Lost Rainforest is built around three linked systems: War Merit (your personal seasonal progression, earned from nearly every activity and driving Tier rank), Fishing (a lightweight daily activity at Fishing Grounds, which replace this season's Strongholds - catches can also be donated for extra War Merit), and Faction Technology (a shared, faction-wide system every member contributes to together).
Two days of inactivity causes a Tier drop and loses your Daily Stipends, so steady daily activity matters more than occasional bursts. The War Merit Shop only becomes visible once your Fungus Institute reaches level 4 - many players miss this milestone entirely and lose weeks of spending power, so make it an early alliance-wide target.
Trade Posts open in Week 1, and the first 10 Governor slots per warzone go to whoever has the highest early War Merit - worth pushing hard in the opening days if that role matters to your alliance.