An Agent's Access Level determines which leveled items they can use, the capacity of their XM tank, and the range at which an Agent can remotely recharge a Portal.
Access Levels range from Level 1 to Level 16, with Level 1 to Level 8 being the primary levels that dictate item accessibility and Level 9 to Level 16 being the secondary "prestige" levels. A Level 8 Agent can use every item in the Scanner, but has less XM capacity, a shorter recharge range, and less community clout than a Level 16.
Primary Access Levels are obtained by obtaining specific quantities of Access Points (AP), while secondary Access Levels require both Access Points and Medals.
Access Level Requirements[]
Level | Access Points | Difference | Medals |
---|---|---|---|
L1 | 0 AP | N/A | |
L2 | 2 500 AP | 2 500 AP | |
L3 | 20 000 AP | 17 500 AP | |
L4 | 70 000 AP | 50 000 AP | |
L5 | 150 000 AP | 80 000 AP | |
L6 | 300 000 AP | 150 000 AP | |
L7 | 600 000 AP | 300 000 AP | |
L8 | 1 200 000 AP | 600 000 AP | |
L9 | 2 400 000 AP | 1 200 000 AP | 1x Gold + 4x Silver |
L10 | 4 000 000 AP | 1 600 000 AP | 2x Gold + 5x Silver |
L11 | 6 000 000 AP | 2 000 000 AP | 4x Gold + 6x Silver |
L12 | 8 400 000 AP | 2 400 000 AP | 6x Gold + 7x Silver |
L13 | 12 000 000 AP | 3 600 000 AP | 1x Platinum + 7x Gold |
L14 | 17 000 000 AP | 5 000 000 AP | 2x Platinum |
L15 | 24 000 000 AP | 7 000 000 AP | 3x Platinum |
L16 | 40 000 000 AP | 16 000 000 AP | 2x Onyx + 4x Platinum |
A Gold, Silver, Platinum, or Onyx (Black) Medal also counts towards each rank requirement below it. For example, an Agent with seven Gold Medals and no Silver Medals would be eligible for the 6 Gold + 7 Silver requirement of Level 12.
Item Accessibility[]
Agents may only use leveled items - that is, deploy Resonators , fire XMP Bursters and Ultra Strikes , and use Power Cubes - if the item's level is equal or less than their level. There is an exception on Power Cubes in that an Agent can recycle a higher level Power Cube and receive all its XM value.
When an Agent hacks a Portal of higher level, the Agent has a drastically reduced chance of receiving items that exceed their level.
Portal Mods, ADA Refactor , JARVIS Viruses , and Capsules have no level. Media are always Level 1. While Portal Keys display a level, the level refers to the Portal and not the Portal Key . Each of these items can be used and hacked from Portals by Agents of any level.
Note that although the ADA Refactor and JARVIS Viruses can be acquired and used by Agents of any level, the proportional XM cost of these items prevents an Agent from using them on Portals of two or more levels higher.
XM Capacity and Recharge Range[]
Level | XM Capacity | Recharge Range |
---|---|---|
L1 | 3 000 XM | 250 km |
L2 | 4 000 XM | 500 km |
L3 | 5 000 XM | 750 km |
L4 | 6 000 XM | 1 000 km |
L5 | 7 000 XM | 1 250 km |
L6 | 8 000 XM | 1 500 km |
L7 | 9 000 XM | 1 750 km |
L8 | 10 000 XM | 2 000 km |
L9 | 11 500 XM | 2 250 km |
L10 | 13 000 XM | 2 500 km |
L11 | 14 500 XM | 2 750 km |
L12 | 16 000 XM | 3 000 km |
L13 | 17 500 XM | 3 250 km |
L14 | 19 000 XM | 3 500 km |
L15 | 20 500 XM | 3 750 km |
L16 | 22 000 XM | 4 000 km |
In addition to leveled item accessibility, an Agent's level determines the capacity of an Agent's XM tank and the range at which they can remotely recharge a Portal. Remote recharge efficiency scales proportionately between 50% at the range limit, to 100% within the 40m area of influence. The specific formula for calculating efficiency is:
Efficiency (%) = Floor[1000 – (distance in km)/(5 * Agent Level)]/10
Other Perks[]
Level | Perk |
---|---|
L7 | Agent can submit new Missions |
L8 | Agent can submit Portal Scans |
L10 | Agent can submit new Portals requests, suggest Portal edits (name, description, add new photo, location changes) and can access Niantic Wayfarer to review Portal submission requests |
Leveling Up[]
When an Agent reaches the appropriate criteria, they will immediately level up. They will be locked out of using the Scanner, an animation will play, the Agent will be given a Field Kit of Portal Mods and level-appropriate items, and ADA will congratulate their accomplishment. The Agent will earn the Field Kit even if they are at cap.
The table below shows what each level's Field Kit contains.
*L1 field kit is only awarded once to new Agents as their initial inventory
If the Agent receives their final Medal requirement while the Scanner was not active, such as by earning Guardian or Recruiter, the Agent's higher level will still be reflected on their profile. They will see the animation and receive the Level Pack upon opening the Scanner.
If an Agent reaches the criteria for two or more Access Levels simultaneously, such as by earning Gold Builder and Gold Liberator simultaneously while having 6 000 000 AP and three unrelated Silver Medals, they will gain the higher level immediately after closing the Level Pack popup of the previous level.
Strategy[]
Because Agents below Level 8 must use weaker items and lower-level Resonators , an Agent's primary objective is to reach Level 8 as rapidly as possible. Once an Agent reaches Level 8, they can use the most powerful XMP Bursters and Ultra Strikes , the most efficient Power Cubes , and the most useful Resonators , which massively increases the value they contribute to their faction.
Below Level 6, Agents will have difficulty attacking Portals. Lower-level Agents will gain AP most efficiently by seeking out unclaimed and partially-filled Portals, deploying Resonators to fill every slot, and creating Links and Control Fields Δ. For maximum AP gain, the Agent can team up with a high-level Agent who can clear out enemy Portals. The high-level Agent will receive lots of AP for destruction and modding, the low-level Agent will receive lots of AP for capturing, and both Agents can help local Agents by filling all four Mod slots.
Once an Agent reaches Level 6, they can efficiently attack enemy Portals, assuming the Portals are minimally shielded. Seeking out areas dense with enemy Links and Control Fields Δ, destroying them, and capturing the Portals will grant the Agent a significant amount of AP in a short period of time.
Once an Agent reaches Level 7, they can help create Level 7 Portals, which are a tremendous asset to their team. In fact, eight Level 7 Agents can create Level 7 Portals without the aid of a high-level Agent at all.
A Level 8 or higher Agent gains the ability to deploy Level 8 Resonators , which allows them to help construct Portals of Level 7 and Level 8, tremendously improving local friendlies' access to high-level resources. If a neighbourhood has three active friendly Level 8 Agents and two or fewer opposing Level 8's, the friendly team will have a significant advantage. If the neighbourhood has eight active friendly Level 8's and fewer opposing Agents, the advantage is often overwhelming and the local opposition can be completely suppressed.
Misconceptions[]
An Agent's level has no effect on their Area of Influence, which is fixed at 40m and cannot be affected in any way.
An Agent's level has no effect on the strength or destructive radius of weapons, which are intrinsic to the item. However, higher levels do enable the use of higher-level weapons.
While an Agent's level affects the level of items they receive from hacking, it does not impact the quantity of items received. If a Level 1 Agent perfectly Glyph Hacks a Level 8 Portal, they will receive significantly more items than if they glyphed a Level 1 Portal, although the items will be around Level 1. However, said Agent may still receive Level 2 gear, as it is possible to obtain gear one level beyond your current by Glyph Hacking higher-leveled Portals.