"Drops" are Zwift's version of virtual currency. You earn drops as you ride and in turn, your earned drops can be used to purchase in-game virtual bike frames and wheels from the Drop Shop. Why the term Drops, you may ask? Well, as you ride longer and harder you produce 'drops' of sweat. Those drops have been quantified into Zwift's virtual currency. Currently, runners do not earn drops as there is no 'Drop Shop' for run equipment.
The Drop Shop in Zwift is where you can spend your drops on virtual equipment. Currently, only virtual frames and wheels are available for purchase with Drops.
Value of Drops[]
The light blue oblong oval shows your drops
The value of Drops inside Zwift is roughly equivalent to one US cent. For example, a frame that costs $5,000US would cost you 500,000 Drops to purchase in Zwift. Likewise a $1000US wheelset would cost you 100,000 Drops to purchase in Zwift. There are other factors used by Zwift to determine the price in Drops for virtual equipment but roughly using one US cent per Drop is a good way of understanding pricing.
You can see your current level of Drops in various places but most obvious is on the upper center block of the Heads-Up Display while in-game. The number in the blue box is your current number of Drops.
Drop Rate Earning Factors[]
The exact formula for earning Drops is proprietary by Zwift. However, we do know the following factors affect how Drops are earned.
Calories Burned[]
Calories burned is the main factor for awarding drops. Your rate of calorie burn can be easily calculated based on your current power output as Zwift is constantly adjusting your Drop rate based on your watts. It’s your power levels that determine how much “work” you are actually doing. While there are other factors that figure into the overall Drop rate equation, power to your pedals is the key driver.
Gender[]
While you may not agree, Zwift awards female riders 10% more Drops than male riders for the same effort. While that may seem unfair, it is well-documented that there are performance differences (in watts) between male and female cyclists. Studies comparing men and women under identical race conditions found that men averaged 278 watts in the criterium stage while women averaged 205 watts. Without Zwift building in some gender bias, females on average simply would not be able to accumulate Drops at the same rate as males. So Zwift has added this “gender bias” as a way to equalize things a bit.
Elevation[]
Elevation is a significant factor in the earning of Drops. You will earn Drops 63% faster when climbing on a 3% grade or higher. You will still earn drops on a descent as long as you continue to pedal. If you go into 'supertuck' mode on the descent, then drops stop being earned as you are not pedaling.
Distance[]
Basically, the further you ride, the more you earn. Your height and weight may slightly alter how fast you earn drops as they do affect the distance you travel at a given wattage.
Receiving Ride-Ons[]
When you receive a Ride-On, you will earn double the amount of drops for 15 seconds. Receive Ride-Ons while climbing and you earn drops at an even faster rate. So be generous with Ride-Ons to help your fellow Zwifters earn drops faster.
Drops Multiplier[]
When you ride with Pace Partners, you earn drops at an increased rate the more time you spend with the Pace Partner. The longer you ride with a Pace Partner your drops will increase from 1.2x up to 2.5x. See Pace Partner Drops Multiplier for a more detailed explanation.
Level Achievements[]
You will also receive a bonus chunk of Drops at certain levels in the game. If your new level is divisible by 5 (15, 25, etc) you received 25,000 Drops. If your new level is divisible by 10 (10, 20, 30, etc) you receive 100,000 Drops.
Drop Shop
Drop Shop[]
The Drop Shop in Zwift is where you'll go to spend some of those hard earned drops on virtual equipment. Currently, only frames and wheels are available for purchase. Many of the items are also level locked so in addition to having enough Drops, you also need to be at a certain level. Lastly, all sales are final in the Drop Shop! You will receive multiple confirmations prior to the final purchase but once the purchase has been completed, that item cannot be returned to get your drops back. So make sure that it is the correct item prior to final purchase.
To access the Drop Shop, click on the Garage icon from the Home screen or the Paused screen in-game to access you garage. The Drop Shop is located on the right side of the 'My Garage' screen. Click either the bike or wheel icon to enter the Drop Shop and browse the selections (categorized by manufacturer), along with their price tag in Drops. Some items may be locked, either because you don’t have enough Drops or because you haven’t leveled up enough to unlock them. When you’re ready to make your choice, select the item you want to preview, then click the button with the number of Drops to make it yours. Confirm the purchase and in exchange for those Drops, you’ll get a shiny new bike or wheelset.
What to Buy at Each Level[]
Now that you've visited the Drop Shop and see how many items there are to buy, how do you decide what is a good bike frame and wheelset for your Drops. While you certainly may want to pick up the virtual equivalent of something you own in real life, there are guidelines to help you decide what's the best frame and wheelset for your current level. Zwift does add a star rating to each item but that is very generalized and frankly, not all that useful. Thanks to Zwift Insider, they've tested all the frames and wheelsets and created a buying guide by level. This will help you maximize your drops early on in the game. Once you've reached the higher levels and beyond, you'll have enough drops to buy whatever you like.
Zwift Shopping Guide - What To Buy At Each Level - This is a very good list of the key items you can buy at each level along with a notation of the "Must Buy' items that every Zwifter should have in their garage.
Zwift Drop Shopping Guide for Beginners - A more simplified version of the list above that just identifies items for beginners below level 15