Being F2P in Last War doesn't mean progressing slowly. It means you have less room for mistakes.
Spenders can buy back resources, speedups and missed progression. F2P players have to get maximum value from what the game gives them for free.
That means knowing:
- What to upgrade first
- What resources to save
- Where to spend Diamonds
- Which stores and events matter
- How to build your main squad efficiently
- How to prepare for T10 and T11
- And most importantly, what not to waste
The goal isn't to collect everything. It's to make everything you earn count.
This guide covers the important parts of F2P progression without turning the game into a second job. 😄
1. Think Like an F2P Player
The biggest F2P advantage isn't Power. It's efficiency.
You won't have enough resources to upgrade everything at once, so every big investment should have a purpose. Before using something valuable, ask:
"What does this actually improve?"
Try to avoid:
- Upgrading something just because it's available
- Chasing Total Power
- Building every hero you unlock
- Opening every resource chest immediately
- Using rare materials without a target
- Spending Diamonds for convenience
Save when saving makes sense, but don't become a permanent hoarder either. If a resource can give you an important upgrade today, sometimes using it is better than waiting three months for the "perfect" moment.
TIP: F2P isn't about saving everything. It's about wasting nothing.
2. Build Your Main Squad First
You still need one squad capable of actually fighting. Pick your main type:
- Tank
- Aircraft
- Missile
and concentrate your best combat resources there first, including Universal UR Shards, Skill Medals, Hero EXP, Gear, Blueprints and Exclusive Weapon resources.
For many F2P accounts, Tank is an easier starting path because several useful Tank heroes and progression options are accessible early. But don't abandon months of Aircraft or Missile investment just because another type becomes popular.
Remember the counter:
Tank → Missile → Aircraft → Tank
Don't ignore SSR heroes that later receive UR Promotion, such as Mason, Violet, Scarlett, Sarah, Venom and Braz. A hero you've already developed for free can sometimes be more valuable than a new UR hero you can't properly build.
TIP: Build one great squad before trying to build three good ones.
Want to go deeper into Heroes, formations, Gear, EW, Awakening and squad investment?
Find Out What's Actually Holding Your Squad Back
3. Keep Your Account Growing
F2P progression isn't only about Heroes. Your account should constantly be moving forward through Buildings, Research, Troop Training, Drone, Gear and seasonal progression.
Try to keep your important queues active. An idle Research queue for several days is progression you'll never get back, and the same applies to Construction while you're pushing HQ requirements.
Plan Your HQ Path
Don't wait until your HQ finishes to discover what the next required buildings are. Look ahead and prepare them so your next upgrade can start as soon as possible.
The same principle applies to Research:
Know your next target before finishing the current one.
Speedups are also much more valuable when they're helping you reach a planned milestone instead of being used randomly just because you don't want to wait.
4. Drone, Gear & Tech Add Up
Heroes are the most visible part of your squad, but they're only part of your combat strength.
Drone
Keep collecting and progressing:
- Drone Parts
- Components
- Skill Chips
- Combat Boost
- Battle Data
Drone progression remains useful for a very long time, so don't ignore it while chasing Hero Power.
Gear
Keep your best Gear concentrated on your main squad. As a simple starting point:
Attack Heroes - Gun - Data Chip
Defense Heroes - Radar - Armor
Upgrade Ore and especially Blueprints become valuable later, so don't spread them everywhere.
Tech
Research gives permanent bonuses. Keep progressing important combat research such as:
- Units
- Heroes
- Special Forces
- Type-specific research
- March Size
- Later combat / Mastery Tech
These small upgrades eventually create a huge difference between two accounts that otherwise look similar.
TIP: Similar Heroes but very different battle results? Check Drone, Gear and Tech.
See Exactly What Your Next Upgrade Will Cost
5. T10 → T11: Think Long Term
If you don't have T10 troops yet, reaching them should be one of your major progression goals. Keep your HQ, required buildings and Special Forces research moving toward that target, but don't completely neglect the rest of your account just to reach T10 with a weak squad.
Preparing for T11
Later, T11 becomes another major long-term progression path through the Armament Institute. Start saving important resources such as:
- Armament Materials
- Armament Cores
- Oil
You'll also need the required Armament progression and eventually a Level 35 Barracks.
Start collecting these resources when they become available instead of ignoring them because T11 still feels far away. But collecting early doesn't mean sacrificing everything else to rush it.
T11 makes a strong squad stronger. It doesn't fix a weak squad.
Don't Ignore March Size
March Size becomes increasingly important as your account develops. More troops participating in your march means more actual combat strength.
Keep improving March Size through the progression systems available to you instead of looking only at Hero Power.
See How Far You Really Are From T11
6. Diamonds: Don't Spend Them Like Free Money
Diamonds are free, but they're still one of your most flexible resources. That's exactly why they're easy to waste.
Be careful spending them on:
- Random instant finishes
- Basic resources
- Unnecessary refreshes
- Convenience purchases
- Things you could simply get by waiting
Instead, save Diamonds for opportunities that provide meaningful progression or resources that are harder to replace.
VIP Matters Too
Don't completely ignore VIP progression just because you're F2P. VIP levels provide permanent benefits that add up over time.
Use the free VIP Points you receive and think carefully before spending large amounts of Diamonds just to force the next VIP level. Also check the VIP Store regularly and compare what you're getting before using Diamonds elsewhere.
TIP: Before spending Diamonds, ask: "Can I get this for free by waiting?"
If the answer is yes, waiting is often the F2P solution.
7. Stores Are Part of Your Progression
F2P players should treat store currencies as resources, not something that needs to be spent immediately.
Regularly check your:
- Alliance Store
- Campaign Store
- VIP Store
- Seasonal Stores
- Event Shops
- Other limited exchange stores
Prioritize items that are important to your progression, difficult to obtain elsewhere and actually needed by your account.
Don't empty a store just because it reset, and don't waste valuable currency on something easily farmable while rare progression materials are available.
TIP: You don't have to buy something just because the store lets you. 😄
Event stores can be different, so always check whether their currency or exchange limits disappear when the event ends.
8. Make Every Upgrade Pay You Twice
This is one of the most important F2P tricks. Whenever possible, combine account progression with event progression.
Hero Stars ready? Use them during the appropriate Alliance Duel / Arms Race scoring window.
Big Research ready? Time it with Research scoring.
Drone upgrades saved? Use them when they can earn additional rewards.
Troops ready to train or promote? Look for the matching scoring opportunity.
The idea is simple:
One resource → Account progression + Event rewards.
Those rewards then help fund your next upgrade. That's how efficient F2P progression snowballs.
Don't take this too far, though. If waiting is actively blocking important progression, keep moving.
9. Your Alliance Is Free Progression
A strong active alliance is one of the biggest advantages an F2P player can have.
You gain more:
- Alliance Gifts
- Alliance Tech
- Help reductions
- Rally rewards
- Event rewards
- Train rewards
- Seasonal rewards
- Activity rewards
There's another advantage: when spenders in your alliance buy packs, Alliance Gifts benefit everyone. A very active alliance can therefore generate a surprising amount of free progression over months.
Don't stay in a nearly dead alliance while wondering why players around you are progressing faster.
TIP: Your alliance isn't just your team. It's part of your account progression.
10. Save Flexible & Rare Resources
Some resources become much more valuable simply because you haven't committed them yet.
Resource Choice Chests
Don't open them until you actually need something.
A closed choice chest is every resource. An opened chest is only one.
Universal UR Shards
Don't throw them at every hero who's close to another Star. Save them for heroes that actually matter to your main squad and long-term plan.
Skill Medals
Prioritize important skills instead of leveling everything equally.
Blueprints & EW Resources
These become expensive bottlenecks later. Don't spread them across heroes or Gear you aren't planning to use long term.
Speedups
Whenever practical, combine them with useful event scoring rather than burning thousands simply because you don't want to wait.
TIP: Rare resources should always have a destination before you use them.
11. Your Daily & Weekly F2P Income
You don't need to live inside the game, but consistency matters. Try not to regularly miss:
- Daily Missions
- Arms Race
- Alliance Duel
- Radar Tasks
- Secret Tasks
- Trucks
- Alliance activities
- Campaign rewards
- Store resets
- Seasonal activities
- Event exchanges
- Free event attempts
One missed reward means almost nothing. Missing those rewards repeatedly for six months means a completely different account.
Consistency beats occasional grinding.
12. Don't Chase Total Power
Total Power is useful, but it doesn't tell you how good an account actually is.
You can inflate it through huge troop numbers, unused Heroes, secondary squads, Buildings and random upgrades without making your main squad significantly better.
For combat, ask:
"How strong is the squad I'm actually sending into battle?"
A focused F2P account can sometimes outperform players with much higher Total Power simply because its important resources are concentrated where they matter.
Use Your Battle Reports
Don't immediately blame spending after every loss. Check:
- Formation
- Hero Stars & Skills
- Gear
- Exclusive Weapons
- Drone
- Tech
- Troop Tier
- March Size
- Type counter
- Who died first
- Who actually dealt the damage
Sometimes you don't need more resources. You need to use the resources you already have better.
Find Out What's Actually Holding Your Squad Back
Common F2P Mistakes
Avoid these and you're already ahead of a lot of players:
- Building all three squads too early
- Upgrading every UR hero
- Chasing Total Power
- Wasting Universal UR Shards
- Spreading Blueprints and EW resources everywhere
- Ignoring Drone or Tech
- Opening choice chests without needing them
- Spending Diamonds for convenience
- Using big upgrades outside useful event windows
- Ignoring future T10 / T11 requirements
- Staying in an inactive alliance
You don't need a perfect account. You just want fewer expensive mistakes.
F2P Priority Checklist
If you want the whole guide in a few lines:
- Keep your account progressing
- Build one strong main squad
- Use rare resources with a plan
- Progress Drone, Gear and Tech
- Plan HQ, T10 and eventually T11
- Use Diamonds carefully
- Prioritize valuable store rewards
- Combine upgrades with events
- Stay in an active alliance
- Don't chase Power just for the number
Before any expensive upgrade:
Set the target → Calculate the cost → Save the resources → Upgrade at the right time.
Stop Guessing. Calculate Your Next Upgrade
Thinking About Spending a Little?
Being F2P doesn't mean you're forbidden from ever spending. If you eventually decide to buy something, don't start buying random packs trying to catch up. Make that purchase solve an actual bottleneck.
See What Is Actually Worth Buying
F2P progression isn't about trying to imitate whales without the wallet. It's about getting more value from everything the game gives you.
Use your queues, plan ahead, take the free rewards, save rare resources until they have a purpose and make upgrades earn event rewards whenever possible.
Most importantly, build your account around progression that actually matters, not whichever upgrade happens to make your Power number o up today.
You don't need everything. You need to make everything you have count.