Basic Chip Material in Last War: Survival is used in the Chip Lab to craft Epic (SSR) Drone Skill Chips. The Epic Initial Move chip costs 800 Basic Chip Materials, while the other Epic chip recipes cost 400 each.
Despite the name, Basic Chip Material can be more awkward to obtain than Premium Chip Material. Its main documented recurring source is the Campaign Store, with additional supplies appearing through special events. It also cannot be converted into Premium Chip Material, so there is no benefit to hoarding it in the hope of turning it into Legendary chip materials later.
★Quick Take
Use Basic Chip Material to fill important Epic chip slots while your Legendary set is incomplete. Avoid automatically spending 800 materials on the Epic Initial Move chip when two different 400-material Epic chips could improve more weak slots. Once Epic chips are replaced by Legendary versions, they can still contribute to Drone Combat Boost instead of becoming useless.
What Is Basic Chip Material?
Basic Chip Material is a dedicated crafting resource for the Drone Skill Chip system. It is spent in the Chip Lab to create purple Epic/SSR Skill Chips.
It is separate from:
- Premium Chip Material: used to craft Legendary/UR Skill Chips.
- Drone Parts: used for Tactical Drone level progression.
- Battle Data: another resource required for Tactical Drone leveling.
- Drone Components: used in the separate six-slot Component system.
The most important restriction is that Basic Chip Material does not upgrade into Premium Chip Material. Treat the two as independent currencies with different uses.
What Do You Do With Basic Chip Material?
If you have Basic Chip Material sitting in your inventory, its direct use is simple: open the Chip Lab and craft an Epic Skill Chip.
There are four Skill Chip categories:
- Initial Move
- Attack
- Interference
- Defense
A complete drone chip preset uses one chip from each functional category. Chips can also carry Tank, Aircraft, or Missile Vehicle attributes, so matching the relevant unit bonuses to the squad using that preset is part of efficient chip progression.
For the full crafting, reset, dismantling, and building system, read the Last War Chip Lab guide.
Basic Chip Material Crafting Costs
The four standard Epic Skill Chips do not all cost the same amount. The Initial Move recipe is twice as expensive as the other three.
| Chip Category | Epic Skill Chip | Basic Chip Material |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Move | EM Shield III | 800 |
| Attack | Ultra Frequency Resonance III | 400 |
| Interference | Armor-Piercing Pulse III | 400 |
| Defense | Photon Armor III | 400 |
Crafting one copy of all four Epic chips therefore requires 2,000 Basic Chip Materials.
!Important
The 800-material Initial Move recipe is not a higher rarity than the other Epic chips. It is still an Epic chip. Its higher crafting cost should not be interpreted as proof that it is automatically the best first craft.
Which Epic Skill Chip Should You Craft First?
There is no universal Epic craft order because your best choice depends on which chip slots are empty, what random chips you already own, and how close you are to replacing an Epic with a Legendary chip.
A practical approach is:
| Your Situation | Best Use of Basic Chip Material |
|---|---|
| You have an empty Attack, Interference, or Defense slot | A 400-material Epic can be an efficient first improvement. |
| Your only weak slot is Initial Move | Consider EM Shield III, but remember it costs 800. |
| You already have random Epic chips in all four slots | Do not craft duplicates without a clear ascension or Combat Boost plan. |
| You are close to a Legendary replacement | Consider saving resources instead of crafting a short-lived Epic upgrade. |
| Your main preset already uses Legendary chips | Use Basic Material selectively for secondary presets or eventual Combat Boost material. |
The key is to solve an actual weakness instead of crafting simply because the material is available.
Basic Chip Material vs Premium Chip Material
Basic and Premium Chip Material are separate resources for different rarity tiers.
| Material | Main Use | Crafting Cost | Main Acquisition Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Chip Material | Epic/SSR Skill Chips | 400 for most Epic chips; 800 for Initial Move | Campaign Store and special events |
| Premium Chip Material | Legendary/UR Skill Chips | 800 per Legendary chip | Skill Chip Chests, Alliance Duel, stores, events, Ghost Ops, Alliance Exercise and other sources |
Premium Material sounds rarer, but it has more documented recurring sources. Every Legendary chip recipe costs 800 Premium Chip Materials, so a complete four-chip Legendary set requires 3,200 Premium Materials before duplicate copies for later star progression.
For a detailed source list, read the Last War Premium Chip Materials guide.
How to Get Basic Chip Material
Basic Chip Material has a much narrower confirmed farming path than Premium Material.
Campaign Store
The Campaign Store is the main recurring source. Check it regularly and compare Basic Chip Material with the other items your account needs before spending Campaign currency.
It becomes a stronger purchase when:
- You are close to the 400 or 800 materials needed for a target Epic chip.
- Your current chip preset has an important weak or empty slot.
- Other Campaign Store priorities are already covered.
- Your Legendary replacement is still far away.
It becomes a weaker purchase when you are buying material with no planned craft or when another limited Campaign Store item offers substantially more progression.
Special Events
Basic Chip Material can also appear in special events. Event rewards, exchanges, and milestone structures change, so inspect the active event rather than assuming the same quantity will always be available.
When an event offers several drone resources, compare Basic Chip Material with Premium Material, Drone Parts, Components, and other limited rewards before committing event currency.
Why Premium Chip Material Can Be Easier to Get
One unusual part of the chip economy is that the higher-tier Premium Material has more acquisition routes.
Premium Chip Material is attached to Skill Chip Chests. Current documented chest rewards include:
| Skill Chip Chest | Premium Chip Material |
|---|---|
| Common | 1 |
| Rare | 5 |
| Epic | 30 |
| Legendary | 100 |
Premium Material can also come through systems such as Alliance Duel rewards, Alliance and VIP Store chip chests, the Honor Store, Campaign Store chip chests, Zombie Invasion rewards, Alliance Exercise, Ghost Ops, profession rewards, events, and packs.
That broader distribution is why players can sometimes build Premium Material faster than expected while still having relatively little Basic Material.
Should You Buy Basic Chip Material From the Campaign Store?
Yes when you have a specific Epic craft in mind; no when you are simply stockpiling without a purpose.
A useful test is to ask three questions before buying:
- Which exact Epic chip am I crafting?
- How many Basic Chip Materials am I still missing?
- How soon will that Epic chip be replaced by a Legendary one?
If you are 50 materials short of completing an important 400-material chip, buying Basic Material has a clear immediate payoff. If you already have four strong Legendary chips on your primary preset, the value is much lower unless you are developing secondary presets or Combat Boost.
What Happens to Epic Chips After You Get Legendary Chips?
Epic chips are temporary equipment for many developed accounts, but they do not necessarily become worthless when a Legendary chip replaces them.
Lower-rarity chips can be fed into Drone Combat Boost, which provides broader progression for the Skill Chip system. Current chip guides specifically recommend moving replaced purple Epic chips into Combat Boost once you no longer need them as active equipment.
This gives Basic Chip Material a long-term use:
- Spend Basic Material to craft an Epic chip.
- Use the Epic chip while building your Legendary set.
- Replace it when the appropriate Legendary chip becomes available.
- Feed the obsolete Epic chip into Combat Boost when you are sure it is no longer needed in another preset.
Do not consume an Epic chip that is still supporting a secondary formation or another active preset.
Should You Save Basic Chip Material?
Basic Material does not need to be spent immediately. Saving is usually sensible when:
- You have not chosen a target Epic chip.
- All four active slots already have suitable Epic or Legendary chips.
- You are close to crafting the Legendary version of the same slot.
- A secondary preset is not yet important to your account.
- You expect an upcoming event to offer additional chip rewards.
There is less reason to save when one 400-material craft immediately replaces a weak lower-rarity chip in your main formation and your Legendary replacement remains far away.
Epic vs Legendary Skill Chips
Epic chips are useful stepping stones. Legendary chips are the long-term destination.
The Chip Lab progressively unlocks Legendary recipes, with the Legendary Initial Move recipe becoming available at Chip Lab level 15 and the other Legendary recipes available by level 20. This makes level 20 the important building breakpoint for players focused on long-term Skill Chip crafting.
| Category | Epic Chip | Legendary Chip |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Move | EM Shield III | Absolute Quantum Field |
| Attack | Ultra Frequency Resonance III | Lethal Firestorm |
| Interference | Armor-Piercing Pulse III | Memory Ultra Fission |
| Defense | Photon Armor III | Gravitational Resonance Armor |
If your account is already producing Premium Material consistently, avoid overspending Campaign currency to perfect every Epic chip immediately before switching to Legendary equivalents.
How to Choose Skill Chips for Your Formation
Rarity is only one part of the decision. Drone Skill Chips can include unit-specific attributes for Tank, Aircraft, or Missile Vehicle formations.
When selecting or crafting chips:
- Match relevant unit attributes to the formation using the preset.
- Fill all four functional categories rather than stacking only one type.
- Use a separate preset when developing a second troop-type formation.
- Compare the actual battle effect, not just the Power number.
- Keep long-term Legendary replacements in mind before spending heavily on Epic copies.
For current chip priorities and upgrade strategy, use the Last War Drone Chip priority guide.
✓Recommendation
For a developing F2P account, use Basic Material to establish a functional Epic set, then shift your long-term attention toward Premium Material and Legendary chips. Perfecting multiple Epic copies is usually less valuable than moving the primary preset toward UR chips and using replaced Epics for Combat Boost.
Basic Chip Material Strategy for F2P Players
F2P players should treat Basic Chip Material as a targeted resource rather than something that must be purchased at every opportunity.
- Check your four active chip slots.
- Identify the weakest slot in your main formation.
- Craft a 400-material Epic chip when it provides an obvious improvement.
- Spend 800 on EM Shield III only when Initial Move is the slot you genuinely need.
- Collect Premium Material at the same time instead of postponing Legendary progression.
- Keep useful Epic chips for secondary formations.
- Move obsolete Epic chips into Combat Boost after Legendary replacements are established.
Players who prefer to begin with more developed drone and hero progression can optionally compare Last War accounts for sale, but check the Drone Combat Boost level, Legendary chip presets, chip stars, Tactical Drone level, heroes, research, and troop progression rather than focusing on Basic Chip Material inventory alone.
Common Basic Chip Material Mistakes
Trying to Convert It Into Premium Material
Basic Chip Material cannot be converted into Premium Chip Material. If you already have enough Legendary chips, its remaining value comes from Epic crafting, secondary setups, and eventual Combat Boost use.
Automatically Crafting the 800-Material Chip First
EM Shield III costs twice as much as the other Epic recipes. Spending 800 immediately can prevent you from filling two different 400-material slots.
Buying Material With No Target Chip
Campaign currency has competing uses. Decide what you are building before repeatedly buying Basic Material.
Assuming Basic Is Easy to Farm
The name is misleading. Basic Material has fewer documented recurring sources than Premium Material, so replacing a large stockpile can take time.
Ignoring Legendary Progression
An Epic set is a bridge, not the final objective. Continue collecting Premium Material while developing the Epic chips you actually need.
Throwing Away Replaced Epic Chips
Epic chips can contribute to Combat Boost after replacement. Make sure a chip is not needed in another preset before consuming it.
Using the Wrong Unit Attributes
Chip presets should support the formation using them. Tank, Aircraft, and Missile-related attributes should be matched to the corresponding squad whenever possible.
FAQs
What do I do with Basic Chip Material in Last War?
Use Basic Chip Material in the Chip Lab to craft Epic/SSR Drone Skill Chips. The Epic Initial Move chip costs 800 Basic Materials, while the Epic Attack, Interference, and Defense chips cost 400 each.
How do I get Basic Chip Material?
The main documented recurring source is the Campaign Store. Basic Chip Material can also appear through special events.
Can Basic Chip Material be converted to Premium Chip Material?
No. Basic and Premium Chip Material are separate resources and cannot be converted into one another.
What is Premium Chip Material used for?
Premium Chip Material crafts Legendary/UR Skill Chips. Each standard Legendary chip costs 800 Premium Chip Materials, and Premium Material can also be obtained from Skill Chip Chests and several recurring game systems.
Which Epic Skill Chip should I craft first?
Craft the chip that fixes the weakest slot in your main preset. A 400-material Attack, Interference, or Defense chip can often provide better early value than immediately spending 800 materials on Initial Move, but your existing chips and formation should decide the priority.
What should I do with Epic chips after getting Legendary chips?
Keep any Epic chips still used by secondary presets. Once they are genuinely obsolete, they can be fed into Drone Combat Boost to continue contributing to drone progression.
Conclusion
Last War Basic Chip Material has one direct purpose: crafting Epic Skill Chips. Its limited supply makes targeted spending more important than indiscriminate stockpiling or crafting. Fill important Epic gaps, remember that Initial Move costs twice as much as the other Epic recipes, and continue building Premium Material toward the Legendary set.
Once Legendary chips replace your Epics, put the older chips to work through Combat Boost where appropriate. For more drone, hero, building, and progression strategies, browse the Heaven Guardian Last War Survival guides.
