Field Manual

The fastest path to relevance: focus on the things that scale. Don't waste resources on cosmetic upgrades or low-tier troops. Power isn't a vanity metric — it determines whether you can hold your ground when a hostile alliance shows up at your gate.

Phase 1 — Days 1 through 7

• Headquarters first. Always. Every other building is gated by your HQ level.
• Spend new player gems on speedups. Don't save them for cosmetics or chests.
• Complete every campaign mission. They're free power and resources.
• Join an alliance immediately. Alliance help cuts build times by a huge margin.

Phase 2 — Days 8 through 30

• Push HQ to mid-tier as fast as possible. Mid-tier unlocks better troops and research.
• Start tier 4 troops. Tier 1–3 are training filler. T4 is where damage starts mattering.
• Build a second city if available. Doubles your gathering output.
• Don't engage in PvP yet. You'll just feed kills to bigger players.

Phase 3 — Day 30 onward

• Focus on troop tier upgrades. Higher tier always beats higher quantity.
• Complete research trees in this order: Combat → Economy → Defense.
• Stockpile speedups. Don't burn them outside of events that reward power growth.

If you only follow one rule: upgrade your HQ first, then everything that supports it. Below is the order ECHO recommends for new operatives.

1. Headquarters — Master gate. Always max it before anything else.
2. Resource Buildings — Food, oil, parts, ammo. Get production matched to consumption.
3. Barracks / Troop Buildings — Match HQ level so you can train current-tier troops.
4. Research Lab — Unlocks the multipliers everything else depends on.
5. Walls & Defensive Structures — After offense, harden the base.
6. Storage — Upgrade enough to protect resources from raids.
7. Hero Hall / Recruit Center — Match HQ level for hero unlocks.

Tip: Never start a long upgrade right before bed unless you've shielded. Waking up to a flattened base is how new players quit.

Research is permanent power. Choose poorly and you waste days. Choose well and your troops outperform same-tier enemies by 20%+.

Recommended Order

1. Economy Tree (early) — Resource production multipliers pay for themselves within days.
2. Combat Tree (mid) — Attack and defense multipliers. Highest priority once you hit T4 troops.
3. March Capacity — Bigger marches = more efficient gathering and stronger attacks.
4. Hero Tree — Unlock hero slots, cooldowns, skill levels.
5. Defense Tree — Walls, traps, garrison bonuses. Not as critical if you shield correctly.

Hero choice depends on what you're optimizing for. Don't try to level every hero — pick a primary squad and pour resources into it.

For PvE Boss Damage (incl. Furylord)

• Highest single-target damage hero you have unlocked.
• Pair with a healing/sustain hero to extend boss windows.
• Buff hero for damage % boost.

For Gathering

• Gathering speed hero (priority).
• March size hero (secondary).
• Don't waste a slot on a combat hero in a gathering march.

For PvP / War

• Lead with your highest-attack hero.
• Second slot: counter-type hero (anti-infantry, anti-vehicle, etc.) based on enemy comp.
• Third slot: utility (debuff, slow, control).

Mixed armies beat single-type armies almost every time. The standard ECHO doctrine is a 60/30/10 split.

• 60% Primary type — Whatever counters the most common enemy comp on your server.
• 30% Secondary type — Backup damage and counter coverage.
• 10% Support / siege — For wall breaks and special objectives.

Always train current-tier troops only. Tier 1–3 troops are mostly used as a "wound buffer" — losses absorbed first to protect your high-tier units.

• Don't hoard above shield protection levels. Anything over your protection is bait for raiders.
• Keep resources in queue at all times. A resource being spent on an upgrade can't be raided.
• Run gathering marches 24/7 when not in active combat.
• Save gem-purchased resources for specific upgrades. Don't dump them on speedups for low-impact buildings.

VIP levels matter more than most new players realize. Each VIP level unlocks meaningful boosts. Daily VIP login points are free — never miss them.

• Always claim daily VIP login.
• Activate VIP boost only when you're online and actively playing — don't waste time on a boost you'll sleep through.
• Save VIP points for events that grant double VIP rewards.

Most events follow a weekly rotation. Plan your upgrades and resource spending around them — finishing a major upgrade during the right event can multiply your rewards.

• Building Event: Finish queued upgrades during the window. Save speedups for it.
• Training Event: Train troops in bulk. Save resources beforehand.
• Research Event: Time long research finishes here.
• Furylord / Server Boss: Coordinate with alliance in Comms. Damage windows are tight.
• KvK / Server Wars: Mandatory participation for active operatives.