Pre-Season 1 Overview

What Is Pre-Season 1?

Pre-Season 1 is the initial phase of every new server — the period before the first competitive season begins. It lasts roughly 70-120 days depending on server activity and progression speed. This is your foundation-building phase. Everything you do here determines how strong you enter Season 1.

There are no cross-server wars, no SvS, and no season-specific mechanics yet. The game is simpler during pre-season, and that simplicity is an advantage — you can focus entirely on building your core account without distractions.

The Tank Meta

Tanks dominate pre-season for several clear reasons:

• Tank UR heroes are the easiest to acquire early — Kimberly, Murphy, Williams, Stetmann, and Marshall are all available through standard progression
• Kimberly is the highest DPS hero in the early game — no other hero matches her AoE damage output in the first 70 days
• Murphy and Williams create the most durable front line — their combined damage reduction and HP buffs make Tank squads nearly unkillable at equal power
• The 20% mono-type bonus on 5 Tanks gives the squad massive stat advantages over mixed compositions

When to Start Diversifying

Around day 70-90, the meta begins to shift. Aircraft heroes become available in larger numbers, and experienced players start building their second squad. The timeline:

Do not start Aircraft early. A half-built Tank squad and a half-built Aircraft squad is worse than one fully-built Tank squad in every situation.

Key Progression Milestones

HQ Milestones

Building Unlocks

• Stage 38 — Drone Centre unlocks. Start drone development immediately. The global stat bonuses are a massive power multiplier
• Chip Lab — unlocks hero chip upgrades. Provides significant combat stat increases
• Alliance Centre — required at multiple HQ tiers. Keep it close to your HQ level

Alliance Formation and Growth

Your alliance is the most important strategic decision after your squad. In pre-season, alliance dynamics form quickly and the positions established now carry forward into competitive seasons.

Getting Into a Strong Alliance

1. Join any alliance on day one — alliance help on builds and research starts compounding immediately
2. Evaluate after the first week — is the alliance active? Is leadership online daily? Are members participating in events?
3. Target a top-20 alliance by day 30 — top alliances get better event matchups, more coordination, and attract stronger recruits
4. Relocate to the hive immediately — scattered members get picked off. The hive provides safety, faster reinforcements, and rally efficiency

Building Coordination Habits

Pre-season is when your alliance develops the habits that determine competitive success:

• Fill rallies quickly — practice rally response times before they matter in wars
• Participate in every event — Arms Race, Marshal's Guard, Alliance Duel, Desert Storm
• Establish communication channels — Discord, WhatsApp, or LINE for strategy discussions outside the game
• Track squad types — maintain a roster of who runs what type and their gear progress
• Complete 30 Alliance Technology donations daily — always donate to the recommended technology

Events Available in Pre-Season

Participate in every event, even if you can only contribute a little. Partial participation still earns rewards, and the experience teaches you mechanics you will need in competitive seasons.

What to Focus On

The Pre-Season Checklist

1. HQ to 30 — the single most important progression goal. Never let your builder sit idle
2. Mono-Tank squad — Murphy, Williams, Kimberly, Stetmann, Marshall. Full investment in this order
3. Gold gear — follow the craft order: Kimberly Gun > Murphy Radar > Marshall Gun > Stetmann Gun > Williams Radar, then continue
4. Hero stars — push Kimberly and Murphy to 4 stars first (unlocks Super Sensory passive)
5. Tech Centre research — economic research early, combat research mid-to-late, troop tier unlocks always
6. Drone development — start immediately upon unlock. Global stat bonuses affect everything
7. Alliance participation — daily donations, event attendance, rally response

The Priority Stack

When you have to choose between competing goals, use this order:

1. HQ upgrade prerequisites (if something is blocking your next HQ level, fix it first)
2. Tech Centre level (must match HQ)
3. Main squad hero investment (levels, skills, stars)
4. Gold gear crafting (for main squad)
5. Drone upgrades
6. Everything else

Preparing for Season 1

Season 1 introduces significant new systems. What you need to know before it starts:

What Carries Forward

• All buildings, heroes, resources, gear, and progress carry into Season 1
• Your alliance membership and rank carry forward
• Your server's political landscape (NAPs, rivalries, alliances) carries forward

What Changes

• HQ cap increases to 35 — new building levels and requirements
• T11 troops unlock — another major power spike
• Oil becomes a resource — the Age of Oil system introduces oil production and oil-based research
• Exclusive Weapons — powerful hero-specific weapons that fundamentally change combat
• Combat Rating (CR) — a new stat system that affects all combat, including rallies
• Special Forces — new combat system with additional progression
• Cross-server content — SvS and other competitive modes become available

How to Prepare

• Reach HQ 30 — this is the baseline for Season 1
• Have T10 troops trained — you will start upgrading to T11 immediately
• Main squad should be strong — gold gear on priority heroes, 4-star minimum on DPS and tank
• Save resources — season launches often require immediate investment in new systems
• Understand your server politics — know which alliances are allied, which are hostile, and where you stand

Common Pre-Season Mistakes

1. Building mixed squads — you lose the 20% mono-type bonus. Go mono-Tank and stay there until your squad is complete
2. Starting Aircraft or Missiles too early — your Tank squad must be strong before you diversify. One maxed squad beats two half-built ones
3. Spending gems on summons or speedups — save gems for VIP. VIP 6 gives you a second builder queue, which effectively doubles your building speed
4. Ignoring the alliance — solo players fall behind alliance players of equal investment. Join early, participate always
5. Neglecting the Drone Centre — the drone provides global stat bonuses that affect your entire squad. Start it the moment it unlocks
6. Not saving for Arms Race — speedups and upgrades used outside of event days are wasted points
7. Over-upgrading resource buildings — most resources come from events and activities, not passive production. Only upgrade what HQ requires
8. Not planning HQ prerequisites ahead — check what your next two HQ levels require and start the slowest prerequisite first
9. Spreading hero investment — focus on your core 5 heroes. Every shard and skill book spent on a hero outside your main squad is a resource taken from your carries
10. Entering Season 1 unprepared — if you are not at HQ 30 with T10 troops and a geared Tank squad, you will spend the first half of Season 1 catching up instead of competing

Related Guides

• Getting Started — first steps for brand new players
• Tank Squad Guide — the dominant pre-season squad with full build order
• HQ Progression Guide — level-by-level HQ requirements and building priorities
• Alliance Squad Coordination — coordinating squad types across your alliance
• Gear Guide — gold gear craft order and upgrade path