The Smelter in Last War is a resource building that continuously produces Upgrade Ore, one of the main materials used to level hero gear. Your first Smelter becomes available at Headquarters level 6, and every building level adds another 2 Upgrade Ore per hour to its base production.
Smelter levels now extend to 35. A level 30 Smelter produces 60 Upgrade Ore per hour, while level 35 reaches 70 per hour. Levels 31–35 belong to the later Age of Oil progression available after Season 2 and require the relevant Base Expansion research before those higher building levels become accessible.
★Quick Take: The Smelter is worth keeping reasonably developed because Upgrade Ore is always useful, but every level adds only +2 base Ore per hour. Early upgrades are inexpensive; late upgrades become extremely costly and long. Do not delay important Headquarters, research, troop, or combat-building progression solely for a small Smelter output increase.
What Does the Smelter Do in Last War?
The Smelter’s purpose is simple: it generates Upgrade Ore passively over time. Upgrade Ore is especially important when developing Epic and Legendary hero gear, which can consume large amounts as equipment levels rise.
You can construct your first Smelter after reaching Headquarters level 6. If you are still progressing toward that point, the Last War Headquarters upgrade guide explains the building requirements and resource planning needed for HQ progression.
Unlike event rewards, the Smelter does not depend on rankings or a limited event window. Its value comes from continuous production. The earlier you establish that passive income, the more Upgrade Ore it can contribute over the life of your account.
Last War Smelter Levels Chart: 1–35
The table below shows the current Smelter progression from level 1 through level 35. Resource costs and construction times are base or approximate values before account-specific bonuses and alliance assistance.
Some community databases differ slightly on a few older low-level costs or construction times due to rounding and historical game data. Always use the value displayed in your current in-game upgrade screen before spending resources.
| Level | Iron | Food | Coin | Base Upgrade Time | Power | Upgrade Ore/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 10 | – | 1s | 700 | 2 |
| 2 | 150 | 150 | – | 12s | 1,400 | 4 |
| 3 | 680 | 680 | – | 47s | 2,100 | 6 |
| 4 | 1,700 | 1,700 | – | 1m 57s | 2,800 | 8 |
| 5 | 6,800 | 6,800 | – | 5m 51s | 3,500 | 10 |
| 6 | 20,000 | 20,000 | – | 11m 42s | 4,200 | 12 |
| 7 | 41,000 | 41,000 | – | 23m 24s | 4,900 | 14 |
| 8 | 65,000 | 65,000 | – | 46m 48s | 5,600 | 16 |
| 9 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 50,000 | 1h 5m 32s | 6,300 | 18 |
| 10 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 60,000 | 1h 25m 11s | 7,000 | 20 |
| 11 | 310,000 | 310,000 | 150,000 | 1h 50m 44s | 8,000 | 22 |
| 12 | 530,000 | 530,000 | 250,000 | 2h 23m 57s | 9,300 | 24 |
| 13 | 580,000 | 580,000 | 280,000 | 3h 7m 8s | 10,600 | 26 |
| 14 | 810,000 | 810,000 | 390,000 | 4h 3m 17s | 12,200 | 28 |
| 15 | 1.1M | 1.1M | 550,000 | 5h 40m 35s | 14,000 | 30 |
| 16 | 2M | 2M | 970,000 | 7h 56m 49s | 16,400 | 32 |
| 17 | 2.6M | 2.6M | 1.3M | 11h 7m 33s | 19,200 | 34 |
| 18 | 4.6M | 4.6M | 2.2M | 15h 34m 34s | 22,800 | 36 |
| 19 | 5.5M | 5.5M | 2.7M | 21h 48m 23s | 26,800 | 38 |
| 20 | 10M | 10M | 4.8M | 1d 6h 32m | 32,100 | 40 |
| 21 | 14M | 14M | 6.7M | 1d 15h 41m | 38,400 | 42 |
| 22 | 18M | 18M | 8.7M | 2d 3h 36m | 45,600 | 44 |
| 23 | 23M | 23M | 11M | 2d 19h 4m | 53,700 | 46 |
| 24 | 28M | 28M | 14M | 3d 21h 54m | 62,700 | 48 |
| 25 | 48M | 48M | 23M | 5d 11h 28m | 74,300 | 50 |
| 26 | 67M | 67M | 32M | 7d 16h 3m | 88,000 | 52 |
| 27 | 88M | 88M | 42M | 10d 17h 40m | 103,700 | 54 |
| 28 | 120M | 120M | 59M | 15d 43m | 122,100 | 56 |
| 29 | 170M | 170M | 83M | 19d 12h 57m | 144,000 | 58 |
| 30 | 240M | 240M | 120M | 25d 9h 38m | 170,100 | 60 |
| 31 | 290M | 290M | 140M | 30d 17h 39m | 198,700 | 62 |
| 32 | 350M | 350M | 170M | 36d 21h 11m | 230,100 | 64 |
| 33 | 420M | 420M | 200M | 43d 22h 50m | 264,400 | 66 |
| 34 | 470M | 470M | 230M | 49d 16h 47m | 300,800 | 68 |
| 35 | 530M | 530M | 250M | 55d 21h 53m | 339,300 | 70 |
The production pattern is easy to remember: each Smelter level adds 2 base Upgrade Ore per hour. That means every additional level is worth 48 more Upgrade Ore over 24 hours if production runs continuously.
Smelter Levels 31–35 and the Age of Oil
Older Smelter charts often stop at level 30 because level 30 was previously the normal building cap. Later progression extends the Smelter to level 35.
Levels 31–35 are tied to The Age of Oil, a post-Season-2 progression phase that raises the Headquarters and building level cap. You must reach the appropriate stage and complete the relevant Base Expansion research in the Age of Oil technology tree before these advanced building levels become available.
| Smelter Level | Upgrade Ore/hr | Increase vs. Level 30 |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 60 | Baseline |
| 31 | 62 | +2/hr |
| 32 | 64 | +4/hr |
| 33 | 66 | +6/hr |
| 34 | 68 | +8/hr |
| 35 | 70 | +10/hr |
Going from level 30 to level 35 therefore adds 10 Upgrade Ore per hour, or 240 additional Ore per day from that Smelter. That extra passive income is useful over time, but the combined resources and lengthy construction involved make levels 31–35 a late-game investment rather than an urgent Upgrade Ore shortcut.
!Important: Do not assume that reaching HQ 30 automatically lets you push the Smelter to 31. The level 31–35 progression is connected to the Age of Oil and its Base Expansion research. Check your current research and building interface before planning these upgrades.
Is the Smelter Worth Upgrading?
Yes, but the answer changes as your account develops. Early Smelter upgrades are cheap enough that improving passive Upgrade Ore production is usually easy to justify. At higher levels, each upgrade still adds only 2 Ore per hour while resource costs and construction times increase dramatically.
Early Game
In the early game, keep the Smelter moving upward when doing so does not interfere with Headquarters progression. Low-level construction is inexpensive and fast, and starting Upgrade Ore production early gives you more passive resources for future gear.
Mid Game
As building costs move into the millions, compare the Smelter with buildings that directly unlock Headquarters levels, research, troop improvements, or stronger combat systems.
The Smelter remains useful, but upgrading it immediately is not always better than progressing a required Tech Center, troop building, or another major account bottleneck.
Late Game and Age of Oil
Late Smelter upgrades are much more expensive. For example, the base cost for level 35 is listed at hundreds of millions of Food and Iron plus a large Coin requirement, while the production improvement from level 34 is still only +2 Ore per hour.
For advanced players, the question is therefore not whether Upgrade Ore is useful—it is—but whether the extra passive production is worth the builder time and resources compared with your other available upgrades.
✓Recommendation: Keep your Smelter healthy rather than automatically maxing it. Early levels are easy value. In the late game, prioritize Smelter upgrades when your important Headquarters, research, troop, and combat-building projects are not competing for the same resources or builder time.
Why Upgrade Ore Matters
Upgrade Ore is consumed when leveling important hero gear and becomes increasingly valuable as you develop Epic and Legendary equipment. Gear upgrades also require Coins, so having a large Ore stockpile does not remove the need to maintain your broader economy.
The Smelter is valuable because it provides Ore passively, but it is not your only source. Upgrade Ore can also appear through activities and stores such as:
- Campaign Store rewards
- Alliance Duel
- Alliance Exercise
- Ammo Bonanza
- Special events
- Glittering Market
- Mystery Supply Box
- Secret Command Post
- Tavern-related rewards
- Selected packs
This is why maxing a Smelter should not be treated as the only way to solve an Upgrade Ore shortage. Event participation and efficient gear investment can matter just as much as passive production.
How to Spend Upgrade Ore Efficiently
The biggest mistake is producing more Upgrade Ore while spending it poorly. Instead of leveling every piece of equipment across several squads at once, concentrate your resources where they improve your most important heroes.
The exact gear priority depends on the hero and equipment slot, but your main squad should generally receive attention before rarely used secondary heroes. Our Last War gear upgrade and promotion guide covers gear leveling and promotion in more detail.
Another useful mechanic is that dismantling upgraded gear returns the Upgrade Ore invested in that gear. This gives you some flexibility when replacing older equipment, although you should still check the current dismantle preview before confirming so you know exactly which resources will be returned.
How to Upgrade the Smelter More Efficiently
Plan Around Headquarters Progression
Do not empty your Food, Iron, and Coin reserves on a Smelter if those resources are needed for a more important Headquarters milestone. The Smelter should support progression rather than block it.
Use Construction Bonuses
Account bonuses can affect the time and resources involved in building progression. Review your current benefits before beginning a long upgrade. The Last War VIP levels and perks guide explains the benefits available at different VIP levels.
Use Alliance Help
Once construction begins, alliance assistance can reduce the remaining build time. An active alliance becomes increasingly valuable once Smelter upgrades begin taking days rather than minutes. Improving the Alliance Support Hub can also strengthen your alliance-help system.
Do Not Upgrade Every Production Building at Once
The Smelter, Material Workshop, and Component Factory all support important long-term systems. Pouring resources into all of them simultaneously can leave too little for core progression.
Choose the resource bottleneck affecting your account most, upgrade around that need, and then reassess.
Smelter Upgrade Priority for F2P Players
F2P and low-spending players should be particularly selective with late Smelter upgrades because builder time, resources, and speedups are more limited.
A practical approach is:
- Unlock the Smelter at HQ 6: Start passive Upgrade Ore production as early as possible.
- Take the cheap early levels: Low-level upgrades provide the same +2 Ore/hour increase at a tiny fraction of late-game costs.
- Prioritize your main progression path: Do not slow important Headquarters or combat unlocks just to keep the Smelter equal to HQ level.
- Use event Ore sources: Supplement production through Alliance Duel, events, stores, and other available rewards.
- Spend Ore on meaningful gear: Avoid scattering it across heroes that rarely enter your main formation.
- Reassess at levels 30–35: The additional production is permanent, but the resource and construction commitment is substantial.
Common Smelter Mistakes
- Assuming level 30 is still the maximum: Current progression extends the Smelter to level 35 after the appropriate Age of Oil unlocks.
- Maxing it simply because Upgrade Ore is valuable: Each building level adds only +2 base Ore per hour.
- Ignoring the resource opportunity cost: High Smelter levels can consume resources needed for more important progression.
- Using old upgrade charts without checking in-game: Older databases may contain slightly different historical costs and build times.
- Neglecting alliance help: Long late-game construction benefits much more from every available time reduction.
- Spreading Upgrade Ore too widely: Producing Ore efficiently does little good if it is invested into low-priority gear.
- Relying only on Smelter production: Events, stores, and other game activities provide additional Upgrade Ore.
Smelter and Long-Term Account Progression
The Smelter becomes more useful as your gear requirements increase, but its contribution should be viewed alongside the rest of your account. Strong hero gear also depends on Coins, blueprints, Gear Factory progression, and other equipment materials, while your overall combat strength still relies on heroes, research, Drone development, troops, and additional systems.
Players who prefer to begin with more infrastructure and gear progression already completed can optionally browse a Last War account for sale. Building levels, Smelter progression, hero gear, and resource inventories vary by account, so check each listing individually.
FAQs
What does the Smelter do in Last War?
The Smelter continuously produces Upgrade Ore, a resource used to improve hero gear. Higher Smelter levels increase its base hourly production.
When do you unlock the Smelter in Last War?
Your first Smelter becomes available when your Headquarters reaches level 6.
What is the maximum Smelter level?
Current building data extends the Smelter to level 35. Older guides that stop at level 30 do not include the later Age of Oil building progression.
How much Upgrade Ore does a level 35 Smelter produce?
A level 35 Smelter has a listed base output of 70 Upgrade Ore per hour. Level 30 produces 60 per hour, so levels 31–35 add another 10 Ore per hour in total.
Is upgrading the Smelter worth it?
Early and mid-level upgrades are generally useful because they improve permanent passive Ore production. Late-game upgrades should be weighed against their much larger resource costs, long construction times, and other account priorities.
How do I unlock Smelter levels 31–35?
Advanced building levels are tied to the post-Season-2 Age of Oil progression. You need the relevant Base Expansion research and level-cap progression before the Smelter can move beyond level 30.
Conclusion
The Last War Smelter is a reliable long-term source of Upgrade Ore, scaling from 2 Ore per hour at level 1 to 70 per hour at level 35. Upgrade the inexpensive levels early, but judge expensive late-game upgrades against your Headquarters, research, combat buildings, and other resource priorities rather than maxing the Smelter automatically.
For more building guides, gear strategies, and progression advice, visit the Heaven Guardian Last War Survival guides.
