Last War Beginner Guide: Your First Week Strategy

Your first week in Last War: Survival sets the foundation for everything that follows. The decisions you make early — which buildings to upgrade, which alliance to join, how to spend your resources — compound over time. This guide gives you the optimal path through your first seven days.

Day 1-2: Base Building Fundamentals

Focus on upgrading your Headquarters as quickly as possible. The HQ unlocks new buildings and troop tiers. Follow the recommended upgrade path: HQ first, then production buildings (farms, oil wells, iron mines), then military buildings. Do not spread upgrades across too many buildings — prioritize depth over breadth.

Day 3-4: Join an Alliance

Do not play solo. Join an active alliance as soon as possible. Alliance membership provides resource bonuses, protection, and access to alliance events. Look for alliances with active members (check last login times), reasonable power requirements, and good communication. Use LW Spy's Alliance Scanner to evaluate potential alliances before applying.

Day 5-6: Build Your First Army

Start training troops for both combat and gathering. You need combat troops for defense and rallies, and gathering troops for resource collection. Do not send your combat troops to gather — keep them separate. Train the highest tier troops available to you.

Day 7: Intelligence and Awareness

By the end of your first week, you should understand your server landscape. Who are the major alliances? Who are your neighbors? Where are the resource-rich areas? Use the Map Scanner to build this awareness. Players who understand their server dynamics early make better decisions throughout their entire gameplay experience.

Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

Do not spend gems on speedups during your first week — save them for events. Do not attack other players until you are strong enough to handle retaliation. Always keep a shield active when offline. Do not join the first alliance that invites you — research them first. And most importantly, do not neglect your economy for military — you cannot fight without resources.

What Do Survivor Tokens Do?

Survivor Tokens are a Last War: Survival event currency that drops from the Survivor Rescue activity (a recurring weekly event tied to the Rescue Mission system). Spend them in the Survivor Token Shop, which carries: SR/UR hero shards (the most valuable use), specific gear upgrades, gem bundles, and Skill Reset Tomes. As a beginner, the right priority order is: hero shards first (especially shards for whichever UR hero you are about to ascend), then gems, then gear upgrades. The Skill Reset Tome is rare in the shop and worth grabbing if you spot it, even early — it stays useful for years. The shop refreshes daily with a small selection; check it every login during Survivor Rescue weeks so you do not miss a rare offer.