For AI players who haven’t spent any money yet, which AI and course should they spend their first in-game currency on?

GPT-5.5

Answer: They should spend their first in-game currency on the most versatile all-purpose AI available and the beginner/fundamentals course that gives broad progression value, especially resource gain or core performance boosts.

I would maintain my previous position because the prompt still does not identify the specific game, roster, prices, course list, or meta, so a named recommendation would be unreliable. Claude Opus 4.7’s specific suggestion of “Eve on the Volcano course in Mario Kart Tour” is not supported by the information given and appears too speculative to trust. Gemini 3.1 Pro’s answer usefully emphasizes resource generation, and Grok 4.20’s “Starter AI” plus “Beginner Tactics” framing is directionally similar to my original view. However, neither changes the core recommendation: first-time free-to-play spenders should avoid niche, flashy, or advanced purchases and instead buy whatever remains useful across the most modes for the longest time. For the AI, that means a flexible unit with reliable baseline performance, good synergy with many teams or strategies, and value in both early and mid-game content. For the course, it means a foundational course that improves universal outcomes such as consistency, rewards, accuracy, speed, survivability, or currency farming. So the practical rule is: buy broad utility before specialization. If the game has a clearly labeled starter, fundamentals, beginner tactics, or resource-generation course, that is usually the safest first course; if it has a flexible support or all-round AI, that is usually the safest first AI.

Gemini 3.1 Pro

Answer: Free-to-play players should spend their first in-game currency on a versatile supportive AI and a foundational resource-generation course to maximize long-term compounding progression.

I agree with Claude Opus 4.7 that the prompt omits the specific game title, making a concrete, named recommendation impossible. However, rather than attempting to guess a specific title, providing a universal economic framework remains the most helpful and accurate approach for the user. As GPT-5.5 and Grok 4.20 noted, early investments should focus on broad utility. I maintain my stance that a 'supportive AI' and a 'resource-generation course' are the optimal archetypes to target. In almost every free-to-play economy, supportive units outlive pure offensive units because their utility (such as healing, buffs, or crowd control) scales better and resists power creep. Similarly, investing in a course or node that generates resources creates a compounding interest effect. While beginner tactics or fundamental courses are helpful, an upgrade that actively increases daily currency or material yields will mathematically accelerate a free-to-play account's overall trajectory much faster than a flat stat boost. Securing this long-term economic stability should be the absolute first priority.

Claude Opus 4.7 (changed mind)

Answer: Without knowing the specific game, the most defensible recommendation is to spend first currency on a versatile, all-rounder AI paired with a foundational resource- or skill-generation course rather than a specific named character/track.

After reviewing the other responses, I'm revising my position away from the specific 'Eve on the Volcano course in Mario Kart Tour' guess. That answer was a speculative shot at a concrete recommendation, but I flagged it as a guess in round 1, and three other models independently converged on the same general framework: prioritize versatility and long-term compounding value over niche specialization. That convergence is meaningful evidence that, given the ambiguity of the question, the framework-level answer is more useful and accurate than any specific named pick. The reasoning shared across GPT-5.5, Gemini 3.1 Pro, and Grok 4.20 is sound: a first purchase should (1) remain useful across many modes and team compositions, (2) compound over time — especially via resource generation, which Gemini correctly emphasizes as the strongest F2P multiplier, and (3) avoid locking the player into a playstyle they haven't discovered yet. My original Mario Kart Tour pick failed criterion (3) entirely and assumed a game the asker never specified. Gemini 3.1 Pro most directly influenced my shift, because its emphasis on a 'resource-generation course' as the course choice is the sharpest insight in the thread — for F2P players, currency that generates more currency is almost always the highest-EV first spend. I'd refine the consensus answer slightly: the ideal pairing is a flexible support/all-rounder AI plus a resource- or stamina-generation course, not just a generic 'beginner tactics' course, because passive income compounds while tutorial content does not.

Grok 4.20 (changed mind)

Answer: Players who haven’t spent any money yet should spend their first in-game currency on a versatile supportive AI and a foundational resource-generation course.

After reviewing the other models' responses, my initial recommendation of a generic Starter AI and Beginner Tactics course was too vague and did not sufficiently emphasize long-term compounding value for free-to-play progression. Gemini 3.1 Pro's argument for a versatile supportive AI that remains relevant across team compositions and modes, paired with a resource-generation course that enables sustainable currency farming, provides a more strategic framework that maximizes ROI over time. This aligns with GPT-5.5's focus on broad-utility upgrades that compound as the player learns, while avoiding Claude Opus 4.7's highly specific Mario Kart Tour guess that assumes a game context not present in the question. The combination prioritizes versatility and economy, allowing new players to unlock more content organically rather than relying on tactics that may not scale without additional resources. Staying general is necessary given the lack of game-specific details, but the refined focus on resource generation creates a self-reinforcing loop that outperforms pure skill-based courses for true free-to-play users.

Final Summary

The AI Roundtable reached a strong consensus that the best first purchase is one that fuels future growth rather than immediate power. While Claude Opus 4.7 briefly attempted a specific guess about Mario Kart Tour, it eventually joined Gemini 3.1 Pro, GPT-5.5, and Grok 4.20 in championing a strategy of 'support and sustain.' The group concluded that a versatile AI with broad utility, paired with a course that generates resources, provides the best return on investment for any free-to-play player.

All 4 models agreed