasn't 4.5b and lying to me is mean. But nevertheless, a level 1 with 3 billion total battle stats is truly impressive. After a little more research, I found the following evidence of what her true level was. Someone was 80 levels higher than what she portrayed herself as. Furthermore, Proxima added this note to my article just recently:
"Worth noting - I spoke to 'someone' once soon before her fedding - she had been living with 99% addiction for years and fought with the effective stats of about 30m."
All things aside, her achievements were certainly noteworthy, even if she is no longer an active player. Someone was (or in a way, still is) the best and strongest level 1 to have ever existed, and it is a shame that more information is not readily available on this unique character from Torn City history.
Now that we have spoken of all that, I will move on to the question that haunts many of us: Why do these people chose to hold at such a low level? Is there any benefit to it, or is it just a lifestyle choice? To shed some light on the subject, I went ahead and contacted one of the level holders from the current top of level 1 HoF, who also happens to be the youngest of them all, Jesus.
Who are you?
"I'm the almighty Jesus, I have been playing this game for nearly 10 years, have restarted many times. I was a level 1 previously but I leveled up because of difficulty with making cash without travel. Regretted it immediately and restarted again."
Why level 1?
"I like the play style, the handicap if you will. The game is simply harder in every aspect at lvl 1. Fighting is harder with 100 life, money making is harder without travel, stat training is harder due to no companies + Xanax. You know how games have difficulty levels? Well, this is basically my way of playing it at the hardest. It's simply enjoyable, it's not about being the best in game, no, its about enjoying the game. After nearly 10 years of playing the game, I know my play-style and I don't miss those things that I'm 'missing' out on. It's a very philosophical decision"
What do you hope to achieve by holding at Level 1?
"Nothing really, there was no specific objective for when I started out. I just find the play style fun - I hope to have a lot of fun through being lvl 1, the by product though is that I'll become a kick *** level 1."
In what ways does your status as a level 1 affect your capacity to train and chain?
"The capacity to train & chain is largely affected because I'm also going for SSL so there is basically no xanax usage( a low finite amount). For the same reason chaining is affected. To counter this you basically gotta have cans/fhcs which then means that you need a lot of in-game cash to sustain that usage. I'm working on that"
What's your favorite encounter with someone who has lost to you or been confused by you?
"Every encounter where a high lvl 50+ loses to me is a favorite encounter. Waking up to a large list of defends is the norm, I check them when I'm in need of ego-stroking, but often I don't bother anymore"
What have you learned in your journey?
"That people don't like other people who do things 'differently', some people will go out of their way to give you 100 reasons as to why your decision to hold at level is 1 bad idea, but not wanting to grasp the bigger philosophical image and that its a game - the main purpose being to have fun."
Thoughts on the current #1 of the level 1's, Shoogs?
"He has a lot of defends, that's it. There is someone still bountying him after 611 days of inactivity. Strange"
Thoughts on the former strongest level 1, the now-fedded player by the name of someone? Is there anything you knew of them?
"Yeah she self fedded because of drug addiction changes, her 4b stats became extremely weak, I think like 95% reduced, so she simply quit. What a shame really. She was the inspiration for becoming a level 1. She was basically a torn celebrity, status on par with bodybagger. Even on her profile it said that expect a delay in mail responses due to the large incoming volume. The new era of extreme level holders will be primarily composed of SSL'ers as that's the only sustainable long-term method"
I found Jesus' answers interesting. His choice to hold at level 1 appears to be something personal. It is a playstyle that might be far from optimal, but it does bring entertainment to those involved. Also, here we have yet another person who tells me that Someone had 4b+ stats. Perhaps her reputation was so great that people assumed she was stronger than she actually was? Is being feared one of the perks of being a low level holder? When a player sports a high level you know you're in for a tough time. But when one's true level is vague and unknown, you really do have no idea what you're getting yourself in to.
To wrap this up, I decided to check up on one of the people who caused me to start pondering this subject in the first place, You. Not you you, but You. God damn it, what it is with level 1 holders and their vague and confusing names?
"Level 1 is the most basic level in the game, anyone can succeed when you have the ability to travel and make easy money. I wanted to play on "hard mode" so I restricted myself to level 1 and further limited myself to SSL."
"Shoogs is the reason I held, like many new players I tried to make some easy money, and like many people ended up in the hospital. After contacting him he turned out to be a really nice guy and explained he was a holder. This is when I realized this is what I wanted to do, I considered myself an anti-bully taking satisfaction in baiting in high level defends."
"We don't talk about them [someone], but no really they were a god and dwarfed even the biggest giants in their time, someone and I played a very short time together before their federal sentence. I still check their profile and aspire to reach that level."
"Being level 1 restricts cash flow, limiting my ability to rehab if I was a Xanax user making it not very practical. The biggest reason my stats are stunted as much as they are is my activity level, I have gone inactive for over half of my time here in TC, hopefully the refills I have will help, but I just recently learned of the ability to use LSD so I have been using that for 50 extra energy for either training or chaining. I'm not the greatest chainer but I still meet [...] requirements of 25 hits a day without the use of FHC or energy drinks."
When are you going to pass Shoogs and become #1 of level 1?
"I'm trying! I have gone up 3 ranks my last 2 chains with warring 2.0 I am hoping to pass shoogs taking #1 in HoF and reach rank 15 in the next 4 months."
Satisfied with the answers I received, it was here our conversation ended. To be clear, this piece is in no way trying to encourage holding at such a low level - it is not a playstyle for those who are hardcore about their stat gains and attacking power. People often try to dismiss playstyles that aren't akin to their own. Perhaps instead of refusing to acknowledge their benefits, it would be wiser to take the time to study and accept the way in which others play. Who knows, you might learn a little something about your own playstyle too.
There are those who choose to trade to make a living, those who gamble away all their earnings, those who mug left and right, and those who choose to train all day. Like all of these styles, level holding - even at such a low level - is a form of playing that people choose for entirely legitimate reasons. Is it for the thrill of defends? Is it for wishing to play at a higher difficulty? Perhaps. Just like there are those who choose not to partake in the standard gulping of xanax, there are those who have chosen to deprive themselves of the perks of levelling.
Does holding at level one make you somehow lesser than a normal player? No, because what is a 'normal' player? These people are still players, choosing to play their way, and regardless of how many may look down upon them, their choice should be respected - if not followed.
Now, maybe the anonymous messages about level 1s will end now...until someone points out that there was someone better than Someone. Will You send me that message, or will it be you?
These people have chosen to give up every upgrade, every bit of extra life, every chance to join a company or travel to other countries. And for what? Let us briefly put aside the debate as to whether these players have been stupid in their choice to never level up. Instead, I want to find out what these players get out of this situation. What is their status within the game? What have they achieved? When did they choose to limit the way they play Torn City, and why?
I have always harboured an interest in level holders and the Hall of Fame, so to me, it is no surprise that I find myself questioning the existence of these curious people. It all began shortly after I wrote an article about the #1s of each level in HoF, those who hold the foremost spot within their own level in terms of experience. There were many quirks to be spoken of on the subject, and through the course of the article, I was able to give mention to all 100 of the best of each level, including the top level 1 player, Shoogs.
Shortly after my article's publication, I was messaged by another level 1 player who goes by the name of You. She was pretty straight to the point.
"Hey, I was reading your article and I would have to say I am the best level 1 in Torn right now, my stats are double shoogs, although I don't have the defends I have more crimes and more attacks and have passed the other level 1's in defends leaving only shoogs higher than me."
Bold claims, to say the least. When I compared Shoogs and SiGagah - the highest and second-highest of the level 1's - I paid no mind to those other level 1's below them. There were several, active level 1 players down there, but I did not consider them contenders for the spots Shoogs and SiGagah held.
As you can tell from the above image taken of the level 1 HoF at the time, You was ranked at #5 of all the level 1's. Given how Shoogs and SiGagah were relatively weak to begin with, I found no reason to doubt You's claim of her strength. Perhaps it was true, perhaps this player was indeed the strongest of all current level 1's.
"Yeah ever since this report I've just been attacking and leaving marlonbrando to take lead, all my other level holding friends make fun of me because they are second or first at their level."
It was this message that made me realize that maybe my article had been read by the holders I was so interested in, which filled me with joy. Not to mention, it exposed me to an intriguing reality; someone (not the literal someone, we'll talk about them later) was power-leveling for the sake of achieving a #1 spot. and they were doing so all because they had read my article. Powerleveling for a goal - classic. Power-leveling off MarlonBrando - also classic.
"Thank you, maybe when I do become #1 you can do an article on me :p"
Was this a dare? If so, I have most certainly taken You up on it. It has been over six months since my first level-based article again, so I decided it was indeed time to revisit the level 1 HoF.
Much to my surprise, You kept up her efforts to rise through the ranks in the HoF. She has not achieved #1 status, but nevertheless, her progress is commendable. In addition, SiGagah has been surpassed by the former #3, Z7Z4846. However, despite what the table shows, there is apparently one other level 1 whom I have been neglecting to mention. A couple months after I'd published the previous article, the following anonymous message found its way into my mailbox.
"Your article about level holders was nice but it is absurd to talk about the best level holders and not even mention the most famous torn level holder of all time, someone [189399], who managed to stay a level 1 for more than 3000 days while achieving 4.5b stats, the most defends in the whole game (37k), having taken 3.2k xanax with no option to rehab, whose highest level beaten is 90...
"...a leader of faction called NameLess for more than 3000 days (a faction that was actually full of level holders and encouraged them to join, many people from your newspaper article were in that faction while it existed!! and it was a powerful faction), and someone whose real level was revealed to be 80+ by a new company special introduced two years ago...... she was and remains a role model to numerous torn players and all level holders showing that level should not be a barrier."
I found this message to be intriguing, but I would argue that there were many reasons why the old Someone was not included, the most prominent being that she is inactive and in federal jail, which makes her ineligible to appear on any HoF. I did know of her existence, even if with only minuscule details, but when speaking of the #1's of HoFs, her name did not come to mind. Perhaps this had been my mistake. Perhaps I should've mentioned her in my article. However, the details included in that message were all I knew of her aside from the fact that she had once existed.
Was she the best level 1 ever? That is quite likely, especially if her reputation is to be believed. I took it upon myself to try to verify this claim that she was the best and strongest of all level 1's ever. I began to wonder something I'd never even thought of before: Can you spy fedded people? It was time to find out. I hit up my favorite dealer, I mean, spymaster, and asked him to spy on someone. After I clarified that I meant Someone [189399], not just "someone", he provided me with her details
Name: 189399 [189399]
Level: 1
You managed to get the following results:
Strength: 501,622,608
Speed: 524,860,120
Dexterity: 1,516,061,757
Defense: 500,861,450
Total: 3,043,405,935
Amazing. Truly amazing - although she clearly wasn't 4.5b and lying to me is mean. But nevertheless, a level 1 with 3 billion total battle stats is truly impressive. After a little more research, I found the following evidence of what her true level was. Someone was 80 levels higher than what she portrayed herself as. Furthermore, Proxima added this note to my article just recently:
"Worth noting - I spoke to 'someone' once soon before her fedding - she had been living with 99% addiction for years and fought with the effective stats of about 30m."
All things aside, her achievements were certainly noteworthy, even if she is no longer an active player. Someone was (or in a way, still is) the best and strongest level 1 to have ever existed, and it is a shame that more information is not readily available on this unique character from Torn City history.
Now that we have spoken of all that, I will move on to the question that haunts many of us: Why do these people chose to hold at such a low level? Is there any benefit to it, or is it just a lifestyle choice? To shed some light on the subject, I went ahead and contacted one of the level holders from the current top of level 1 HoF, who also happens to be the youngest of them all, Jesus.
Who are you?
"I'm the almighty Jesus, I have been playing this game for nearly 10 years, have restarted many times. I was a level 1 previously but I leveled up because of difficulty with making cash without travel. Regretted it immediately and restarted again."
Why level 1?
"I like the play style, the handicap if you will. The game is simply harder in every aspect at lvl 1. Fighting is harder with 100 life, money making is harder without travel, stat training is harder due to no companies + Xanax. You know how games have difficulty levels? Well, this is basically my way of playing it at the hardest. It's simply enjoyable, it's not about being the best in game, no, its about enjoying the game. After nearly 10 years of playing the game, I know my play-style and I don't miss those things that I'm 'missing' out on. It's a very philosophical decision"
What do you hope to achieve by holding at Level 1?
"Nothing really, there was no specific objective for when I started out. I just find the play style fun - I hope to have a lot of fun through being lvl 1, the by product though is that I'll become a kick *** level 1."
In what ways does your status as a level 1 affect your capacity to train and chain?
"The capacity to train & chain is largely affected because I'm also going for SSL so there is basically no xanax usage( a low finite amount). For the same reason chaining is affected. To counter this you basically gotta have cans/fhcs which then means that you need a lot of in-game cash to sustain that usage. I'm working on that"
What's your favorite encounter with someone who has lost to you or been confused by you?
"Every encounter where a high lvl 50+ loses to me is a favorite encounter. Waking up to a large list of defends is the norm, I check them when I'm in need of ego-stroking, but often I don't bother anymore"
What have you learned in your journey?
"That people don't like other people who do things 'differently', some people will go out of their way to give you 100 reasons as to why your decision to hold at level is 1 bad idea, but not wanting to grasp the bigger philosophical image and that its a game - the main purpose being to have fun."
Thoughts on the current #1 of the level 1's, Shoogs?
"He has a lot of defends, that's it. There is someone still bountying him after 611 days of inactivity. Strange"
Thoughts on the former strongest level 1, the now-fedded player by the name of someone? Is there anything you knew of them?
"Yeah she self fedded because of drug addiction changes, her 4b stats became extremely weak, I think like 95% reduced, so she simply quit. What a shame really. She was the inspiration for becoming a level 1. She was basically a torn celebrity, status on par with bodybagger. Even on her profile it said that expect a delay in mail responses due to the large incoming volume. The new era of extreme level holders will be primarily composed of SSL'ers as that's the only sustainable long-term method"
I found Jesus' answers interesting. His choice to hold at level 1 appears to be something personal. It is a playstyle that might be far from optimal, but it does bring entertainment to those involved. Also, here we have yet another person who tells me that Someone had 4b+ stats. Perhaps her reputation was so great that people assumed she was stronger than she actually was? Is being feared one of the perks of being a low level holder? When a player sports a high level you know you're in for a tough time. But when one's true level is vague and unknown, you really do have no idea what you're getting yourself in to.
To wrap this up, I decided to check up on one of the people who caused me to start pondering this subject in the first place, You. Not you you, but You. God damn it, what it is with level 1 holders and their vague and confusing names?
"Level 1 is the most basic level in the game, anyone can succeed when you have the ability to travel and make easy money. I wanted to play on "hard mode" so I restricted myself to level 1 and further limited myself to SSL."
"Shoogs is the reason I held, like many new players I tried to make some easy money, and like many people ended up in the hospital. After contacting him he turned out to be a really nice guy and explained he was a holder. This is when I realized this is what I wanted to do, I considered myself an anti-bully taking satisfaction in baiting in high level defends."
"We don't talk about them [someone], but no really they were a god and dwarfed even the biggest giants in their time, someone and I played a very short time together before their federal sentence. I still check their profile and aspire to reach that level."
"Being level 1 restricts cash flow, limiting my ability to rehab if I was a Xanax user making it not very practical. The biggest reason my stats are stunted as much as they are is my activity level, I have gone inactive for over half of my time here in TC, hopefully the refills I have will help, but I just recently learned of the ability to use LSD so I have been using that for 50 extra energy for either training or chaining. I'm not the greatest chainer but I still meet [...] requirements of 25 hits a day without the use of FHC or energy drinks."
When are you going to pass Shoogs and become #1 of level 1?
"I'm trying! I have gone up 3 ranks my last 2 chains with warring 2.0 I am hoping to pass shoogs taking #1 in HoF and reach rank 15 in the next 4 months."
Satisfied with the answers I received, it was here our conversation ended. To be clear, this piece is in no way trying to encourage holding at such a low level - it is not a playstyle for those who are hardcore about their stat gains and attacking power. People often try to dismiss playstyles that aren't akin to their own. Perhaps instead of refusing to acknowledge their benefits, it would be wiser to take the time to study and accept the way in which others play. Who knows, you might learn a little something about your own playstyle too.
There are those who choose to trade to make a living, those who gamble away all their earnings, those who mug left and right, and those who choose to train all day. Like all of these styles, level holding - even at such a low level - is a form of playing that people choose for entirely legitimate reasons. Is it for the thrill of defends? Is it for wishing to play at a higher difficulty? Perhaps. Just like there are those who choose not to partake in the standard gulping of xanax, there are those who have chosen to deprive themselves of the perks of levelling.
Does holding at level one make you somehow lesser than a normal player? No, because what is a 'normal' player? These people are still players, choosing to play their way, and regardless of how many may look down upon them, their choice should be respected - if not followed.
Now, maybe the anonymous messages about level 1s will end now...until someone points out that there was someone better than Someone. Will You send me that message, or will it be you?
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