Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare

XI AlphaMale IX was kind enough to put together a guide for this on Xbox 360. Since he hasn't played the Xbox One version, he has asked me to repost this in the Xbox One version. How nice of him to help out! Please note then that this guide was written based off the Xbox 360 version. There may be some Xbox One specific modes or details that could alter this is some way. Feel free to discuss these in the comments below!

Guide:

Here, we'll look at how to achieve rank 50 in Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare.

PvZ doesn't use a traditional experience bar to progress your rank. Rather, it uses challenges that must be completed for each character class. These challenges range from very easy to pretty damn hard. You always have three or less challenges available to you. Once all the challenges in a character's level are complete, you'll rank up.

Each time a character levels up, your rank increases by 1. Something throws the math off a tiny bit - I'd assume somewhere at the beginning.

So, this guide will show you how to accomplish the challenges.

You can skip any challenge using a Skip Challenge consumable. These are available in the Sticker Store. Your best bet at finding these are by purchasing the 10,000 coin packs; however, I chose to almost exclusively purchase the 20,000 coin packs because of the character stickers included. Character stickers unlock new characters. These unlocked characters hold significant edges over their "standard" class counterpart. The challenges carry over for each character in the class. For example, if you get the Chomper to level 6 and then unlock Count Chompula, he'll still be level 6 with all the same challenges. 40,000 coin packs will automatically unlock a character, if you want to go that route, but 20,000 coin packs include 2 random character stickers anyway.

Skip Challenge consumables are VERY VALUABLE. Don't waste them! You won't come across them a whole lot, even when opening high value packs, unless maybe you're lucky.

In earlier levels, there are very few challenges between levels. Every level adds more challenges that must be completed (or skipped) to reach the next level. The challenges are semi-random. There's no guarantee which challenges you will or won't receive. They do get progressively more difficult, but only SLIGHTLY. So, if you're a level 7 Cactus and want to skip a challenge, don't feel like you can't because you're saving it for higher levels. There are simply MORE challenges per level - they don't feel much more difficult at all. Most often, your task count will simply be higher. I can't say for sure which will be harder to you, as they're often more about play style than anything.

Let's have a look at some of the challenges. The first thing you want to ask yourself is "WHAT MODE should I be in for this challenge?" This is very important, as some challenges are much more difficult in player vs player than Garden Ops (co-op). If a plant challenge doesn't have the word "Player" in it, it can be done in Garden Ops on Easy.

SUFFIXES
These will start showing up at the end of the tasks you're asked to do for each challenge to increase the difficulty. Here are the main ones:

...in a session
If something must be done in a session, it must be done in one game. Plant session challenges should quickly make you look toward Garden Ops, if possible. These start showing up around level 5.

...without getting KO'd
This means it must be done without dying, like get 3 primary weapon vanquishes without being KO'd. These show up in later levels. Sticking close to teammates should help with these. If this makes you uncomfortable, beware that they're coming in later levels if it's something you feel you'd need to skip.

Let's get into the challenges.

Use [ability] X times
Press the button. This one couldn't be easier. You unlock all the abilities by level 3.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Some challenges are very easy like this one, but not many. We won't detail all those.

Use character for 30 minutes
This is just a cumulative amount of time you use the character class. No skill involved.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Vanquish [plant or zombie] X times
Just get kills. If this is a plant challenge, you can do it in Garden Ops, if it would be easier there. For example, waiting for 5 screen-door zombies would be a pain in Gardens and Graveyards, but it's pretty easy in Garden Ops, so do it there.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Vanquish [plant or zombie] X times with [ability]
If it doesn't say "Player," it can be done in Garden Ops on easy. This has a lot to do with play style. Vanquishing 3 Peashooters with Sprint Tackle sounds fun to me. Vanquishing 3 Engineers with Chomp sounds not so fun. However, there are a few of these that pop up that seem absolutely impossible. Getting 3 kills with the Foot Soldier class' stink grenade would take tons of luck and take forever, as the grenade does 3 damage per second and plants clear away from it quickly. Clear these if you can!
Skip: VARIES

Vanquish [plant or zombie] Players X times with [ability] in a session
I'm going to add a little extra detail with this one. If it says "Player," it can't be done in Garden Ops. This might be a bit tricky for some people. It also, again, depends on the specifics. Vanquishing Players in a session is also typically easier in G&G, since the matches are usually longer. Since there is a random factor, you may get screwed and be asked to do something difficult. If it's a problem for you, you may want to consider skipping. I always played these out, though.
Skip: VARIES

X critical hits with primary weapon
This was really easy. Aim for the head. Note that a couple weapons seem to have absolutely no critical hit, like the Tank Commander. Others, like the Peashooter, you'll just need to connect - it doesn't have to be the head.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Revive X [plants or zombies]
Look for the crosses above the heads and make sure the path is clear first and these shouldn't be too hard.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Combine [ability] with [ability] X times
These are things like Stinkweed + Chomp, or Rocket Jump + ZPG. I never had much problem with these. Remember that some plant challenges can be done in Garden Ops, making them much easier!
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Build a teleporter 3 times
Must be done in G&G with the Engineer. There's a purple highlighted section only Engineers can see where teleporters can be built near each garden. Build 3.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Capture 3 objectives in Gardens & Graveyards
You capture an objective when you're in the circle as the garden is done being taken. Aggressive players will have this in no time. If you're not aggressive, just try sticking with teammates or finding areas of the circle that have some cover.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

While covered in Goo, Vanquish 2 plants
It's hard to do much of anything while covered in Goo. Typically, if a challenge is RELYING ON ANOTHER PLAYER TO DO SOMETHING SPECIFIC, I'd skip it. You can waste a lot of time waiting for the right opportunity.
Skip: RECOMMENDED

Heal a teammate below 20 health X times
This is a judgment call. While I hate waiting for someone to drop that low, it's much easier than the next one. I'd recommend giving this one a good effort first. You can heal through some walls, by the way!
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Vanquish 2 [specific plants or zombies] with less than 20 health
This one's kind of stupid. It's really luck. If you're at less than 20 health, you're probably going to die if you keep shooting. I did not bother with these, although I did manage to do it a few times. It's luck.
Skip: RECOMMENDED

Vanquish X elevated [plants or zombies]
This is a tricky one. It's not conducive to my play-style, but it may be to yours. I'd prefer to be the one with the height advantage, which is what you have to give up. If you're struggling, let this one go. If it's something you want to do, try getting in some bushes and blending in with the scenery. Make sure you have the headshots lined up and ready to go before popping off.
Skip: VARIES

Vanquish X [plants or zombies] while elevated
This shouldn't be too bad. Even if you're not a foot soldier or a Peashooter, there are usually ways to gain a height advantage on your opponent. In my opinion, it's much easier than getting kills on higher opponents.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Vanquish 5 drones with a drone
Cactus and Engineer have drones you can use to attack and drop air strikes. For this one, use the primary attack on unsuspecting opponent drones with your drone. You must be at the same or higher elevation to hit another drone on the field.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Vanquish 5 plant pots
You can skip asking yourself what mode is best - this can only be done in G&G. These little bastards can be hard to see. Using something with long range, like the Z-1 or cactus spikes should give you a better look at what's available to shoot.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Plant 5 specific plant pots
G&G or Garden Ops. If the high-coin packs aren't giving you what you need, try the 1,000 coin pack. It may just be too common for the big packs. Sometimes you'll be asked to plant a rare plant that you don't have. The 1,000 coin packs often have these too!
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Summon 5 specific zombies
Again, easy if you have the stickers. If you don't, they can be quite expensive to obtain. I did have to skip one of these. I couldn't get screen-door zombie to show up at all in my sticker packs, although I later realized they show up in the 1,000 coin packs as well.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Finish in the top X in a Competitive Mode
This really depends on your skill level. While I don't want to get into overall strategy, since there are lots of forums on the subject, I'll just say that if you feel like you can't get into the top 7 or the top 5, go ahead and skip. I do believe everyone can have a good game, though!
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Taunt opponent after vanquishing X times
You'll have lots of gestures available by the time these challenges show up, but it shouldn't matter which one(s) you use. As soon as you get a kill, press any direction on the d-pad and these will count.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Earn Master medals in competitive modes
To be assist master, you need the most assists in a match, to be vanquish master, you need the most vanquishes in a match, and so on. These show up around the last couple levels (maybe just level 10), so you're well familiar with how to grab these by now. Again, I believe everyone can have a good game, so unless it's just a character you feel you can't grab the master medal with, I would not skip. These are very skill-dependent, though.
Skip: VARIES

Collect X coins
As long as there's no suffix, these are cumulative, so it's just a matter of playing. I haven't seen a suffix on these, but if you see one, these may prove challenging. They don't show up until later, though, so you should have a good feel for the game by now.
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Destroy X Healing Stations
Like I said, if you're waiting for your opponent, or even AI, to do something specific, I'd prefer to skip it. You may consider going for this if it's assigned to an offensive character. If the Chomper or Sunflower gets this, there's no way I'd bother with it when it can be skipped.
Skip: RECOMMENDED

Vanquish X summoned zombies
This sounds like something you should skip, since you're waiting for G&G opponents to summon, and then you'd have to get the kills. But for some reason, this works in Garden Ops!
Skip: NOT RECOMMENDED

Vanquish a nemesis X times
This has to be in a competitive mode (TV or G&G). A nemesis is an opponent that has killed you 3 times or more in a single match. This may prove troubling, if you're getting owned by someone. I never found it too hard, but if you want, find someone that you don't think is very good and let the player kill you a few times. Once the player has 3 kills, go vanquish crazy. This one may or may not be for you.
Skip: VARIES

Again, the way to rank up is to complete or skip character challenges. That's the only way. You'll likely end up with a bunch of level 7 characters and a couple even higher.

This guide is a bit of a work in progress. If you have anything to contribute, leave a comment and I'll get back to you or add something to the guide. Thanks to everyone for feedback and suggestions.

XI AlphaMale IX's solution posted by litepink is really useful and you should definitely check it out if you want to optimize your skip challenge stars. However (why is it that there's always a "however"?) at level 41 I was almost done with everything else and I found myself wondering how many skip challenges I would need to skip everything and just get to level 50... So I've done the math for anyone who might find themselves in a similar position...

The number of challenges required to level up each character are as follows:

From Lvl 1 to Lvl 2 = 1 challenge
From Lvl 2 to Lvl 3 = 3 challenges
From Lvl 3 to Lvl 4 = 5 challenges
From Lvl 4 to Lvl 5 = 7 challenges
From Lvl 5 to Lvl 6 = 10 challenges
From Lvl 6 to Lvl 7 = 10 challenges
From Lvl 7 to Lvl 8 = 15 challenges
From Lvl 8 to Lvl 9 = 15 challenges
From Lvl 9 to Lvl 10 = 15 challenges
From Lvl 10 to Lvl 11 = 15 challenges

I haven't gone any further with any of the characters, but this should be more than enough info to get to level 50.

Your General Level (GL) goes up by one every time you level up a character. So, assuming you're going for all level achievements, you're going to have all 8 characters at lvl 5 at some point. This is a total of 16 challenges per character, or 128 challenges for all 8 characters. You probably can do all of these without using any skpis. Since you start at level 1 with all of your characters, it means that you leveled up 4 times with each, which will take you to general level 33 (you also start at general level 1).

So far then, you have:

8 characters at level 5 = 128 challenges = General Level 33

Then you need to get one of your characters to lvl 10 for that particualr achievement. It might be a good idea to choose a plant character, as you can knock out some of the challenges solo in Garde Ops on Easy. So, to get one character from lvl 5 to lvl 10, you need to complete 65 more challenges. That will also mean 5 more levels in your general level, which gives you:

1 character from lvl 5 to lvl 10 = 65 challenges = From GL 33 to GL 38

At this point you'll have 7 characters at lvl 5 and 1 character at lvl 10 and you need to level up your General Level by 12.

From a number-of-challenges perspective, your best bet will be to work with your 7 lvl 5 characters, which offer you 2 more levels each that require you to complete only 10 challenges each (from lvl 5 to lvl 6 and from lvl 6 to lvl 7). That gives you a total of 14 available levels that require 10 challenges each. And you need 12 of those 14 to reach General Level 50. So, summing up, that's 12 levels at 10 challenges each, or 120 challenges total.

12 character levels = 120 challenges = from GL 38 to GL 50

This means that for general level 50 you will have to complete 313 challenges (128 + 65 + 120).

In my case, I finished all other achievements at GL 45. Up to that point, I had used 33 skip challenge stars, all of them after getting all my characters to lvl 5 and after I had worked up to lvl 8 with my highest level character. At GL 45 I finally killed the last zombie I needed and skipped everything else, which took me 41 more skip challenge stars.

That means that I used 74 skip challenge stars in total, which is not too hard to get considering that you will have to buy lots of packs to get some consumables that are required for achievements. I never bought any packs just to get skips. Also, I skipped some really easy challenges, so if you find yourself short of skip challenge stars, you can play more matches and get quite a few more challenges rather easily. On the other hand, I did complete some of the harder challenges before I started skipping, just because I really enjoyed the game.

I was able to do this by semi-idling gardens and graveyard matches.

You can use a turbo controller and turbo the RT button. This will make it so you can't idle out during the match. The only input required is to select your character at the beginning of every match. Doing this, you'll get coins to buy sticker packs. I just bought the 10,000 pack over and over. You have the chance to get 2, 3, or 5 skip challenge stars.

Probably took about 1,000,000 coins. After you reach level 10 on one character for the respective achievement, make sure you're only leveling up the characters that require 10 challenges to advance and not 15.

After finishing every other achievement, it took about 20 hours of semi-idle to get all of the skip challenge stars required. I NEVER played solely to complete any challenge. All of my challenge completions were either on accident or skipped.