Last War Beginner Guide: First 30 Days and Early Game Progression

Starting Last War Survival efficiently is mostly about knowing what not to upgrade. The game quickly introduces buildings, heroes, troops, research, the Tactical Drone, alliances, events, stores, and several different currencies. Trying to improve everything equally is one of the easiest ways to fall behind.

During your first 30 days, concentrate on five things: keep pushing Headquarters, develop one primary squad, join an active alliance, keep construction and research working, and learn to save resources for events instead of spending them whenever you receive them.

What Should a New Last War Player Focus On?

System	Beginner Priority
Headquarters	Highest building priority because it gates further progression
Main Squad	Develop five useful heroes before investing heavily in secondary squads
Alliance	Join an active, organized alliance as early as possible
Research	Keep Tech Center active and prioritize useful growth paths
Troops	Keep Barracks working and progress toward higher troop tiers
Drone	Begin development immediately once available
Diamonds	Save for high-value permanent progression, especially VIP
Speedups	Use strategically during matching event phases
Resources	Keep chest resources unopened until you actually need them

Day 1: Follow the Tutorial and Push Your Headquarters

Your first objective is simple: progress through the tutorial, clear early campaign content, rescue the heroes introduced through progression, and keep increasing your Headquarters level.

Headquarters controls the maximum level of your other buildings and gates important systems. Whenever an HQ upgrade finishes, immediately check what prerequisites are required for the next one.

A strong early building pattern is:

1. Start the Headquarters upgrade when available.
2. Use your other construction capacity on the prerequisite for the next Headquarters level.
3. Upgrade important Barracks, Tech Center, Drill Ground, Tank Center, and other useful buildings when required.
4. Leave low-priority structures behind unless they are needed for progression.

You do not need every building to match your Headquarters level. A perfectly symmetrical Base may look organized, but it usually costs more time and resources than a focused progression path.

Join an Active Alliance Immediately

Alliance membership is one of the biggest early-game progression multipliers.

An active alliance gives you:

• Alliance Help that reduces construction and research timers.
• Alliance gifts and recurring rewards.
• Access to alliance events.
• Doom Elite and other PvE rallies.
• Alliance Store currency.
• Alliance Tech benefits.
• Protection and reinforcement opportunities.
• Guidance from experienced players.

Do not remain in an inactive beginner alliance purely because it was the first one you joined. Watch alliance activity, event participation, gifts, leadership, and how quickly members respond to rallies and Help requests.

Move your Base near the alliance hive when leadership provides a designated location. Shorter distances improve reinforcement and rally efficiency while also making coordinated defense easier.

Build One Strong Squad First

Last War uses three major hero types: Tank, Aircraft, and Missile Vehicle. The types interact through a counter system, while formations built around the same vehicle category can receive squad bonuses.

For a new account, Tanks are generally the easiest first direction because several accessible early heroes belong to the Tank category.

Good Early Tank Heroes

• Murphy: durable UR frontline Tank hero available early through recruitment progression.
• Mason: accessible SSR damage dealer with strong long-term PvE relevance.
• Violet: useful SSR frontline defender.
• Monica: early SSR support hero with useful PvE utility.
• Kimberly: powerful UR Tank attacker when available on your account.

If you do not have Kimberly, use the strongest compatible attacker you currently own rather than delaying all progression while waiting for one specific hero.

Formation Basics

A simple formation places durable defenders in the two front positions and your damage or support heroes in the three rear positions.

Do not spread Hero EXP, Skill Medals, universal UR shards, and your best equipment evenly across every hero you unlock. Your first squad will handle most early campaign progression, bosses, Arena battles, events, and map activity, so concentrating resources there produces better results.

Do Not Ignore Troop Training

Keep your Barracks running whenever resources permit. Higher Headquarters and Barracks progression unlocks stronger troop tiers, which substantially improves your formations.

As better troops become available, use promotion where appropriate instead of leaving large quantities of outdated low-tier troops permanently behind.

Your Drill Grounds also matter because they determine how many troops you can maintain. Do not discover during an important event that you have heroes available but insufficient troops to fill your formations.

Research: Build for Long-Term Progression

The Tech Center should remain active almost constantly.

During the early game, useful research priorities include:

• Construction and research efficiency.
• Resource and development improvements.
• Combat upgrades supporting your main formation.
• Alliance Duel-related research once the event becomes relevant.
• Long-term preparation for Special Forces and stronger troops.

Avoid researching random nodes simply because they are cheap. Gold and later research currencies become increasingly important, so your technology tree should support a clear progression path.

Keep Tech Center Close to Headquarters

Allowing the Tech Center to fall too far behind creates problems later when important technologies require a higher building level.

You do not need every secondary building maximized, but Headquarters, Tech Center, Barracks, and the key buildings supporting your main formation deserve consistent attention.

Save Your Diamonds

Diamonds are easy to waste during the first week because the game constantly offers ways to convert them into short-term convenience.

A strong beginner priority is progressing toward VIP 6, which unlocks a permanent second builder queue under the current VIP system.

Permanent construction capacity provides value every day afterward, making it more useful than repeatedly spending Diamonds on random recruitment, ordinary resources, or small timer skips.

After your core VIP priorities are established, Diamonds remain useful for things such as VIP Time, shields, stamina during valuable events, and selected limited exchanges.

Keep Resource Chests in Your Inventory

Do not open every Food, Iron, or Gold chest as soon as you receive it.

Resources stored inside inventory items cannot be used until opened, which gives you better control over when they enter your usable stockpile. Some level-linked resource chests also become more valuable as your progression advances.

Open only what is required for your next important upgrade.

Choice chests become particularly valuable later because they allow you to select whichever resource has become your current bottleneck. Gold becomes increasingly important as research costs rise, so avoid converting every choice chest into whatever resource you happen to be short on during the opening days.

Unlock and Develop the Tactical Drone

The Tactical Drone becomes an important account-wide combat system during early progression. Once it is available, begin improving it rather than treating it as optional content.

Drone development uses resources such as:

• Combat Data
• Drone Parts
• Drone Components
• Skill Chips after that system becomes available

Drone bonuses strengthen your formations across many types of combat, making early investment useful for campaign progress, bosses, Arena, and alliance events.

Collect Drone Parts whenever reasonable even if you do not need them immediately. Later Drone upgrades require increasingly valuable materials, and shortages can stop progression abruptly.

Learn Arms Race Early

Arms Race teaches one of the most important habits in Last War: timing resources.

The event cycles through four-hour phases built around activities such as:

• Base Building
• Tech Research
• Hero Advancement
• Unit Progression
• Drone-related progression

Instead of using a large batch of construction speedups randomly, wait for Base Building when practical. Do the same with research, hero upgrades, troop training, and Drone resources.

You do not need to win every Arms Race ranking. The phase chests and daily milestone rewards are usually more realistic and efficient objectives for a new account.

First 7 Days: Build the Foundation

The opening week usually includes a starter progression event with tasks for Headquarters development, troops, heroes, research, rallies, and general account growth.

Your first-week priorities should be:

1. Push Headquarters aggressively.
2. Keep Barracks training troops.
3. Develop one Tank-oriented main squad.
4. Complete starter missions before they expire.
5. Join as many useful alliance rallies as possible.
6. Keep Tech Center research running.
7. Save flexible resources instead of spending everything immediately.
8. Participate in Arms Race phases you can complete efficiently.

Some starter objectives encourage a fast Headquarters push. The exact target and server pacing can change, so prioritize the goals displayed in your current event rather than following an old fixed HQ target blindly.

Days 8–14: Build Momentum

During the second week, your account begins shifting from tutorial progression into recurring systems.

Focus on:

• Continuing the Headquarters path.
• Keeping stronger troop tiers unlocked and trained.
• Developing your Drone consistently.
• Replacing temporary heroes and equipment gradually.
• Completing Radar Missions and alliance rallies.
• Building a stockpile of speedups instead of immediately consuming them.
• Learning recurring event schedules.

This is also a good time to evaluate your alliance. If leadership is inactive, events are frequently missed, or most members no longer play, moving to a more active group can accelerate your account more than several individual upgrades.

Days 15–21: Start Thinking Like an Event Player

By the third week, progression becomes increasingly dependent on how efficiently you use materials rather than how many tutorial rewards you can collect.

Do not immediately spend:

• Universal Legendary Hero Shards
• Large speedup stockpiles
• Valor Badges
• Legendary Recruitment Tickets
• Drone Components
• Large amounts of Hero EXP

Check what events are active or approaching first. Recurring alliance events begin becoming a larger part of the server, and prepared players can earn much more from the same resources.

Days 22–30: Prepare for Alliance Duel

Server timelines can vary, but around this stage many servers begin settling into the recurring Alliance Duel or VS cycle.

The basic weekly rhythm separates activities by day:

VS Day	Main Theme	What Beginners Should Save
Monday	Radar and related activity	Radar Missions and applicable Drone resources
Tuesday	Base Expansion	Construction speedups
Wednesday	Research	Research speedups and applicable research materials
Thursday	Hero Development	Hero shards, EXP, Skill Medals, recruitment resources
Friday	Mobilization	Training and other useful speedups
Saturday	Enemy Buster	Shields, teleports, healing preparation

The best habit is to align Alliance Duel with Arms Race whenever possible. A construction speedup used during both a VS building day and an Arms Race Base Building phase gives you more reward for the same resource.

Beginner Gear Strategy

Do not craft and upgrade equipment randomly across your entire hero roster.

Put your strongest gear on Squad 1. Damage dealers benefit heavily from offensive equipment, while your front-row heroes need defensive gear to survive.

As Legendary Gear becomes available, gradually replace temporary lower-rarity equipment rather than continuing to invest scarce materials into pieces you intend to discard.

Later, Legendary Gear Blueprints become an important progression bottleneck, making Honor currency valuable. Avoid spending limited Honor impulsively before you understand your future gear needs.

PvE Is Your Safest Early Growth Engine

New accounts gain substantial value from PvE content because it provides progression without unnecessary player-versus-player losses.

Regularly complete:

• Radar Missions
• Zombie and Doom Elite activity
• Alliance PvE rallies
• Campaign stages
• Honorable Campaign once available
• Recurring PvE events

Joining another player’s PvE rally can often be more efficient than launching every rally yourself, particularly when the event allows participants to avoid the leader’s stamina cost.

Do Not Rush Into PvP

Troops, healing resources, and hospital capacity matter. Early PvP can become expensive when a new player attacks stronger targets simply because the map allows it.

Before fighting:

• Check the opponent’s strength.
• Follow alliance and server diplomacy rules.
• Watch hospital capacity.
• Know whether shields are needed afterward.
• Do not leave your Base exposed during major combat events.

Simple Daily Routine for New Players

1. Claim daily, VIP, mail, and alliance rewards.
2. Start or maintain construction.
3. Keep Tech Center research active.
4. Keep Barracks training or promoting troops.
5. Complete Daily Tasks.
6. Complete useful Radar Missions.
7. Donate to Alliance Tech and press Alliance Help.
8. Join useful alliance rallies and events.
9. Check Arms Race before spending large resource batches.
10. Gather resources with unused squads.
11. Use stamina on worthwhile PvE targets.
12. Before logging out, start long construction, research, training, and gathering timers.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Upgrading every building evenly: Focus on HQ progression and required support buildings.
• Building several squads at once: Concentrate scarce resources on Squad 1.
• Ignoring alliance activity: A strong alliance accelerates nearly every part of progression.
• Spending Diamonds on random convenience: Permanent VIP progression offers stronger long-term value.
• Opening every resource chest: Keep flexible resources in inventory until needed.
• Leaving builders idle: Construction time is one of your most important early resources.
• Leaving Tech Center idle: Research becomes increasingly important as the server matures.
• Ignoring the Drone: Drone development strengthens your combat progression across multiple modes.
• Using speedups immediately: Wait for matching Arms Race and Alliance Duel opportunities where practical.
• Spending universal hero shards everywhere: Develop important heroes instead of many unfinished ones.
• Training troops without promoting old ones: Keep your army progressing toward current troop tiers.
• Starting unnecessary PvP: Early troop losses can slow progression significantly.

Optional Faster Starting Point

Players who enjoy building from Day 1 should follow the normal early-game progression because learning each system makes later events easier to understand. Players who instead prefer beginning from an already developed position can browse Last War accounts for sale on Heaven Guardian. Compare server age, Headquarters level, hero formations, troop tier, research, Drone progression, gear, and alliance situation rather than relying only on total power.

FAQs

What should I upgrade first in Last War?

Prioritize Headquarters progression and the buildings required for the next HQ level. Keep your Tech Center, Barracks, and important combat buildings progressing alongside it.

What is the best beginner squad?

A Tank-focused squad is practical for most new players because several useful Tank heroes become accessible early. Murphy, Mason, Violet, Monica, and a strong Tank attacker can form a useful starting core.

Should I upgrade every hero?

No. Concentrate your Hero EXP, Skill Medals, shards, and best gear on the five heroes in your primary squad. Secondary heroes can be developed later.

What should beginners spend Diamonds on?

VIP progression is one of the strongest early uses, with VIP 6 providing a permanent second builder under the current system. Avoid wasting large Diamond amounts on routine resources or random timer reductions.

Should I rush Headquarters?

Generally yes, but upgrade the important prerequisite and combat buildings needed to support your account. The goal is efficient HQ progression, not ignoring every other system.

When should I join an alliance?

As soon as the alliance system becomes available. Alliance Help, gifts, rallies, events, stores, and protection compound into substantial early progress.

Should I save speedups?

Save large batches for matching Arms Race and Alliance Duel activities whenever practical. You can still use speedups for important early progression when delaying an unlock would cost more than the event rewards are worth.

What should I do with resource chests?

Leave them unopened until you need resources for a specific building, research, or progression target. Choice chests are especially useful when later upgrades create a large shortage of one resource.

When should I start a second squad?

Collect secondary heroes early, but avoid heavy investment until your first squad has strong heroes, gear, and combat progression. One strong formation normally provides better early value than two incomplete ones.

What should I achieve in the first 30 days?

A good first month establishes steady Headquarters progression, one reliable main squad, active research and troop queues, meaningful Drone development, membership in an active alliance, and the habit of saving resources for Arms Race and Alliance Duel.

Conclusion

The most important lesson in this Last War Beginner Guide is that early-game strength comes from focus. Push Headquarters without wasting resources on every side building, invest heavily in one useful squad, keep construction and research running, and join an alliance that participates actively in the server.

During your first 30 days, also learn to stop treating every resource as something that must be spent immediately. Saving Diamonds, speedups, universal shards, Drone materials, and choice chests until they create maximum value will make the transition from beginner progression into Alliance Duel, server warfare, and later seasonal content considerably smoother.

For more early-game advice, event walkthroughs, and progression strategies, explore our additional Last War Survival guides.