The Drill Camp is one of the most useful hero progression features in Whiteout Survival. It allows you to raise the levels of multiple heroes without spending Hero XP on every character individually.
However, using the Drill Camp efficiently requires more than filling every available slot. Your five highest-level heroes determine the level of the entire camp, while resets and slot cooldowns can affect how quickly you reorganize your lineup.
This Whiteout Survival Drill Camp guide explains how the system works, which heroes should become instructors, who should use the Drill Slots, and how to avoid wasting Hero XP.
What Is the Drill Camp in Whiteout Survival?
The Drill Camp is a hero management system that unlocks when your Furnace reaches Level 13. You can access it from the Heroes menu.
Its main purpose is to reduce the amount of Hero XP needed to maintain a large roster. Instead of manually leveling every hero, you only need to invest XP into five heroes.
The game automatically uses your five highest-level heroes as Drill Instructors. Heroes placed into Drill Slots are then temporarily raised to match the lowest-level instructor.
Drill Camp Feature Overview
| Feature | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Unlock requirement | Furnace Level 13 |
| Drill Instructors | Five highest-level heroes |
| Drill level | Level of the lowest instructor |
| Maximum Drill Slots | 15 |
| Slot unlocks | Progressively unlocked through Furnace upgrades |
| Hero XP cost for slotted heroes | None |
| Level Reset | Returns Hero XP previously spent |
| Skill and gear upgrades | Managed separately |
The Drill Camp does not permanently level the heroes placed inside it. It temporarily synchronizes their levels while they remain assigned to Drill Slots.
How the Whiteout Survival Drill Camp Works
The Drill Camp has two main functions:
- Level Drills, which temporarily increase hero levels.
- Level Reset, which returns Hero XP invested in a hero.
Understanding the difference between these functions is important when reorganizing your roster.
Level Drills
The Level Drills section contains your five instructors and the Drill Slots available below them.
Your five highest-level heroes automatically become instructors. You cannot freely select instructors from a separate menu.
Every hero assigned to a Drill Slot receives a temporary level equal to the lowest-level instructor.
For example:
| Drill Instructor | Level |
| Instructor 1 | 65 |
| Instructor 2 | 65 |
| Instructor 3 | 64 |
| Instructor 4 | 64 |
| Instructor 5 | 60 |
In this example, every hero in a Drill Slot becomes Level 60 because the fifth instructor is the lowest-level member of the group.
Raising only the first four instructors would not improve the Drill Camp level. The fifth-highest hero must also be leveled.
Actual Level vs. Drill Level
A hero in the Drill Camp has two important level values:
- Actual level: The level reached by spending Hero XP.
- Drill level: The temporary level provided by the Drill Camp.
If a Level 1 hero is placed into a Level 60 Drill Camp, the hero can perform as a Level 60 hero while assigned to the slot. However, its actual level remains Level 1.
When removed from the slot, the hero returns to its actual level.
Drill Instructors Explained
Drill Instructors are not chosen based on power, rarity, stars, gear, or skill levels. The system simply selects your five heroes with the highest actual levels.
This means a lower-rarity hero can become an instructor if you have invested more Hero XP into that hero than your Mythic heroes.
What Determines Drill Instructors?
| Hero Upgrade | Affects Instructor Selection? |
| Actual hero level | Yes |
| Hero rarity | No |
| Star level | No |
| Skill level | No |
| Hero Gear | No |
| Exclusive Gear | No |
| Total hero power | No |
Because instructor selection depends only on level, you should be careful when manually leveling heroes outside your long-term lineup.
Best Drill Instructor Strategy
The best instructors are usually five heroes that you use frequently and plan to keep developed for a long time.
However, the system automatically selects instructors. Your real strategy is deciding which five heroes receive your Hero XP.
Recommended Instructor Priorities
| Priority | Hero Type | Why It Is Useful |
| 1 | Main Infantry hero | Important for frontline durability |
| 2 | Main Lancer hero | Frequently used in combat formations |
| 3 | Main Marksman hero | Provides important damage output |
| 4 | Regular Arena hero | Benefits daily combat progression |
| 5 | Long-term secondary hero | Maintains the Drill Camp level |
Your instructors do not need to include a specific number of heroes from each troop type. However, spreading your investment across heroes that you regularly use makes your Hero XP more valuable.
Level All Five Instructors Evenly
The most important Drill Camp strategy is keeping all five instructors at similar levels.
The lowest instructor controls the level of every slotted hero. A large difference between your highest and lowest instructors wastes some of the Drill Camp’s potential.
A balanced leveling pattern may look like this:
| Recommended Pattern | Example |
| Ideal | 60, 60, 60, 60, 60 |
| Acceptable | 61, 61, 60, 60, 60 |
| Inefficient | 65, 65, 63, 60, 52 |
You can still prioritize your three main combat heroes when necessary. Just avoid allowing the fourth and fifth heroes to fall too far behind.
Should You Use Your Strongest Heroes as Instructors?
In most cases, yes. Your five most-used heroes are good candidates for direct XP investment because they are likely to remain useful outside the Drill Camp.
However, “strongest” should refer to long-term usefulness rather than current power alone. Avoid heavily leveling a temporary hero simply because that hero is currently part of your starting lineup.
New hero generations can eventually replace older heroes. When your main lineup changes, use the Level Reset feature to recover XP and reorganize your instructors.
Best Heroes for Drill Slots
Heroes placed into Drill Slots should generally be useful characters that you want at a competitive level but do not want to level manually.
There is no universal list of the best Drill Camp heroes because hero availability depends on your state age, generation, spending level, and unlocked roster.
A selection framework is more useful than fixed hero names.
Drill Slot Priority
| Priority | Heroes to Place in Drill Slots |
| 1 | Heroes used in Arena, Exploration, and important events |
| 2 | Strong heroes from newer generations |
| 3 | Rally joiners and support heroes |
| 4 | Heroes used for secondary marches |
| 5 | Gathering and development heroes |
| 6 | Rarely used heroes |
New Generation Heroes
New heroes often begin at a very low level. Placing them into the Drill Camp makes them immediately usable without taking XP away from your established instructors.
You can then test the hero in Arena, Exploration, or other battles before deciding whether the hero deserves permanent XP investment.
Rally Joiner Heroes
Some heroes are mainly used because of their Expedition skills when joining rallies. They may not need permanent levels as urgently as your rally leaders or main Arena team.
Placing these heroes into Drill Slots keeps them usable while preserving XP for your primary lineup.
Secondary Combat Heroes
Whiteout Survival includes activities where you may need more than one useful formation. Secondary Infantry, Lancer, and Marksman heroes are therefore strong Drill Slot candidates.
This becomes more important as your roster grows and more heroes become available.
Gathering Heroes
Gathering heroes can occupy leftover Drill Slots, but they should not normally receive priority over combat heroes.
Their development and gathering bonuses often depend more on stars and skills than character level. Use available slots for them only after your important combat and support heroes have been assigned.
How to Use Level Reset
The Level Reset function allows you to return a hero to Level 1 and recover the Hero XP previously used on that hero.
This feature is especially useful after unlocking the Drill Camp because many players have already spread Hero XP across multiple early-game heroes.
How to Reset a Hero
- Open the Heroes menu.
- Enter the Drill Camp.
- Select the Level Reset tab.
- Choose the hero you want to reset.
- Review the returned Hero XP.
- Confirm the reset.
The recovered XP can then be reinvested into your five instructors.
Best Heroes to Reset
Consider resetting heroes that:
- Are no longer part of your main lineup.
- Can receive their level from a Drill Slot.
- Were only leveled during the early game.
- Have been replaced by newer-generation heroes.
- Are creating an unwanted instructor position.
- Received XP accidentally.
Resetting a hero does not remove star upgrades, skill levels, shards, Hero Gear, or other independent progression.
Changing a Drill Instructor
Because instructors are selected automatically, you cannot directly remove one using an instructor selection screen.
To replace an instructor:
- Reset the instructor you want to remove.
- The hero’s actual level returns to Level 1.
- The next-highest-level eligible hero automatically becomes an instructor.
- Reallocate the recovered Hero XP to your preferred instructor lineup.
Check your hero levels before confirming the reset. A different hero may become the replacement if that hero has a higher actual level than your intended choice.
Drill Slot and Reset Cooldowns
Drill Camp changes can trigger cooldowns, so avoid moving heroes without planning.
Removing Heroes from Drill Slots
When you remove a hero from a Drill Slot, that slot enters a 24-hour cooldown before another hero can be assigned.
The slot cooldown cannot normally be shortened with gems. Heroes that are currently deployed for gathering, beast hunting, rallies, or other activities must return before they can be removed.
Before removing a hero, check whether you will need the empty slot for a new unlock or upcoming event.
Level Reset Cooldown
After resetting and leveling the same hero again, another reset may be restricted by a 24-hour cooldown.
Unlike the Drill Slot cooldown, the reset cooldown may be shortened by spending gems. However, using gems for this is usually unnecessary unless you need an urgent roster change.
Cooldown Comparison
| Action | Cooldown | Can Gems Reduce It? |
| Removing a hero from a Drill Slot | 24 hours | No |
| Repeating a hero level reset | 24 hours | Yes |
| Removing a deployed hero | Not possible until the hero returns | Not applicable |
Best Whiteout Survival Drill Camp Strategy
A well-managed Drill Camp lets you develop a large roster while spending Hero XP on only five heroes.
Step 1: Reset Unnecessary Early-Game Levels
After unlocking the Drill Camp, review every hero that received Hero XP.
Reset lower-priority heroes and place the most useful ones into Drill Slots. Transfer the recovered XP to your five instructors.
Step 2: Build a Balanced Instructor Group
Choose five long-term heroes and keep their levels close together.
Whenever one instructor falls behind, level that hero before pushing the others much further.
Step 3: Prioritize Frequently Used Heroes
Fill your available slots with heroes used in:
- Arena
- Exploration
- Rally joining
- Bear Hunt
- Alliance events
- Secondary marches
- PvP activities
These heroes provide more immediate value than characters used only for collection.
Step 4: Leave Room for New Heroes
When your state approaches a new hero generation, avoid filling every slot with low-priority characters.
Keeping one slot available—or preparing to remove an unused hero early—makes it easier to test newly released heroes without waiting through a cooldown.
Step 5: Review the Camp After Roster Changes
Check your Drill Camp whenever you unlock a strong hero or replace a member of your main formation.
Your best instructor and slot arrangement will change as your state ages.
Drill Camp Mistakes to Avoid
Spreading Hero XP Across Too Many Heroes
Once Drill Camp is available, manually leveling every hero is inefficient. Concentrate XP on five instructors and use slots for the remaining roster.
Ignoring the Fifth Instructor
The lowest instructor controls the entire Drill Camp level. Raising your strongest hero does nothing for slotted heroes if the fifth instructor remains far behind.
Assuming You Can Select Instructors Freely
Instructors are determined automatically by actual hero level. Plan your XP distribution or use Level Reset to change the instructor lineup.
Removing Heroes Without Planning
A removed hero leaves the slot unavailable for 24 hours. Do not empty a slot immediately before unlocking a new hero or entering an important event.
Resetting Deployed Heroes
Heroes participating in gathering, rallies, beast hunting, or other deployments cannot be reset or removed from the Drill Camp. Recall them first.
Ignoring Skills, Stars, and Gear
The Drill Camp only solves the hero-level problem. A high Drill level does not automatically improve a hero’s stars, skills, gear, or exclusive equipment.
Continue investing those resources based on the hero’s role and importance.
Manually Leveling Slotted Heroes
A hero already receiving enough levels from the Drill Camp usually does not need Hero XP.
Only level that hero manually when you intend to make it an instructor or remove it from the camp permanently.
FAQs
When does Drill Camp unlock in Whiteout Survival?
The Drill Camp unlocks when your Furnace reaches Level 13. It can then be accessed through the Heroes menu.
How many Drill Instructors are there?
There are five Drill Instructors. They are automatically selected from your five highest-level heroes.
What determines the Drill Camp level?
The Drill Camp level matches your lowest-level instructor. This is also the level of every hero assigned to a Drill Slot.
Can I manually choose Drill Instructors?
No. Instructor selection is automatic and based on actual hero levels. To change an instructor, reset that hero and allow another high-level hero to take the position.
What happens when I remove a hero from Drill Camp?
The hero returns to its actual level, and the Drill Slot enters a 24-hour cooldown before it can be used again.
Does Drill Camp upgrade hero skills?
No. Drill Camp only synchronizes hero levels. Skill upgrades, star ascension, gear, and exclusive equipment must still be developed separately.
How many Drill Slots can I unlock?
You can unlock up to 15 Drill Slots by progressing through Furnace upgrades. The slots are added gradually between Furnace Level 13 and Level 30.
Do I lose Hero XP when resetting a hero?
The Level Reset feature returns the Hero XP invested in the selected hero. You can then use that XP on another character.
Conclusion
The Whiteout Survival Drill Camp is one of the best ways to save Hero XP and maintain a useful hero roster. Focus your XP on five long-term instructors, keep their levels balanced, and place secondary heroes into Drill Slots.
Remember that the fifth instructor controls the level of the entire camp. Use Level Reset when your lineup changes, and plan slot removals carefully because of the 24-hour cooldown.
As new generations arrive, review your instructors and Drill Slot priorities regularly. For more progression strategies, hero recommendations, and event tips, explore our other Whiteout Survival guides on Heaven Guardian.
