Last War: Survival — How to grow your account efficiently, whether F2P or spending
Golden rules (everyone)
01Rush HQ above all else. Only upgrade buildings required for the next HQ level. Higher HQ = better resource chests, higher hero caps, better event rewards. Everything else catches up later.
02One squad, one type. Pick Tank, Air, or Missile and commit. A focused squad with 5 same-type heroes gets +20% stats. Mixed squads lose synergy and waste resources.
03Never do anything outside an event. Speedups during Arms Race, training on VS Day 5, research on VS Day 3. Every action should earn you event points.
04Join the strongest alliance possible. Whale alliance gifts = free diamonds, VIP points, speedups. Alliance help shaves hours off timers. This is the single biggest F2P advantage.
05Keep resource chests unopened. Their value scales with your HQ level. Opening them early wastes potential. Save them for when you actually need the resources.
1
Early game — Build momentum
HQ 1–15 · Week 1–2
Priority
HQ rush chain
Only upgrade buildings the game requires for the next HQ. Ignore mines, decoration, anything optional. Treat HQ progression like a chain — queue the next required building immediately after each upgrade.
Priority
Focus one squad type (Tank recommended)
Tanks are easiest to build F2P early. You get Murphy free, Kimberly appears in Tavern on Day 60. Pour ALL hero EXP into your 5-hero tank squad. Raise your lead hero to Lv80, others to Lv50.
Priority
Research: Development branch first
Rush toward unlocking the 3rd Barracks in the Tech Center's Development section. Extra barracks = more training capacity = faster power growth. This is critical.
Avoid
Don't play mini-games yet
Wait until you unlock T5 troops before doing Falcon Operation or Special Ops. You get free high-tier soldiers from these — they're worth more when your troop tier is higher.
Tip
Diamond spending: VIP only
Spend diamonds on VIP levels. Reach VIP 6 to unlock the 2nd permanent builder queue. After that, save diamonds for stamina refills and drone components from VIP store.
2
Mid game — Systems come online
HQ 15–25 · Month 1–3
Priority
Drone upgrades are a force multiplier
Drones provide combat bonuses across ALL squads. Buy Drone Components with diamonds from VIP store. Farm Combat Data from Doom Elites. This is the highest-ROI investment for F2P players — it's easy to fall behind and almost impossible to catch up.
Priority
Master the event cycle
Arms Race rotates every 4 hours. Always align your actions: construction speedups during City Building, research during Tech Research, hero XP during Hero Upgrade, training during Unit Progression. Never waste an action outside these windows.
Priority
Waterfall your barracks
Stagger barracks levels (don't upgrade them equally). This creates a promotion ladder for VS Day 5 that earns 4-5x more event points than direct training. See the Waterfall Training guide for details.
Priority
Gear Factory: one type only
When you unlock gear (HQ 20+), upgrade only your main squad type's center first (Tank Center if tank main). Rush to gold/legendary gear — lower tiers don't scale and get scrapped. Prioritize damage pieces before defense.
Avoid
Don't spread hero EXP thin
Do not level up heroes you aren't actively using. Reserve all EXP, shards, and skill medals for your main 5. A single strong squad beats three mediocre ones.
3
Late game — Optimize & compete
HQ 25–30+ · Month 3+
Priority
Research path: Dev → VS Duel → Special Forces
This is the fastest and cheapest path to HQ 30 + T10 troops. Save Valor Badges for Alliance Duel tech (Wednesday only). Special Forces unlocks T10 — don't skip it.
Priority
Transition to Air (Day 70+)
The server meta shifts from Tank to Aircraft around Day 70. Aircraft counters Tank (the most common squad), giving you a 20% damage advantage in PvP. Start building your air squad as your second team. Lucius is the best tank hero in the game once his exclusive weapon is unlocked.
Priority
Radar power is underrated
Higher radar = higher-level missions = better rewards. Always share Dig Up Treasure missions in alliance chat — more helpers means faster completion and massive rewards.
Tip
Morale matters in close fights
Morale from Special Forces research and the War Leader role can provide up to 1.1x damage multiplier. In evenly matched PvP, this often decides the winner.
Everything from the F2P path applies. Below are the additions that make a low spend dramatically more efficient.
Best value purchases (in priority order)
Must buy
1. Kimberly pack (~$2)
Available from Day 1. She's the highest DPS tank hero in the early game and remains relevant through endgame. This single purchase accelerates your first 2 months more than anything else at this price point.
Must buy
2. Permanent builder queues (2nd & 3rd)
The 2nd builder is essential. The 3rd builder lets you always have a barracks upgrading alongside your HQ chain. This alone saves weeks of real time. The 4th builder is nice-to-have but not urgent.
Must buy
3. Monthly Pass
Extra squad slot, faster gathering, daily bonuses, less damage from map monsters. Value exceeds 8,200% compared to equivalent diamond purchases. Buy this every month if you buy nothing else.
High value
4. Hero's Battle Pass
Unlocks UR heroes steadily over time. This is the most efficient path to getting the heroes you need for your main squad without relying on gacha luck.
High value
5. Growth Fund (HQ 15+)
Up to 50,000 diamonds unlock progressively as you level. Consolidates future diamond needs into one efficient purchase rather than chasing smaller packs.
Situational
6. Adventurer Taylor
Radar mission specialist. Gives 5 extra radar attempts daily. If you're active with radar (you should be), she's a one-time purchase that compounds value every single day.
Avoid
Spending traps for low spenders
Don't buy random pop-up resource packs — they're terrible value. Don't use diamonds to speed up timers directly (exchange rate is awful). Don't buy small hero shard packs unless they're for your ONE main squad. Discipline matters more than dollars.
At $100+/month, your progression speed is gated by strategy, not resources. The difference between smart and scattered spending is enormous.
Core principle
HQ rush compounds your investment
Higher HQ improves the return on every pack you buy — better resource box quality, higher hero XP rewards, better event payouts. Every day at a lower HQ than you could be is money left on the table. Rush aggressively.
Core principle
Concentrate on one squad first
Building multiple squads early is the most common investment mistake. A focused squad with max-star heroes and gold gear outperforms two half-built squads. Expand to a 2nd squad only after your primary is fully built.
Core principle
Funding consistency > burst spending
Predictable monthly spending during Alliance Duel and research bursts matters more than sporadic whale drops. When payments stall mid-event, tech pushes slow and your alliance loses competitive edge.
High-impact purchases
Tier 1
All permanent builders (2nd, 3rd, 4th)
At this spend level, all builders are essential. You should always have parallel construction running — HQ chain + barracks waterfall + secondary buildings simultaneously.
Tier 1
Second Tech Center
Becomes critical once event scoring and research pacing matter. Tech tempo determines bracket outcomes in Alliance Duel. This supports sustained performance, not short-term spikes.
Tier 1
Weekly Legendary Set + Valor Badge packs
These provide the strongest long-term leverage for Alliance Duel and high-tier PvP. Valor badges fuel the Alliance Duel tech branch which multiplies ALL your event points by up to 2.5x.
Tier 1
Daily Sale: Hero Shards (concentrated)
Only buy shards for your 1-2 priority UR heroes. The value comes from concentration, not variety. Getting one hero to max stars is worth more than spreading across five.
Tier 2
Exclusive Weapon Fragment packs
Weapon unlocks provide massive stat boosts and special effects. Prioritize your main DPS hero's weapon first (Kimberly for tanks, DVA for air, Tesla for missile).
Investment mindset
Track your ROI
Treat your account like a strategic asset. The best high-spenders in competitive alliances track which purchases actually moved their Alliance Duel rankings, accelerated tech for Arms Race, or scaled heroes for cross-server PvP — versus which ones just "felt productive." Fragmented spending is the main reason accounts with similar budgets end up at wildly different power levels.
Growth Fund becomes available. Resources start getting scarcer — save chests from here.
HQ 17
T6 troops unlock. Barracks Lv17 = first meaningful troop tier. Pioneer Target reward: M5-A Railgun at 4.5M CP.
HQ 20
Gear Factory unlocks. Start crafting gold gear for your main squad type. 4th Barracks available via research.
HQ 24–27
T8–T9 troops. Major stat jump at T9. Don't force it before your economy supports it.
HQ 30
T10 troops + endgame. Special Forces research required. Lock barracks at waterfall Rung 5 (20-24-27-30).
HQ 31+ (Age of Oil)
Oil becomes the bottleneck. Unlock oil wells ASAP. T11 troops available in Season 4+. HQ 31 reindeer trucks give weapon shard chests.
HQ level unlock requirements
Every HQ upgrade requires your Tech Center AND one other specific building at a matching level. Only upgrade what's required — nothing else.
HQ Level
Tech Center
Building #2
Level
HQ 10
TC 9
Hospital
9
HQ 11
TC 10
Wall
10
HQ 12
TC 11
Barracks
11
HQ 13
TC 12
Tank Center
12
HQ 14
TC 13
Drill Ground
13
HQ 15
TC 14
Wall
14
HQ 16
TC 15
Alliance Center
15
HQ 17
TC 16
Tank Center
16
HQ 18
TC 17
Hospital
17
HQ 19
TC 18
Wall
18
HQ 20
TC 19
Barracks
19
HQ 21
TC 20
Tank Center
20
HQ 22
TC 21
Drill Ground
21
HQ 23
TC 22
Wall
22
HQ 24
TC 23
Alliance Center
23
HQ 25
TC 24
Tank Center
24
HQ 26
TC 25
Hospital
25
HQ 27
TC 26
Wall
26
HQ 28
TC 27
Barracks
27
HQ 29
TC 28
Tank Center
28
HQ 30
TC 29
Drill Ground
29
HQ 31–35: Age of Oil research gate
To unlock HQ 31–35, you must first complete HQ Expansion Lv1 in the Age of Oil tech tree. This costs approximately 616M Food & Iron, 1.8G Gold, 4.1M Oil and takes roughly 942 days of research time.