Your First 24 Hours in Last War: Survival

Read This Before You Start

This guide is the literal hour-by-hour version of the Getting Started Guide. Getting Started explains why. This guide tells you what to do right now, in order. If you have just installed the game and have not picked a server yet, start at Login 1 below. If you are already past the tutorial, skip to Login 2.

Login 1 — The First 30 Minutes

You have just installed the game. Before you even start the tutorial, a few decisions matter.

Server Choice

The game suggests a server based on your region. You can choose a different server, but you cannot easily switch later. Considerations:

• New servers (just opened): everyone starts at the same time. Best for competitive players willing to log in often. Pre-season meta is fairer
• Established servers (months old): faster early game (you catch up to mid-game players), but you will never reach the top of the rankings
• If unsure: take the suggested server — most players have a fine experience either way

The Tutorial — Just Run It

The first 30-60 minutes are tutorial. Do exactly what it tells you. Do not try to optimise during the tutorial — its rewards are designed around the prescribed path. The tutorial will:

• Walk you through your first base upgrades
• Give you your first hero (Murphy — keep him forever)
• Show you basic combat
• Hand you generous starter rewards (gems, speedups, resources)

After the Tutorial — Three Immediate Actions

The moment the tutorial ends:

1. Tap the Alliance icon and join one — any active alliance. Look for one with 50+ members and recent activity. Alliance help on builds starts compounding immediately
2. Open the World Map and explore — collect free chests scattered around your starting area. Each gives small but useful rewards
3. Set your username and avatar — first impressions in alliance chat matter

Login 2 — One to Two Hours In

By now your first builds from the tutorial have completed. The game opens up.

What to Build Next

In order:

1. HQ to whatever the next level requires — usually a Tech Centre upgrade plus one or two side buildings
2. Tech Centre — match it to one level below your HQ target
3. Hospital — keep it sized to hold at least 70% of your army
4. Barracks — upgrade to unlock the next troop tier
5. Walls — when an HQ upgrade requires it

What NOT to Build

• Material Workshop — leave at level 1. The return is poor and you do not need its outputs early
• Resource production above HQ-required levels — most resources come from events, not passive production
• Decorations or cosmetic buildings — wait until you have a stable account

First Combat: The Map

Once you have basic troops, attack zombies on the map. The game gates progression behind clearing map stages (sometimes called "Stage 38" etc. for the Drone Centre unlock). Stage clearing:

• Gives heroes, gems, speedups, and resources
• Unlocks new buildings (Drone Centre at Stage 38)
• Is the primary source of new heroes early on

Push stages aggressively. If you fail a stage, level your heroes and try again rather than skipping.

Login 3 — Three to Six Hours In

You should be HQ 7-9 by now if you are playing actively. The game settles into a rhythm.

The First Daily Check

Open these every login:

Heroes — The First Squad

By now you have several heroes from the tutorial and stage clears. Pre-season meta is mono-Tank, so:

• Equip 5 Tank heroes if you have them: Murphy (frontline tank), Williams, Stetmann, Marshall, and Kimberly when she arrives
• Front row: 2 tanks (Murphy + Williams)
• Back row: 3 DPS/support (Marshall, Stetmann, Kimberly)
• Level your DPS first — Kimberly when you have her, otherwise whoever your highest-attack hero is

If you do not have 5 Tank heroes yet, fill the squad with whatever you have at the same rarity tier. Mono-type matters more than star count early on.

Gear

The first gear pieces drop from stages and quests. Do not spread gear across multiple heroes. Equip the best you have on your DPS hero (Kimberly) and your main tank (Murphy). Other heroes get hand-me-downs.

Login 4 — Six to Twelve Hours In

By now your HQ is approaching 10-12. The game starts feeling like a real strategy game.

The Three Habits That Make You Strong

1. Always have a Tech Centre research running — the moment one finishes, queue another. The Tech Centre never sleeps
2. Always have HQ or another building upgrading — same logic. Builders never sleep
3. Spend stamina on stages, not idle — stamina (action points) regenerates over time. If your stamina is full, you are wasting regen

First Events to Notice

The game runs constant events. The ones that matter day one:

• Arms Race — runs in 4-hour slots all day. Do whatever the current phase asks (build, research, train, hero items, mobilisation). Free rewards
• Newbie 7-Day Login — log in daily for the next 7 days for huge stacked rewards. Do not miss a day
• Daily Login Wheel — free gems and resources, just for opening the game

Save These Items

Some items you collect should not be spent immediately:

Bedtime Check — Before You Stop Playing for the Night

This is the most important moment of your first day. What you queue overnight produces hours of progress while you sleep.

Pre-Sleep Checklist

1. Tech Centre running long research — pick the longest research you have unlocked. 8 hours of overnight research adds up
2. HQ or Tech Centre upgrading — same logic. Pick the longest available upgrade your resources will fund
3. Barracks training troops — fill the queue if you have idle barracks
4. Hospital fully healed — heal any wounded so they are ready in the morning
5. Stamina spent down — clear remaining stamina on map stages or gathering. Stamina that overflows is wasted
6. Shield active — apply your free starter shield (3-day shield from quests). It protects you from PvP attacks while you sleep

Day 2 Morning — Your First Routine

You wake up to completed builds, finished research, full stamina, and overflowing rewards. The first 5 minutes set the rhythm:

1. Collect everything — mailbox, alliance gifts, achievement rewards, login rewards
2. Restart Tech Centre — never let it sit idle
3. Start the next HQ upgrade
4. Spend stamina on stages or gathering
5. Daily quest check — most can be completed within your normal play

This is your daily routine for the rest of the account. See the Daily Routine Guide for the full mid/late-game version.

What You Should Have After 24 Hours

A reasonable target for an active first day:

If you missed any of these, you are not behind — but you are slightly behind a player who hit them. Do not stress. Keep playing daily and the gap closes within a week.

First-Day Mistakes to Avoid

1. Spending gems on summons — random pulls produce mostly useless SSR shards. Save gems for VIP
2. Spending gems on speedups — wait for VS Day 5 (Mobilisation) at HQ 18+ for the 4x multiplier
3. Building everything to the same level — only HQ-blockers and combat buildings (Tech Centre, Barracks, Hospital) need to keep up
4. Skipping the alliance — alliance help and tech are too valuable to miss. Join on day one
5. Cracking resource chests immediately — save them for HQ 20+ when costs spike
6. Levelling every hero — focus on your main 5 (mono-Tank). Other heroes get nothing until your main squad is built
7. Upgrading Material Workshop — do not. Wait until much later. Bad return early
8. Going to bed without a long build queued — overnight builds are free progress
9. Forgetting to apply the starter shield before sleep — you will get attacked and lose troops
10. Not joining the alliance Discord/group chat — the in-game chat is fine but most coordination happens externally

What to Read Next

After your first 24 hours, the next priorities depend on your stage:

• HQ 5-15: read Getting Started for the conceptual foundation
• HQ 12-20: read the Squad Building Guide and Tank Squad Guide
• HQ 18+: read the Alliance Duel VS Guide — the biggest weekly event
• HQ 20-30: read the Progression Roadmap for the full mid-to-late game path
• Anytime: read the VIP Guide — VIP 6 is your most important early-game gem investment

Related Guides

• Getting Started Guide — the conceptual companion (how the game works)
• Daily Routine — your day-to-day routine after the first 24 hours
• Server Timeline & Week-by-Week Roadmap — what unlocks when
• Pre-Season 1 Timeline — week-by-week through the pre-season
• VIP Guide — why VIP 6 is your gem destination
• Gem Economy Guide — full gem spending priority