Last War Component Factory Guide: Levels, Upgrades, and Best Targets

The Component Factory in Last War: Survival unlocks at Headquarters level 15 and passively produces Level 1 Drone Component Chests. Upgrading the building does not increase the chest level; instead, each level shortens the production timer and gradually increases how many components you can generate over time.

For most players, this makes the Component Factory a useful secondary building rather than a structure that should automatically match the Headquarters. Level 19 is an especially useful early target because its 3-hour-24-minute production timer is the first point where seven complete chest cycles fit inside the factory’s documented 24-hour production window.

How the Component Factory Works

The Component Factory begins producing automatically after it is built. Its output is always a Level 1 Drone Component Chest, regardless of the building’s level.

Each upgrade reduces the time required for one chest. Level 1 takes four hours, while level 30 reduces the timer to 3 hours and 2 minutes. Advanced levels continue lowering the timer, reaching 2 hours and 52 minutes at level 35.

The important point is that upgrading does not change the factory from Level 1 chests to Level 2, Level 3, or higher chests. The value of upgrading comes entirely from producing the same Level 1 chest more frequently.

What Are Drone Component Chests Used For?

Opening a Drone Component Chest provides a component used in the Drone’s component system. Lower-level components can be combined into stronger versions; three matching components of the same level are required to create one component at the next level.

Because the number of low-level components required increases rapidly as you move toward higher component levels, even a modest passive supply remains useful over a long period.

For more information about developing the individual component slots, see the Last War Drone Parts guide.

What Level Should Your Component Factory Be?

The best Component Factory level depends on your account stage and how much builder time and resources you can spare.

Level 19: The Best Early Production Breakpoint

Level 19 is one of the most useful targets because its chest timer drops to 3 hours and 24 minutes. Seven complete 3h 24m production cycles fit within a 24-hour window.

At level 18, the timer is 3h 26m, which is just slightly too long for seven complete cycles to fit into 24 hours. This makes level 19 more meaningful than the typical two-minute improvement suggests.

For F2P and low-spending players, level 19 is therefore a sensible place to pause while Headquarters prerequisites, troop buildings, research, Hospitals, and other higher-impact upgrades receive priority.

Levels 20–30: Gradual Long-Term Gains

From level 20 through level 30, each upgrade continues reducing the production timer by two minutes. The building reaches 3h 2m at level 30.

These levels improve long-term output, but none creates another full-cycle breakpoint within a 24-hour period. That means the return is gradual while upgrade costs and construction times become much larger.

This does not make level 30 bad. It simply means you should not rush from level 19 to 30 expecting a dramatic change in the quality of the chests or an immediate extra chest every day.

Level 31: The Next Major Breakpoint

Level 31 reduces the production timer to exactly 3 hours. Eight full production cycles therefore fit within 24 hours.

This is the next clear efficiency breakpoint after level 19, but it belongs to late-game progression. Reaching Component Factory levels above 30 requires access to the post-Season 2 Age of Oil progression and the relevant Base Expansion research.

Levels 32–35

Levels 32–35 continue lowering production time by two minutes per level:

• Level 32: 2h 58m
• Level 33: 2h 56m
• Level 34: 2h 54m
• Level 35: 2h 52m

These levels provide additional long-term production, but their resource and construction costs are extremely high compared with the size of each individual timer reduction.

Last War Component Factory Levels and Upgrade Requirements

The table below shows the current Component Factory progression. Levels 1–30 use the established building data for the standard progression path, while levels 31–35 belong to advanced Age of Oil/Base Expansion progression.

Displayed construction times are base reference values. Your actual time can be shorter because of research, profession skills, survivors, VIP bonuses, alliance help, and other construction-speed effects. Always use the in-game upgrade screen as the final reference before spending resources.

Level	Iron	Food	Coin	Upgrade Time	Power	Chest Timer
1	10	10	–	1s	700	4h
2	150	150	–	12s	1,400	3h 58m
3	700	700	–	47s	2,100	3h 56m
4	1,800	1,800	–	1m 57s	2,800	3h 54m
5	6,700	6,700	–	5m 57s	3,500	3h 52m
6	20,000	20,000	–	11m 42s	4,200	3h 50m
7	41,000	41,000	–	23m 24s	4,900	3h 48m
8	65,000	65,000	–	46m 48s	5,600	3h 46m
9	100,000	100,000	50,000	1h 5m 32s	6,300	3h 44m
10	120,000	120,000	60,000	1h 25m 11s	7,000	3h 42m
11	340,000	340,000	160,000	1h 50m 44s	8,000	3h 40m
12	530,000	530,000	250,000	2h 23m 57s	9,300	3h 38m
13	580,000	580,000	280,000	3h 7m 8s	10,600	3h 36m
14	810,000	810,000	390,000	4h 3m 17s	12,200	3h 34m
15	1,100,000	1,100,000	550,000	5h 40m 35s	14,000	3h 32m
16	2,000,000	2,000,000	970,000	7h 56m 49s	16,400	3h 30m
17	2,600,000	2,600,000	1,300,000	11h 7m 33s	19,200	3h 28m
18	4,600,000	4,600,000	2,200,000	15h 34m 34s	22,800	3h 26m
19	5,500,000	5,500,000	2,700,000	21h 48m 23s	26,800	3h 24m
20	10,000,000	10,000,000	4,800,000	1d 6h 31m 41s	32,100	3h 22m
21	14,000,000	14,000,000	6,700,000	1d 15h 41m 15s	38,400	3h 20m
22	18,000,000	18,000,000	8,700,000	2d 3h 35m 37s	45,600	3h 18m
23	23,000,000	23,000,000	11,000,000	2d 19h 4m 18s	53,700	3h 16m
24	28,000,000	28,000,000	14,000,000	3d 21h 54m 1s	62,700	3h 14m
25	48,000,000	48,000,000	23,000,000	5d 11h 27m 37s	74,300	3h 12m
26	67,000,000	67,000,000	32,000,000	7d 16h 2m 39s	88,000	3h 10m
27	88,000,000	88,000,000	42,000,000	10d 17h 39m 43s	103,700	3h 8m
28	120,000,000	120,000,000	59,000,000	13d 22h 57m 38s	122,100	3h 6m
29	170,000,000	170,000,000	83,000,000	19d 12h 56m 41s	144,000	3h 4m
30	240,000,000	240,000,000	120,000,000	25d 9h 37m 41s	170,100	3h 2m
31	290,000,000	290,000,000	140,000,000	30d 17h 38m 58s	198,700	3h
32	350,000,000	350,000,000	170,000,000	36d 21h 10m 45s	230,100	2h 58m
33	420,000,000	420,000,000	200,000,000	43d 22h 50m 19s	264,400	2h 56m
34	470,000,000	470,000,000	230,000,000	49d 16h 46m 45s	300,800	2h 54m
35	530,000,000	530,000,000	250,000,000	55d 21h 52m 35s	339,300	2h 52m

Component Factory Levels 31–35 and Age of Oil

Normal Component Factory progression reaches level 30. Advanced levels 31–35 become relevant after the server moves into the later Age of Oil progression following Season 2.

The higher building levels require the Base Expansion path in the Oil technology tree. Once that progression is unlocked and your base can advance beyond level 30, the Component Factory can eventually reach level 35.

The direct upgrade costs become extremely high. Moving from level 30 to 31 alone requires hundreds of millions of Food and Iron, while level 35 is listed at 530 million Food, 530 million Iron, and 250 million Coins before applicable cost reductions.

Is the Component Factory Worth Upgrading?

Yes, but with diminishing returns. The Component Factory is valuable because it provides components permanently and passively, but every normal level only reduces the chest timer by two minutes.

The best way to judge an upgrade is to compare its long-term production benefit with its opportunity cost.

Upgrade It When:

• Your Component Factory is still below the useful level 19 breakpoint.
• Your drone components are noticeably lagging behind the rest of your account.
• Your important Headquarters prerequisites are already covered.
• You have spare builder capacity.
• You can complete a large upgrade during a construction or Power-scoring event.
• You are entering late-game progression and want to reach the level 31 production breakpoint.

Delay It When:

• The same builder is needed for your next Headquarters requirement.
• You are saving Food, Iron, or Coins for a major troop or research upgrade.
• Your Tech Center, primary Tank/Aircraft/Missile Center, Barracks, or Hospital is significantly behind.
• You already have level 19 and additional Component Factory levels would slow a much stronger progression upgrade.
• You have entered Age of Oil but still need resources for more important Base Expansion research and buildings.

Is Component Factory Level 30 Worth It?

Level 30 is useful for long-term accounts, but it is not a mandatory target for every player.

The factory improves from 3h 24m per chest at level 19 to 3h 2m at level 30. That is a 22-minute reduction per production cycle, but the level 30 upgrade alone costs 240 million Food, 240 million Iron, and 120 million Coins at the listed base values.

Because the building continues producing Level 1 chests, players who are still pushing Headquarters levels, troop tiers, Special Forces research, or main combat buildings will often gain more immediate value by spending those resources elsewhere.

Level 30 becomes more reasonable when your core progression is already strong, construction resources are plentiful, or maximizing passive component income is an established late-game goal.

How to Maximize Component Factory Production

Collect at Least Once per Day

Current Component Factory references document a production-storage window of approximately 24 hours. You therefore do not need to log in every three or four hours to collect each chest individually.

However, leaving the building full beyond its storage window wastes potential production. A simple daily collection routine is enough for most players.

Aim for Useful Timer Breakpoints

Instead of viewing every level as equally important, focus on meaningful targets. Level 19 is the first level where seven complete cycles fit within 24 hours, while level 31 reaches the next clear breakpoint at eight complete three-hour cycles.

Time Expensive Upgrades With Events

Long construction projects are easier to justify when their completion also contributes to an event that rewards building Power or construction progress. Avoid starting expensive optional buildings blindly if completing them during a better scoring window would provide extra rewards.

Use Alliance Help

Request alliance assistance whenever you begin a long Component Factory upgrade. Alliance help reduces remaining construction time and becomes increasingly valuable as the building reaches multi-day upgrade timers.

Save Speedups for High-Value Situations

Using large amounts of construction speedups purely to shave another two minutes from the component production timer is rarely urgent. Speed up the building when the event score, construction queue, or progression timing gives you another reason to finish it quickly.

Component Factory vs. Other Drone Resources

The Component Factory only handles one part of the drone system. It should not be confused with Battle Data, Drone Parts, or Drone Chips.

Drone Components

These are the items obtained from Component Chests and used in the Drone’s component slots. Matching components are merged into higher levels.

Battle Data

Battle Data is used for Drone level progression rather than Component Factory upgrades. The Last War Battle Data guide explains its main sources and how it fits into normal Drone leveling.

Drone Parts

Drone Parts are another resource used in Drone level advancement. They are different from Drone Components despite the similar terminology.

Later progression also introduces a separate Drone Parts Workshop. It should not be confused with the Component Factory: the Component Factory produces Level 1 Component Chests, while the Drone Parts Workshop produces Drone Parts.

Drone Chips

Drone Chips are another independent combat system. They are managed through the Chip Lab rather than the Component Factory. If you are already developing this system, the Last War Drone Chip priority guide covers which upgrades deserve attention.

How Important Is the Component Factory for F2P Players?

The building is useful for F2P players because it provides components without requiring a purchase, but that does not mean F2P accounts should rush it to the maximum.

In fact, the opportunity cost matters more for F2P and low-spending players because Food, Iron, Coins, construction speedups, and builder time are more limited.

Getting to level 19 provides a strong balance between passive production and cost. After that, keep upgrading when your HQ path allows it rather than sacrificing major progression solely for another small timer reduction.

Higher spenders can justify pushing the building further earlier because resources and speedups are less restrictive, especially when they are also investing heavily in advanced Drone Components.

Players who would rather begin from a more developed stage can optionally compare a Last War account for sale. When evaluating an account, look at the full package—Headquarters level, research, heroes, troop tiers, gear, Drone progression, components, and other systems—not the Component Factory level alone.

Common Component Factory Mistakes

• Expecting higher-level chests: upgrading the building makes Level 1 chests faster; it does not change them into higher-level Component Chests.
• Stopping at level 18: level 19 is more meaningful because its timer crosses the seven-cycles-in-24-hours threshold.
• Assuming level 30 is mandatory: it is a long-term upgrade, not a requirement for keeping a competitive main squad.
• Letting the factory remain full: collect within the production-storage window so additional output is not wasted.
• Confusing Components with Drone Parts: these are separate resources with different purposes.
• Ignoring the HQ path: optional production buildings should not block critical Headquarters prerequisites and troop progression.
• Overusing construction speedups: save them for upgrades and event windows where finishing immediately provides meaningful additional value.

FAQs

At what Headquarters level does the Component Factory unlock?

The Component Factory unlocks at Headquarters level 15. Once built, it begins producing Level 1 Drone Component Chests.

What is the maximum Component Factory level in Last War?

The currently documented maximum is level 35. Levels 31–35 belong to the later Age of Oil/Base Expansion progression available after Season 2.

What is the best Component Factory level to aim for?

Level 19 is a strong target for most developing accounts because the 3h 24m production timer is the first level where seven complete chest cycles fit within 24 hours. Late-game players can consider level 31 as the next meaningful breakpoint at exactly three hours per chest.

Is Component Factory level 30 worth upgrading?

It can be, but it is not a universal priority. Level 30 lowers the timer to 3h 2m, yet the upgrade is expensive and the building still produces Level 1 chests. Prioritize essential HQ, troop, and research progression first if resources are tight.

Does upgrading the Component Factory give higher-level chests?

No. Higher building levels reduce production time, but the Component Factory continues producing Level 1 Drone Component Chests.

Is the Component Factory the same as the Drone Parts Workshop?

No. The Component Factory produces Drone Component Chests and unlocks at HQ15. The Drone Parts Workshop is a separate later-game building associated with Age of Oil progression and produces Drone Parts instead.

Conclusion

The Component Factory is a useful passive source of Drone Components, but its upgrade value comes from gradual timer reductions rather than stronger chests. Level 19 is an efficient target for most developing accounts, while level 31 provides the next notable production breakpoint for late-game players with Age of Oil progression.

Keep the building productive without sacrificing more important Headquarters, research, troop, or military upgrades. For more Drone, building, hero, research, and event strategies, browse the Heaven Guardian Last War: Survival guides.