Tired of scouring dozens of outdated Reddit threads and half-watched YouTube videos just to find the correct requirements for your next HQ upgrade? You’re not alone. The path to a powerful base in Last War: Survival Game is paved with conflicting information and costly upgrade mistakes.
This guide is the single source of truth you’ve been searching for. We’ve compiled, verified, and synthesized data from top players, community experts, and countless hours of gameplay analysis to bring you a complete, level-by-level breakdown of HQ requirements from 1 to 35.
But we don’t stop at the numbers. We’ll also dive deep into the core strategies that separate the top players from the rest, helping you decide on the optimal upgrade path for your goals and playstyle. This guide is built on a foundation of data from the game’s most dedicated communities and insights from its most recognized content creators, ensuring you get the most accurate and strategic advice possible.
The Commander’s Crossroads: Should You Rush Your HQ or Aim for a Balanced Build?
Before you even look at a resource chart, you face the most critical strategic choice in Last War: rush your Headquarters or build methodically? The community is fiercely debated on this, but the right answer depends entirely on your goals.
The Case for Rushing Your HQ: The Path to Power
In most city-builder games, rushing your main building is a cardinal sin. Last War is different. The single biggest factor in your power is your troop tier. Rushing your HQ is the fastest way to unlock better troops.
The key milestones are:
- HQ Level 24: Unlocks T8 Troops
- HQ Level 27: Unlocks T9 Troops
- HQ Level 30: Unlocks T10 Troops
Each new tier represents an exponential leap in combat effectiveness. A player with T9 troops will almost always defeat a player with T8 troops, even with a slight numbers disadvantage. Rushing allows you to hit these power spikes faster than your server rivals, giving you a huge edge in PvP events like Alliance Duel (VS) and Capitol War.
“I understand where you’re coming from, since almost every other game preaches not to rush the HQ. This game is different though. Your heroes & troop levels matter most in this game… it benefits to rush HQ, then play catch up later.” – Reddit Player Feedback
The Dangers of Rushing: The “Glass Cannon” Problem
The risk of rushing is creating a “glass cannon” base. You might have a Level 30 HQ and powerful T10 troops, but if your research is lagging, your hospitals are low-level, and your economy is weak, you’ll be powerful in a single attack but unable to sustain a fight.
A rushed base often has:
- Low hospital capacity: After one bad fight, your hospital is full, and any further troop losses are permanent deaths, costing immense resources and time to replace.
- Weak research buffs: Your high-tier troops won’t have the health, defense, and attack bonuses to perform at their full potential.
- Poor performance in Arms Race: This event rewards balanced growth across all areas (building, research, troop training). A hyper-focused rusher will score poorly compared to a balanced player.
“It is my opinion to never rush headquarter levels and to build yourself a strong position in the level you’re at… the vast majority of level 30s are extremely weak… Don’t be one of those level 35s that everyone laughs at.” – Mikieboyblue, Last War Content Creator
The Verdict: A Framework for Your Decision
So, what’s the verdict? Your strategy should match your playstyle and spending.
- For Competitive Players / Spenders: Rushing to the key troop-tier milestones (24, 27, 30, and 31 for Age of Oil) is generally the best strategy. You can use purchased speed-ups and resources to patch up your other buildings after securing your troop advantage.
- For Free-to-Play (F2P) / Low Spenders: A balanced-rush approach is superior. Push hard to a key milestone (like HQ 24), then pause. Use this time to let your research, economy, and core combat buildings (Barracks, Hospitals, Tech Center) catch up before you begin the next push to HQ 27. This prevents you from becoming a glass cannon and makes your growth more sustainable.
Last War HQ Upgrade Requirements Master Table (Levels 1-35)
Here it is: the most comprehensive requirements table available. This data has been compiled from multiple community sources and top player guides.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The resource and time costs listed below are base values. Your actual costs will be lower depending on your personal research, alliance tech, VIP level, and temporary Capitol buffs. All requirements are also subject to change with game updates by the developers.
| HQ Level | Prerequisite Building 1 | Prerequisite Building 2 | Other Prerequisites & Notes | Key Unlocks & Strategic Notes |
| … | … | … | … | … |
| 18 | Wall Lvl 17 | Alliance Center Lvl 17 | – | Unlocks new hero level caps. A good point to pause and assess your build. |
| 19 | Wall Lvl 18 | Tech Center Lvl 18 | – | Continues progression towards key milestones. |
| 20 | Wall Lvl 19 | Barracks Lvl 19 | Resource Cost: ~79M Food, 79M Iron, 25M Coin | Unlocks Profession Hall. A major milestone where many F2P players pause to catch up on research. |
| 21 | Wall Lvl 20 | Tech Center Lvl 20 | – | – |
| 22 | Wall Lvl 21 | Hospital Lvl 21 | – | – |
| 23 | Wall Lvl 22 | Warehouse Lvl 22 | Resource Cost: ~43M Food, 43M Iron, 17M Steel (Proxy data) | Unlocks 4-star tasks, a significant boost for daily rewards. |
| 24 | Wall Lvl 23 | Drill Ground Lvl 23 | – | CRITICAL: Unlocks T8 Troops. This is a massive power spike and the first major goal for rushers. |
| 25 | Wall Lvl 24 | Tech Center Lvl 24 | – | – |
| 26 | Wall Lvl 25 | Barracks Lvl 25 | – | – |
| 27 | Wall Lvl 26 | Hospital Lvl 26 | – | CRITICAL: Unlocks T9 Troops. Another huge power increase. The competitive gap widens here. |
| 28 | Wall Lvl 27 | Tech Center Lvl 27 | – | – |
| 29 | Wall Lvl 28 | Barracks Lvl 28 | – | The final step before the top conventional troop tier. |
| 30 | Wall Lvl 29 | Tech Center Lvl 29 | – | CRITICAL: Unlocks T10 Troops. The highest conventional troop tier. Many players stop here to max out research. |
| 31 | Tech Center Lvl 30 | Barracks Lvl 30 | Any Troop Center Lvl 30; Special Forces Research 40% | CRITICAL: Unlocks Age of Oil. Opens new research, buildings, and increases hero level cap to 155. |
| 32 | Tech Center Lvl 31 | Barracks Lvl 31 | Wall Lvl 31; Resource Cost: ~1.4B Food/Iron, 476M Coin, 1.9M Oil | Hero level cap increases to 160. Resource costs become immense. |
| 33 | Tech Center Lvl 32 | Barracks Lvl 32 | Hospital Lvl 32; Drill Ground Lvl 32 | Unlocks an additional Oil Well. Hero level cap increases to 165. |
| 34 | Tech Center Lvl 33 | Barracks Lvl 33 | Alliance Center Lvl 33; Wall Lvl 33 | Hero level cap increases to 170. |
| 35 | Tech Center Lvl 34 | Barracks Lvl 34 | Hospital Lvl 34; Drill Ground Lvl 34 | Hero level cap increases to 175. The current maximum HQ level. |
| … | … | … | … | … |
Strategic Building Priority: What to Upgrade Beyond the Bare Minimum
Just meeting the HQ prerequisites isn’t enough for a strong base. Focus your resources on these buildings to ensure you have a powerful and well-rounded account.
The Core Four: Buildings You Should Never Neglect
These buildings are fundamental to your combat power and overall progression speed.
- Tech Center: This is your gateway to power. All research buffs, which are permanent and crucial for combat, originate here. It’s also frequently a direct prerequisite for the HQ. Keep it maxed.
- Barracks (and the Waterfall Strategy): Higher-level barracks let you train more troops at once. For advanced players, the “waterfall strategy” is essential for winning training events. By keeping barracks at different troop-tier-unlock levels (e.g., Lvl 20, 24, 27, 30), you can train a large batch of low-tier troops and then upgrade them multiple times. Each upgrade counts for points, generating far more event rewards than training from scratch.
- Hospitals: Your troop power means nothing if it’s gone after one battle. High-level hospitals increase your capacity, saving troops from permanent death. This is arguably the most important resource-saving building in the game.
- Primary Troop Center (Tank/Air/Missile): Don’t be a jack-of-all-trades. Identify your main hero squad (most players start with Tanks) and focus all upgrades on that single corresponding troop center. A maxed-out Tank Center will give you much stronger tanks than splitting your upgrades between all three centers.
High-Value Support Buildings
These buildings provide critical support and speed up your growth.
- Alliance Center: A higher level means more “helps” from alliance mates, which shaves significant time off construction and research. It’s a simple, passive way to accelerate everything you do.
- Drill Grounds: This building directly increases your dispatch queue size, allowing you to send more troops into battle. More troops in a march equals more power.
The “Upgrade When You Can” Buildings (Lower Priority)
These buildings are important but should not be prioritized over your combat and core progression buildings.
- Resource Production (Farms, Mines, etc.): In the early game, these are useful. However, after about level 25, the return on investment plummets. The cost to upgrade them is so high that it can take weeks or months to pay for itself. Your primary source of resources at high levels will be plundering and events, not production.
- Materials Workshop: This produces materials for hero gear. It’s a slow, steady burn. Level it up consistently over time, but never choose it over a hospital or barracks upgrade.
Advanced Resource Management for High-Level Upgrades
Once you pass HQ 20, the resource costs become astronomical. You can’t rely on your base’s production. Here’s how to get the billions of resources you’ll need.
Active Farming and Plundering
This will become your main source of income. Scout for inactive players (often identifiable by having no alliance). If their resource count is high, attack them. This is the single fastest way to gather resources for a big upgrade. Also, remember that a smooth, fast game experience is key when you’re actively playing; take steps to ensure your device is optimized to avoid lag during critical moments.
Maximizing Event Rewards
Never skip your events. VS (Alliance Duel), Arms Race, Zombie Invasion, and server-wide wars are massive sources of resources, speed-ups, and diamonds. Consistent participation is essential for high-level growth, especially for F2P players.
The Power of Your Alliance
You cannot succeed in Last War alone. Being in a top, active alliance is non-negotiable.
- Gifts: High-level alliance gifts from members’ purchases provide a steady stream of goodies.
- Alliance Tech: Contribute daily to unlock powerful buffs for the entire alliance.
- Capitol Buffs: Before starting a huge upgrade (like a 20-day HQ build), ask your alliance leader (if they hold the Capitol) to activate the “Construction Buff.” This can shave days off your timer.
- Strategy: For some players, using a VPN for online gaming can be part of a broader strategy, though you should always check the game’s terms of service.
FAQ: Your Top Last War Upgrade Questions Answered
What is the fastest way to level up my HQ?
Focus on meeting only the direct prerequisite building levels and use speed-ups. This is the “rushing” strategy, best for unlocking high-tier troops quickly.
What buildings are not worth upgrading in Last War?
At higher levels, the return on investment for resource production buildings (Food Farm, Iron Mine, Gold Mine, Oil Well) is very poor. Upgrade them to meet prerequisites, but don’t max them out over combat buildings.
Should I rush my HQ to 30?
For competitive players, yes, rushing to 30 to unlock T10 troops is a valid strategy. For F2P players, a more balanced approach with pauses at levels 24 and 27 is recommended to keep your research and hospitals strong.
How do you unlock Age of Oil?
You must get your HQ to level 31. This requires HQ 30, Tech Center 30, Barracks 30, any troop center at level 30, and completing 40% of the Special Forces research tree.
What should I focus on after HQ 30?
After unlocking T10 troops at HQ 30, your priority should be “catching up.” This means focusing heavily on your Tech Center research, maxing out your hospitals, and leveling your core combat buildings before pushing to HQ 31.
What is the “waterfall strategy” for barracks?
This is an advanced strategy for troop training events. You keep barracks at different levels that unlock new troop tiers (e.g., 20, 24, 27, 30). You train lower-tier troops and then upgrade them sequentially. Each upgrade counts for points, generating more rewards than simply training the highest tier from scratch.
How many builders should I have?
Having the second builder queue (purchased with diamonds) is considered essential by almost all serious players. The extra progression speed is well worth the cost. The third and fourth builders are a luxury for high-spenders.
How do I get resources for upgrades faster?
The top three ways are: 1) Actively plundering inactive “farm” bases, 2) consistently participating in all in-game events for their rewards, and 3) being in a strong alliance that provides gifts and buffs.
Conclusion
Successful progression in Last War is a careful balance between understanding the hard requirements—as detailed in our Master Table—and applying the right strategy for your goals, as outlined in the “Rush vs. Balanced Build” framework. A powerful base is built with knowledge, not just resources.
You now possess the most comprehensive HQ progression roadmap available for Last War: Survival Game. Use this knowledge to plan your upgrades with confidence, dominate your server, and avoid the costly mistakes that hold other players back.
The world of Last War is always changing. Did we miss anything? Has a recent patch updated a requirement? Join the conversation in the comments below and help us keep this guide the most accurate and valuable resource for the entire Last War community!
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