The Headquarters is the building every other building waits on: its level caps every structure in your base and every hero (five hero levels per HQ level, 175 at the cap of 35), it unlocks most of the base as it climbs, and from level 8 every upgrade asks for your Laboratory one level behind it plus one more building in a fixed five-step rotation. HQ 30 is where Tier 10 troops become possible, and HQ 31 to 35 is a separate game paid in steel and timers of four to nine months each.
- Unlock: you start with it
- Levels: 35 (a 40 has leaked in one video and is not confirmed)
- What it gates: every building’s level, the hero level cap, the next unlock on the map
- What it raises: hero cap +5 a level, base power, the daily loot cap
- What it needs: the Laboratory from HQ 8 to HQ 31, plus one of City Walls, Alliance Center, Assaulter Camp, Shooter Camp or Rider Camp in turn, each one level below the HQ you’re building
- The table below: every level’s cost, time and prerequisite, read from two states (37 and 511) in September and October 2026, with the levels where states disagree marked
What the Headquarters does and what it gates
Three things, in order of how often they stop you.
It caps every other building. A City Walls, a camp or a Laboratory can’t be raised past the Headquarters’ own level, so a base at HQ 20 is a base of level-20 buildings at best. That’s why every guide on every site says HQ first, and it’s why “what should I upgrade” has a boring answer most days: the thing the next HQ level is asking for.
It caps your heroes. Each HQ level adds five to the hero level cap: HQ 10 lets a hero reach 50, HQ 20 lets her reach 100, HQ 30 lets her reach 150, HQ 35 lets her reach 175. If your best hero is sitting at the cap with experience to spare, the Headquarters is the upgrade, not the hero.
It unlocks the base. The Radar arrives at HQ 3, the Alliance Center and Caravan at 4, the Laboratory at 7, the Toxic Fog Garden and Formation II at 8, the Rider Camp at 10 (with its research), the Dawn Tower at 11, the Bookstore at 12, the Steel Factory and the second Emergency Hospital at 14, Formation III at 15, Lab No. 2 at 18 (with the Research License), and the steel economy at 31. The full ladder is in the unlocks section below.
Two things people expect it to do that it doesn’t. It doesn’t raise your troop tier: that comes from the camp’s level (the ninth tier at camp level 27) and, for Tier 10, from the Unit Special Training research, which needs a level-30 Laboratory, which needs HQ 30. And it doesn’t raise your march size, which is the Military Center’s unit cap and the Formations’ and heroes’ business.
When the Headquarters unlocks and what it needs
You have it from the first minute; the question is what each level asks for. Levels 2 and 3 want nothing. Level 4 wants City Walls 3. Level 5 wants Radar 1 and Assaulter Camp 4. Level 6 wants Military Center 5. Level 7 wants Alliance Center 6 and Training Ground 6. From level 8 on the rule is fixed: the Laboratory one level below the HQ you’re building, plus one more building in a five-step cycle, also one level below.
| HQ you’re building | Second building it needs |
|---|---|
| 8, 9 | Assaulter Camp 7, then Emergency Hospital 8 |
| 10 | Shooter Camp 9 |
| 11 | Rider Camp 10 |
| 12, 17, 22, 27, 32 | City Walls |
| 13, 18, 23, 28, 33 | Alliance Center |
| 14, 19, 24, 29, 34 | Assaulter Camp |
| 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 | Shooter Camp |
| 16, 21, 26, 31 | Rider Camp |
So from HQ 12 the cycle is Walls, Alliance Center, Assaulter, Shooter, Rider, Walls again, and you can see five levels ahead. The Laboratory drops out of the list at HQ 32: levels 32 to 35 need only the cycle building. Two consequences worth knowing before you plan a week. Your camps and walls don’t need to match your HQ at every level, only the one in the cycle, and only one level behind; a Rider Camp can sit five levels back without stopping anything until its turn comes round. And the Laboratory does need to keep pace, every level from 8 to 31, which is why the lab is the second-most-upgraded building in any base that’s moving.
Headquarters levels, costs and build times
Wood and food cost the same at every level, so the table prints them once. Zents are the third resource, steel joins at 31. Times are the base timer with no construction speed, no alliance help and no speedups; a real base with Sophia, a levelled Villa and a few Butlers takes a fraction of them. Costs for levels 2 to 23 are the same on every source that prints them (states 37, 93, 403 and 511, and a fifth at 11); from 24 the readings start to split, and the split is in its own table after this one.
Read on state 511 (October 2026) and state 37 (September 2026); prerequisite levels from the community wiki’s table, which is the only one that prints them.
| Level | Hero cap | Wood and food, each | Zents | Steel | Base time | Needs | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 | 10.3K | 0 | 3s | nothing | 1,467 | |
| 3 | 15 | 15.5K | 0 | 5s | nothing | 3,088 | |
| 4 | 20 | 23.3K | 0 | 1m 57s | City Walls 3 | 5,073 | |
| 5 | 25 | 46.6K | 0 | 13m 20s | Radar 1, Assaulter Camp 4 | 7,881 | |
| 6 | 30 | 139.9K | 27.4K | 19m 43s | Military Center 5 | 15,299 | |
| 7 | 35 | 279.9K | 54.8K | 40m 38s | Alliance Center 6, Training Ground 6 | 25,789 | |
| 8 | 40 | 447.9K | 87.8K | 1h 15m | Laboratory 1, Assaulter Camp 7 | 39,060 | |
| 9 | 45 | 716.6K | 140K | 1h 50m | Laboratory 8, Emergency Hospital 8 | 55,842 | |
| 10 | 50 | 859.9K | 168K | 2h 45m | Laboratory 9, Shooter Camp 9 | 74,226 | |
| 11 | 55 | 2.1M | 421K | 3h 53m | Laboratory 10, Rider Camp 10 | 103,299 | |
| 12 | 60 | 3.6M | 716K | 5h 0m | Laboratory 11, City Walls 11 | 141,207 | |
| 13 | 65 | 4.0M | 788K | 8h 1m | Laboratory 12, Alliance Center 12 | 180,967 | |
| 14 | 70 | 5.6M | 1.1M | 12h 51m | Laboratory 13, Assaulter Camp 13 | 228,002 | |
| 15 | 75 | 7.8M | 1.5M | 18h 16m | Laboratory 14, Shooter Camp 14 | 283,654 | |
| 16 | 80 | 14.0M | 2.7M | 1d 3h | Laboratory 15, Rider Camp 15 | 357,920 | |
| 17 | 85 | 18.2M | 3.5M | 1d 15h | Laboratory 16, City Walls 16 | 442,588 | |
| 18 | 90 | 31.9M | 6.2M | 2d 0h | Laboratory 17, Alliance Center 17 | 554,597 | |
| 19 | 95 | 38.2M | 7.5M | 3d 7h | Laboratory 18, Assaulter Camp 18 | 677,297 | |
| 20 | 100 | 68.9M | 13.5M | 5d 9h | Laboratory 19, Shooter Camp 19 | 841,916 | |
| 21 | 105 | 96.4M | 18.9M | 3d 1h | Laboratory 20, Rider Camp 20 | 1,036,696 | |
| 22 | 110 | 125.4M | 24.6M | 12d 0h | Laboratory 21, City Walls 21 | 1,258,799 | |
| 23 | 115 | 156.8M | 30.7M | 18d 0h | Laboratory 22, Alliance Center 22 | 1,507,089 | |
| 24 | 120 | 196.0M | 38.4M | 25d 3h | Laboratory 23, Assaulter Camp 23 | 1,784,698 | |
| 25 | 125 | 333.2M | 65.3M | 35d 3h | Laboratory 24, Shooter Camp 24 | 2,146,664 | |
| 26 | 130 | 466.5M | 91.4M | 49d 3h | Laboratory 25, Rider Camp 25 | 2,574,942 | |
| 27 | 135 | 606.4M | 119.0M | 63d 20h | Laboratory 26, City Walls 26 | 3,063,306 | |
| 28 | 140 | 806.5M | 157.7M | 82d 22h | Laboratory 27, Alliance Center 27 | 3,641,000 | |
| 29 | 145 | 1.10B | 221.3M | 107d 18h | Laboratory 28, Assaulter Camp 28 | 4,324,660 | |
| 30 | 150 | 1.40B | 277.1M | 140d 1h | Laboratory 29, Shooter Camp 29 | 5,133,543 | |
| 31 | 155 | 1.41B | 284.0M | 2.59M | 136d 22h | Laboratory 30, Rider Camp 30 | 5,888,819 |
| 32 | 160 | 1.65B | 340.9M | 3.65M | 164d 8h | City Walls 31 | 6,716,270 |
| 33 | 165 | 2.00B | 408.9M | 4.82M | 197d 5h | Alliance Center 32 | 7,622,701 |
| 34 | 170 | 2.35B | 470.0M | 6.24M | 226d 19h | Assaulter Camp 33 | 8,594,753 |
| 35 | 175 | 2.71B | 540.9M | 7.53M | 260d 19h | Shooter Camp 34 | 9,637,256 |
Level 1 is the starting building (12K wood, no timer). Level 21’s timer really is shorter than level 20’s on both states; it’s the one place the curve dips.
Added up, HQ 2 to 35 on these figures is 15.6 billion wood, 15.6 billion food, 3.13 billion Zents and 24.8 million steel over 1,542 days of base timer, about four years and three months with nothing speeding it. HQ 2 to 30 alone is 5.5 billion wood and 553 days; the last five levels are two-thirds of the whole bill.
Where the states split, HQ 28 to 35. Two states read the upgrade panel and got the figures above (state 511 in October 2026, and state 37 in September, which agree to within three percent at 31 to 35 and match exactly on Zents at 31). Three other readings print lower numbers for the same levels: state 403, server 277 and a fan wiki all give HQ 31 as 1.2 billion wood, 241 million Zents and 2.2 million steel, about 15 percent under, and the same wiki gives 28 to 30 as 806.5M, 1.1B and 1.4B, which is the higher family for those three levels. Sophia’s fourth and fifth stars take 5 and then 10 percent off every building cost, and the lower readings look like discounted panels, but no source says so. A fifth reading, from state 11, runs about 5 percent under the table at 24 to 27 (186.2M at 24 against 196.0M) and matches it at 28 and 30. Your own upgrade panel is the authority; if it shows the lower figures, you have a discount applied, and the timer in the table still holds.
| Level | Wood, states 37 and 511 | Wood, state 403 and server 277 | Steel, 37 and 511 | Steel, 403 and 277 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1.41B to 1.45B | 1.2B | 2.59M to 2.66M | 2.2M |
| 32 | 1.65B to 1.74B | 1.4B | 3.65M to 3.73M | 3.1M |
| 33 | 2.00B to 2.09B | 1.7B | 4.82M to 4.85M | 4.1M |
| 34 | 2.35B to 2.40B | 2.0B | 6.24M to 6.30M | 5.3M |
| 35 | 2.71B to 2.76B | 2.3B | 7.53M to 7.56M | 6.4M |
What each Headquarters level unlocks
Beyond the hero cap, which is five times the level at every step, these are the levels where something new appears in the base or on the map. Buildings with a number are extra copies of a building you already have.
| HQ level | What opens |
|---|---|
| 2 | Watchtower |
| 3 | Radar |
| 4 | Alliance Center, Caravan (Hero Battlefield and Spec Ops), Wanderer’s Camp |
| 5 | Farmhouse 3, Training Ground 2 |
| 6 | Residence, Wind Turbine 2, Warehouse 2, Training Ground 4 |
| 7 | Laboratory, Lumberyard 3 |
| 8 | Toxic Fog Garden (Blood Rose), Formation II |
| 9 | Trade Center, Farmhouse 4 |
| 10 | Rider Camp (with the New Home research), Wind Turbine 3 |
| 11 | Dawn Tower (Wings of Dawn), Smelting Plant 2 |
| 12 | Bookstore, Residence 6, Watchtower 2 |
| 13 | Wind Turbine 4 |
| 14 | Steel Factory (Guard of Order), Emergency Hospital 2 |
| 15 | Formation III |
| 18 | Lab No. 2, with the Research License from the shop |
| 20 | the Mastery Hall in a season; the faction buildings’ Hall of Honor needs the building at 20, not the HQ |
| 30 | Laboratory 30 becomes possible, and with it Unit Special Training and Tier 10 troops |
| 31 | steel: the first level that costs it, and the Steel Plant and Steel Age research behind it |
The daily loot cap, the ceiling on what raids can take from you in a day, also climbs with the Headquarters, but the sites that print it have gaps in the table, so the figure for your level is in the game, not here.
When to upgrade the Headquarters, and when to stop
The honest rule is upgrade it whenever it’s possible, because nothing else is waiting on anything but it. The craft is in what you do around it.
- To 18, just go. Every timer under two days, every cost under 32 million. Keep the Laboratory one level back and the cycle building ready, and a base reaches HQ 18 in its first week or two with the beginner speedups it’s handed. Spend none of those speedups on anything else.
- Watch 20 and 25. Level 20 is the first five-day timer and the first wall most players feel; 25 is the first month and the first cost over 300 million. Gather for them. The costs jump by roughly 1.8 times at 20 and 1.7 times at 25 against the level before, and they don’t come back down.
- Hold at 27 if your troops are behind. HQ 27 lets the camps reach 27, the level that opens the ninth troop tier. A base at 27 with ninth-tier troops is stronger in every fight than a base at 29 that rushed past them, and 28 to 30 together is 330 days of base timer. Use that pause to promote troops, finish Military Strategies and Peace Shield, and get the Formations and faction buildings up.
- Go to 30 for Tier 10. Laboratory 30 needs HQ 30, and the Unit Special Training research that unlocks the tenth tier needs Laboratory 30. If T10 is the goal, and it’s the goal most long-term players name, 30 is the level that matters, not 35. Save the completion for Alliance Duel’s Shelter Upgrade day; the structure power counts there.
- Decide 31 to 35 as a separate project. Steel, nine-month timers, and only one prerequisite building per level. The prize is hero cap 175 and base power; nothing new unlocks at 32, 33 or 34. A player with the Villa at 30, Sophia, Butlers and the Steel Age construction research cuts these to a fraction, and a player without them should put the steel and the months into troops and gear first.
When to stop is simpler. A farm account stops at 26, before the costs turn into a resource sink with nothing to show for it. A main account never stops; it just chooses what runs in the queue while the HQ timer counts down.
How to upgrade the Headquarters faster
Every cut stacks, and the big ones are cheap.
- Sophia. Her Princess’s Gift talent is construction speed and free build time for the whole account at hero level 30, and her fourth and fifth stars cut building costs by 5 and then 10 percent, on every building including this one. She is the first hero a new base should level and star, and she’s covered on her own page.
- The Villa. Construction speed +2 percent a level to +60 at 30, plus a free-finish window that grows from 60 seconds at level 1 to 1,400 seconds at 30. It isn’t an HQ prerequisite, so it’s the building to raise with the second builder while the first is on the HQ.
- Butler refugees. Butlers deploy at the Villa and add construction speed by their colour; an orange one is the single biggest percentage on this list. Green and blue are worth keeping until a purple or orange turns up.
- Research. New Home’s Stacking Technique and Skillful Craftsman nodes (+5 and +10 percent), Shelter Building’s Skillful Craftsman ladder (+2 a level to +20), and later the Steel Age’s version (+3 a level to +30). None of these cost badges until Steel Age.
- The second builder. About two dollars for a permanent second queue, the one purchase every free-to-play guide agrees on. Put the HQ on one and everything else on the other.
- Alliance help. Every help from an alliance member knocks minutes off the timer, and the Alliance Center’s level sets how many helps a build can take (11 at level 1, 40 at level 30). Ask for help the moment the timer starts.
- Timing. Finish the HQ on Alliance Duel’s Shelter Upgrade day for the structure-power points, and buy speedups on Lucky Discounter days rather than at full price.
Resources are the other half. Four HQ levels in the 20s cost more than a month of production from maxed resource buildings, so the wood and food for them come from gathering marches, event chests and the resource boxes you’ve been saving, not from the Farmhouse. Keep the boxes unopened until the level you’re saving for; a box opened at HQ 27 pays far more than the same box at 15.
Headquarters questions
What’s the max Headquarters level? 35, and the hero cap with it is 175. A level 40 appeared in a leak in October 2026, with hero cap 200, and the creator who published it said it isn’t confirmed.
Which buildings does the HQ need? The Laboratory at every level from 8 to 31, one level below, plus one of City Walls, Alliance Center, Assaulter Camp, Shooter Camp and Rider Camp in that rotation. The table above lists the exact pair for every level.
Do my camps and walls have to match my HQ level? No. Only the one building in the cycle, and only one level behind. The others can lag until their turn.
How long do HQ 31 to 35 take? 137, 164, 197, 227 and 261 days of base timer, 989 days together, before any construction speed, help or speedups.
When does steel start? At HQ 31, 2.6 million for that level and 7.5 million by 35, about 25 million across the five. Steel comes from the Steel Plant and the steel nodes on the map once your state has them, with event rewards on top.
Why do wood and food cost the same? They do at every level from 6 upward, which is why gathering marches alternate between them. Levels 2 to 5 cost food only.
Is HQ 35 worth it for a free player? The hero cap is. The power is. The timers aren’t, until the construction bonuses are in place; a free account going to 30 for Tier 10 and then building speed before 31 gets more fights won per month than one that queues 31 the day 30 finishes.
The Headquarters sits at the top of the buildings guide, with the beginner’s progression guide for the first two weeks, the diamond guide for what to spend on speedups, Sophia for the 10 percent, and Alliance Duel for the day the finished upgrade pays twice.
