If you just signed up for a Steam account, you might be wondering where all the cool features gamers are singing about are. Your account appears fraudulent and you can’t do the basics, like update your profile. Relax, all the features are there and the problem is that you haven’t leveled up.
If you don’t know how to level up on Steam, this is the right place. This article discusses four ways to level up your Steam account.
How to get levels on Steam
While it may seem secondary to enjoying games, Steam rewards users who show dedication to games and activities on the Steam platform by giving them experience points (XP). These points unlock higher levels with more options, including profile customization.
Typically, when you sign up for Steam, your account is at level zero by default and is limited. Before leveling up, you must make your account unlimited by spending at least $5 on any Steam product. If you skip this step, your account will not level up no matter what you do.
When your account is unlimited, you can start leveling up by earning XP points and using them to unlock levels. The benchmark and easiest level to reach is 10, which requires 100 XP. From here, leveling up becomes more expensive because you will need 100 more XP every 10 levels. For example, level 11 requires 200 XP points, while level 21 requires 300 XP points and the trend continues.
If you want to unlock higher levels, you need to buckle up and earn as many XP points as possible. Below are the methods to level up your Steam account.
1. Badge making
Badges are icons that appear on your account profile, indicating that you have accomplished something on Steam. One way to have a badge is to create it. To create a badge, you must collect virtual collectible cards found in a game to achieve an in-game achievement.
You usually need a full set of cards to create a badge. Most games drop cards slowly and you’ll probably complete the game with an incomplete set. You can purchase the missing cards on the Steam Community Market or trade them with friends. Once you have a full set of cards, you can craft a badge worth 100 XP.
Do you collect cards from any games? No, some games do not award badges. To prevent you from investing your money and time in games that do not give you badges, you can use the Trading Card Streaming Filter to search for games.
This is how badges are created:
- Sign in to your Steam account and click your profile name at the top.
- Tap “Badges” from the options that appear.
- A window appears showing all your complete and incomplete badges. A badge with a full set of cards will display “Ready.”
- Click on it and select “Create Badge.” This adds a badge icon and 100 XP points to your profile.
In contrast, an incomplete set shows how many of the total cards you have collected. For example, “four of nine cards were collected.”
If you would like to see a badge for an incomplete set of trading cards, click on the game. This shows a list of the cards you have and those that are missing. In addition, it has a menu of places where you can find the missing cards.
To purchase the missing cards, click “Buy remaining cards on the market” in the upper left corner. This will take you to a page with a list of the cards you are missing and how much they cost. Click on each one to confirm the purchase.
On the other hand, you can redeem for cards:
- Scroll to the bottom of the page to see a list of friends who own the cards you’re missing.
- Choose a friend you want to trade with and click “Offer to trade” to send a trading inquiry to their inbox.
- Select the items from your inventory and confirm the offer.
- You will receive a notification of a successful operation. However, if the business partner doesn’t like the offer, they can make a counteroffer and restart the process.
When you receive your cards, Steam sends them to your inventory. But this may take some time if you have purchased many cards.
The more you level up and use Steam consistently, the more you will be eligible to receive random booster packs. They contain three collectible cards to exchange or create more badges.
2. Badge Update
Don’t underestimate the potential of every badge you own. In addition to helping you unlock more profile features, you can level up a maximum of five times. This means you can earn 500 XP points with a single badge. Upgrading a badge requires you to complete badge-related tasks, such as trading cards and collecting specific items.
Follow these steps to update your badge:
- Go to the badge you want to upgrade and review the description for the conditions you must meet.
- Once you have met the conditions, click on your profile and select “Badges”. Select the badge and click “Update Badge” at the top.
- A pop-up message displays the inventory items that will be consumed by upgrading. Click “Confirm” to update. Your badge goes to the next level.
3. Earn badges
Steam appreciates consistency and dedication to the platform in different ways. One way is to reward badges worth XP points. This is a cheap way to level up your Steam account because you only have to be active on the platform. What are some of the badges you can earn on Steam?
- Year of Service Badge: Have you marked the date you joined Steam? It’s important because you’ll earn a badge every year at a time like that. The first anniversary badge is worth 50 XP points. XP points continue to increase every year. The longer you work on Steam, the higher the point value of your badge will be.
- Community Pillar Badge – This badge is a way for Steam to shake your hand for being active. You earn it by completing simple tasks that don’t cost money. For example, playing a free game, posting screenshots, or adding friends. It has three levels worth 100, 200 and 500 XP points.
- Game Collector Badge – Since you love games, this badge won’t be difficult to get. It requires you to register as many games as possible to your account, even the free ones you get as gifts. The first level is worth 100 XP, which increases the more you level up.
- Event Badge: The next time you hear about a Steam event, mark it on your calendar. Participating in such events can earn you an event badge worth 100 XP points.
4. Buy games
Buying games is the final and most expensive way to level up on Steam. For every game you buy, you receive XP points. The points you earn depend on the cost of the game. However, for every dollar you spend on Steam, you receive 100 XP points. Then, you can roughly estimate how many points you will earn.
What do you get for leveling up?
As noted above, you have limited control of a newly created account. However, as you level up, you unlock a few more options, such as:
- Adding some sparkle to your account with a profile and background.
- Increase the limit of 2,000 friends per account with five more spaces per level gained.
- A single sample video, screenshot or achievement for every 10 levels earned.
Take your Steam account to the next level
By now you know that the key element to leveling up your Steam account is XP points. The four methods above allow you to accumulate your XP points faster and unlock more profile options. But higher levels require more XP points and you should take advantage of all the above methods to continue increasing.
What Steam level have you reached so far? What level do you want to reach before the end of the year? Let’s discuss this in the comments p below.
