Pack & Spending Tier List — What to Buy with Real Money
Read This First
Last War: Survival is fully playable F2P. Every guide on this site assumes F2P viability as the baseline. This guide is for players who have already decided to spend money and want to maximise value-per-dollar. It is not advocacy for spending — it is harm reduction for those who will spend regardless.
Rule 1: Set a monthly budget BEFORE you open any pack. Decide what you are willing to spend, write it down, and stop when you hit it. Impulse spending is how the game gets you.
Rule 2: Spend only on items that give permanent or rare progression. Speedups, gems, and resources eventually return to zero. VIP levels, Exclusive Weapon shards, gear blueprints, and named hero shards do not.
The Tier List at a Glance
S Tier — Always Worth It
These packs deliver the highest return per dollar in the game. If you are spending anything, start here.
First Recharge ($0.99)
The single best gem-per-dollar ratio in the game. One-time only per account.
- ~600+ gems for $0.99
- Available immediately after your first real-money purchase of any size
- Even committed F2P players often grab this one pack to fund VIP 6 faster
- Buy it once if you ever spend on the game at all
Growth Fund
A milestone-based pack that pays out rewards as you level your HQ. Pay once, collect rewards over weeks.
- Typically $4.99 — $9.99 depending on the tier
- Unlocks a track of HQ-milestone rewards: gems, VIP points, hero shards, gear pieces
- Total value vastly exceeds the price if you are still pushing HQ
- Buy as early in the account as possible — earlier means more milestones still ahead of you
- F2P-friendly version of "real-money progression acceleration"
Most packs deliver everything immediately. Growth Fund pays out across your account's life. The $9.99 you spend on Growth Fund delivers more total value than three or four $9.99 generic gem packs because the rewards compound with your HQ progression. This is the closest thing to a "subscription value" in the game.
Daily Login Pack
A monthly pack that grants daily rewards every time you log in for 30 days.
- Typically $4.99-$9.99
- Includes daily gems, speedups, and resources
- Total value is extremely high if you log in every day
- Buy if you reliably log in daily — skip if you go days without playing
- The compounding daily value makes this S-tier for active players
Battle Pass (Premium) — During Awakening Seasons
The Battle Pass exists every season, but its S-tier rating depends on the season:
- Hero Awakening seasons (Season 6+): Premium Battle Pass includes 70 named Awakening Shards for the season's Awakening hero. With Awakening requiring 50 named shards minimum, this single pack covers the unlock + first star tier
- Pre-Awakening seasons: Battle Pass is still good (gems, speedups, gear) but drops to A-tier value
- Typically $9.99-$19.99 depending on tier
- Buy if you are pushing Awakening for the season's hero — otherwise treat as A-tier
A Tier — Strong Value
Solid packs that deliver good value. Buy when you have spending budget after S-tier picks.
VIP Packs (Stocked)
Real-money packs that grant VIP Points directly. Roughly 4 × 2,500 points = ~$100 USD-equivalent at standard rates.
- Best for accelerating to VIP 6 (the second builder unlock — the most important VIP milestone)
- Once at VIP 6, the value drops as VIP point thresholds escalate
- Watch for Hot Deal cycles where VIP packs are discounted — grab those first
- Skip generic VIP packs above VIP 11 unless you specifically chase higher tiers
Exclusive Weapon Shard Packs (Active Carries Only)
Real-money packs that grant EW shards for specific heroes.
- High value when offered for your active carry during the EW Lv20 push
- Each Lv20 EW unlocks the major skill — significantly impactful
- Skip packs for heroes you are not actively building
- Compare against the Battle Pass first — Battle Pass often delivers more EW shards per dollar
Season Battle Pass (non-Awakening)
The free + premium Battle Pass each season delivers strong cumulative rewards.
- Premium typically $9.99-$19.99
- 60-90 days of progression = roughly $0.15-$0.30 per day
- F2P-friendly: even the free track delivers substantial rewards
- A-tier in seasons that don't have Hero Awakening — drops to S-tier when Awakening Shards are included
B Tier — Situational
Worth buying for specific bottlenecks, but not generic value picks.
Hero Shard Packs (SSR→UR candidates)
Real-money packs offering shards for the six SSR→UR-promotable heroes (Mason, Violet, Scarlett, Sarah, Venom, Braz).
- High value if you are actively pushing the hero's UR promotion
- Compare per-shard cost against Alliance Shop and Hot Deal availability
- Skip if you have no plans to invest in that specific hero
Speedup Mega-Packs
Bundle packs delivering hours/days of speedups.
- Worth it during major HQ pushes (HQ 25-35) when timer costs spike
- Worth it before Alliance Duel VS Day 5 if you are pushing leaderboards
- Skip if your VS Day 5 stockpile already covers your needs — most active players accumulate enough free speedups
- Buy only with an immediate use in mind, not as stockpile
Gear Blueprint Packs
Packs offering Legendary or Mythic Gear Blueprints.
- High-value during the gear-progression phase (HQ 22-30)
- Legendary Blueprints are otherwise gated by Honor Shop weekly purchases
- Compare per-blueprint cost against Honor Shop conversion
- Buy when actively crafting gear — skip when your current set is sufficient
C Tier — Skip Unless Bottlenecked
These packs are not bad but rarely the best use of money.
Resource Packs (Food, Iron, Coins)
- Most resources come from gathering, events, and alliance activities
- Buying with real money is almost always wasteful
- Only buy if you are stuck on an HQ upgrade and cannot wait for natural accumulation. Even then, gem-funded resource purchases are usually better
- Late-game (HQ 28+) when resource costs spike, gem packs become situationally useful
Generic Gem Packs (full price)
- Wait for Hot Deal cycles or VIP-specific packs that include gems with bonus rewards
- Standalone gem packs at full retail price are rarely the best value
- Skip in favour of S-tier picks if your spending budget is limited
Decoration Shard Packs
- Decoration upgrades matter (S-tier decorations provide real combat power)
- But shards from packs are usually overpriced compared to event accumulation
- See Decorations Tier List — only chase shards for the S-tier decorations
- Skip generic decoration packs unless they specifically include the S-tier decoration you need
Skill Medal Packs
- Skill medals are abundant from Alliance Shop, daily rewards, and events
- Real-money packs almost never compete with free accumulation
- Skip in nearly every case
D Tier — Almost Never
Packs that consistently deliver poor value or actively harm your account economy.
Whale-Tier Mega-Bundles ($99.99+)
- Marketed as "best value" but typically deliver only marginal gains over multiple smaller packs
- The diminishing returns past the first VIP/Growth Fund tier are severe
- Only relevant if you are committed to top-server competition and have a $500+/month budget locked in
- For most spenders, S-tier and A-tier packs deliver better value
Single-Use Cosmetic Packs
- Avatar frames, base skins, name colours — visual only
- Some include modest progression rewards but the "real" reason for the pack is the cosmetic
- Skip unless you specifically want the cosmetic — and then accept you are paying a premium for it
Random Hero Summon Packs
- "Get a guaranteed UR hero!" packs that deliver random heroes from a pool
- The hero you get is rarely the one you actually wanted
- Targeted hero shard packs (B-tier) deliver more reliable progression
- Skip random summon packs in favour of targeted hero investment
Spending Phase by Account Stage
Different account stages call for different spending priorities.
Setting a Healthy Spending Budget
If you choose to spend, structure your spending intentionally:
- Calculate your monthly entertainment budget — what you would spend on movies, games, dining out, etc.
- Allocate a fraction to Last War — typically not more than 10-25% of total entertainment budget
- Prioritise S-tier and A-tier packs within that budget
- Stop when you hit the budget — close the store, do something else
- Review monthly — does the spending feel proportional to enjoyment? If not, reduce next month
Mobile games are designed to make $50/month feel like $5/month and $500/month feel like $50/month. Each individual pack feels small. The monthly total surprises spenders who do not track. Set a budget, stick to it, and review monthly. The packs will still be there next month.
Common Spending Mistakes
- Buying random gem packs at full retail price — wait for Hot Deals or VIP-bundle pricing
- Buying resource packs in early game — resources are abundant from F2P sources at HQ 1-25
- Chasing VIP 18 — diminishing returns past VIP 14 are severe. The base skin is cosmetic
- Random hero summon packs — almost always lower value than targeted shard packs
- Ignoring Growth Fund — single best dollar-for-dollar pack in the game when bought early
- Buying packs without an immediate use — speedups and resources stockpiled with no plan are wasted
- Spending during pre-season — pre-season is your foundation phase. S-tier packs still apply, but heavy spending is not necessary until competitive seasons
- Forgetting the First Recharge bonus — it is one-time per account and one of the highest gem-per-dollar offers
- Buying Battle Pass for a hero you are not building — Battle Pass shards are hero-specific. Match to your active carry
- Spending without tracking — track your monthly spend. Knowing the total prevents drift
Related Guides
- VIP Guide — VIP 6 is the most important early-game gem destination
- Gem Economy Guide — gem spending priorities (covers gems separately from real-money)
- Hot Deals Guide — gem-purchased deal cycles
- Hero Awakening Guide — why the Awakening Battle Pass is S-tier in Season 6+
- Decorations Tier List — S-tier decorations worth chasing
- Exclusive Weapons Guide — when EW shard packs become S-tier value
- SSR to UR Upgrade Guide — promotion windows for hero shard pack timing