BeanZ and Meta Upgrades — Permanent Progression in AVS03

What BeanZ are

BeanZ are the meta-progression currency of Antivirus Survivors 2003 Professional — the part of the game that persists between runs. The officially named meta systems around them:

• Safe Folder — an official mechanic tied to keeping your haul safe between runs.
• Keygen — an official mechanic in the progression economy.

Exactly how BeanZ are earned per run (kills? files? boss damage?) is pending verification — the 30–40 minute run structure strongly implies per-run payouts, but no official number exists.

The 18 meta upgrades

The launch build ships with 18 meta upgrades, per the official Steam page. What we can confirm: they exist, there are 18, and they are the backbone of long-term progression alongside the 5 protocol difficulty folders covered in protocols and policies.

What we will not do is invent their names, costs or effects. The table below is the launch-day work plan:

#	Name	Effect	Cost	Verdict
1–18	Pending full-release verification	—	—	—

From September 28 this table fills in from direct play, each row tagged with the game version it was verified in.

A sane default order (genre-general, clearly labeled)

Until tested data exists, the universal survivor-like heuristic applies: early meta upgrades that raise survivability and currency gain beat narrow damage bumps, because they compound across every future run. That’s genre logic, not AVS03 evidence — treat it as a starting instinct, not a build guide. Tested priorities replace this section after launch.

FAQ

Do meta upgrades reset when I change protocol difficulty? Unknown — no official statement covers meta progression versus the 5 protocols. Tested at launch.

Where do I see my BeanZ total? In-game UI details are pending verification. The demo shows the meta systems in reduced form.