In the Last War Black Market, your immediate spending priority should always go toward scarce, non-farmable progression materials: exclusive weapon shards, universal UR hero shards, and drone upgrade components (Drone Parts and Drone Combat Data). After clearing those core items, spend surplus currency on gear refinement ore and research speedups. Never spend event currency on basic resources such as food, iron, or gold, as these can be gathered freely on the world map.
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Black Market General Item Priority Ranking
| Priority | Item Category | Primary Benefit | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Priority | Exclusive Weapon Shards & UR Shards | Unlocks hero skills and major milestone power spikes | Buy immediately on every shop reset |
| Top Priority | Drone Parts & Combat Data | Boosts overall squad defense, mitigation, and burst | Clear full available stock |
| High Priority | Gear Enhancement Ore & Ceramic | Powers level 20 to 40 legendary gear refinement | Purchase after securing hero and drone items |
| Situational | Universal & Research Speedups | Accelerates high-tier tech; helps score in Alliance Duel | Buy if stockpiling for specific event days |
| Situational | Stamina Cans | Stores energy for rallies, Doom Elites, and Zombie Bosses | Buy if preparing for competitive PvE events |
| Trap (Skip) | Basic Resources (Food, Iron, Gold) | Plunderable; readily available from map gathering | Never purchase with event currency |
| Trap (Skip) | Basic Recruitment Tickets & Hero EXP | Plentiful from daily tasks, drills, and standard recruit | Skip entirely in favor of rare materials |
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What to Buy First: Hero and Drone Upgrades
1. Exclusive Weapon and UR Shards
Exclusive weapons provide major stat boosts and unlock crucial hero skills at milestone levels 10, 20, and 30. Because acquiring these shards outside of specific event shops is slow, the Black Market is one of the most reliable sources for steady progress. Clearing exclusive shards and universal UR hero shards prevents your primary squad from hitting prolonged progression walls.
2. Drone Parts and Drone Combat Data
Drone upgrades provide universal benefits that apply across all your deployed squads rather than boosting a single hero. Increasing drone levels improves baseline damage mitigation, defense scaling, and combat skill burst. Since daily map tasks yield limited drone materials, clearing these from the general market provides steady, cross-roster combat rating growth.
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Secondary Buys: Gear Refinement and Speedups
Once your shard and drone quotas are met, evaluate your stock for gear and laboratory progression:
- Gear Enhancement Ore and Ceramics: Promoting legendary equipment from level 20 toward level 40 demands tens of thousands of refinement points. Front-line tanks and primary damage dealers depend heavily on fully refined four-piece sets. Purchasing discounted ore from the general stock accelerates these gear milestones.
- Research and Universal Speedups: When spending on speedups, prioritize universal timers and dedicated research speedups over construction timers. Base buildings are ultimately gated by resource availability and headquarters prerequisites, whereas high-end research trees—such as Units Tech, Hero Tech, and Special Forces—require months of lab time that can only be mitigated through targeted speedup consumption.
- Stamina Cans: Stamina items hold strong situational value if saved in your inventory for high-yield events. Use stored cans during Arms Race stamina stages, Doom Elite rallies, or weekend Alliance Duel pushes to secure point milestones without burning gems.
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Traps to Avoid in the General Store
To maximize your account power, avoid spending limited Black Market currency on commodities that have high natural drop rates:
- Basic Resource Chests: Food (bread), iron, and gold are easily gathered from map tiles, radar missions, secret tasks, and alliance plunder. Spending event tokens on farmable resources slows down your gear and weapon progression.
- Common Recruitment Tickets: Standard ticket drop rates offer diminishing returns once your core lineup consists of 5-star UR heroes. Targeted shard purchases offer far greater value.
- Hero EXP: Training ground drills and routine campaign stages supply sufficient hero experience over time, making EXP purchases an inefficient trade.
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Currency Management and Reset Strategy
To get the most out of each Black Market rotation, follow this purchasing routine:
- Lock in top items early: Buy out all available exclusive weapon shards, UR hero shards, and drone components as soon as the market opens or resets.
- Calculate incoming currency: Estimate the tokens you will earn from remaining daily missions and event milestones before buying secondary items like ore or speedups.
- Hold excess currency until the final day: Avoid immediately spending leftover tokens on low-priority items. Holding your surplus protects against sudden inventory restocks or end-of-event needs, preventing the need to convert premium gems.
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Player Comments
68 players commented on this guide.
This helped me understand strategy much better.
This saved me time in the early game.
Nice guide. I am checking the other Last War articles next.
The tips are practical and easy to follow.