Atlantic City: Chap 3

Atlantic City: Chapter 3, called "South Jersey".  





This seems like a well-thought out name by Zynga because Atlantic City is, after all, in the southern half of New Jersey along with over 200 other towns in the 9 counties comprising "South Jersey"... and thus makes as much sense as using "South Europe" for the title of Italy: Region 6, when it finally debuts in May 2013.

At the same time, Atlantic City: Chapter 1 was renamed "Uptown", while Chapter 2 was christened as "Boardwalk" - with the menu providing a hint that more chapters will follow.




For the most  part, the new chapter is like the previous two: click, click, click, job done, repeat.  Contrary to conventional wisdom, however, you CAN play Mafia Wars: Atlantic City on your desktop if you are bored to death like.





South Jersey/Chapter 3 featured the same layout as previous chapters: 4 levels with 6 jobs in each.  At Bronze level mastery, some jobs completed at 10% or 9% per click; by Ruby level, you get 2% or 3%.  It's a big energy drain, but what the hell else is there to do while we wait forever for the rest of Italy you'll earn 24 Skill Points for completing the chapter.


Your only checkpoints along the way are these artistic masterpieces signs indicating your completion of each of the four levels.

All kidding aside - there *is* something new and exciting about Chapter 3: actual "Atlantic City Loot" - items that do not drop anywhere else, including Las Vegas, which is the source of currency and other Atlantic City job drop Loot.  

I saw (or learned of) 3 new items dropping exclusively in Atlantic City:

Ground Hugger

Vehicle (55A/30D)

Frilled Lizard

Animal (26A/57D)

This item should be pretty valuable - other than the Bighorn (Hoover Dam, 64D), there is no collectible Animal that drops from City jobs with better Defense than the Frilled Lizard.

There are superior defensive Animals in your Italy Port...but you can't trade them. The Operations Loot Coyote (also 64D) can be traded, but is hard to come by - and certainly can't be collected at will like the Frilled Lizard. 

Pickpocket

Armor (25/58)

The clear photo highlights my failure

I actually went through all 24 jobs and 167,388 Energy points in South Jersey without finding one of these, but read a lot about the Pick Pocket - an Armor piece with 58 Defense.  This stat made the Pick Pocket a hot item, especially since there was a day or two in which you could BUY this item (or 501 of them) to boost your defense stats if your lowest defense Armor was under 58.

 

The good news about Atlantic City Loot?  You can gift/trade/Wish List these items.   The Frilled Lizard should fetch a few Weapons Parts on the trading boards, though it's hard to load up on them.  Given the wealth of Amphiquads and Cooling Vests out there, an Animal with 57 Defense is more valuable than a Vehicle with 55 Attack or Armor with 58 Defense.

Atlantic City:Chapter 3 also features better Las Vegas loot dropping from jobs than in prior AC chapters.  Now you will get an occasional Range Finder Rifle and Diamondback.

Your reward for completing Ruby level mastery of South Jersey is a Big Bang (119A/100D) - a very nice Weapon.