One of the most time-consuming aspects of Nintendo’s ARMS is unlocking Arms. There are 270 Arms to unlock in the game and they’re unlocked randomly through the Arms Getter mini-game. While there’s no quick and easy way to unlock those Arms, we do have some advice to unlock Arms fast, or at least as fast as possible. It will still take some time, but our detective work will hopefully allow you to get money fast and unlock Arms quickly.
We’ve already covered the basics of how to get Arms, but this article covers the fastest and best ways to earn the in-game currency and unlock those Arms as quickly as possible. With 270 Arms to unlock and the chance to get duplicate Arms (upgrading that Arm), there’s no easy way to get this done instantly. Our methods that are detailed below will help you clear this daunting task and unlock Arms as fast as possible.
While we’ll go into detail below, the quick and dirty answer to how to get new Arms fast is determined by your skill level as a player. Go through Party Match if you’re good at the game, then select the 200-point Arm Getter to earn a lot of new Arms. If you’re not very good, stick to Grand Prix and go for the 30-point Arm Getter.
Earn Money Fast
Before you can unlock any Arms you need to earn some in-game currency. The more money you have the more Arms you can unlock. Almost every game mode will give you at least a little bit of in-game currency, but some modes definitely reward more currency than others. Your skill should determine which method you use to get in-game currency.
Party Match
If you’re pretty decent at ARMS the fastest way to earn currency is by heading into Party Match Mode. You earn bonus money for staying in lobbies for multiple games, and if you go on win streaks you’ll get handicapped which reward additional currency if you win those handicapped matches. The initial handicap removes 25 percent of your health, but rewards you with two extra points (money) for winning the match. It’s not overly difficult to win with 75 percent health, but once you reach the maximum handicap that leaves you with only 25 percent health, things can get a bit harder.
| Games | Games Played Bonus | Win Streak Health Handicap | Handicap Win Bonus |
| 3 | +1 | – | – |
| 4 | – | 25% | +2 |
| 5 | +2 | 50% | +3 |
| 7 | – | 75% | +4 |
| 10 | +3 | – | – |
| 20 | +5 | – | – |
| 30 | +5 | – | – |
| 40 | +5 | – | – |
Grand Prix Mode
If you’re not very good at the game yet, earning currency in Grand Prix Mode is your best bet. The harder the difficulty setting the more money you’ll earn. At level 1 difficulty you’ll get a total of 30 points (money) total for completing the game, but level 2 isn’t much harder and you earn 40 points. What’s nice about earning money in Grand Prix is that you get more money for each match you win and you can exit and save at any point. Even the most novice players should be able to complete Grand Prix at level 2 difficulty in less than 20 minutes, which means you’ll be earning 120 points an hour. That’s not quite as fast as a skilled player can do in Party Match Mode, but it’s still pretty decent.
Moving up in difficulty will reward you with more money, but the AI is also more challenging to defeat and that means it will take longer to complete. Beating Grand Prix on level 6 or 7 difficulty will reward you with 90 points of in-game currency, but it also takes a decent amount of time to complete. If you’re a fairly skilled player and don’t want to head into Party Match Mode, your best bet is to play through level 4 difficulty to earn 60 points of in-game currency. Most decent players should be able to earn a good 180 points of in-game currency an hour at the very least.
| Difficulty Level | Total Currency Earned |
| 1 | 30 |
| 2 | 40 |
| 3 | 40 |
| 4 | 60 |
| 5 | 60 |
| 6 | 90 |
| 7 | 90 |
Grinding
If you’re okay putting in the time just grinding through different ways to earn money, you have a couple of other options as well. With a second controller you can pick V-Ball or normal Versus battle and grind it out. In V-Ball you can leave one controller idle and just run through as many matches as possible. You’ll earn one point per match, but the matches complete very quickly. In Versus battle you will earn two points per match (one per player), making this go a little bit faster. Both grinding methods are slower than simply winning a lot in Party Match, but if you’re not very good at the game yet this is a good way to grind out some currency.
Arms Getter Options
When it’s time to spend that hard-earned money at the Arms Getter (located at the bottom of the main menu screen), you’ll have three options available to you: 30, 100 and 200. Once again, the option you select should be directly related to how good you are at Skillshot, which is basically what the Arms Getter mini-game is. Your starting time and how much bonus time you can earn is directly related to which option you select. In addition, playing with motion controls can net you more Arms in the Arms Getter because you can curve each Arm individually to hit more simultaneous targets and progress through the levels faster.
| Cost | Default Time | Clock Bonus |
| 30 | 25 Seconds | +5 Seconds |
| 100 | 50 Seconds | +5 Seconds |
| 200 | 90 Seconds | +10 Seconds |
30 – If you’re not good at the Arms Getter you should stick to only spending 30 points of in-game currency. You should be able to pick up at least two or three new Arms if you’re an average player, and a really good game will net you four or five new Arms, but these games are rare. On average, skilled players should expect three new Arms from the 30-point option with an occasional 4-Arm game.
100 – The middle ground in the Arms Getter is almost never worth it. Skilled players will only get six or seven new Arms on average, which means it’s almost always better to go with the 30-point game. In addition, while you get a bit more time compared to the 30-point game, the clock bonus doesn’t change like you’ll see in the 200-point game. If you happen to have 100-points of in-game currency burning a hole in your pocket then go for it, otherwise you’re better off with the 30 or 200-point options.
200 – This is the ideal option if you’re good at the Arms Getter mini-game. If you’re very good you can land more than 25 Arms in a single game. However, if you’re not great at the Arms Getter, you’re better off with the 30-point game because novice players can easily end up with around 15 new Arms (which isn’t worth the 200 points). Good players should net at least 20 or 21 Arms on a bad day, with an upward potential of 30 or more if you’re extremely good and using motion controls. Expect most games to land between 20 and 25 Arms for most above average players.
Be sure to check out which Arms are the best, as well as some game-winning tips and more in our ARMS game hub!
