For new or free-to-play alliance members. Point them here when they ask "what should I actually spend on?"
The 20-Minutes-a-Day Rule
If you only have 10-20 minutes to play today: 5 minutes on Bear Hunt, 5 on Mystic Trial. These give materials you can't reliably get anywhere else. Everything else is bonus.
Hero Priority (by generation window — see Hero Overview and Roles for full detail)
- Jabel — free, day 2 login, build immediately (garrison/defender)
- Zoe (once Gen 2 unlocks) — max stars first, garrison foundation for 4+ generations
- Chenko or Amane — collect for Bear Hunt joiner duty, no gems required
- Marlin — 10 shards via Hall of Heroes, feed to 3-4 stars; even 3-star Marlin beats a 5-star Diana
- Amadeus — only if VIP-accessible; his kit stays relevant for a very long time
- Petra (once Gen 3 unlocks) — best F2P cavalry for multiple generations
Don't spread shards/gear across 5+ heroes. Pick your main 3 and commit — see Hero Overview and Roles.
Gear Priority
- Focus Hero Gear on your main 3 only, following: Infantry Gloves → Archer Helmet → Cavalry Helmet
- Progress Governor Gear and Governor Charms in parallel — they use separate materials, so it's not a tradeoff
- Save Gilded Threads for Hall of Governors windows
- Save Mithril for planned Red Gear pushes, not impulse spending
Speedup & Resource Discipline
- Never train Truegold/high-tier troops outside a Training Event window
- Hold speedups for the matching Strongest Governor category day
- Stop non-gear/troop gem spending 2 days before Kingdom vs Kingdom (KvK)
- Save keys/currency ahead of Champagne Fair instead of spending as you earn them
Event Priority Tier (for a time-limited player)
- 🔴 Non-negotiable weekly: Bear Hunt, Mystic Trial
- 🟠 High value, worth coordinating for: Swordland Showdown, Alliance Championship, Eternity's Reach
- 🔴 Biggest stakes — prep matters: Kingdom vs Kingdom, Strongest Governor
- 🟡 Good value, lower urgency: Hall of Governors, Viking Vengeance, Sanctuary Battles, Alliance Brawl/Mobilization, Champagne Fair, Hero Roulette
Common F2P Mistakes to Avoid
- Spreading hero shard/gear investment too thin
- Spending Gilded Threads/Mithril without a plan
- Skipping Eternity's Reach because "it's for whales" — it's actually one of the most F2P-friendly events in the game since troops are free and unlimited
- Fully upgrading Exclusive Gear on a Gen 1 hero right before your server crosses into Gen 3+