Progression

Progression in Whiteout Survival refers to the various systems through which your city, heroes, and army grow stronger over time. Understanding progression gates and priorities helps you advance efficiently.

City Power

City Power is the primary measure of overall strength in the game. Your power score increases when you:

• Upgrade buildings
• Train troops
• Complete research technologies
• Level up and star up heroes
• Craft and upgrade hero gear

Higher power unlocks certain features, allows participation in higher-level events, and is used to rank players and alliances on leaderboards.

The Furnace — Central Progression Gate

The Furnace is the most important building because it gates all other building upgrades:

• Every other building can only be upgraded to the current Furnace level (or lower)
• New troop tiers, research options, and features unlock at specific Furnace levels
• Furnace upgrades require progressively more resources and longer construction times

Furnace Level Milestones

Key progression milestones are often tied to specific Furnace levels:

• Furnace 1–10: Early game — unlock basic buildings, T1–T4 troops
• Furnace 11–15: Mid game — unlock all core buildings, T5–T7 troops, hero gear
• Furnace 16–20: Advanced — unlock T8–T10 troops, advanced research
• Furnace 21–25: Late game — T11 troops, Fire Crystal buildings begin unlocking
• Furnace 26–30: End game — T12 troops, FC troop research, maximum building levels

Troop Tier Progression

Troops advance through tiers from T1 to FC10. Each tier represents a significant power jump:

Standard Tiers (T1–T10)

Unlocked by upgrading the corresponding military camp:

• T1–T4: Beginner troops, inexpensive to train
• T5–T8: Mid-tier troops, good balance of cost and power
• T9–T10: Strong troops that form the backbone of mid-game armies

Advanced Tiers (T11–T12)

Require specialized research completion in addition to building levels:

• T11: Requires completing T11 Infantry/Lancer/Marksman research trees
• T12: Requires completing T12 research trees (even more demanding)

Fire Crystal Tiers (FC1–FC10)

The most powerful troops in the game:

• Require Fire Crystals as a training material (scarce resource)
• Unlock through Fire Crystal building upgrades and advanced research
• Represent massive power jumps over standard T12 troops

Hero Progression

Heroes advance through multiple systems:

Hero Level

• Increased by spending Hero EXP items
• Higher level increases base stats
• Max level scales with hero star level

Star Level (1★–5★)

• Increased by spending hero-specific shards
• Each new star level unlocks new skills or upgrades existing ones
• Higher star levels require exponentially more shards
• 5★ is maximum and unlocks the hero's most powerful ability

Hero Gear

• Gear is crafted from materials gathered through gameplay
• Equipment slots: Weapon, Helmet, Chest, Pants, Boots, Accessory
• Each piece has upgrade levels (Blue → Purple → Gold)
• Higher gear quality provides significantly better stat bonuses

Research Progression

Research is a long-term investment that provides permanent stat bonuses:

• Battle Research — Improves troop combat stats
• Growth Research — Improves construction and city development
• Economy Research — Improves resource production and gathering
• Advanced Research — T11/T12 troop research trees and other specialized tech

Research has no upper limit — technologies continue to be useful throughout the game.

Beginner Progression Guide

Phase 1: Foundation (Furnace 1–10)

1. Upgrade Furnace as fast as possible
2. Keep all buildings at Furnace level
3. Research Economy basics first for resource income
4. Train T1 troops to fill Infirmary capacity
5. Join an active alliance immediately

Phase 2: Growth (Furnace 11–20)

1. Continue prioritizing Furnace upgrades
2. Unlock and upgrade Research Center for advanced tech
3. Start Battle Research for troop improvements
4. Collect and upgrade your first core heroes (Eugene, Smith, Cloris, Charlie)
5. Participate in all events for speed-ups and resources

Phase 3: Military Focus (Furnace 21+)

1. Begin working toward T11 troop research
2. Upgrade all military camps to match Furnace level
3. Prioritize hero star upgrades (3★ → 4★ → 5★)
4. Start crafting and upgrading Hero Gear
5. Prepare for competitive SvS participation

Tips

• Never let your Furnace lag behind — it's always the top upgrade priority.
• Use speed-up items efficiently — save them for Furnace upgrades and key research.
• Join an alliance early and use Alliance Aid to speed up construction dramatically.
• Invest in Development heroes (Eugene, Cloris) early — they pay off continuously.
• Participate in events regularly — they provide the bulk of your speed-up and shard income.
• Don't spread resources thin — focus on one upgrade path at a time.

See Also

• Buildings — All city buildings and their functions
• Research — Full research trees
• Heroes — Hero progression systems
• Units — Troop tier details
• Events — Events that accelerate progression