How to find Backpack Tokens in Spider-Man
Backpack-hunting explained, plus some tips to help you track them all down.
Backpacks are the main collectible in Spider-Man, although there are plenty of other things that'll have you swinging around the city too.
They're also one of the first things you unlock on the map, and provide a nice bit of extra detail for the lore buffs out there too, so here's a quick explainer of how Backpacks work in Spider-Man and most importantly, how to earn Backpack Tokens for all your various upgrades.
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Backpack Tokens explained - what are Backpack Tokens in Spider-Man and what are they used for?
Backpack Tokens are one of six special Resources you can earn in Spider-Man.
They're one of the first to become available, about an hour into the game right after you solve your first Crime, when you fix the first Surveillance Tower with Yuri.
They're earned by collecting Backpacks, which are literally old backpacks owned by Peter Parker when he was first getting to grips with his powers at high school. They're dotted all over the city in out-of-the-way locations, and each contains a different object from Spider-Man's past that gives you a nice little insight into some of this universe's expanded lore.
To find and collect them, simply look on your map for the green Backpack symbol, head there, and listen out for the "blip" sound they make when you're near. Once you find one, simply approach it and press Triangle when prompted to collect it.
What are Backpack Tokens used for?
There are a couple of uses for Backpack Tokens, both pretty similar in fashion: one is unlocking alternate costumes, or Spider-Man suits, from the Suits page of the menu. Different suits require different Tokens - remember there are six different kinds - and we list which suits require which in our guide linked above.
The other is purchasing upgrades, such as Suit Mods, Gadgets, and Gadget upgrades. Suit Mods are viewed on the Suits tab again, whilst Gadgets and Gadget upgrades have a page of their own.
Mods unlock as you progress through the levels, similarly to a lot of Suits, whilst Gadgets unlock at various points of the story as you progress, too.
Looking for more help? Our main Spider-Man walkthrough and guide is where you'll find a hub of all our pages, or you can go straight to our guides to Resources, like Backpack Tokens, Base Tokens, Challenge Tokens, Crime Tokens, Research Tokens and Landmark Tokens, our big list of all Spider-Man suits, all Black Cat Stakeout locations, all Secret Photo Ops locations or, finally, our list of Spider-Man Circuit Puzzle and Pattern Puzzle solutions.
How to earn Backpack Tokens fast
There's no real way to speed up the process of collecting Backpacks - it's a pretty manual exercise in going to places already marked on your map and looking (and listening) out for them nearby.
One thing we will say though is that, similarly to Landmark hunting, you can make your life a little easier by selecting the Backpack icon on your map first, so that the specific location is marked out a little clearer in-game when you get close.
From there, it's just a case of making sure you crank the volume up to help hear when you're nearby - it gets louder as you get closer - and making sure you look around all the awkward nooks and crannies to see where they're stuck.
Don't forget to fast travel to specific locations if you're far away on the map, as it saves you a fair bit of time, although the most efficient thing to do when Resource-farming is to focus on one district at a time, and plot a course across it from one icon to the next on your map.