Merges

Merges are the result of combining two like Barrels by dragging one over the other; this action yields a Barrel of a higher tier which produces Scrap at triple the rate of those merged.

Benefits of Merging
Merges are necessary to progress through the game as the player would have limited access to higher tier Barrels without merging. Because Merging will reduce occupied Barrel slots by one and increase Scrap production by 50% (relative to the two Barrels merged), there no reason to forego merging should the player have two like Barrels.

In general, merging helps the player progress in one way or another.

In Teams
Every week, teams automatically run leagues in which its members' merges are tallied and Magnets awarded to all team members who merged during that season; a team with a higher quantity of merges will award its members more Magnets, maxing out at 500,000 merges.

Additionally, team challenges may require members to merge Barrels in order to complete a task; another challenge requirement is collecting Mega Magnets, which are a byproduct of merging.

Leveling Up
Leveling up is the player's main source of Magnets, especially late-game (10+ Stars). Levels are gained by merging, with higher levels requiring more merges but yielding more Magnets.

Magnets yielded by leveling up can be upgraded with Brick upgrades or indirectly through the Scrapyard v3 and merges required to level up can be reduced with Magnet upgrades.