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Resource Management

Economy · 2026-03-11

Resource Types

Last War: Survival uses four main resources:

ResourcePrimary UseBest Source
FoodTroop training, building upgradesEvents, activities, gathering
WoodBuildings, researchEvents, activities, gathering
IronAdvanced buildings, gear craftingEvents, activities, gathering
OilUnlocked late game (HQ 30+), T10 troops and advanced techAge of Oil research

Key insight: Most of your resources should come from events and activities, not from passive production buildings. This is why resource production buildings are low priority for upgrades.

The Golden Rule: Spend Before You Log Off

Resources sitting in your base can be stolen by attackers. Resources in your inventory (as chests/items) cannot.

Before you close the game:

  1. Start a building upgrade
  2. Start a research project
  3. Queue troop training
  4. If you still have excess, shield up

Never open resource chests until the moment you need to spend them. A resource chest in your inventory is safe. Resources in your stockpile are a target.

Where Resources Actually Come From

New players often think resource production buildings are important. They are not — at least not early on.

Primary Sources (Focus Here)

  • Events — alliance mobilisation, Arms Race, and other events reward massive resource packs
  • Daily activities — completing daily tasks gives steady resource income
  • Campaign stages — progressing through PvE content drops resources
  • Zombie hunts — killing zombies on the world map
  • Gathering tiles — sending marches to resource tiles on the map

Secondary Sources (Do Not Over-Invest)

  • Resource production buildings — keep them low level. They produce resources passively but the output is small compared to events
  • Alliance donations — contribute to alliance research for long-term buffs
  • Trading — when available

Resource Protection

Shields

  • Shields prevent all attacks on your base for a set duration
  • Use 8-hour shields overnight
  • Use 24-hour shields when you know you will be away
  • Never drop your shield during a kill event if you have resources

Alliance Protection

  • Stay near your alliance hive — members can reinforce your base
  • Coordinate shield times with your alliance
  • Call for help immediately if attacked while online

Resource Chests vs Stockpile

Think of resource chests as a savings account and your stockpile as a current account:

  • Keep your stockpile low (spend it on builds, research, training)
  • Keep your savings high (hold resource chests in inventory)
  • Only open chests when you are about to spend immediately

Spending Priority

When you have resources, spend them in this order:

  1. HQ upgrade — if prerequisites are met
  2. Tech Center upgrade — the most important building after HQ
  3. Other HQ prerequisites — whatever is blocking your next HQ level
  4. Research — keep research running at all times
  5. Troop training — keep queues running
  6. Other buildings — only if nothing else needs resources

Common Resource Mistakes

  1. Opening all resource chests at once — you are painting a target on yourself
  2. Upgrading resource production buildings too high — poor return on investment early
  3. Not participating in events — free resources left on the table
  4. Hoarding resources without a shield — either spend them or protect them
  5. Upgrading the Material Workshop — costs a lot, gives very little. One of the most common traps for new players
  6. Spending resources on non-essential buildings — only upgrade what is needed for HQ or your squad