← Back to General Guides

Drone Guide

Buildings · 2026-03-14

What Is the Drone?

The Drone is a permanent companion that fights alongside your squad in every battle. It provides global bonuses to Attack, Defence, and HP that apply to your entire squad — making it one of the biggest power multipliers in the game.

The Drone Center opens early in pre-season. Two different gates are commonly cited for it — clearing Campaign Stage 38, and reaching HQ 15 — and we have not been able to confirm which applies, or whether both do. In practice they land within days of each other in week 2, so plan for either and have Drone Parts saved. Unlocking it also rescues Monica (SSR hero) as a bonus.

Do Not Neglect the Drone

The drone is one of the most overlooked power sources by new players. Its global stat bonuses multiply with your gear, hero skills, and tactics cards. A well-upgraded drone makes everything else in your squad stronger. Start upgrading it the moment you unlock it.

Drone Types

Your drone has multiple skill trees that determine its combat role. Focus on these in order:

TypeWhat It DoesPriority
Assault DroneIncreases drone attack power — directly boosts damage dealt in combatFirst priority — damage wins fights
Defence DroneIncreases drone defence and HP bonuses — makes your squad harder to killSecond priority — survivability after damage

Combat Boost — the part that scales your chips

The Drone Center is not only a stat building. Combat Boost, levelled by feeding it spare skill chips, is the layer that scales every drone skill chip you have equipped — and it is the most under-used system attached to the drone.

Combat Boost LevelStageWhat it gives
10Stage ISkill Chip system unlocks, 1st chip preset
150Stage II2nd preset, Chip Skill Boost +1
300Stage III3rd preset, Skill Boost +2
450Stage IV4th preset (the last), Skill Boost +3
600Stage VSkill Boost +4
750Stage VISkill Boost +5 — the last increase
900Stage VIIThe cap. No further chip benefit

Each Skill Boost tier is a flat addition to every equipped chip at once — on a Tank shield chip, each tier adds 80,000 shield and 1% damage reduction. That is why the number in brackets on a chip's skill line (for example "800.0K (+160.0K)") is your Combat Boost contribution, not a preview of the chip's next star.

Stop at 750 if you are doing this for the chips

Reaching level 750 costs around 153 million Combat Boost EXP. Carrying on to the 900 cap costs roughly 149 million more — almost half of everything you will ever put into the system — and adds nothing to your chips. The drone's own stats continue to rise, so it is not wasted, but it is no longer a chip upgrade.

See the Chip Lab Guide for which chips to craft, how Ascension works, and why stars 2, 5 and 8 matter more than the ones between them.

Drone Upgrade Path

Drone upgrades require Drone Parts and resources. Each upgrade increases the global stat bonuses your drone provides to your entire squad.

Where to Get Drone Parts

SourceNotes
Zombie huntingKill zombies on the world map — consistent daily source
Zombie Siege eventStandard rewards include drone parts
Alliance ShopBuy Drone Parts weekly (30,000 alliance points — high priority after hero shards)
EventsMany events include drone parts in reward tracks
Alliance Duel VS (Day 1)Applying Drone Parts scores points on Monday — use them then

Upgrade Strategy

  1. Upgrade the Assault Drone first — damage output is the priority in most content
  2. Then upgrade the Defence Drone — survivability matters once your damage baseline is set
  3. Keep upgrades relatively even — do not push one type to max while ignoring the other
  4. Upgrade daily — drone parts accumulate slowly, so use them consistently rather than hoarding

Drone Skill Chips

Beyond basic drone upgrades, you can equip Drone Skill Chips through the Chip Lab to boost your drone's combat performance. Chips are the drone's equivalent of hero gear — they are where the real power comes from.

There are 4 chip slots, each serving a different combat role:

SlotLegendary Chip
1 — Initial MoveAbsolute Quantum Field — opening battle shield
2 — AttackLethal Firestorm — drone attack boost
3 — InterferenceMemory Ultra Fission — primary damage amplification (must match squad type)
4 — DefenceGravitational Resonance Armor — battle-long defence buff

For full details on chip crafting, ascension, star upgrades, and material farming, see the Chip Lab Guide.

How the Drone Works in Combat

The drone fights automatically alongside your squad in every battle:

  • Global stat bonuses — the drone's Attack, Defence, and HP bonuses apply to all heroes in your squad at all times
  • Chip effects activate per-battle — Initial Move chips trigger at fight start, other chips apply throughout
  • Type matching matters for chips — your Interference chip (Memory Ultra Fission) must match your squad type (Tank, Aircraft, or Missile) to have any effect
  • Drone targets — the drone attacks enemies during battle. Higher Assault Drone levels and chip star upgrades (Lethal Firestorm at 2-star and 5-star) increase the number of targets your drone can hit

Drone and Alliance Duel VS

Drone activities are relevant on specific VS days:

VS DayDrone Activity
Day 1 (Monday)USE drone chip chests, Drone Combat Data, and Drone Parts — these all score points
Day 3 (Wednesday)USE drone component chests — they ONLY count on Wednesday. Save them all week
Drone Component Chests Are Wednesday Only

Drone component chests only count toward VS points on Wednesday (Day 3 — Tech Research). Opening them on any other day wastes potential Alliance Duel points. Save them throughout the week and open them all on Wednesday.

Common Drone Mistakes

  1. Ignoring the drone after unlock — it is a massive power multiplier that compounds with everything else
  2. Focusing on Defence Drone before Assault — damage output should come first
  3. Equipping the wrong chip type — a Tank chip on an Aircraft squad provides zero benefit
  4. Opening drone component chests on the wrong VS day — only Wednesday counts
  5. Not buying Drone Parts from the Alliance Shop — consistent weekly purchase adds up
  6. Over-levelling the Chip Lab past 20 — all legendary chip recipes unlock by level 20. Stop there

Related Guides