Here's how to get Spider-Man tokens and what they do

Spider-Man tokens are the most important currency in the game, split into six types you can earn by completing a wide range of activities as you swing your way around New York. Whether you want to hunt down collectible backpacks, snap some tourist shots, or beat the hell out of baddies, you can earn tokens for doing pretty much anything.

You can then use these to purchase one of many Spider-Man suits, craft mods with powerful abilities, or build gadgets that'll give you an edge in combat. If you're playing on one of the harder difficulties and don't want combat to be a slog, it's basically a given that you'll want to grab all kinds of tokens to buff your suit and give you more options when dealing with New York's criminal element.

In this Spider-Man tokens guide, I'll explain every way to get the game's six token types, so you can make whatever upgrades you want. It's worth noting that as you progress the main story, you'll unlock more ways to earn tokens, especially in regards to the research, base, crime, and challenge types.

How to get Backpack Tokens

These are some of the first tokens you'll come across in Spider-Man and are easy to gather. Once you complete the quest to help Yuri repair the surveillance tower and grab Peter's first backpack, markers will appear across New York showing their locations. Simply find one and grab it to earn a Backpack Token and a memento from Spider-Man's past. If you manage to collect all 55 of them you'll get the Homemade Suit from Spider-Man: Homecoming. 

How to get Landmark Tokens

This is another Token type you unlock early on alongside the camera. To get one of these tokens, head to any Landmark indicated on your map by the little building symbol, bring up your camera, and take a picture of it. You'll know you're in the right spot as the camera's aiming reticule will say "subject in-frame". There are also Secret Photo Ops that require you to take pictures of 50 hidden spots across New York, but these unlock the ESU suit instead of awarding tokens. 

How to get Research Tokens

Research Tokens come from four separate sources that unlock throughout the game. The first is to complete circuit puzzles and spectrographs in Octavius Labs. More of these unlock each time you return during the main quest, and if you complete all ten you get a Research Token bonus. 

Once you complete the main quest "Harry's Passion Project", you'll also unlock Research Stations across the city marked with a microscope icon; complete the challenges located at each to get more tokens. Finally, once the "Helping Howard" side quest unlocks near F.E.A.S.T, you'll be able to find lost pigeons across New York, and each one you catch will net you Research Tokens.

How to get Base Tokens

You get Base Tokens by taking down criminal strongholds, fighting through wave after wave of enemies. You unlock your first early on when you visit the Fisk Construction Site as part of the main quest, but later you'll also be able to take down Demon Warehouses, as well as Sable Outposts and Prisoner Camps. Each base you complete gets you Base Tokens. 

How to get Crime Tokens

Crime Tokens are the only ones that aren't marked on your main map. Instead you'll want to swing around the city scanning for nearby events. It shouldn't take long to spot a red triangle with an exclamation mark on your minimap or your hud; these are crimes. Head to the symbol and complete the objective to earn Crime Tokens. The crimes you'll encounter in New York range from kidnapping, to robbery, to vehicle theft, and more will unlock as the story progresses, such as Sable ambushes. 

How to get Challenge Tokens

Challenge Tokens are the last to unlock in the game and you'll have to wait until after you find Standish in the main story. Yuri will contact you about a mysterious box on a rooftop in Hell's Kitchen. Head there to open it and the mysterious Taskmaster will set you challenges across the city. These range from stealth, to disarming bombs, to fighting enemies, and your performance will determine how many Challenge Tokens you earn. Later in the story, Taskmaster will contact you again and unlock even more challenges.