The Gear Factory in Last War is the building used to craft equipment, merge gear materials, and dismantle unwanted gear. It unlocks when your Headquarters reaches level 9, with the most important building milestones at level 5 for Epic Gear, level 10 for Legendary Gear, and level 20 for promoting level-40 Legendary equipment beyond its normal level cap.
For most players, Gear Factory level 20 is the key long-term target. Upgrading beyond level 20 still increases building power, but current building data does not list another major gear-system unlock through level 35. That means late upgrades should compete with your Headquarters, Tech Center, troop buildings, and other progression priorities rather than being automatically maxed.
★Quick Take: Aim for Gear Factory level 10 as soon as Legendary Gear becomes relevant, then work toward level 20 before your best Legendary pieces reach level 40. After level 20, there is no documented new crafting rarity or promotion feature, so additional levels are usually a lower priority unless they support your wider building progression.
What Does the Gear Factory Do in Last War?
The Gear Factory becomes available at Headquarters level 9. If you have not reached that requirement yet, use the Last War Headquarters upgrade guide to plan the buildings and resources needed for your next HQ level.
Once unlocked, the Gear Factory provides several important equipment functions:
- Craft gear: Produce equipment when you have the required materials and Factory level.
- Merge materials: Convert lower-tier gear materials into higher-tier components.
- Dismantle gear: Break down unwanted equipment and recover useful materials.
- Manage advanced gear progression: Gear Factory level 20 is required when promoting level-40 Legendary gear beyond its normal level progression.
The Factory itself does not produce Upgrade Ore. Upgrade Ore primarily comes from the Smelter and other game rewards, while gear crafting materials follow their own production and merge system.
Last War Gear Factory Levels and Major Unlocks
You do not need every Gear Factory level to unlock a new feature. The most important milestones are levels 1, 5, 10, and 20.
| Gear Factory Level | Iron | Food | Coin | Base Upgrade Time | Power | Key Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 90 | 30 | – | 6s | 500 | Rare Gear |
| 5 | 20,000 | 6,800 | – | 11m 42s | 2,500 | Epic Gear |
| 10 | 650,000 | 220,000 | 70,000 | 4h 58m 7s | 6,300 | Legendary Gear |
| 20 | 52,000,000 | 17,000,000 | 5,600,000 | 4d 10h 51m 2s | 48,300 | Gear Promotion |
| 30 | 1,300,000,000 | 420,000,000 | 130,000,000 | 47d 9h 58m 18s | 280,400 | Normal pre-Age of Oil cap |
These are base requirements. Construction bonuses from research, professions, alliance systems, and other account effects can reduce the actual resources or time displayed on your account.
Level 1: Rare Gear
Your newly built Gear Factory begins with access to Rare Gear. Rare equipment is useful during early progression, but it is normally temporary because Epic and Legendary gear offer stronger long-term development.
Level 5: Epic Gear
Gear Factory level 5 unlocks Epic Gear. Epic equipment is much more useful for developing squads and can be upgraded to level 30.
Synthetic Resin is the gear material associated with crafting Epic equipment and also serves as the final material stage before Dielectric Ceramic.
Level 10: Legendary Gear
Level 10 is one of the most important Gear Factory upgrades because it unlocks Legendary Gear crafting. Legendary equipment has the strongest normal gear progression and can be leveled to 40 before entering star promotion.
Crafting Legendary equipment requires Dielectric Ceramic, so reaching Factory level 10 is only one part of the process. You still need enough crafting materials and Coins to create each piece.
Level 20: Gear Promotion
Gear Factory level 20 unlocks advanced promotion for Legendary gear that has reached level 40. This makes level 20 the most important late-game Factory breakpoint.
If none of your Legendary equipment is close to level 40, you do not necessarily need to rush the Factory to 20 immediately. However, reaching it before your first important level-40 pieces are ready prevents the building from becoming the next progression bottleneck.
Should You Upgrade the Gear Factory Past Level 20?
Current Gear Factory data does not list another major gear rarity, crafting feature, or promotion unlock after level 20. Levels 21 through 35 continue increasing building power, but their direct equipment value is much less obvious than the earlier milestone levels.
This makes level 20 a good point to reassess your priorities.
Upgrading beyond level 20 makes more sense when:
- Your major Headquarters and Tech Center requirements are already under control.
- You have surplus Food, Iron, Coin, and builder capacity.
- A building event rewards an upgrade you already planned to complete.
- Your late-game progression requires higher building levels.
- You have entered Age of Oil and are intentionally advancing your entire base beyond level 30.
Give further Gear Factory levels lower priority when they would delay more important research, troop buildings, Headquarters upgrades, or other systems with an immediate combat benefit.
✓Recommendation: Think of Gear Factory progression in three stages: reach level 10 for Legendary crafting, reach level 20 before serious Legendary star promotion, then treat levels 21–35 as general base progression rather than essential gear unlocks.
Gear Factory Material Merge Chain
One of the Gear Factory’s most important functions is converting low-tier materials into the components required for stronger equipment.
The standard merge chain is:
| Materials Used | Result |
|---|---|
| 4 Screws | 1 Refined Iron Module |
| 4 Refined Iron Modules | 1 Superalloy |
| 4 Superalloy | 1 Synthetic Resin |
| 4 Synthetic Resin | 1 Dielectric Ceramic |
Screws sit at the bottom of this material chain. Because every tier requires four of the previous material, crafting high-tier components consumes a large number of lower-tier resources.
Do not merge everything automatically. Keeping some materials at lower tiers can be useful if you still need to craft or manage lower-rarity gear.
Crafting Gear Efficiently
Although the Gear Factory can craft several gear rarities as you level it, long-term accounts should be selective about where they spend crafting materials.
Do Not Overcraft Temporary Gear
Rare and Epic gear can help during early and mid-game progression, but these pieces eventually give way to Legendary equipment. If your account is already close to producing Legendary gear, consuming a large supply of materials on temporary pieces can delay your first permanent gear set.
This does not mean lower-rarity gear is useless. Equip what improves your squad now, but distinguish between using equipment you obtain and investing heavily to craft gear that will soon be replaced.
Build Around Your Main Squad First
Completing useful gear for your primary five heroes generally produces more immediate value than spreading high-quality equipment thinly across several secondary squads.
Your strongest damage dealers usually benefit most from offensive equipment investment, while front-line heroes benefit from defensive gear. For specific upgrade priorities, use the Last War gear upgrade and promotion guide.
How Gear Dismantling Works
The Gear Factory lets you dismantle equipment that you no longer need and recover the materials originally used to craft it.
For upgraded gear, current Upgrade Ore data also states that dismantling returns 100% of the Upgrade Ore invested. This makes it easier to move Ore away from obsolete equipment when your roster progresses to better gear.
Before dismantling anything, still review the confirmation screen. A piece that is no longer useful on your first squad might still improve a second or third formation.
When Should You Dismantle Gear?
Dismantling is most useful when:
- A lower-rarity item has been permanently replaced.
- You need its materials to work toward a stronger gear piece.
- The item has no useful role on your secondary squads.
- You want to recover Upgrade Ore from equipment you no longer intend to use.
Avoid dismantling gear simply because it is currently unequipped. Check the needs of all active squads first.
Gear Promotion at Factory Level 20
Legendary gear normally progresses to level 40 using Coins and Upgrade Ore. Once a piece reaches level 40 and your Gear Factory is level 20, you can begin star promotion.
Promotion introduces several additional resources:
- Upgrade Ore
- Coins
- Dielectric Ceramic
- Legendary Gear Blueprints
- Mythic Gear Blueprints for the final 5-star step
Stars 1 through 4 require progressively more Legendary Gear Blueprints. The listed requirements are 5 for the first star, 10 for the second, 15 for the third, and 20 for the fourth, or 50 Legendary Blueprints in total for one gear piece through 4 stars.
The move from 4-star Legendary gear to 5-star Mythic gear uses 10 Mythic Gear Blueprints instead.
Because blueprints can become a major bottleneck, reaching Gear Factory level 20 does not mean you should promote every piece evenly. Prioritize equipment belonging to permanent main-squad heroes.
Gear Factory Levels 31–35 and Age of Oil
Level 30 is no longer the absolute Gear Factory cap. After Season 2, your warzone can enter Age of Oil, which introduces progression beyond level 30.
Completing the relevant HQ Expansion research in the Age of Oil section of the Tech Center unlocks five additional Gear Factory levels.
| Level | Iron | Food | Coin | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1.4B | 460M | 150M | 326,400 |
| 32 | 1.5B | 510M | 160M | 374,200 |
| 33 | 1.7B | 560M | 180M | 424,800 |
| 34 | 1.8B | 590M | 190M | 476,900 |
| 35 | 1.9B | 620M | 200M | 530,400 |
These upgrades are extremely resource-intensive. Since no additional Gear Factory crafting milestone is currently documented after level 20, do not assume Factory 31–35 should outrank Headquarters, Tech Center, military, or other Age of Oil progression simply because the levels are available.
F2P and Low-Spender Gear Factory Priority
F2P and low-spending players usually benefit from milestone-based Factory progression rather than trying to keep the building permanently equal to Headquarters level.
- Reach HQ 9 and build the Factory: Unlock gear crafting and material management.
- Push toward level 5: Gain access to Epic Gear.
- Make level 10 a major target: Legendary crafting is the Factory’s most important early-to-mid-game unlock.
- Build your main Legendary set: Invest materials into heroes you expect to keep.
- Prepare level 20: Complete it before level-40 Legendary gear needs star promotion.
- Slow down after level 20: Spend large building resources where they create the strongest account-wide return.
For F2P players in particular, conserving gear materials and blueprints matters more than increasing the Gear Factory’s displayed power.
Gear Factory and the Smelter
The Gear Factory and Smelter support different parts of the same equipment system.
The Gear Factory handles crafting and material conversion, while the Smelter provides passive Upgrade Ore for leveling equipment. As Legendary gear becomes more developed, both your Upgrade Ore and Coin requirements rise considerably.
A strong gear plan therefore needs more than a high Factory level. You also need:
- A reliable Upgrade Ore supply.
- Enough Coins for gear leveling and promotion.
- Dielectric Ceramic for Legendary crafting and promotion.
- Legendary and Mythic Gear Blueprints for advanced stars.
- A clear priority order for your main squad.
Common Gear Factory Mistakes
- Using outdated milestone information: Current building data lists Epic Gear at Factory 5, Legendary Gear at 10, and Gear Promotion at 20.
- Crafting too much temporary gear: Saving materials for permanent Legendary pieces can be more efficient once level 10 is close.
- Merging every material immediately: Convert components when you know which crafting tier you need.
- Ignoring the level-20 requirement: A level-40 Legendary item cannot enter normal star promotion until the Factory reaches 20.
- Promoting every gear piece evenly: Blueprint bottlenecks reward careful main-squad prioritization.
- Dismantling without checking secondary squads: Replaced first-squad equipment may still have value elsewhere.
- Maxing the Factory only for power: Levels above 20 have much weaker direct gear value than the major unlock levels.
- Ignoring Age of Oil opportunity costs: Levels 31–35 consume enormous resources that may deliver more value in another building.
How the Gear Factory Fits Into Account Progression
The Gear Factory becomes increasingly important as your roster transitions from temporary Rare and Epic equipment into permanent Legendary and Mythic progression. However, Factory level alone does not create a strong gear setup. Materials, Upgrade Ore, Coins, blueprints, and good equipment allocation remain equally important.
Players who prefer to begin with more hero and equipment progression already completed can optionally browse Last War accounts for sale. Gear Factory level, hero equipment, blueprint inventories, and Age of Oil progression vary between accounts, so review each listing individually.
FAQs
When does the Gear Factory unlock in Last War?
The Gear Factory unlocks when your Headquarters reaches level 9.
What Gear Factory level unlocks Legendary Gear?
Gear Factory level 10 unlocks Legendary Gear crafting. Level 5 unlocks Epic Gear, while level 1 provides access to Rare Gear.
What Gear Factory level do I need for Gear Promotion?
You need Gear Factory level 20 to begin star promotion for Legendary gear after it reaches level 40.
Is it worth upgrading the Gear Factory past level 20?
Levels above 20 increase building power but do not currently list another major gear-system unlock. Prioritize them when they fit your overall building progression rather than automatically upgrading the Factory ahead of more important buildings.
Can I recover Upgrade Ore by dismantling gear?
Current Upgrade Ore information states that dismantling upgraded gear returns 100% of the Upgrade Ore invested. Check the dismantle preview before confirming to see the full set of returned resources.
What is the maximum Gear Factory level?
The current maximum listed Gear Factory level is 35. Levels 31–35 become available through the post-Season-2 Age of Oil progression after completing the required HQ Expansion research.
Conclusion
The Last War Gear Factory is most valuable at its major unlock levels: 5 for Epic Gear, 10 for Legendary Gear, and 20 for level-40 Legendary star promotion. Build around those milestones, preserve valuable materials and blueprints, and give post-20 upgrades lower priority unless they support a clear base-progression objective.
For more equipment strategies, building guides, and progression advice, visit the Heaven Guardian Last War Survival guides.
