Pesos are surprisingly hard to come by in High On Life 2. Killing enemies doesn't drop currency, and the upgrades you actually want — health boosts, shield improvements, Gatlian enhancements — cost thousands. Weapon upgrades at Jorb's Shop run 1,500 pesos each, while the mall charges 3,000 for a single health upgrade. If you want to stay competitive through the later bounties, you need to start earning early and often.
Quick answer: The fastest peso sources are completing main story bounties (roughly 3,000–4,000 pesos each), betting on fight club matches, fishing across all three maps, pressing the red button in Circuit Arcadia for a quick 500 pesos, and running skateboard taxi deliveries for 200-peso tips.
Main Story Bounties Pay the Most Per Hour
Completing bounties is the single highest-paying activity in High On Life 2. Each main story target pays roughly 3,000 to 4,000 pesos, and finishing the entire main story awards a 10,000-peso bonus on top of that. The catch is time — individual bounties can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your difficulty setting. Still, if you're stuck on other methods or just need a big injection of cash, knocking out a bounty or two is the most reliable path. Even tackling just the first two targets, Larry Pinkstock and Senator Muppy Doo, nets you enough to grab several upgrades immediately.
Press the Red Button for 500 Free Pesos
In the southeastern section of Circuit Arcadia, there's a man standing at a table with a red button. He'll offer you 500 pesos just for pressing it, claiming that someone somewhere will die as a result. It's played as a moral dilemma, but nobody you actually know is harmed — you'll see a short scene involving Lizzie, and that's it.
Fishing With Rod Across All Three Maps
Fishing is one of the more relaxed ways to build up pesos over time. To unlock it, head to Pinkline Harbor as soon as that map becomes available and talk to the fisherman near the dock. You'll need to help raise his boat out of the water using Travis's Trick Shot ability, and he'll reward you with Rod, the talking fishing rod.
Once you have Rod, fishing spots open up across all three of the game's maps. Every fish you catch earns pesos regardless of rarity, so even a run of common catches still adds up. This method works best as something you dip into between missions rather than grinding in one long session — visit a few fishing spots whenever you're passing through an area, and the income accumulates steadily throughout your playthrough.
Fight Club Betting in Circuit Arcadia
Fight club opens up early, becoming available as soon as the Senator Muppy Doo and Larry Pinkstock bounties appear in your RV. Head to the southwestern section of Circuit Arcadia and look for a man in a cowboy hat — he'll transport you to the underground arena.
Once inside, you pick a side and place a bet on one of two fighters. The twist is that you're not just a spectator. Trap screens are scattered around the arena, and activating them lets you influence the outcome of the fight in your chosen fighter's favor. This significantly reduces the risk compared to pure chance betting.
You can bet on a handful of fights each night before the owner shuts things down. New fight rounds refresh after you complete a major story mission, so make a habit of returning to the fight club between bounties to maximize your earnings over the course of the game.
Skateboard Taxi Deliveries for Quick Tips
Just north of the central fast travel point in Circuit Arcadia, you'll find a character named Clutch who needs help running a taxi service. Agree to help, then look around the area for passengers waving their arms. Each delivery takes under a minute on your skateboard, and if you're fast enough, passengers tip you 200 pesos per ride.
This is one of the best early-game grinds because it requires no special unlocks or story progress beyond having access to Circuit Arcadia and a skateboard. Knocking out several deliveries in a row before your first bounty can give you enough of a head start to grab an upgrade right away.
Skate Racing Courses and Luglox Crates
Beyond taxi runs, the skateboard opens up another income stream through racing courses. In the main free-roam area, look for a snail NPC who offers timed skate races. Each course pays out based on how quickly you finish, with better times earning more pesos. These require some practice with the skating controls, but they're a fun change of pace and pay reasonably well once you get the hang of the routes.
While exploring, keep your radar active and watch for Lugloxes — the small, chest-like creatures scattered throughout the world. The smaller green ones typically contain pesos when you crack them open with Knifey. There are also distinct money crates that are smaller than regular chests and have an eye poking out of them; shiv these for a few hundred pesos each. Using your radar to track down hidden Lugloxes is worth the effort, especially since some require creative use of your Gatlian abilities to reach. Gus's vacuum alternate fire, for example, can spin open metal panels that hide them.
What to Buy First With Your Pesos
With limited funds early on, prioritize survival upgrades. At Jorb's Shop — which unlocks at your home base after some story progress — grab the health and shield upgrades first, followed by the gun upgrades for Gus and Travis. Jorb's prices sit at 1,500 pesos per upgrade. The mall shop sells a separate health upgrade for 3,000 pesos, which is worth picking up once you can afford it.
The main story will eventually push you toward movement upgrades like double jump and air dash, which are essential for later missions. But the health and shield boosts make the combat encounters leading up to those points significantly more manageable, especially on higher difficulties. Check both shops after every bounty or two, since new stock rotates in as you progress.
Pesos flow most efficiently when you mix methods throughout your playthrough rather than grinding any single one. Hit the fight club and run some taxi deliveries between bounties, fish when you're passing through Pinkline Harbor, and crack open every Luglox your radar picks up. The income adds up faster than you'd expect, and you'll have enough for the upgrades that matter long before the final bounty.