Game guide
06
Upgrades and Building Controls
A golden arrow over a building means an upgrade is available and affordable: click it and use Q/W/E. Upgrading swaps its troop for a stronger one (slower to train) and adds the cost to your income. Selected building: production (A), sync (S), enchantment (D, perk), flag (F).
What an upgrade does
- A stronger troop. When the upgrade finishes, the building trains the new troop instead of the old one. Tier 2 troops are stronger, and they also take longer to train.
- More income. The upgrade cost joins your income at the same rate as a new building, and a troop building's upgrade refunds its cost as lumber too.
- Sometimes a choice. Some buildings can upgrade in two different directions; the command card lists them under "Upgrades to", each on its own key.
- A short pause. While it upgrades, the building doesn't train. When it's done, the cycle restarts from the halfway point, like a new building, and the building keeps the same share of its HP.
Some upgrades lead to a legendary building and need a free legendary crystal (see the economy).
When to upgrade
The Training's Upgrade lesson ends on this: upgrading swaps the troop for a stronger one and adds income too, and that is how you swing an even match. A few habits help:
- Follow the golden arrow. It appears only when the upgrade is available and you can pay for it.
- Remember that it pays twice. Like a new building, an upgrade adds income; unlike one, it also improves every troop that building will ever train, without taking more space in your territory.
- Mind the pause. A building stops training while it upgrades, so upgrading everything at the moment a big enemy wave arrives leaves your lanes thin.
- Check synced groups. An upgrade can make a building slower than its sync parent; if so, it leaves the sync. A building that becomes legendary also leaves its sync chain.
Commands on a selected building
| Key | Command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Q / W / E | Upgrade | Starts the upgrade on that button |
| A | Production | Turns training off and on; while off, the spawn bar freezes |
| S | Sync | Links it to a parent with an equal or longer spawn time |
| D | Enchant | With the Production Enchantment perk: its troops gain +15% damage and HP (one building at a time) |
| F | Flag | Picks which side its troops spawn on, cages included |
| R / T | Building ability | For buildings with an ability you trigger: some fire at once, others ask you to click a spot on the map |
The same letters build when nothing is selected: whatever is selected decides. Esc clears the selection. For syncing and the spawn flag in detail, see waves; for every shortcut, see controls.