Back in July 2023, not long after the Climb Portal feature was first released, I published a post all about XP farming in the Climb Portal. In it I explained how Zwift had set up the mix of powerups (Feather, Small Bonus, and Large Bonus) so you could earn a lot of XP per hour riding shorter Climb Portals.
Since then, five key Climb Portal changes have happened:
- Zwift changed the powerup mix in August, cutting in half the number of large bonuses we get
- Climb scaling was added in December, allowing you to ride a less-steep version of a climb while still hitting the same number of powerup arches
- You can no longer flip a u-turn and ride back through an arch in the middle of your descent in order to grab an extra powerup
- More climbs were added (see list)
- The Climb Portal schedule has been modified
With the Climb Portal working very differently from when it was first launched, I decided it was time for a refresh on the Climb Portal XP Farming topic. Let’s dive in!
Gaming the Portal
To game the Climb Portal for maximum XP, follow three rules…
Rule #1: Ride a Climbing Bike (and Not a TT Frame)
If you ride a TT frame, you’ll always get the small bonus powerup at every arch (+10XP). This may seem like a good thing, but it’s not, if you’re playing the numbers!
You’ll want to ride a standard road frame so you have the possibility of getting the large bonus (+250XP). Additionally, road frames climb faster than heavy TT frames, and also draft others, so you’ll be able to ride through more arches in less time. Read Fastest Climbing Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level to learn which frame and wheels to use.
Rule #2: Choose the Shortest, Flattest Climbs
Zwift places 10 powerup arches on every Portal climb, so if you want to hit as many arches as possible in order to get as much XP as possible, you need to hit as many arches as possible during your ride.
As of today, by far the shortest Portal climbs are Cote de Pike (2.17km, 9%) and Cote de Domancy (2.97km, 7.9%). You can see the full list of climbs here.
You’re at the mercy of Zwift’s Climb Portal schedule, though – you can’t just choose to ride these short climbs whenever you’d like. So you have to check out that schedule and plan your XP farming days.
Lastly, to get through as many arches as possible, choose the 50% scaling option when you select your climb. That will trim off a lot of time! For example, Cote de Domany takes about 15 minutes to complete at 100% at 3 W/kg. But if you scale it to 50%, 3 W/kg gets you to the top in just 9 minutes!
Rule #3: Burn the Feathers
The game can give you a powerup as you ride through each arch. But if you’re currently holding a powerup, you won’t get a fresh one!
So if you enter the portal with a powerup, or you get a Feather powerup during your climb, be sure to use it before the next arch, so you can get a fresh powerup when you pass through.
How Much XP Can You Earn?
Zwift says the current breakdown of Portal powerup probabilities is:
- Feather: 25%
- Small Bonus: 65%
- Large Bonus: 10%
So how much XP could you earn per hour if you follow the rules above and ride the shortest possible climb (Cote de Pike)? Riding the 50% scaled version of Cote de Pike at 3 W/kg, you’ll finish the climb in around 8 minutes.
- Average XP per section: (250*.1) + (10*.65)=31.5XP
- Average time to complete each section: (8 minutes climbing + 2 minutes descending)/10 sections=1 minute per section, or 60 sections completed for each hour of hill repeats
- Bonus XP per hour: (60 minutes/1 minute)*31.5XP=1890XP
- Distance-Based XP per hour: (2.17km*2)*(60 minutes/10 minutes)*20XP=520XP
- Total XP per hour: 2410XP
Note: the original version of the Climb Portal returned 2587XP per hour per my calculations on this post.
One Gotcha
The only gotcha to the approach above is that your scaled-down climbing won’t be visible on Strava leaderboards. In fact, your entire ride is flagged as “gamified” and not matched against Strava segments, because doing so would break the leaderboards entirely!
Wrapping Up
The Climb Portal feature has evolved a bit since it originally launched, and that has impacted XP farming strategies. Thanks to the climb scaling feature, though, the overall amount of XP you can expect to earn hasn’t decreased significantly. Zwifters can still earn a lot of XP if they follow the simple rules above.
In fact, I don’t know of a more effective way to earn XP in Zwift today than using the strategies above, apart from joining a double XP event. It’s not even a close contest! Here’s a comparison:
- Riding with Coco RoboPacer: 820XP/hour
- Shane Miller’s Alpe du Zwift XP Farming Workout: 1406XP per hour
- Cote de Pike Climb Portal: 2410XP per hour
Questions or Comments?
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