Best Headquarters(HQ) Upgrade Strategy | Last War Survival

Reaching the highest headquarters level in Last War: Survival is key to unlocking stronger troops, better buildings, and more valuable resources. But rushing blindly can waste precious time and resources.

This guide breaks down the smartest upgrade order, resource tips, tech paths and so on so you can level up quickly and stay ahead of the competition. Ready to power up your HQ? Let’s dive in!

 

Why You Should Invest in Your HQ 

Your Headquarters is more than just another structure; it’s the central hub that determines your overall progression. From unlocking stronger troops to upgrading key buildings and participating in high-level events, your HQ level defines your limits. Each upgrade opens up new opportunities, including:

• Access to higher troop tiers (T6–T11)

• Eligibility to further upgrade additional buildings

• Unlock requirements for advanced content such as the Age of Oil

• Expanded research options that directly enhance combat power

• Entry into higher-tier events and more competitive PvP matchmaking

 

Time Required to HQ30+

Reaching HQ 30 doesn’t take long if you stay active.

Active push: a few weeks.

With max efficiency + strong alliance: much faster.

With efficient planning, smart use of speedups, and the backing of a strong alliance, most players can complete the climb to HQ 30 in a relatively short time.

 

Requirements for Upgrading the HQ 

To upgrade your Headquarters, you must meet building requirements at each level. Every HQ level will require:

• Tech Center – must be upgraded every level (most expensive and critical).
• Wall – heavy on iron costs, especially at higher levels.
• Drill Grounds – required periodically. Only upgrade one.
• Barracks – needed every ~5 HQ levels. Stagger upgrades.
• Alliance Hub – mandatory at many levels.
• Hospital – required occasionally.
• Combat Centers (Tank, Aircraft, Missile) – choose one troop type early and stick with it.

Tip: Tech Center + Wall + Combat Centers = biggest costs. Plan resources around them.

Headquarters Unlocking Order:

HQ 1–5	Unlock basic buildings (walls, barracks), increase metal and food production, start hero development.
HQ 6–10	Unlock radar stations, tech center, and drill grounds; hero level cap +5 per stage; improved resource access.
HQ 11–15	Unlock advanced training and new soldier types; weapon training buildings appear; building requirements increase.
HQ 16–20	Stronger walls, higher daily rewards, overall soldier and building upgrades.
HQ 21–25	Soldier power rises, longer build times, hero training level increases, higher coin requirements.
HQ 26–30	Hero growth potential increases, unlock oil production, upgrade all buildings to HQ 30.
HQ 31–35	Further building upgrades, hero level cap 175, significant oil costs.

 

Best HQ Upgrade Strategy

Phase 1: HQ 1–10 

In the early game, your priority is rapid expansion and unlocking core systems. Focus on upgrading your HQ ＞ Barracks ＞ Training Grounds to maintain steady troop production, while using the Research Lab to boost basic economy and training speed.

Keep resource buildings balanced but avoid over-investing, as later income will rely more on events and gathering. Don’t waste resources on defensive structures yet, save speedups for post-10 upgrades, and join an active alliance early to benefit from construction buffs and shared rewards.

 

Phase 2: HQ 10–25

This is the critical growth phase where planning becomes essential. Keep Barracks, Drill Grounds, Hospital, and Tech Center closely aligned with your HQ level to maintain combat effectiveness and troop sustainability.

Save resource chests for higher levels to maximize value and reduce raid risk. Focus first on buildings required for HQ upgrades to avoid bottlenecks, and time your construction completions with VS Building Day for maximum rewards. Efficiency here determines whether you progress smoothly or stall for weeks.

 

Phase 3: HQ 25–30

From HQ 25 onward, upgrades become significantly longer and more resource-intensive, so forward planning is crucial.

Always prepare prerequisite buildings in advance and prioritize essential structures mentioned in the previous section. Avoid unnecessary upgrades, use speedups only for true bottlenecks or event optimization, and start long builds before logging off.

Maintain balanced resource production and plan at least two HQ levels ahead to prevent costly delays.

 

Phase 4: HQ 30+

Reaching HQ 31 marks a major shift, as Oil becomes a mandatory and limiting resource for all further upgrades. Even with abundant Food, Iron, and Gold, progress will stall without sufficient Oil production.

Unlock and develop Oil Wells as early as possible through Special Forces research, and prepare for new research and technology requirements tied to HQ 31–35 progression.

From this stage onward, managing Oil efficiently is the key to advancing into higher-tier content and troop levels.

 

Fast HQ Upgrade Tips 

Resources & Speedups

Getting HQ30 fast is less about building nonstop and more about having resources & speedups ready.

• Daily Tasks – always complete for rewards.
• Alliance Train – join for free crates.
• Trucks & Secret Mobile Missions – steady high-value rewards.
• Zombies & Events – farm zombies, especially during Gold Zombie events.
• Alliance Gifts – big source of speedups if active.
• Save Resource Chests – open only at higher HQ for maximum value.

Don’t rely too much on resource buildings. Production centers and training bases cost more to upgrade early and return little. Most resources should come from activities/events, not passive production.

Save resource chests – they scale with HQ level. Don’t open them too early; use them at higher HQ levels where they are worth much more.

 

Tech Tree

Your Tech Tree is the most efficient way to speed up progress.

1. Start with Development Tree - prioritize building speed, construction efficiency, and cost-reduction nodes.

2. Versus Duel Tech Center – focus here because it only costs Valor Badges, not resources. This lets you:

• Earn lots of Versus Day points.
• Progress without draining iron/food/oil.
• Unlock Special Forces Tree faster.

3.Special Forces Tree – becomes available after Tech Center level 20. This unlocks Tier 10 troops.

Strategy: Development → Versus Duel → Special Forces = fastest and cheapest path to HQ30 + T10.

 

Don't Miss Out on Limited-Time Deals of Last War: Survival

If you want to get stronger, buying a large amount of resources for a small cost at the LD Shop is a good choice.

 

Smart Resource Management 

Resource Investment

To avoid wasting resources:

• Drill Grounds – upgrade only one as you go. Leave the rest for later.
• Barracks – stagger upgrades. Don’t upgrade all at once. This also helps with training efficiency.
• Combat Centers – pick your main troop type early (Tank or Aircraft recommended). If you switch later, you’ll waste resources catching up.
• Resource Production Buildings – keep them low level (some at 1, some maybe at 15). Upgrade later when HQ is higher and resources are easier to get.
• Training Bases – only upgrade when you get free build timers. Don’t spend heavy resources early.
• Material Workshop – do NOT upgrade. It produces ceramics for gear but gives poor return and drains resources..

What Not to Upgrade or Buy

• Material Workshop – resource trap, skip it.
• Over-upgrading production buildings – inefficient.
• VIP/Alliance/Honor shop resource chests – very overpriced compared to speedups.

 

Best Purchases (Gems & Stores)

Your gems should be spent where they give the best value:

• Buy Speedups – from Alliance Store, and Campaign Store.
• Buy Stamina – for farming zombies and events.
• Buy Drone Chip Chests – useful and cheaper value.
• Buy Advanced Teleports – essential for PvP and events.

Campaign Store is the best place to buy speedups and resources weekly. Don’t buy ceramics—low value.

 

Risks of Leveling Too Fast

There are no hard penalties for pushing HQ fast, but a few downsides:

• Hero/Requirement Gaps – you may not have the heroes needed for certain events (e.g., Secret Mobile missions).
• Weaker Troops – your marches may be weaker than long-time players at the same HQ since you skipped gradual growth.
• Resource Starvation – upgrading, training, and tech will eat resources fast.
• War Limitations – if you spend all resources on HQ upgrades, you may not have enough to train/heal troops during war.

Solution: Balance your push—save some resources for troop training and event days.

 

Endgame Benefits at HQ30

Once you reach HQ30:

• Resource Chests become more valuable → opening them now gives far more.
• Tech Progression → you can finish Development Tree and shift to Special Forces Tree for T10 troops.
• Better Building Balance → now you can go back and upgrade Drill Grounds, Barracks, Hospitals, etc. without slowing HQ rush.
• Alliance Advantages → more contribution and stronger gifts.
• Preparation for HQ35 → you’ll be ready to jump straight into the new tech tree when it unlocks.

 

Main Takeaways

Focus on core buildings like the Tech Center and Wall, save resources and speedups for HQ upgrades, and follow the research path: Development → Versus Duel → Special Forces. Spend gems on speedups, stamina, and teleports, not resources. Most importantly, stay active in a strong alliance to gain free rewards and long-term growth.

 

Conclusion

In short, smart planning, core building focus, and strategic research are key to reaching HQ30 fast. Stay active in a strong alliance to maximize rewards and long-term growth.

Also, don’t forget to check out LDShop—recharging through LDShop gives you high-value resources and speedups, helping you level up your headquarters faster and stay ahead of other players.