New Player Guide

Starting Last War: Survival with the right priorities can save weeks of inefficient progression.

The goal of the early game is not to increase Power as quickly as possible. It is to build a strong foundation: keep your progression queues active, push your Headquarters efficiently, develop one main squad, join an active alliance, and save valuable resources for high-value opportunities.

This guide is designed to remain useful as the game evolves, so it focuses on evergreen principles rather than numbered seasons or temporary events.

Quick Start: Your First Priorities

If you are completely new, follow this order:

1. Complete the tutorial and early missions.
2. Secure and maintain your beginner protection.
3. Join an active alliance as soon as possible.
4. Keep construction, research, and training queues active.
5. Push Headquarters progression efficiently.
6. Focus your hero resources on one main squad.
7. Build around one troop type rather than creating a mixed main squad.
8. Start gathering whenever your marches are available.
9. Save Gems, Speedups, and unopened resource items for valuable uses.
10. Participate in alliance and daily activities consistently.
11. Learn the troop counter system before taking unnecessary PvP fights.
12. Use events to improve the value of progression you were already going to do.

Complete the Tutorial and Early Missions

The tutorial and early missions provide some of the best free progression available to a new account.

They can provide:

• Heroes
• Resources
• Gems
• Speedups
• Upgrade materials
• Unlocks and progression rewards

Complete the guided objectives rather than skipping them.

Early missions also teach the basic game systems, so use them to learn how:

• Buildings work
• Heroes are developed
• Troops are trained
• Research works
• Alliances work
• The world map works
• Combat works

Do Not Waste Early Rewards

Early rewards are valuable because your account has very limited resources.

Avoid spending everything immediately simply because you have it.

Before using an important resource, ask:

Does this help my main progression, or am I spending it because I have it?

Choose Your Server Carefully

If you are starting a completely new account and have a choice of servers, consider the server's age and activity.

A new player joining an established server may be competing against accounts with a large progression advantage.

A newer server generally gives beginners more time to develop alongside other new accounts.

Before committing to a server, consider:

• Server age
• Active alliances
• Alliance activity
• Your preferred timezone
• Server rules
• Overall competitiveness

Server choice becomes much harder to change later, so do not select a server completely at random.

Protect Your Account Early

New players should understand the protection available during the early game.

If your account has a beginner shield or other protection, use that time to develop rather than looking for unnecessary PvP fights.

During early progression:

• Build your base.
• Develop your heroes.
• Train troops.
• Research.
• Join an alliance.
• Learn the combat system.

There is usually little to gain from attacking much stronger players during your first days.

Join an Active Alliance

Joining an active alliance is one of the highest-value decisions a new player can make.

Alliance participation can provide:

• Alliance Help
• Construction and research time reductions
• Alliance Technology bonuses
• Rally opportunities
• Alliance rewards
• Event rewards
• Protection
• Experienced players who can answer questions

Do not wait until your account is "strong enough."

An active alliance helps your account become stronger.

What Makes a Good Alliance?

Look for:

• Active members
• Frequent Alliance Help
• Active rallies
• Regular event participation
• Helpful leadership
• Good communication
• A reasonable activity requirement

A large alliance is not automatically a good alliance.

An active alliance where members actually participate is much more valuable than a large but inactive one.

Alliance Help

Whenever you log in:

• Check for Alliance Help requests.
• Help other members.
• Request help when you have long timers.
• Participate in alliance activities.

Alliance Help is a simple source of efficiency that should become part of your daily routine.

Push Headquarters Efficiently

The Headquarters (HQ) is the central progression gate of your account.

Higher HQ levels unlock and increase access to:

• Buildings
• Troop progression
• Research
• Hero progression
• Other systems and upgrades

For this reason, HQ progression should normally be one of your highest priorities.

HQ Upgrade Rule

Do not upgrade random buildings simply because they can be upgraded.

Instead:

1. Check the requirements for your next HQ level.
2. Identify the buildings that are blocking the upgrade.
3. Prepare the required resources.
4. Upgrade the required buildings.
5. Start the HQ upgrade as soon as practical.

This avoids wasting resources on buildings that are not currently helping your progression.

Do Not Rush Blindly

HQ progression is important, but it should be supported by the rest of your account.

A good account keeps its:

• Research
• Troops
• Main heroes
• Equipment
• Drone
• Economy

developing alongside HQ progression.

Keep Every Important Queue Active

Idle progression time is permanently lost.

Whenever possible, keep these systems working:

• Construction
• Research
• Training

If your account has multiple available queues, use them.

Before Logging Off

Before leaving the game, check:

• Is construction running?
• Is research running?
• Are troops training?
• Are gathering marches active?
• Are hospitals ready?
• Do you have an important event coming up?
• Is your account protected if you are vulnerable to PvP?

Long upgrades are especially useful before going offline or going to sleep.

Develop One Main Squad First

One of the biggest beginner mistakes is spreading resources across too many heroes.

Your first objective should be building one strong main squad.

A focused main squad gives you:

• Better PvE performance
• Stronger rallies
• Better resource efficiency
• Higher combat effectiveness
• Faster progression through difficult content

Instead of making five mediocre squads, make one strong squad first.

Main Squad Principle

Prioritize:

1. Your main five heroes
2. Their levels
3. Their stars
4. Their skills
5. Their equipment
6. Their troop type synergy

Once the main squad is established, you can begin developing additional squads.

Build Around One Troop Type

Last War's combat system is built around three main troop types:

• Tank
• Aircraft
• Missile

For a main squad, avoid randomly mixing heroes from different troop types.

A focused mono-type squad can benefit from same-type bonuses and generally gives beginners a clearer development path.

Why Mono-Type Development Helps

It allows you to concentrate:

• Hero EXP
• Shards
• Skills
• Equipment
• Research
• Troops

into one consistent combat direction.

Mixed squads can have specialized uses later, but they are usually a poor foundation for a new player's first major investment.

Understand the Troop Counter System

The basic combat triangle is:

Tank > Missile

Missile > Aircraft

Aircraft > Tank

This means troop matchup matters.

A weaker account with the correct matchup can sometimes perform better than a stronger account using a disadvantageous troop type.

Before attacking another player, check:

• Your troop type
• Enemy troop type
• Hero development
• Equipment
• Troop quantity
• Battle reports from previous fights

Do not judge combat only by Power.

Hero Development

Your heroes are one of the most important investments in your early account.

Do not level every hero equally.

Focus your limited resources on the heroes that belong to your main squad.

Main Hero Priorities

For your main heroes, focus on:

• Hero Level
• Stars
• Skills
• Equipment
• Synergy
• Proper positioning

Avoid Hero Resource Splitting

A common beginner mistake is:

"I have resources, so I should upgrade everyone."

This creates many average heroes instead of one strong team.

A better approach is:

Concentrate first. Expand later.

Squad Formation

A basic squad formation normally has:

Front Row

Frontline heroes should generally be the heroes that can survive incoming damage and protect the rest of the squad.

Back Row

Damage and support heroes are generally placed behind the frontline so they have more time to contribute.

The exact formation depends on hero abilities and the battle situation.

Do not assume that the highest Power hero automatically belongs in the front.

Survivability and role matter.

Equipment: Build Your Main Squad First

Equipment can significantly increase hero performance.

Your best equipment should generally go to the heroes you use most.

Prioritize:

• Main damage dealers
• Main frontline heroes
• Frequently used heroes

Avoid investing heavily into equipment for heroes that are not part of your main squad.

Equipment Principle

A few well-developed heroes with strong equipment are generally more useful than many heroes with mediocre equipment.

Hero Skills Matter

Hero Power alone does not tell the complete story.

Skills can significantly affect:

• Damage
• Survivability
• Buffs
• Debuffs
• Utility
• Team performance

When developing your main heroes, do not ignore their skills.

A well-developed hero with properly upgraded skills can outperform a higher-level hero whose skills have been neglected.

Research Is a Permanent Investment

Research provides long-term account improvements.

Start research as soon as possible and avoid leaving the Research queue idle.

Research can improve:

• Construction
• Research speed
• Training
• Troops
• Heroes
• Combat statistics
• Resource efficiency
• Event performance

Early Research Principle

Early in the game, prioritize research that improves your ability to progress faster.

Research speed and development-oriented upgrades can compound over time because they make future research and account development more efficient.

Combat research becomes increasingly important as your account develops.

Drone Development

The Drone is another major combat progression system.

Do not ignore it simply because your heroes are more visible.

Drone progression can improve your overall combat performance through:

• Combat stats
• Abilities
• Squad bonuses
• Long-term upgrades

Develop your Drone alongside your main squad rather than leaving it far behind.

Train Troops Consistently

Troops determine the size and strength of your marches.

Keep training queues active whenever possible.

Troop development depends on:

• Troop tier
• Troop quantity
• Training capacity
• Research
• Account progression

A strong hero lineup cannot perform at full potential if your army does not have enough properly developed troops.

Keep Your Hospitals Under Control

Combat can generate wounded troops.

Do not ignore your hospitals.

Before important activities:

• Heal wounded troops.
• Check hospital capacity.
• Avoid unnecessary fights that could overwhelm your hospitals.
• Make sure your army is ready before major events or rallies.

Do not take unnecessary early PvP risks simply to increase Power or test your account.

Keep Gathering Marches Active

World-map gathering is an important part of your economy.

Whenever possible:

• Send available marches to gather.
• Keep gathering running while offline.
• Collect resources regularly.
• Replace completed gathering marches.

An idle march is an unused source of resources.

Over weeks and months, consistently gathering adds up to a significant amount of additional progression.

Resource Management

Your early resources are limited.

The main basic resources include:

• Food
• Iron
• Gold

You will also need:

• Speedups
• Hero resources
• Equipment materials
• Research materials
• Other progression items

Do Not Spend Everything Immediately

Before using an important resource, consider:

• What is my next HQ requirement?
• Is an event coming?
• Is this upgrade part of my main progression?
• Can this resource provide more value if saved?

Planning becomes increasingly important as upgrade costs increase.

Save Your Gems

Gems are a premium resource and should be treated carefully.

Avoid wasting them on low-value purchases simply because they provide an immediate Power increase.

Be especially careful with spending gems on:

• Random purchases
• Unplanned speedups
• Low-value resources
• Unnecessary recruitment

Use Gems for opportunities that provide meaningful long-term account value.

VIP and Gems

VIP is an important long-term progression system.

Because VIP benefits can provide permanent account advantages, new players should understand the value of saving and using Gems strategically rather than spending them impulsively.

Check the current VIP milestones in-game before committing to a major Gem purchase.

Speedups: Do Not Waste Them

Speedups are among the most valuable progression resources.

They can be used for:

• Construction
• Research
• Training
• Other progression systems

Do not automatically use every Speedup the moment you receive it.

Better Speedup Usage

Whenever possible, combine Speedup usage with:

• Construction events
• Research events
• Training events
• Alliance Duel scoring
• Important progression milestones

This can allow the same resource to provide both progression and event rewards.

The exact event schedule changes, so always check the current event before spending a large amount.

Resource Chests and Other Stored Items

Do not automatically open every resource chest or stored resource item as soon as you receive it.

Stored resources can be useful when:

• You need to meet an upgrade requirement.
• A major upgrade is ready.
• You are preparing for an event.
• Your account has reached a more expensive progression stage.

The value of waiting can depend on the item and current game mechanics, so check the specific item's description before assuming it scales with HQ.

Use Stamina Efficiently

Stamina is another resource that should not simply sit unused.

Use it on activities that provide useful progression, such as:

• PvE stages
• Zombies
• Other available map activities
• Event objectives when appropriate

Avoid letting stamina remain capped for long periods because excess regeneration can be wasted.

Daily Routine

A simple daily routine prevents a large amount of missed progression.

Daily Checklist

• Collect daily rewards.
• Complete Daily Tasks.
• Check VIP rewards.
• Start construction.
• Start research.
• Start troop training.
• Send gathering marches.
• Help alliance members.
• Donate to Alliance Technology.
• Use available stamina.
• Check events.
• Check upcoming event requirements.
• Heal wounded troops.
• Review your main squad.
• Prepare long queues before going offline.

Consistency is more important than playing for many hours at once.

Events: Progress With a Plan

Events are an important source of resources and rewards.

The biggest beginner mistake is treating every event as a reason to spend everything immediately.

Instead, learn which actions score points and when they score.

Examples can include:

• Construction
• Research
• Training
• Hero development
• Recruitment
• Resource gathering
• Other progression actions

The Basic Event Rule

If you were already planning to perform an upgrade, try to perform it during an event that rewards that action.

This creates double value:

Progression + Event Rewards

Always check the current event rules because scoring requirements can change.

Alliance Events

Do not ignore alliance events simply because your account is small.

Many alliance rewards are based on participation.

Early participation can provide:

• Resources
• Speedups
• Materials
• Experience
• Alliance rewards

You do not need to be the strongest player to contribute.

Be active and follow alliance instructions.

Avoid Unnecessary PvP

PvP can be exciting, but early losses can slow your progression.

Before attacking, evaluate:

• Enemy Power
• Hero lineup
• Troop type
• Troop quantity
• Equipment
• Formation
• Possible hospital losses

If you are unsure, learn from battle reports and ask experienced alliance members.

There is no benefit in repeatedly attacking an opponent you clearly cannot beat.

Learn From Battle Reports

Do not look only at Victory or Defeat.

Battle Reports can show:

• Damage dealt
• Damage received
• Troops lost
• Heroes that died early
• Hero performance
• Troop matchup
• Battle duration
• Survivability

Use reports to answer:

Why did I win?

or

Why did I lose?

This is much more useful than simply asking:

How much Power do I need?

Account Security

Protect your account from the beginning.

If the game offers account-linking or recovery options, use the official options available in your version of the game.

Do not rely on an unlinked guest account if you intend to play long-term.

Also:

• Do not share login information.
• Avoid suspicious links.
• Do not give account access to strangers.
• Be careful with unofficial websites or offers.

Losing an account is far more expensive than making an inefficient upgrade.

Communication and Learning

A good alliance can dramatically shorten the learning curve.

Do not be afraid to ask questions.

Useful questions include:

• What should I research next?
• Which heroes should I focus on?
• Which squad should I build?
• Should I attack this target?
• When should I use my Speedups?
• What should I save for the next event?

Experienced players can often prevent mistakes that would otherwise cost days or weeks of progression.

Common New Player Mistakes

Leaving Queues Empty

Idle construction, research, or training means permanently lost progression time.

Upgrading Everything Equally

This spreads resources too thin.

Developing Too Many Heroes

Focus on one main squad before building multiple teams.

Mixing Troop Types Without a Plan

A consistent troop-type strategy makes early development much easier.

Spending Gems Randomly

Premium currency is too valuable for impulsive purchases.

Burning Speedups Immediately

Speedups often have greater value when used during relevant events.

Ignoring Research

Research provides permanent account improvements and should remain active.

Ignoring the Drone

The Drone is a major part of combat progression.

Ignoring Gathering

Unused marches mean missed resources.

Chasing Power Only

Power is useful, but it does not fully explain combat strength or account efficiency.

Attacking Strong Players Too Early

Unnecessary losses can slow development.

Ignoring Alliance Events

Participation provides additional rewards and helps the entire alliance.

Opening Everything Immediately

Some stored resources and items are more useful when saved for the right moment.

First 24 Hours

Your first day should establish your basic progression loop.

Priority Order

1. Complete the tutorial.
2. Complete early missions.
3. Join an active alliance.
4. Secure your protection.
5. Start construction.
6. Start research.
7. Start troop training.
8. Begin developing your main squad.
9. Send gathering marches.
10. Complete Daily Tasks.
11. Participate in available events.
12. Save important resources.
13. Prepare long queues before going offline.

First 72 Hours

During your first three days, continue building the foundation.

Main Goals

• Push HQ efficiently.
• Keep all queues active.
• Build one main squad.
• Focus heroes around one troop type.
• Start developing equipment.
• Keep research active.
• Develop the Drone.
• Train troops continuously.
• Gather resources.
• Participate in alliance activities.
• Learn the combat triangle.
• Avoid unnecessary PvP.
• Save Gems and valuable Speedups.
• Learn the event schedule.

Do not try to complete every system at once.

Your goal is to establish an efficient account progression loop.

First Week

By the end of your first week, you should have:

• An active alliance
• A clear main squad
• A consistent troop type
• Active research
• Active construction
• Active troop training
• Regular gathering
• A developing Drone
• Improved equipment
• A basic understanding of combat
• A daily routine
• A plan for future HQ progression

At this point, your account should be moving from "new player" toward a structured progression path.

What to Prioritize When Resources Are Limited

When you cannot upgrade everything, use this general priority:

Tier 1 — Core Progression

• Headquarters requirements
• Main squad
• Research
• Troop progression
• Construction efficiency

Tier 2 — Combat Development

• Hero skills
• Equipment
• Drone
• Combat research
• Troop quantity

Tier 3 — Secondary Development

• Secondary squads
• Supporting buildings
• Less-used heroes
• Lower-priority upgrades

This is not an absolute rule for every account, but it is a useful framework for avoiding wasted resources.

How to Think Like an Efficient Player

The biggest change between a new player and an experienced player is not simply Power.

It is decision-making.

Before spending resources, ask:

1. Does this improve my main progression?

If yes, it may be worth doing.

2. Can I combine it with an event?

If yes, consider waiting.

3. Is this a permanent improvement?

Permanent account improvements are usually more valuable than temporary Power increases.

4. Am I spreading resources too widely?

If yes, concentrate on your main squad.

5. Is there a better use for this resource?

If you are unsure, save it until you understand its value.

Long-Term Beginner Goal

Your objective is not to remain focused on beginner mechanics forever.

The early game should create the foundation for:

• Strong main squads
• Efficient research
• Developed troops
• Strong equipment
• Drone progression
• Multiple squads
• Alliance participation
• Event optimization
• PvE progression
• PvP readiness

Once your foundation is strong, you can begin specializing your account around your preferred playstyle.

Beginner Progression Checklist

Use this checklist regularly:

• [ ] Tutorial completed
• [ ] Account protected
• [ ] Active alliance joined
• [ ] Alliance Help used regularly
• [ ] Headquarters progressing
• [ ] Construction queue active
• [ ] Research queue active
• [ ] Training queue active
• [ ] Main squad selected
• [ ] Main squad focused on one troop type
• [ ] Hero resources concentrated
• [ ] Equipment invested into main squad
• [ ] Hero skills upgraded
• [ ] Drone progressing
• [ ] Troop training active
• [ ] Gathering marches active
• [ ] Hospitals managed
• [ ] Gems being saved intelligently
• [ ] Speedups being saved for valuable opportunities
• [ ] Daily Tasks completed
• [ ] Alliance events participated in
• [ ] Stamina used efficiently
• [ ] Battle reports being reviewed
• [ ] Unnecessary PvP avoided
• [ ] Long queues prepared before logging off

Summary

The strongest beginner strategy in Last War: Survival is simple:

Progress constantly, concentrate your resources, and plan ahead.

Focus on:

• Headquarters progression
• One strong main squad
• One consistent troop type
• Hero development
• Research
• Troops
• Equipment
• Drone
• Active alliance participation
• Efficient resource management
• Event timing

Avoid:

• Idle queues
• Random upgrades
• Excessive hero investment
• Unnecessary PvP
• Impulsive Gem spending
• Wasteful Speedup usage
• Chasing Power without understanding why it increased

The goal of the early game is not to become powerful for one day.

It is to build an account whose progression becomes faster, more efficient, and stronger over time.