Forum: gaming.stackexchange.com
Tags: <nintendo-3ds-3dsxl-2ds>
Title: What do you do with Play Coins?
Question: I noticed that I get Play Coins when I walk around with my 3DS on.   What are they good for? I know that Nintendo mentioned you would be able to possibly use them in games to unlock things - are there any games out now that use them? What sort of things do they do?

Answers:
sents: text: For built-in software, they're used in: Streetpass Quest
text: I and II: Two coins apiece for a "wanderer", random color, level 1 or 2, that goes along with miis you've met.
text: It's usually a good idea to max out to have 10 characters in the party whenever you "venture forth".
text: In quest 2 you can also spend 2+level coins to have previously met miis rejoin even without meeting them again.
text: Streetpass Puzzle:
text: 2 coins get you a random blue piece of any panel that you've started but not yet finished.
text: Note that this may be a piece you already have.
text: AR Games: Unlock game modes and other extras.
text: Swapnote / Nintendo Letter Box: Pay 5 coins for stationery.
text: (No longer available) Additionally, any game can use play coins for in-game unlocks.
text: For example, in Street Fighter IV you can use them to get a random figurine; in Kid Icarus: Uprising you can use them for idol toss eggs.
text: In shovel knight, you can pay 1 coin for 100 in-game gold.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/2535/MaHuJa
score: 16
sents: text: Ok, so here are all of the possible ways of using Play Coins on the 3DS (That I know of):
text: Find Mii I and II.
text: Play Coins are used to hire random heroes and "Old Allies" (enables you to hire people you have tagged before.)
text: Puzzle Swap.
text: Play Coins can be used to buy puzzle pieces.
text: You cannot buy a pink piece (puzzle pieces that can only be obtained through streetpass) with Play Coins.
text: Mii Force.
text: Play Coins can be used to hire troops for your missions through the galaxy.
text: You can buy a troop with a random-colored shirt for 2 Play Coins, or you can buy a troop that you have played with for 3 Play Coins each .
text: Flower Town.
text: Play Coins can be used to invite guests to help your plants grow.
text: Warrior's Way.
text: Play Coins can be spent hiring an army.
text: The number of troops in an army increases as you fortify your castle.
text: You can fortify your castle by defeating another army with building supplies. Monster Manor.
text: Play Coins can be used to hire investigators .
text: Each investigator costs 2 Play Coins.
text: Pokémon Dream Radar.
text: Play Coins can be used to get Dream Clouds .
text: Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
text: A player can buy a fortune cookie from the Nookling Junction (or all its other upgraded forms) for a "modest" 2 Play Coins.
text: Swapnote/Nintendo Letter Box.
text: You can use Play Coins to buy unlocked stationary and unlock certain features (such as the ability to attach recordings or photos to your notes).
text: ( EDIT:
text: As of Thursday, October 31, 2013, Swapnote will no longer be in service.
text: It will not be in service due to inappropriate notes being sent to minors.
text: So, buying stationary would be useless, because you cannot send any notes via Spotpass no more.)
text: I hope this information helped!
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/24398/Scribblenautical
score: 5
sents: text: Additionally to MaHuJa's usages I could use play coins to buy weapons in Raid-mode in Resident Evil: Revelations .
text: I think they were usable in Street Fighter too, but I can't remember properly (and sold the game).
text: Seems that any 3DS game can use play coins, so it's up to the game-makers to include them.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/20805/Antwortgenossenschaft
score: 4
sents: text: For Swapnote / Nintendo Letter Box , you can buy a background for five Play Coins and save a photo for ten (a bit expensive).
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/22619/Coolieo
score: 3
sents: text: Two popular but unmentioned games that use play coins are Shin Megami Tensei 4 and Animal Crossing.
text: In SMT4 you can use them to pay for resurrections instead of using macca (saves a lot of grinding) and in Animal Crossing you can buy fortune cookies.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/26042/Lawton
score: 3
sents: text: Another use I know of is to unlock additional features and stationery in the Message Box/Swapnote application
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/4027/JohnoBoy
score: 1
sents: text: There are a lot of uses for them, as others have detailed above.
text: I think many (though not all)
text: 3DS games utilize them in some way as well.
text: I know with Pokemon Rumble Blast you can pay to have visitors to your shop (basically earn extra in-game money) in lieu of waiting to streetpass with someone with the game.
text: I think you will continue to see more and more games using them.
text: I think its in particular games that also use Streetpass/Spotpass (although Mario Kart 7 does not use coins).I most often use them for the Streetpass Mii Plaza games and stationary in Swap Note.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/20822/Kit
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
You can use them to unlock game modes and extras like stationery, figurines, in-game gold and to pay for resurrections.
Play Coins is a currency that can be exchanged in games and services to unlock extra features and powers.