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Alliance Tech Guide for Leaders

Alliance Strategy · 2026-03-26

What Is Alliance Tech?

Alliance Technology is the shared research tree that benefits every member of your alliance. Unlike personal Tech Centre research, alliance tech is funded by donations from all members and the bonuses apply globally — making it one of the highest-value investments in the game.

Why Alliance Leaders Must Manage This

Left to their own devices, members will donate randomly. Random donations waste contribution points on low-value techs while critical combat and development research sits unfunded. Managing alliance tech is one of the most impactful things an R5 or R4 can do — the difference between a well-managed tech tree and a neglected one is equivalent to a full gear tier across every member.

The Four Research Categories

Alliance tech is divided into four categories. Each contains multiple individual technologies that can be levelled up through member donations.

CategoryWhat It ProvidesWhen to Prioritise
DevelopmentConstruction speed, research speed, training speed — accelerates every member's progressionFirst priority for new alliances. The compound effect is enormous
Resource ProductionIncreased Food, Iron, Coin generation and gathering speed for all membersEarly-to-mid game. Drops in value as events replace production as the primary resource source
TerritoryAlliance flag buffs, stronghold bonuses, territory expansion capabilitiesMid game onward. Enables alliance territory control and flag buff stacking
CombatTroop ATK, DEF, HP bonuses that apply to every member's squadsHighest long-term priority. These bonuses multiply with personal research and gear

Recommended Research Priority Order

This is the order your alliance should progress through. The exact timing depends on your alliance's age and competitive position, but this sequence applies to the vast majority of alliances.

Phase 1: Foundation (New Alliance)

Focus entirely on Development and Resource Production to accelerate member growth.

TechnologyWhy First
Construction Speed I-IIIReduces build times for every member. The compound effect across 30-50 members over weeks is massive
Research Speed I-IIISame logic — faster personal research means stronger members sooner
Training Speed I-IIFaster troop training helps members build armies for events and defence
Gathering Speed I-IIEarly-game members rely heavily on gathering. This accelerates their resource income
Resource Production I-IISmall but free passive income boost for all members. Quick to research

Phase 2: Growth (Established Alliance)

Once the foundation techs are done, shift toward Territory and early Combat research.

TechnologyWhy Now
Territory ExpansionUnlocks alliance buildings and flag buffs that provide zone-wide bonuses
Flag BuffsAlliance flags within territory provide ATK, DEF, and production bonuses to nearby members
Troop ATK I-IIIDirect combat power increase for every member — the first step in combat dominance
Troop DEF I-IIIDefensive bonuses protect members during rallies and enemy attacks
Troop HP I-IIIMore HP means fewer troop losses, which means less time and resources spent healing

Phase 3: Dominance (Competitive Alliance)

Once your alliance is competitive in events and SvS, push Combat research as high as possible.

TechnologyWhy
Advanced Combat Research (ATK/DEF/HP IV+)Higher-tier combat bonuses are expensive but multiply with everything else — gear, personal research, hero skills
March CapacityMore troops per march = more damage per rally. Critical for competitive PvP
Rally BonusesDirect rally damage and capacity bonuses. Essential for taking down strong targets
Healing SpeedFaster healing means faster recovery between fights — especially important during SvS and KE
The Multiplication Effect

Alliance combat tech multiplies with personal research and gear. A 5% ATK bonus from alliance tech applied to 40 members — each with their own gear and research — creates far more total power than the same 5% applied to one player. This is why combat tech becomes the top priority for competitive alliances: the return on investment scales with every member who benefits.

How Donations Work

The Basics

  • Each member can make up to 30 donations per day (resets at server midnight)
  • Donations cost resources (Food, Iron, or Coins depending on the tech)
  • Each donation earns the member Alliance Contribution Points for the Alliance Store
  • Donations to the Recommended Technology receive a 20% bonus contribution — both to the tech's progress and to the member's personal contribution points

Donation Types

TypeCostContribution
Free DonationNo cost (limited per day)Small contribution per tap
Resource DonationFood, Iron, or CoinsStandard contribution
Gold DonationGold (premium currency)Highest contribution per tap — the most efficient option

The 30 Gold Donations Rule

Every member should complete 30 gold donations daily to the recommended technology. This is non-negotiable for competitive alliances.

  • Gold donations give the highest contribution per tap
  • The recommended tech bonus (20%) makes each donation worth even more
  • 30 donations from 40 active members = 1,200 daily contributions — this adds up extremely fast
  • Members who skip daily donations are directly slowing down the entire alliance

Setting the Recommended Technology

As an R4 or R5, you set which technology is flagged as "Recommended." This is one of the most impactful decisions you make.

How to Flag a Tech

  1. Open the Alliance Technology screen
  2. Select the tech you want the alliance to focus on
  3. Tap "Set as Recommended"
  4. The tech now shows a highlighted badge and all member donations to it receive the 20% bonus

Rules for Flagging

  • Always have a tech flagged — if no tech is recommended, members donate randomly and waste the 20% bonus
  • Flag one tech at a time — focus completes research faster than spreading donations across multiple techs
  • Update the flag immediately when a tech completes — do not leave a completed tech flagged. Members will try to donate and get confused
  • Communicate the flag change — post in alliance chat or Discord when you change the recommended tech so members know what they are donating to and why

What to Flag When

Follow the Phase 1 → 2 → 3 priority order above. Within each phase:

  1. Flag the cheapest remaining tech in the priority category first — quick completions build momentum and unlock benefits sooner
  2. Once the cheap techs are done, flag the highest-impact remaining tech — even if it takes longer
  3. If a tech is nearly complete (90%+), keep it flagged until it finishes rather than switching — lost momentum costs more than the suboptimal order

Tracking and Accountability

Why Tracking Matters

Without tracking, you have no way to know which members are contributing and which are freeloading. Over time, this kills alliance morale — active donors resent members who benefit from alliance tech without contributing.

What to Track

MetricHow to Use It
Weekly Contribution PointsCheck the alliance contribution ranking weekly. Members consistently at the bottom need a reminder
Daily Donation CompletionSpot-check whether members are hitting 30/30 donations. Those who are not should be contacted
Tech Completion RateTrack how long each tech takes to complete. If the rate slows, investigate whether activity has dropped

Setting Expectations

The best approach is to set clear expectations from day one:

  1. Minimum daily donations — require 30 gold donations to the recommended tech daily
  2. Contribution point minimum — set a weekly minimum (e.g., 5,000 points). Members below the minimum receive a warning
  3. Consequences — members who consistently fail to meet minimums should be contacted, then warned, then removed if the pattern continues
  4. Reward top contributors — recognise members who go above and beyond. Public acknowledgement in chat costs nothing and motivates everyone
Be Firm but Fair

Enforcing donation minimums is not about being strict — it is about respecting the members who do contribute. When 30 members donate daily and 10 do not, those 10 are benefiting from the work of the other 30 for free. A clear minimum with consistent enforcement keeps the alliance healthy and growing.

Common Alliance Tech Mistakes

  1. No recommended tech flagged — members donate randomly, wasting the 20% bonus. Always have a tech flagged
  2. Flagging combat tech too early — combat research is expensive and slow. Build Development and Resource techs first for faster early growth
  3. Spreading donations across multiple techs — focus on one tech at a time. A completed tech gives 100% of its bonus; a half-researched tech gives nothing
  4. Not updating the flag when a tech completes — check daily. A completed tech sitting as recommended wastes every donation attempt
  5. No donation minimums — without expectations, contribution drops over time as freeloading becomes normalised
  6. Ignoring Territory research — flag buffs provide significant bonuses but are often overlooked in favour of combat stats
  7. Not communicating priorities — members want to help but need to know what the alliance needs. Post the current tech focus and why it matters
  8. Punishing before educating — new members may not understand the donation system. Teach first, enforce second
  9. R5 or R4s not donating themselves — leadership must lead by example. If officers are not hitting 30/30, members will not either
  10. Rushing advanced combat tech before the basics — ATK IV is useless if your members do not have Construction Speed III yet

Alliance Tech and VS (Alliance Duel)

Alliance tech donations interact with the Alliance Duel VS schedule:

VS DayRelevance
Wednesday (Day 3)Research speedups and Valor Badges count. Using research speedups on alliance tech does NOT count — this is for personal Tech Centre research only
All DaysDaily gold donations should continue regardless of VS day. Alliance tech donations do not score VS points directly, but the bonuses they unlock help you score in every category

Do not pause alliance donations during VS week. The daily compounding effect of consistent donations far outweighs any short-term VS point consideration.

Quick Reference: Leader Checklist

Use this checklist daily as an R4 or R5:

  1. Check the recommended tech — is it still in progress? If completed, flag the next priority
  2. Review contribution rankings — are members hitting their daily minimums?
  3. Announce in chat — remind members to complete their 30 gold donations
  4. Plan ahead — know what the next 2-3 techs will be so you can flag immediately when the current one completes
  5. Educate new members — when someone joins, explain the donation system and expectations within 24 hours

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