Season One in Last War: Survival marks the beginning of a brand-new chapter for every player. It’s not just another event; it’s the true start of the competitive side of the game, where your progress, teamwork, and strategy all come together. In this guide I will share seven essential tips to help you get fully prepared and make the most out of Season One. But first, let’s see why preparation is so important.
Why You Should Prepare for Season One
Preparation is everything in Last War: Survival. Once Crimson Plague begins, there’s no time to catch up; your alliance’s ranking, Season Points, and eventual rewards depend on how ready you are from day one. By gathering resources, upgrading key heroes, and strengthening your squads early, you’ll secure a strong position before the real competition starts.
1. Stockpile as much stamina as possible
Stamina is one of the most valuable resources you can prepare before Season One begins. You’ll need plenty of it to attack world map monsters and help your alliance capture cities and strongholds. Start collecting stamina twice a day by tapping the Claim button at the top of your screen; it adds up faster than you think.
If Season One is less than three weeks away, begin saving stamina by reducing your zombie and Doom Elite attacks. Each zombie attack costs 10 stamina, while initiating a Doom Elite rally costs 20. However, joining rallies started by your allies won’t consume any stamina, since only the rally leader spends it, so take advantage of that whenever possible.
The VIP Store is one of the best ways to replenish your stamina each week. You can usually grab 50 stamina tokens at a hefty discount. This week, for example, they were 40% off, costing only 60 gems instead of the usual 300 gems for 100 stamina. Deals like this make a huge difference over time.
2. Upgrade Headquarters to level 15 before Season One
Hitting Headquarters level 15 unlocks the Profession Hall, one of the most important season-related buildings in Last War Survival. This building allows you to earn Profession XP through seasonal activities like upgrading seasonal buildings and completing event tasks.
Your Profession Level will increase automatically as you earn XP, or you can use Profession XP books to upgrade it manually. Every 5 levels, you’ll unlock a new milestone, granting access to 2 or 3 new upgradable skills and Profession Points that you can assign to whichever skills suit your playstyle.
The first two skill columns are available all the time, but the third (the green vertical one) is season-exclusive; only usable during active seasons. But you can use the permanent skills like Build for Free and Build Now to significantly reduce construction times or even finish upgrades instantly, depending on duration.
3. Start farming Mason shards
Farming Mason shards should definitely be one of your top priorities before Season One begins. Mason is the first SSR hero in Last War Survival to receive a UR promotion, followed by Violet, Scarlett, Sarah, and Venom in the next four seasons. To unlock this powerful promotion, you’ll need a Promotion Token, available during the second week of the season, and have Mason upgraded to 5 stars. So the sooner you start farming shards, the better.
Focus on gathering both Mason duplicates and Universal SSR shards (the ones without a hero icon). These will help you reach 5 stars faster and be ready for his UR promotion once Crimson Plague starts.
The best way to farm Mason shards before the season is by completing Warrior’s Battle Pass tasks. While the most valuable rewards of the Warrior’s Battle Pass event are locked behind a paywall, the free tier is actually the one that includes Mason shards.
You can find the free tier in the first column under the Rewards tab. Each completed task in the Daily and Target Task tabs gives you 100 Battle Pass points, and for every 200 points, you’ll earn a reward. Among these, you can get 10 Mason shards every 400 points or so, with a total of 130 shards available for free during the event.
4. Have at least two strong squads
While it’s smart to focus on building one powerful squad early in Last War Survival, Season One changes the pace; you’ll want at least two strong squads ready before it begins. The main reason is simple: more squads mean more seasonal points and faster progress for both you and your alliance.
When your alliance attacks cities or strongholds, sending both squads will help capture objectives faster and contribute more points toward your seasonal ranking. Since the march speed is mostly limited by your Headquarters level (you cannot upgrade the squad higher than your current HQ level), having two squads lets you stay active while one is still marching or engaged in battle.
I recommend prioritizing two well-balanced squads instead of spreading your resources across three. This approach allows you to strengthen both squads effectively without draining your Hero EXP books and resources too quickly. However, if you’re sitting on a large stockpile of hero EXP books, skill medals and shards, upgrading a third squad is also an option, but not a wise move for most free-to-play players.
5. Keep training and promoting units
Let’s make this clear: you can’t have strong squads in Last War Survival without constantly training and promoting troops. As Season One unfolds, you’ll lose plenty of units due to one key mechanic: Virus Resistance. This stat determines how effective your troops are against seasonal map monsters. If your VR is lower than that of the zombies or Doom Elites you’re attacking, you’ll suffer heavier troop losses.
Each monster also requires a specific unit tier or troop count to defeat it. That’s why it’s crucial not only to keep training new troops but also to promote existing ones to higher tiers.
To promote units in Last War Survival, do this:
- Tap the helmet icon on your Barracks
- Swipe to the previous unit tier
- Check if any troops are ready for promotion. If they are, press the green arrow, slide the bar to the max, and hit Promote.
And if you want to take your army to the next level, don’t stop here; the right tech research can make a huge difference. Let’s go over that next.
6. Follow this tech research strategy
One of the nice things about the early stages of Last War Survival is that there aren’t too many tech trees to manage, giving you a great chance to focus your resources efficiently. But if you want to enter Season One with strong squads and solid progression, it’s crucial to follow the right tech research strategy.
If your server is new and you still have plenty of time before Season One, prioritize the Development and Economy tech trees. These two will give you a major advantage in the long run, faster construction and research times, better resource gathering, and overall smoother growth.
However, if you’re starting fresh just a couple of weeks before the season like I did, skip the Economy tree for now and focus instead on Development, Squad 1, Units, and Hero.
Development remains essential since it helps speed up building upgrades, including seasonal structures, while the Squad 1, Units, and Hero trees directly enhance your combat strength against zombies and enemy players during Season One.
Just remember: not every tech is worth maxing out. Focus on the ones that fit your current setup. For example, the first four Hero techs are must-haves because they boost Tank-class heroes, and most players build their first main squad around tanks. On the other hand, if you don’t have strong Aircraft heroes, you can safely delay upgrades related to them and invest those resources elsewhere.
7. Join one of the top 10 ranking alliances if possible
If you want to boost your chances of earning the best end-of-season rewards, joining a top 10 alliance is one of the smartest moves you can make. These alliances usually have stronger, more coordinated members who actively participate in city and stronghold captures, which are key objectives during Season One.
Being in an active and competitive alliance doesn’t just mean more victories; it also means more Seasonal Points for both you and your team. The higher your alliance ranks against other servers, the more Seasonal Medals you’ll receive once Crimson Plague ends.
Personally, I always aim to join a top 10 alliance during seasons, but depending on your server’s activity and how full those alliances are, it might not be easy. That’s why it’s smart to start looking for a strong alliance a few weeks before Season One begins, so you have enough time to settle in, contribute, and get ready for the action ahead.
And if you’re planning to leave your current alliance to join a stronger one, here’s how to do it safely. Go to Settings, then tap Leave Alliance. But before you hit that button, make sure you’ve purchased one or two 24-hour Peace Shields from the Alliance Store. Use one immediately after leaving to protect your base from potential attacks while you’re alliance-free.
It’s also a good idea to contact the leader or officers of the alliance you want to join before leaving your current one. This ensures they’ll accept you quickly, so you won’t be stuck unprotected for long. A bit of planning here can save you a lot of troops and resources.
How to join Season One in Last War
Once the Season One update becomes available, you’ll notice a special badge on the right side of your screen. Tap it to start downloading the new pack. This will officially introduce you to Season One: Crimson Plague in Last War Survival. After that, you’ll gain access to several pre-season daily tasks, which are a great way to grab early rewards and give yourself a head start before the real battles begin.
I hope this guide helped you get ready for the upcoming season! If you have any questions or extra tips to share, drop them in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
