The Drill Ground in Last War: Survival determines how many trained troops your base can hold. You start with one Drill Ground, unlock the second at Headquarters level 16 and the third at Headquarters level 21, while the fourth comes from the Extra Drill Ground research in the Siege to Seize technology tree.
If you see a “Drill Ground full” or “Training Ground full” message, your available troop storage has been exhausted. Upgrading a Drill Ground, unlocking another one, increasing capacity through research, or making room for troops will let training continue.
What Does the Drill Ground Do in Last War?
The Drill Ground is a troop-storage building. It does not train soldiers and should not be confused with march-size bonuses.
Your Barracks trains and promotes troops. Once those troops are ready, you need enough Drill Ground capacity to accommodate them. When the available capacity is exhausted, troop production can become blocked.
This makes the two buildings closely connected:
- Barracks: Determines which troop tiers you can train or promote and how many units can be processed in a training batch.
- Drill Ground: Determines the total number of trained troops your base can accommodate.
Increasing Barracks production without increasing storage eventually creates a bottleneck. On the other hand, spending heavily on troop capacity that you are nowhere near filling provides little immediate benefit.
How to Unlock the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Drill Grounds
| Drill Ground | Unlock Requirement | What to Know |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Early tutorial progression | Your initial troop-storage building. |
| 2nd | Headquarters Level 16 | Provides an important mid-game increase in total troop capacity. |
| 3rd | Headquarters Level 21 | Another major capacity increase for accounts training troops regularly. |
| 4th | Extra Drill Ground research in Siege to Seize | A late-game research unlock rather than an automatic HQ unlock. |
Second Drill Ground: HQ Level 16
The second Drill Ground becomes available when your Headquarters reaches level 16. Constructing it gives you another independent building that contributes to total troop capacity.
Do not leave the new building at a very low level for long if you regularly train troops. Its starting capacity helps, but bringing it closer to your main Drill Ground provides far more value.
Third Drill Ground: HQ Level 21
The third Drill Ground unlocks at Headquarters level 21. By this stage, training speed and Barracks development are usually high enough that troop storage can become a recurring constraint, especially for active players who train continuously.
If reaching HQ 21 is already one of your progression goals, factor the resources needed to construct and upgrade the third Drill Ground into your planning rather than spending everything immediately on other buildings.
Fourth Drill Ground: Siege to Seize Research
The fourth Drill Ground is different. It is unlocked through the Extra Drill Ground research node inside the Siege to Seize technology tree.
Current 2026 research references place this progression in the HQ 30 late game. The Siege to Seize tree itself requires sufficient Special Forces research progress before it becomes available. Current references commonly report a threshold around 40% Special Forces completion, although technology-tree gates have changed in previous updates, so the requirement displayed in your own Tech Center should take priority.
Within Siege to Seize, current progression data places Final Stand I, Fierce Assault I, and Vigilant Formation I before Extra Drill Ground. After completing the required research, you still need to construct the new Drill Ground and upgrade it from its starting level.
What to Do When Your Last War Drill Ground Is Full
“Drill Ground full” is one of the most common reasons players search for this building. It usually means trained troops are consuming all available storage and the Barracks has nowhere to place additional units.
Use the following priorities when you run out of space:
- Stop starting unnecessary new troop batches. Continuing to train new units only adds to the problem.
- Upgrade an existing Drill Ground. Every building level directly increases its Unit Count.
- Unlock another Drill Ground when available. HQ 16 and HQ 21 are especially important capacity milestones.
- Promote existing lower-tier troops instead of continually creating new ones. Promotion improves troop quality without intentionally building an ever-larger stockpile of low-tier units.
- Check troop-capacity research. Relevant research bonuses can increase the total capacity shown on your account.
If completed troops are already waiting inside a Barracks because your Drill Grounds are full, the normal Barracks interface or promotion workflow can sometimes be restricted until space is available. Increasing Drill Ground capacity is the cleanest solution.
Last War Drill Ground Upgrade Costs and Capacity
Each Drill Ground upgrade increases building power and Unit Count. Iron and Food are required from the beginning, while Coin is added from level 9 onward.
The figures below are base reference values. Your actual construction time or resource requirement can differ because of research, survivors, alliance bonuses, VIP effects, professions, and other account bonuses.
| Level | Iron | Food | Coin | Upgrade Time (Approx.) | Power | Unit Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | 60 | – | 4s | 700 | 2,000 |
| 2 | 15 | 45 | – | 3s | 1,400 | 2,250 |
| 3 | 340 | 1,000 | – | 40s | 2,100 | 2,500 |
| 4 | 840 | 2,500 | – | 1m 57s | 2,800 | 2,750 |
| 5 | 6,800 | 20,000 | – | 11m 42s | 3,500 | 3,000 |
| 6 | 20,000 | 61,000 | – | 23m 24s | 4,200 | 3,200 |
| 7 | 41,000 | 120,000 | – | 46m 48s | 4,900 | 3,400 |
| 8 | 65,000 | 190,000 | – | 1h 31m 20s | 5,600 | 3,600 |
| 9 | 100,000 | 310,000 | 83,000 | 2h 4m 49s | 6,400 | 3,800 |
| 10 | 120,000 | 370,000 | 100,000 | 2h 42m 16s | 7,300 | 4,000 |
| 11 | 310,000 | 930,000 | 250,000 | 3h 30m 56s | 8,600 | 4,200 |
| 12 | 530,000 | 1,600,000 | 420,000 | 4h 34m 12s | 10,300 | 4,400 |
| 13 | 580,000 | 1,700,000 | 470,000 | 5h 56m 27s | 12,100 | 4,600 |
| 14 | 810,000 | 2,400,000 | 650,000 | 6h 52m 50s | 14,200 | 4,800 |
| 15 | 1,100,000 | 3,400,000 | 910,000 | 7h 42m 54s | 16,700 | 5,000 |
| 16 | 2,000,000 | 6,100,000 | 1,600,000 | 9h 37m 58s | 20,000 | 5,200 |
| 17 | 2,600,000 | 7,900,000 | 2,100,000 | 1d 14h 24m 8s | 23,800 | 5,400 |
| 18 | 4,600,000 | 14,000,000 | 3,700,000 | 1d 18h 32m 35s | 28,800 | 5,600 |
| 19 | 5,500,000 | 17,000,000 | 4,400,000 | 2d 1h 3m 53s | 34,300 | 5,800 |
| 20 | 10,000,000 | 30,000,000 | 8,000,000 | 2d 11h 5m 26s | 41,700 | 6,000 |
| 21 | 14,000,000 | 42,000,000 | 11,000,000 | 2d 20h 58m 18s | 50,400 | 6,200 |
| 22 | 18,000,000 | 54,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 3d 18h 47m 16s | 60,300 | 6,400 |
| 23 | 23,000,000 | 68,000,000 | 18,000,000 | 4d 5h 5m 38s | 71,300 | 6,600 |
| 24 | 28,000,000 | 85,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 4d 10h 24m 9s | 83,700 | 6,800 |
| 25 | 48,000,000 | 140,000,000 | 39,000,000 | 6d 4h 57m 48s | 99,700 | 7,000 |
| 26 | 67,000,000 | 200,000,000 | 54,000,000 | 8d 7h 30m 22s | 118,600 | 7,200 |
| 27 | 88,000,000 | 260,000,000 | 70,000,000 | 13d 16h 1m 33s | 140,200 | 7,400 |
| 28 | 120,000,000 | 370,000,000 | 98,000,000 | 14d 8h 22m 8s | 165,800 | 7,600 |
| 29 | 170,000,000 | 520,000,000 | 140,000,000 | 21d 4h 20m 27s | 196,200 | 7,800 |
| 30 | 240,000,000 | 720,000,000 | 190,000,000 | 28 days | 232,000 | 8,000 |
How Much Drill Ground Capacity Do You Need?
There is no single capacity target that every account should chase. The right amount depends on how quickly you train troops and how frequently you fight.
A level 30 Drill Ground has a base Unit Count of 8,000. If you have four level 30 Drill Grounds, their raw building capacity adds up to 32,000 before applicable research or other bonuses. Four level 35 buildings provide 34,000 raw capacity.
The number shown on your account may therefore be different from a simple sum of the building tables. Research such as Drill Ground capacity improvements and other account bonuses can modify the final total.
F2P Players
Free-to-play players usually get better overall progression by upgrading Drill Grounds when capacity is becoming restrictive rather than automatically pushing every building to the highest possible level.
If your grounds still have plenty of free space, Headquarters requirements, important Tech Center research, troop tiers, hero development, and other military buildings can provide a stronger immediate return.
Heavy Trainers and Spenders
Players who train large batches continuously are more likely to hit the capacity ceiling. Keeping multiple Drill Grounds reasonably close to current HQ progression becomes more valuable because faster training consumes unused troop space quickly.
The fourth Drill Ground is particularly useful for mature accounts that regularly rebuild large troop losses or maintain long training queues.
Best Drill Ground Upgrade Strategy by Progression Stage
Before HQ 16
You only have the original Drill Ground, so keep it developed enough that troop training does not stall. Several Headquarters upgrades also use Drill Ground levels as prerequisites, meaning you cannot ignore the building completely while rushing HQ.
HQ 16 to HQ 20
Build the second Drill Ground when it becomes available. Even if you do not immediately match the level of your first building, developing both gives you more flexibility than relying on one capacity source.
HQ 21 to HQ 29
Construct the third Drill Ground and gradually bring all three to useful levels. At this stage, prioritize an upgrade when you are regularly approaching the troop cap rather than waiting until a finished Barracks batch becomes stuck.
HQ 30 and Siege to Seize
Late-game players can begin working toward the Extra Drill Ground research. Valor Badge and research priorities compete with many other useful combat upgrades, so do not assume the fourth ground should automatically be your first late-game research target.
If troop storage is already comfortable, combat research may provide greater value. If you constantly reach full capacity, the fourth ground becomes much easier to justify.
Players who would rather start from an already developed account can optionally compare Last War accounts for sale; otherwise, building your own Drill Grounds remains a straightforward long-term progression path.
Drill Ground Levels 31–35 and the Age of Oil
Buildings can progress beyond level 30 after your warzone reaches the Age of Oil stage associated with post-Season 2 progression. The Age of Oil technology tree appears in the Tech Center, and HQ Expansion research is required to open the level 31–35 building path.
These levels add Oil to the normal Iron, Food, and Coin costs. Capacity increases more slowly than during many earlier Drill Ground levels: each step from 31 through 35 adds another 100 base units.
| Level | Iron | Food | Coin | Oil | Power | Unit Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 260,000,000 | 790,000,000 | 210,000,000 | 270,000 | 269,500 | 8,100 |
| 32 | 290,000,000 | 870,000,000 | 230,000,000 | 432,000 | 308,800 | 8,200 |
| 33 | 320,000,000 | 960,000,000 | 260,000,000 | 734,400 | 350,200 | 8,300 |
| 34 | 340,000,000 | 1,000,000,000 | 270,000,000 | 1,321,920 | 392,600 | 8,400 |
| 35 | 350,000,000 | 1,100,000,000 | 280,000,000 | 2,643,840 | 436,400 | 8,500 |
Because Oil becomes a major late-game constraint, pushing every Drill Ground from 30 to 35 immediately is rarely an automatic decision. Compare the extra capacity with upgrades for your Headquarters, Tech Center, Barracks, Hospital, hero-type centers, and other Age of Oil priorities.
How to Upgrade Drill Grounds More Efficiently
- Watch free capacity before training: Check your remaining space before starting a large Barracks batch.
- Promote lower-tier units: When appropriate, use your Barracks to promote troops you already own rather than endlessly adding new low-tier units.
- Plan ahead for HQ 16 and HQ 21: The second and third Drill Grounds are meaningful troop-capacity milestones.
- Keep resources ready: Develop your Iron Mine, Farmland, and Gold Mine alongside major construction needs.
- Use alliance help on long upgrades: Request assistance after starting advanced building levels. A developed Alliance Support Hub improves your ability to benefit from alliance assistance.
- Time long construction intelligently: Before spending large amounts of speedups, check the Last War Event Hub and see whether the completion can also contribute to a relevant scoring phase.
- Keep recovery capacity in mind: A bigger standing army is more useful when your Hospital and other recovery systems can handle the casualties produced by serious PvP.
Common Drill Ground Mistakes
Training Until the Ground Is Completely Full
Waiting for the warning message before reacting can leave finished troops stuck in the Barracks. Upgrade or unlock capacity before you reach the hard ceiling if your account trains continuously.
Assuming the Fourth Drill Ground Unlocks Automatically
HQ 30 does not simply place a fourth building in your base. You must progress the Siege to Seize research path and complete Extra Drill Ground.
Unlocking Another Ground but Not Upgrading It
A newly constructed level 1 Drill Ground has a base capacity of only 2,000. The unlock becomes much more valuable after the building is brought closer to the levels of your existing Drill Grounds.
Over-Upgrading Capacity You Do Not Use
A massive empty Drill Ground does not directly improve the strength of your heroes. If troop capacity is comfortably above your actual army size, other building and research priorities may deserve the resources first.
Confusing Troop Capacity With Combat Stats
The Drill Ground houses troops; troop quality and combat performance come from other systems. Review the Last War troop stats guide for a closer look at troop Power, Morale, Load, and the stats troops contribute in battle.
FAQs
What does the Drill Ground do in Last War?
The Drill Ground determines how many trained troops your base can hold. Troop training and promotion are handled by the Barracks.
When do you get the second Drill Ground in Last War?
The second Drill Ground unlocks at Headquarters level 16.
When do you get the third Drill Ground in Last War?
The third Drill Ground unlocks at Headquarters level 21.
How do you unlock the fourth Drill Ground?
The fourth building is unlocked by completing the Extra Drill Ground research in the Siege to Seize technology tree. This is late-game research rather than an automatic Headquarters unlock.
What should I do when my Last War Drill Ground is full?
Stop adding unnecessary new troops and create more capacity by upgrading a Drill Ground, unlocking another one, or progressing relevant capacity research. Promoting existing lower-tier troops is also preferable to continually creating more low-tier units when your army is already near the limit.
What is the Drill Ground capacity at levels 30 and 35?
A single Drill Ground has a base Unit Count of 8,000 at level 30 and 8,500 at level 35. Your actual displayed troop capacity can be higher because multiple Drill Grounds and account-wide bonuses contribute to the total.
Conclusion
The Last War Drill Ground is primarily a capacity-management building: keep enough space available for your Barracks, unlock the second and third grounds at HQ 16 and HQ 21, and work toward Extra Drill Ground in Siege to Seize when a fourth building makes sense for your late-game account.
Upgrade capacity when it is becoming a real bottleneck rather than treating every Drill Ground level as an automatic priority. For more building, research, and troop-progression advice, explore our latest Last War Survival guides.
