How Levels Work

Every project you ship gets a level from 1 (easiest) to 4 (hardest). The level sets how many fruits you earn per hour of work and which fruit the project is assigned to. You pick it when you create the project, and you can change it later from the project page.

Levels don't gate anything. They're a shared language for reviewers and a way to make the reward curve fair: harder projects are rarer, so each fruit from them is worth more gold.

How reward per hour scales

Level	Label	Fruits / hr	Gold / fruit	Gold / hr
1	Beginner	8	5	40
2	Intermediate	3	15	45
3	Advanced	2	25	50
4	Expert	1	60	60

Hourly gold goes up slightly as the level gets harder, but the real difference is how many fruits you collect. Beginner levels give you lots of small fruits fast, which feels good. Expert levels drop rare high-value fruits.

How to pick

Software

L1 · Beginner Your first ship. A static site, a personal page, a small script. One file is fine.
L2 · Intermediate One thing done well: a small game, a CLI tool, an interactive page. No backend.
L3 · Advanced Multiple pieces talking to each other: a web app with a backend and database, a multiplayer game, an API.
L4 · Expert Hard systems stuff: an OS, a compiler, a game engine, serious AI/ML, or something that took you weeks to design.

Hardware

L1 · Beginner Your first build. LEDs, simple circuits, LED matrix, basic soldering, a small macropad.
L2 · Intermediate A device you design and build yourself, like a handheld, sensor logger, devboard, or full-size keyboard.
L3 · Advanced Multiple subsystems working together: a robot that senses and moves, a wearable with wireless, a device with custom firmware.
L4 · Expert Autonomous robots, custom SBCs, FPGA projects, satellite systems, complex mechanical builds.

Hardware funding by level

Hardware projects can request a parts grant. The cap on that grant scales with the project's level:

Level 1 - Beginner

Your first build. LEDs, simple circuits, LED matrix, basic soldering, a small macropad.

Up to $100 funding

Guava

Level 2 - Intermediate

A device you design and build yourself, like a handheld, sensor logger, devboard, or full-size keyboard.

Up to $200 funding

Coconut

Level 3 - Advanced

Multiple subsystems working together: a robot that senses and moves, a wearable with wireless, a device with custom firmware.

Up to $400 funding

Watermelon

Level 4 - Expert

Autonomous robots, custom SBCs, FPGA projects, satellite systems, complex mechanical builds.

Up to $1000 funding

Avocado

L4 Expert projects can request up to $1000, but those requests get extra scrutiny from reviewers at design review time. If your build genuinely needs more than your level's cap, ask in #macondo-help on Slack before you submit. See Sourcing Parts and Shipping Your Design for how funding works end-to-end.

The fruit you get

Each level has its own fruit pool, split by software vs. hardware:

Level	Software fruit	Hardware fruit
L1 Beginner	Mango	Guava
L2 Intermediate	Pineapple	Coconut
L3 Advanced	Papaya	Watermelon
L4 Expert	Cocoa	Avocado

The fruit is just the visual reward. It doesn't grade your project. What actually lands in your balance when your ship is approved is fruits × hours, based on the rate table above.

Can I change my level?

Yes. Open the project page, hit Edit, pick a new level. You can change level any time before shipping. After you ship, a reviewer may still bump it up or down if they think the complexity doesn't match, and they'll tell you why.

What if I pick wrong?

Pick honestly. If you mark a "Hello World" site as L4 Expert, the reviewer will move it back down. If you're genuinely unsure, go one level lower than your gut says. You can always bump it up after the first review.