Why don't some badges have add-ons? Do they have to be gemstones?

Question

I know I have found a Multi of Feb 29, and yet my Multi badge doesn't have that add-on. There are a couple of others, too, but that's the easiest example. The only thing I can think of is that add-ons don't get added on to precious metal badges, only gemstones. That seems like a silly reason, though. What's the story, and why?

Answer 1

You might consider reading about the add-ons in the wiki article located at this link https://project-gc.com/w/BadgeGen#Addons.

Not all the badges require gemstone level and this is written at the bottom of the matrix table, "The Geocacher badge has six unique addons which apply to all levels, not just gemstones. These are Community Celebration, Ape, HQ, HQ Celebration, Blockparty, and Locationless."

Comments

True, and another exception is the country badges which can get addons from bronze as well. As far as I know, those are the only exceptions.

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Yes, The Geocacher and all country badges are the only exceptions. All other badges have to be "gemstone" level.

Answer 2

All addons start at gemstone (ruby). Also some badges do not have any addons - Author, for instance.

Any addons you qualify for now will automatically be assigned once you reach ruby level. Why they start at ruby I have no idea.