The General’s Trial in Last War, also called the Vanguard Trial in some versions, is a recurring PvE event where you progress through increasingly difficult Vanguard Instructor battles before contributing to an alliance-wide challenge. It rewards regular account progression with items such as Diamonds, Hero EXP, hero-related materials, Drone resources, and eventually Overlord materials on sufficiently progressed servers.
The most important decision happens before your first fight: choose the right difficulty. You can select only one difficulty for the event, and you cannot switch after confirming it. A slightly easier tier that you can finish efficiently is usually more useful than selecting an ambitious difficulty and becoming dependent on alliance members for most of the later stages.
Choose a difficulty you can clear mostly by yourself, use 10-stamina solo attacks while they remain reliable, and switch to rallies only when later Vanguard Instructors become too difficult. Spread the Trial across its event window and align stamina spending with Arms Race Drone Boost when convenient.
How General’s Trial Works
General’s Trial is a recurring event that normally returns on a biweekly rotation and lasts several days. Commanders need a Base Level of at least 8 to participate.
The event has two major parts:
| Section | Objective | Main Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Solo Challenge | Progress through Vanguard Instructor stages at your selected difficulty | Individual progression and milestone rewards |
| Alliance Challenge | Work together after enough members complete the required individual progress | Alliance rallies and shared rewards |
Later-server versions expand the event with Advanced Mode and an updated Alliance Challenge involving the Sky Predator. Because these additions depend on server age and progression, younger servers may see a simpler version of General’s Trial.
Choosing Your General’s Trial Difficulty
Difficulty selection is the most important strategic decision because it is locked for the entire event. You unlock harder difficulties by completely clearing the required preceding difficulty during an earlier General’s Trial.
Normal Mode uses nine difficulty tiers. Each higher tier increases enemy strength while improving the available rewards.
Do not choose difficulty based only on your displayed squad power. Actual performance depends on heroes, troop tier, Drone progression, research, gear, vehicle-type bonuses, and other combat systems available on your server.
When Should You Increase Difficulty?
Move to the next difficulty when your current tier has become comfortably manageable. Ideally, your main squad should clear most of the stages with single attacks, leaving alliance assistance for the hardest final encounters.
Staying at the current difficulty can be smarter when:
- You struggled badly with the later stages last time.
- Your account has improved very little since the previous Trial.
- Your alliance has limited strong players available to help with rallies.
- The alliance wants to preserve troops before an important seasonal or server event.
- Your next difficulty would require rallies for a large part of the progression.
Once you confirm a General’s Trial difficulty, you cannot change it until the next event. Check with your R4 or R5 if your alliance coordinates Trial difficulties, especially before choosing a tier that will require frequent rally support.
Normal Mode Explained
Normal Mode is available first and contains nine difficulty levels. After selecting your tier, Vanguard Instructor enemies appear on the World Map as Marshall tanks.
A Normal Trial consists of 30 challenges. Three stages can be visible at a time, and defeating the required enemy advances your progression toward the next group.
Solo Attack vs Rally Attack
| Attack Method | Stamina Cost | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Single Attack | 10 Stamina | Early and mid stages that your main squad can defeat reliably |
| Start Rally | 20 Stamina | Later stages where you need alliance assistance |
Solo attacks are the efficient starting point. There is little reason to pay the higher rally-launch cost when your squad can comfortably win alone.
As enemy strength increases, rallies become more valuable. Alliance members can reinforce the attack with additional squads, allowing you to clear a stage that your own formation cannot defeat.
Normal Mode Milestone Rewards
Normal Mode provides progressive rewards at:
- 10 completed challenges
- 15 completed challenges
- 20 completed challenges
- 25 completed challenges
- 30 completed challenges
Completing all 30 stages also matters for long-term progression because it opens the next difficulty tier for a future General’s Trial.
Advanced General’s Trial Explained
Advanced Mode becomes available later, after the required Normal progression has been completed and the server has reached the appropriate lifecycle stage. It is identified separately from the yellow-star Normal difficulties and is substantially harder.
Instead of 30 Vanguard Instructor fights, an Advanced Trial contains 10 stronger challenges. Only one Advanced opponent appears at a time.
Attack costs remain:
- 10 stamina for a single attack.
- 20 stamina to launch a rally.
Advanced milestone rewards are awarded after completing 3, 6, and 10 challenges.
Why Advanced Difficulty Matters
Advanced General’s Trial becomes especially valuable once Overlord progression is available. Starting from Advanced Difficulty 4, the reward pool can include Overlord-related materials such as Universal Overlord Shards and Overlord Skill Badges.
This makes General’s Trial an important recurring free source of materials for accounts developing the Gorilla Overlord and related systems.
Advanced content and its reward pool depend on server progression. If your event currently shows only Normal Mode or does not yet include Overlord materials, those systems have not necessarily unlocked on your server.
Once Advanced Difficulty 4 is realistically clearable, General’s Trial becomes significantly more valuable for Overlord development. Do not force the difficulty too early, however; completing the available milestones reliably remains more important than selecting a tier your alliance cannot support.
Best General’s Trial Stamina Strategy
General’s Trial does not need to be completed immediately after it opens. Spreading challenges across the event gives natural stamina regeneration time to cover part of the cost.
Use Solo Attacks Until They Stop Working
Every unnecessary rally costs additional stamina and also asks alliance members to commit troops. Continue using single attacks while you can win reliably.
Save Rallies for Difficult Stages
When your squad begins failing, stop repeating the same solo attack. A coordinated rally can provide the additional strength needed to progress without wasting several unsuccessful attempts.
Use Free Stamina Regeneration
If there is no reason to rush, complete the Trial gradually rather than immediately consuming a large stockpile of stamina items.
Combine General’s Trial With Arms Race
General’s Trial attacks consume stamina, making them useful during the Drone Boost phase of Arms Race when stamina expenditure contributes points.
The overlap can let one action advance two activities:
- Progress General’s Trial.
- Earn Trial rewards.
- Spend stamina for Drone Boost points.
Do not delay the entire Trial solely for Arms Race if doing so risks running out of time. Event completion remains the first priority.
How to Reduce Troop Losses
Choosing a Trial far above your strength can become expensive in troops. This affects both you and alliance members who repeatedly join difficult rallies.
To reduce unnecessary losses:
- Test with your strongest formation. Determine where solo progress becomes unreliable.
- Stop repeatedly attacking after clear failures. Upgrade, request help, or start a rally instead.
- Use strong rally leaders and participants. Weak rallies can create additional losses without clearing the stage.
- Heal between difficult stages when necessary. Do not enter later challenges with an avoidably depleted army.
- Coordinate difficult tiers with your alliance. Strong players cannot support everyone simultaneously if too many members overselect their difficulty.
This becomes particularly important immediately before a new season, cross-server conflict, or another event where troop availability matters.
General’s Trial Alliance Challenge
The Alliance Challenge unlocks after enough alliance members complete the required individual General’s Trial progression. R4 and R5 leadership then controls the alliance-wide challenge.
The exact Alliance Challenge presentation depends on server age. Earlier versions use General’s Elite Forces, while progressed servers receive the newer Sky Predator challenge.
Earlier Alliance Challenge
In the older format, each General’s Trial difficulty has a corresponding Elite Force challenge. Once enough members complete the required Solo Challenge, R4 or R5 can activate that level.
The Elite Force appears on the World Map and can only be attacked through rallies. Successfully completing the challenge provides alliance-wide rewards.
Sky Predator Alliance Challenge
On later servers, Sky Predator replaces the simpler Elite Force format as the main alliance challenge connected to General’s Trial.
The current Sky Predator battle lasts 30 minutes. Alliance members repeatedly attack through coordinated rallies while trying to maximize damage and complete the alliance progress requirements.
Sky Predator Charge Mechanic
Sky Predator performs three charge sequences during the fight. These create important damage opportunities when handled correctly.
The alliance’s Warlord can use a Warlord Missile while Sky Predator is charging. A successful interruption stuns the Sky Predator, providing an opportunity for the alliance to deal additional damage.
Leadership should coordinate the timing rather than firing without communication. The Warlord’s Base should also remain in position during missile launch; relocating while the missile is being launched causes the attempt to fail.
Do Not Schedule Sky Predator Too Late
The Alliance Challenge cannot be started during the final two hours of General’s Trial. R4 and R5 should therefore schedule a time when enough strong players can attend rather than leaving the alliance challenge until the event is almost over.
Trial Gifts and Alliance Damage Ranking
The newer Alliance Challenge also includes Trial Gifts. Trial Keys are used to open these reward chests, and stronger gift tiers become available through the event’s progression and ranking systems.
When both the required individual and alliance progress conditions are completed, current reward rules provide minimum Trial Gift quality based on damage ranking. Top-ranked damage contributors can receive guaranteed higher-tier gifts, while lower ranking bands receive their corresponding guaranteed minimum.
Do not interpret the damage ranking in isolation. The published reward guarantees depend on satisfying the associated individual and alliance progress requirements as well as achieving the required rank.
General’s Trial Rewards
Reward pools change with difficulty and server progression, but General’s Trial can provide:
- Diamonds
- Hero EXP
- Hero Shards
- Ability Medals
- Drone Parts and related Drone materials
- Exclusive Weapon-related materials on applicable servers
- Universal Overlord Shards
- Overlord Skill Badges
- Trial Keys and Trial Gifts in the updated Alliance Challenge
- Additional progression resources tied to later server systems
This scaling reward structure is why progressing through difficulty levels is worthwhile. The goal, however, should be sustainable advancement rather than selecting the highest unlocked level regardless of your ability to complete it.
Best General’s Trial Routine
- Review your previous Trial performance. Decide whether your account is ready for the next difficulty.
- Check alliance instructions. Some alliances coordinate difficulty selection and support.
- Confirm the difficulty carefully. It cannot be changed during the event.
- Begin with solo attacks. Use the cheaper 10-stamina option while your squad wins reliably.
- Spread progression across the event. Take advantage of natural stamina regeneration.
- Use Drone Boost when convenient. Time stamina-consuming Trial fights with Arms Race for additional efficiency.
- Switch to rallies when needed. Do not repeatedly waste solo attempts against stages you cannot defeat.
- Finish all milestone stages. Completing the full difficulty also advances future Trial progression.
- Help alliance members. Their completions can contribute toward unlocking the Alliance Challenge.
- Attend the Alliance Challenge. On progressed servers, prepare for the Sky Predator fight and its charge mechanics.
Common General’s Trial Mistakes
- Selecting difficulty too aggressively: You cannot change it after confirmation.
- Choosing based only on squad power: Hero composition and account progression can make similarly powered squads perform very differently.
- Starting rallies from the first stage: Solo attacks use less stamina and are sufficient for easier enemies.
- Repeatedly attempting failed solo battles: Switch strategy instead of wasting stamina and troops.
- Finishing everything immediately: Spreading attacks across the event allows natural stamina recovery.
- Ignoring Arms Race: Drone Boost can reward stamina you were already going to spend.
- Depending completely on stronger members: They may be supporting many alliance members at the same time.
- Ignoring troop losses: A difficult Trial can leave the alliance depleted before other important content.
- Missing the Alliance Challenge: Individual completion also helps the alliance unlock shared content.
- Scheduling Sky Predator too late: Leadership cannot start the challenge during the event’s final two hours.
Optional Faster Starting Point
Players who prefer beginning with stronger heroes, troops, and developed combat systems can browse Last War accounts for sale on Heaven Guardian. When comparing accounts, check the main formations, troop tier, Drone progression, Overlord development, server lifecycle, and unlocked General’s Trial difficulty rather than relying only on total displayed power.
FAQs
What Base Level is required for General’s Trial?
Commanders need Base Level 8 or higher to participate under the standard General’s Trial rules.
How many stages are in General’s Trial?
Normal Mode contains 30 challenges at the selected difficulty. Advanced Mode uses a shorter set of 10 significantly stronger challenges.
Can I change difficulty after starting?
No. You can select only one difficulty during each General’s Trial, and the selection remains locked until that event ends.
How do I unlock the next General’s Trial difficulty?
Complete all challenges at your current difficulty. The next tier then becomes available during a future General’s Trial.
How much stamina does General’s Trial cost?
A single attack costs 10 stamina, while launching a rally costs 20 stamina. Using solo attacks for manageable stages can therefore reduce overall stamina consumption.
When should I use rallies?
Use rallies when your main formation can no longer defeat the Vanguard Instructor reliably. Avoid rallying easy stages that you can clear with a cheaper single attack.
How do I unlock Advanced General’s Trial?
Advanced Mode becomes available after the required Normal progression has been completed and your server reaches the appropriate progression stage.
Does General’s Trial give Overlord materials?
Yes, on servers where the relevant systems are unlocked. Advanced Difficulty 4 and above can provide Overlord-related rewards, making General’s Trial a useful recurring source for Overlord progression.
What is the General’s Trial Alliance Challenge?
It is the cooperative portion unlocked through alliance members’ individual Trial progress. Older server versions use Elite Forces, while later progression replaces or expands that format with the Sky Predator alliance battle.
How long does the Sky Predator Alliance Challenge last?
The current General’s Trial Sky Predator challenge lasts 30 minutes and includes three charge sequences that can be interrupted with a correctly timed Warlord Missile.
Conclusion
The Last War General’s Trial rewards controlled progression rather than simply selecting the hardest available difficulty. Pick a level you can mostly handle yourself, use 10-stamina solo attacks for manageable Vanguard Instructors, and save rallies for the stages where alliance assistance genuinely makes a difference.
As your server develops, Advanced Mode adds stronger challenges and valuable Overlord materials, while the Alliance Challenge evolves into the coordinated Sky Predator battle. Complete your individual milestones, help alliance members finish theirs, and coordinate the final alliance challenge rather than treating General’s Trial as a purely solo event.
For more event walkthroughs, alliance strategies, and progression advice, explore our additional Last War Survival guides.
