City Clash in Last War Season 1 is the main alliance territory progression system during The Crimson Plague. Alliances start the active season without their previous city network, capture Military Strongholds to create connected territory, and then advance through progressively higher-level Cities toward the center of the map.
Winning City Clash is not only about having the strongest rally. Your alliance needs the correct Stronghold route, enough Virus Resistance, reliable attendance, strong rally leaders, sufficient City Durability, and a plan for which Cities are worth holding. Higher-level Cities provide more Alliance Influence, but a strategically located lower-level City can be more valuable if it opens the route your alliance needs next.
Build your route before the City unlocks. Capture connected Military Strongholds, raise Virus Resistance, position members near the target, and have R4/R5 declare as soon as the capture window opens. City Clash is often won by preparation and coordinated durability damage rather than one oversized account.
How City Clash Works in Season 1
Season 1 reorganizes the world map around alliance territory. Your progression follows a connected chain:
- Capture a Level 1 Military Stronghold.
- Capture additional adjacent Strongholds.
- Extend alliance territory toward an unlocked City.
- Have R4 or R5 declare war on the City.
- Defeat defending forces and reduce City Durability to zero.
- Hold the City for its buffs and Alliance Influence.
- Use the expanded territory and Stronghold capacity to move toward higher-level Cities.
Simply being physically close to a City is not enough. Your alliance needs a valid connected territory route before leadership can declare war.
Season 1 City Unlock Schedule
Higher City levels unlock gradually through the first four weeks.
| Season Timing | Unlock |
|---|---|
| Week 1, around Day 3–4 | Level 1 Cities |
| Week 1, Day 7 | Level 2 Cities |
| Week 2, around Day 3 | Level 3 Cities |
| Week 2, Day 7 | Level 4 Cities |
| Week 3, around Day 3 | Level 5 Cities |
| Week 3, Day 7 | Level 6 Cities |
| Week 4, Day 7 | City of Apocalypse / Capitol |
The City Clash event can appear before the actual attack window opens, with a countdown controlling the final capture time. Because some server calendars label the delayed opening differently, use the countdown displayed on your own Season 1 interface when scheduling the alliance.
Military Strongholds Come First
Military Strongholds form the road network that allows your alliance to reach Cities.
The important Season 1 rules are:
- Your first territory must begin from an eligible Level 1 Stronghold.
- Further Strongholds must connect to territory your alliance already controls.
- Up to two Stronghold captures can be completed per day under the current Season 1 rules.
- Your alliance begins with limited Stronghold ownership capacity.
- Capturing Cities increases the number of Strongholds your alliance can hold.
Level 1–5 Cities increase Stronghold capacity by one, while a Level 6 City provides a larger increase. This is why Cities are not just reward locations; they let your alliance continue building its territorial route.
Do Not Waste Stronghold Captures
Before attacking a Stronghold, ask what it unlocks. A capture that does not lead toward a useful City, enemy route, or later cross-Warzone objective consumes one of your daily opportunities without improving the strategic position.
City Declaration Rules
Once connected territory reaches a City, an eligible R4 or R5 can declare war.
| Rule | Season 1 Detail |
|---|---|
| Who declares | R4 or R5 |
| Territory requirement | Connected alliance territory adjacent to the City |
| Concurrent City wars | One target at a time per alliance |
| City war duration | Approximately 1 hour under the current Season 1 system |
| Daily declarations | Up to 2 successful City declarations on eligible days in the current ruleset |
Older Season 1 server cohorts have used different declaration limits and scheduling, so leadership should verify the Alliance City interface before finalizing a capture plan.
How to Capture a City
After war is declared, the alliance has a limited window to bring the City’s Durability to zero.
Step 1: Prepare the Battlefield
Move active members close enough that marches can reach the City quickly. Long travel times reduce how many attacks each member can complete before the declaration expires.
Step 2: Clear Defenders
If the City is defended by another alliance, use strong rallies and appropriate troop-type matchups to remove or weaken the garrison. Tank, Aircraft and Missile counters still matter during direct squad combat.
Step 3: Attack City Durability
Once the defending force is no longer stopping your attacks, send as many available marches as practical against the City. Each successful attack contributes durability damage.
City wars can become a race between attacker durability damage and defender reinforcements, so high attendance can matter as much as having a few extremely strong players.
Step 4: Reach Zero Durability
The alliance captures the City when its Durability is completely depleted within the declaration window.
Once enemy defenders are cleared, stop wasting time organizing perfect rallies if normal marches can damage Durability efficiently. City capture becomes a numbers-and-march-speed problem, so get active members hitting the objective continuously.
Virus Resistance Is Critical
Season 1 sieges expose troops to the Crimson Plague mechanics. City battles can apply infection pressure, making Virus Resistance an important part of City Clash preparation.
Increase resistance through your Season 1 progression before attacking stronger Cities. A powerful squad with insufficient seasonal resistance can perform worse than expected and create unnecessary casualties.
Leadership should avoid setting City targets based only on displayed combat Power. Check whether enough members have the resistance needed to participate effectively.
City Sieges Can Cause Direct Troop Deaths
Season 1 City battles are more dangerous than routine PvE. Siege combat can cause a portion of casualties to die directly instead of entering normal wounded recovery.
The exact loss ratio is displayed on the relevant City and can vary with the objective. Check it before committing repeated attacks.
Do not treat City Clash like a risk-free boss rally. Check the City’s siege-loss information, heal before the battle, keep hospital capacity available, and avoid repeatedly feeding weak squads into a defended City.
Season 1 Alliance Influence by City Level
Cities are one of the main sources of Alliance Influence used for Season 1 ranking.
| City Level | Alliance Influence |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | 100,000 |
| Level 2 | 200,000 |
| Level 3 | 300,000 |
| Level 4 | 400,000 |
| Level 5 | 500,000 |
| Level 6 | 1,000,000 |
Level 6 Cities therefore become especially important late in the territory race, but Influence should not be the only consideration.
A City can also provide:
- Alliance-wide buffs.
- Strategic territory connections.
- Additional Stronghold capacity.
- First-capture rewards.
- A route toward the Capitol or cross-Warzone objectives.
City Capture Rewards
The first successful capture of a City provides several reward layers.
Players who participate directly can receive capture participation rewards, while alliance members can also receive broader City rewards. The alliance receives Loot Chests that leadership can distribute through the permitted R5 or Butler controls.
Have every eligible active member land at least one meaningful City attack when practical. That helps the capture and ensures more members qualify for participation-based rewards where applicable.
City Protection After Capture
After ownership changes, the City enters a protection period and cannot immediately be declared on again.
Season 1 protection commonly lasts roughly six to seven days, depending on when the capture occurs relative to the next eligible declaration window. Always use the timer displayed directly on the City as the final reference.
This protection creates strategic opportunities. Capturing a City at the right time can lock down an important route while your alliance pushes toward the next objective.
How Many Cities Can an Alliance Hold?
During Season 1, the documented territory system allows an alliance to hold up to:
- 4 Cities in its home Warzone.
- 4 additional Cities across foreign Warzones combined.
That creates a potential total of eight once cross-Warzone expansion is active.
Do not fill every slot with low-value Cities without considering what you may want later. Higher-level Cities and strategic routes become increasingly important as Season 1 progresses.
Week 4 Changes City Clash
Season 1 expands beyond the home server during Week 3 and Week 4.
Warzone Expedition allows alliances to establish positions in other Warzones. Later, the Warzone Declaration phase opens cross-Warzone City warfare.
At that stage:
- Your alliance can build territory chains in foreign Warzones.
- Foreign Cities can become capture targets.
- City declarations become restricted to designated Declaration Days.
- The foreign City ownership cap becomes relevant.
- Alliance Influence strategy becomes a Warzone-wide competition.
The precise weekday labels and attack windows have differed between server cohorts, so leadership should plan around the current Season 1 declaration countdown rather than an old calendar screenshot.
Crimson Legion Can Attack Your Cities
Capturing a City is not the end of Season 1 territory management.
Beginning in Week 2, the Crimson Legion periodically counterattacks alliance Cities. These attacks can occur even when normal City protection is active.
The target is announced before the assault, giving the alliance time to reinforce. If defenders fail and City Durability eventually reaches zero, ownership can be lost back to the Crimson Legion.
Leadership should therefore keep strong reinforcement squads available and invest in City Durability-related seasonal progression instead of treating captured Cities as permanently safe.
Best City Clash Strategy for R4 and R5
Plan the Entire Route Before Capturing
Do not choose Strongholds one at a time. Work backward from the Level 5, Level 6, or Capitol route you eventually want and determine which Strongholds and earlier Cities are required.
Prioritize Attendance
A coordinated alliance with many players online can remove City Durability extremely quickly. Schedule important captures when your strongest rally leaders and the largest number of ordinary members can participate.
Use Strong Players to Clear Defenders
Let your strongest squads handle enemy garrisons. Weaker members can contribute more safely once the battle shifts toward durability damage.
Prepare Healing
Heal existing wounded troops before the declaration. During longer battles, use smaller healing batches so Alliance Help can return troops efficiently.
Keep a Second Target Ready
If your alliance can complete two City captures on an eligible day, know the second destination before the first City falls. Wasting time choosing afterward can cost the remaining capture window.
Choosing the Best City
The highest available City is not always automatically the correct target.
Compare:
- Alliance Influence value.
- City buff.
- Route toward future Strongholds and Cities.
- Enemy alliances competing for the same location.
- Required Virus Resistance.
- Your ability to defend it later.
- Distance from active alliance members.
A Level 4 City that opens the correct route can be strategically better than a Level 5 City that leaves your alliance trapped on an unimportant branch of the map.
Common Season 1 City Clash Mistakes
- Capturing random Strongholds: Build toward specific City routes.
- Ignoring Virus Resistance: Season 1 combat is not determined by Power alone.
- Declaring before members are ready: The City war timer is limited.
- Sending weak squads repeatedly into defenders: Siege combat can cause direct troop deaths.
- Using only rallies after defenders are gone: Continuous marches are important for durability damage.
- Ignoring City Durability: It matters both when attacking and defending.
- Filling every City slot too early: Leave room for better territory later.
- Chasing Influence without considering position: Territory routes determine future opportunities.
- Forgetting Crimson Legion defense: Protected Cities can still face seasonal PvE counterattacks.
- Using an old timetable without checking the game: Capture delays and declaration schedules can vary by server cohort.
Optional Faster Starting Point
Season 1 City Clash rewards alliances that can field developed squads with strong troops, Drone progression, research, and sufficient seasonal resistance. Players who prefer beginning from a more established position can browse Last War accounts for sale on Heaven Guardian. When comparing accounts, check the server’s Season 1 progress, main squad, troop tier, research, Drone, hero development, and alliance situation rather than relying only on total Power.
FAQs
When does City Clash start in Season 1?
The event begins during Week 1, with Level 1 City capture becoming available around the Day 3–4 window depending on the displayed countdown. Higher levels then unlock progressively through Week 3.
How do you declare war on a City?
Your alliance must have connected territory adjacent to the City. An eligible R4 or R5 can then initiate the City declaration once that level is unlocked.
How many City wars can an alliance run at once?
Only one City can be under your alliance’s active declaration at a time.
How many Cities can you capture per day?
The current Season 1 ruleset allows up to two successful City declarations on eligible capture days. Verify the Alliance City screen because older server versions have used different limits.
Why is Virus Resistance important for City Clash?
Season 1 siege troops are affected by the Crimson Plague mechanics. Insufficient Virus Resistance can make otherwise strong squads perform poorly and increase the cost of participating.
How do you actually capture a City?
Declare war, clear defending troops or reinforcements, then repeatedly attack the City until its Durability reaches zero within the declaration period.
How much Influence does a Level 6 City give?
A Level 6 City provides 1,000,000 Alliance Influence, twice the 500,000 provided by a Level 5 City.
Can a protected City be attacked by the Crimson Legion?
Yes. The seasonal Crimson Legion counterattack operates separately from normal alliance declaration protection and can target owned Cities.
When does cross-Warzone City warfare begin?
The wider cross-Warzone expansion develops through Weeks 3 and 4, with Warzone Declaration opening foreign City warfare around Week 4.
What is the biggest City Clash priority?
Plan connected territory before the unlock. Strongholds, Virus Resistance, member attendance, and City location are usually more important than simply targeting the highest-level City available.
Conclusion
Last War City Clash Season 1 is fundamentally a territory-planning event. Capture Military Strongholds with a purpose, maintain enough Virus Resistance for the next City level, and position your alliance before the declaration rather than trying to organize everyone after the timer has started.
As Season 1 progresses, City Clash becomes increasingly strategic. Higher Cities provide more Influence, Level 6 territory becomes important for the route toward the Capitol, and Week 4 expands the conflict into other Warzones. The alliances that perform best are usually the ones that balance Influence, map position, attendance, troop preservation, and their ability to defend what they capture.
For more Crimson Plague walkthroughs, alliance strategies, and Season 1 event guides, explore our additional Last War Survival guides.
