Last Z: Survival Shooter Formation Power Guide: Building Toward 100M+
Updated October 12, 2026
Reaching 100M+ formation power in Last Z: Survival Shooter takes more than upgrading whichever feature is cheapest. Your lineup, research, capacity bonuses, and battle mode all influence the number you see.
This Gamevoyant guide breaks the process into practical spending decisions: establish a reliable comparison, identify your biggest permanent weakness, and finish a meaningful upgrade before moving elsewhere.
Measure Progress in the Right Context
Power readings are not interchangeable. Keep your heroes and battle context unchanged when measuring an upgrade.
| Reading | What it represents |
|---|---|
| HQ power | Your base-facing total, which includes decorations |
| Arena power | A formation rating calculated with effects eligible for Arena |
| Map or rally power | A formation rating that can include additional active buffs |
| Formation power | The lineup's combat-related rating with applicable bonuses |
For example, one account recorded 66M in Arena but 72M on the map with an unchanged lineup. That roughly 6M gap reflects the combined circumstances of that account—not a fixed contribution from a particular building.
Use a simple improvement cycle:
- Record your current rating in one mode.
- Decide whether you want a larger displayed number or better results against specific opponents.
- Pick one investment path: troop HP, Hall of Honor, Modified Vehicle, or Formation I.
- Stop after a planned research node, capacity milestone, unlock, or building level.
- Measure again and review battle reports.
A larger rating can be useful, but PvP counters and actual results still matter.
Keep Faction Bonuses Intact When Chasing Displayed Power
A complete lineup of five heroes sharing one faction can activate bonuses that outweigh a stronger individual hero from another faction.
In one account test, a Blood Rose lineup displayed 72M power. Removing one matching hero reduced the reading to 31M, a loss of 41M. This is an account-specific example, not a guaranteed penalty for every roster.
The interface lists ATK +115% for the five-hero faction bonus. Individual talents can add further benefits, but their targets differ.
| Hero or effect | Bonus and coverage |
|---|---|
| Bella S2 | Formation-wide troop HP +10% with five Blood Rose heroes deployed |
| Oliveira | Formation-wide troop capacity +10% with five Blood Rose heroes deployed |
| Miranda | Blood Rose heroes receive DEF +10% |
| Fiona | Wings of Dawn heroes receive ATK +10% |
| Isabella | Wings of Dawn heroes receive DEF +10% |
| Katrina | Personal ATK +10%, DEF +10%, and troop capacity +5% |
| Sophia | Personal ATK +10%, DEF +10%, and troop capacity +5% |
This also explains why rarity alone is a poor selection rule. In an observed comparison, blue-rarity Audrey produced a higher formation rating than orange-rarity Scarlett because Audrey completed the Blood Rose faction setup. The outcome depends on roster development and active bonuses.
Before replacing anyone, check faction-dependent effects and pair talents. Preserving a full faction is a strong displayed-power strategy, not an automatic answer to every PvP matchup.
Prioritize Troop HP Research Efficiently
After prerequisite spending is handled, Recharge Shield is generally the strongest formation-power return for each badge invested. The most efficient next choice still depends on what your account has unlocked.
| Research branch containing Recharge Shield | Levels | Badge cost |
|---|---|---|
| Military Strategies | 3 | 990 |
| Peace Shield | 10 | 56,970 |
| Siege to Seize | 10 | 21,120 |
| Field Research | 10 | 102,300 |
Further Recharge Shield nodes appear in Unit Special Training and Army Building. Include prerequisites and unfinished levels when comparing routes rather than looking only at the final node.
One account gained approximately 7.5M displayed formation power after finishing Field Research's Recharge Shield. Do not convert that result into a universal power value for each percentage point of HP; existing multipliers and lineup strength change the outcome.
Target your faction's troop HP before general troop HP:
| Faction | First troop-specific HP target |
|---|---|
| Blood Rose | Assaulter |
| Wings of Dawn | Shooter |
| Guard of Order | Rider |
Military Strategies offers individual HP research for those three troop classes, reaching +15% for each respective type. General troop HP benefits every troop type and follows your primary class in this route.
Changing factions can temporarily reduce your rating if the replacement troop class lacks equivalent HP research.
Make Badge Income Support Your Research Plan
For this formation-focused progression route, Alliance Recognition takes priority among badge investments. Its value comes from stronger Alliance Duel income and improved reward-chest access.
At the relevant completed reward step, daily badge rewards rise from 120 to 240. Better income helps fund later upgrades consistently.
A practical sequence is:
- Advance research that requires no badges while suitable branches remain available.
- Prioritize Alliance Recognition when allocating badges.
- Work through Hero Training, the lowest-cost badge-requiring research option in this route.
- Pursue the next affordable troop HP target, whether Recharge Shield or your class-specific +15% HP research.
- Leave Fully Armed Alliance for a later Enemy Buster objective.
Reserve the actual amount needed for your next target. A fixed 100k badge reserve is not a universal requirement.
For event timing, Day 3 combines research scoring in Age of Science with badge-spending credit in Alliance Duel. On other days, favor badge-free work while available, but keep the Laboratory operating once those branches are exhausted.
Treat Fully Armed Alliance as an Event Investment
Fully Armed Alliance is not an early, always-active power solution. Its effects—including Move Out—function only on Enemy Buster day.
- Completing the branch requires 500,240 badges.
- Move Out contains 20 levels.
- Each level adds +25 troop size.
- The completed research provides +500.
Alliance Recognition comes first here because it improves your resource pipeline, not because Fully Armed Alliance carries a supposed 1–1.5M badge price.
Use Hall of Honor for Lasting Capacity Gains
Hall of Honor provides permanent bonuses through additional hero upgrades. Unlock the relevant faction hall by raising its associated building to level 20.
| Building | Hall unlocked |
|---|---|
| Toxic Garden | Blood Rose |
| Dawn Tower | Wings of Dawn |
| Order Hall | Guard of Order |
A hero needs 5 stars to appear in the hall. Reaching level 150 is not a condition for entry.
Hall upgrades can provide faction-specific hero stats, all-hero attack, and hero troop capacity. For example, a faction attack bonus can reach +10% at level 200. Always inspect the scope: faction ATK and DEF remain faction-restricted, whereas all-hero attack benefits heroes across factions.
Rarity affects the flat stat gain:
| Rarity | ATK or DEF per level |
|---|---|
| Orange | +5 |
| Purple | +2 |
| Blue | +1 |
Orange's listed gain is 2.5 times purple's. Capacity milestones, however, are particularly valuable when the goal is formation power.
Focus on capacity-oriented heroes belonging to your active faction. Vivian is the first such target for Blood Rose; apply the same faction-matching approach to Christina and Maria.
| Hall level | Capacity added at milestone | Total capacity gained |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | +3 | +3 |
| 100 | +3 | +6 |
| 150 | +5 | +11 |
| 200 | +5 | +16 |
| 250 | +7 | +23 |
| 300 | +7 | +30 |
| 350 | +7 | +37 |
At level 200, Vivian contributes +16 capacity per Blood Rose hero. With five Blood Rose heroes, that becomes +80 across the lineup.
Every Hall level consumes Hero Fragments or Universal Hero Fragments. Concentrating those materials on a useful milestone is more effective than scattering upgrades among low-impact targets.
Expand Capacity Through Several Systems
Hall of Honor is only one contributor to the number of troops a formation can carry.
- Hero development: Levels, stars, and relevant skills improve capacity.
- Faction buildings: Matching heroes receive attack, defense, and capacity benefits.
- Research: Troop-size technologies add capacity, though some have event restrictions.
- Hall milestones: Fixed increases reward focused fragment investment.
Faction-building capacity increases follow this schedule:
| Building level range | Capacity increase per level |
|---|---|
| Through 26 | +1 |
| 27–29 | +5 |
| 30 onward | +2 |
Relevant skills include Licia's +7.5% capacity effect, which parallels Liliana's faction skill, and Oliveira's +10% formation-wide increase when the Blood Rose deployment condition is met. Sophia's +5% capacity affects only herself.
Do not confuse faction buildings with Formation I–IV. The latter provide ATK and DEF to their respective Troop rather than serving as the faction-building capacity system.
Prepare Modified Vehicle Upgrades Before Spending
The Modified Vehicle has several meaningful progression points:
- Vehicle level 100: Components become available.
- Component level 15: Provides 200% troop defense in siege.
- Modifications: Golden wrenches support damage, HP, and defense improvements.
Expert Modifier requires preparation. Treat 160k+ modification blueprints as the minimum working stockpile, with 200k offering a safer buffer.
Activation opens a 30-minute period in which 100 attempts receive double EXP. Triggering it before gathering enough blueprints risks wasting that limited opportunity.
For additional event value, spend modification blueprints and golden wrenches during Mod Vehicle Boost, the separate Full Preparedness theme. This lets the same vehicle investment also contribute event points.
Separate Winter Season Strength From Permanent Progress
On newer servers, Season 2 uses the Winter setting. Its personal combat buildings improve Season Troop attributes rather than acting as permanent, account-wide power upgrades.
| Seasonal building | Bonus per level | Base free-to-play cap | Bonus at that cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Command Post | Season Troop DMG +1% | 30 | +30% |
| Icy Arsenal | Season Troop ATK +3% | 50 | +150% |
| Icy Fort | Season Troop DEF +3% | 50 | +150% |
Season Pass or Wartime Investment can extend levels beyond these base caps.
Keep the seasonal production setup healthy before committing heavily to combat structures:
- Use Bio Lab 28 as a practical checkpoint for level 60 Frostbanes after changing to Combat.
- A Smart Greenhouse at level 25–26 is usually a sufficient stopping point before heavier combat spending.
- Establish your combat foundation with Command Post.
- Raise Icy Arsenal when prioritizing offense.
- Raise Icy Fort when prioritizing defense.
These upgrades can be significant during the season, but evaluate them separately from permanent progression.
Match Equipment and Troop Tiers to Your Main Formation
When choosing equipment improvements, prioritize:
- Damage for stronger troop damage output.
- HP for troop durability.
- Attack and defense for broader stat growth.
Keep troop selection aligned with your primary faction:
| Faction | Matching troops |
|---|---|
| Blood Rose | Assaulters |
| Wings of Dawn | Shooters |
| Guard of Order | Riders |
Selena's Assaulter attack support is one example of why alignment matters. When progressing into T9 or T10, upgrade your main faction's troop class first.
For a free-to-play account, reaching T10 is estimated at about 1.5 years from starting the game. That is a planning estimate, not a guaranteed unlock date.
Important requirements and costs include:
- Laboratory level 30 for Unit Special Training.
- 1,500,300 badges to complete the entire Unit Special Training tree.
- A practical initial focus on T9, followed by promoting troops to the best tier currently available.
Quick Tips
- Compare an unchanged lineup within the same battle mode before judging an upgrade.
- Preserve the five-member faction setup when maximizing the visible rating, but verify PvP choices through battle reports.
- Check prerequisite costs before choosing your next Recharge Shield node.
- Develop HP research for your faction's troop class before broadening into general troop HP.
- Funnel Hall fragments toward useful capacity milestones in your active faction.
- Build badge income through Alliance Recognition before chasing expensive late research.
- Remember that Fully Armed Alliance bonuses operate only during Enemy Buster day.
- Gather at least 160k+ blueprints before Expert Modifier; 200k is the safer reserve.
- Keep seasonal bonuses separate from permanent gains in your planning.
- Finish one meaningful target, then reassess instead of dividing resources across every system.