Time:

Last Z runs on Apocalypse time. To most, this is not your local time.

The day starts at 00:00:00 and ends at 23:59:59 Apocalypse-Time [AT]. About 2/3 weeks in, Alliance Duel will start and an icon will appear on your screen that counts down. It always counts down to reset; the start of a new day. The billboard next to your HQ shows the date, upcoming alliance events, and the Apocalypse Time. Press the switch next to the timer to toggle to your local time!

What to focus on first?

Construction:

DO NOT try to keep all your buildings at the same level. It's a big mistake. In this game, you will need strong Units to stand a chance in the upcoming wars. Focus on upgrading these buildings first:

• Headquarters
• Alliance Center
• Assaulter/Shooter/Rider Camp
• Military Center
• Laboratory
• City Walls
• Formation I

You unlock stronger Units by upgrading your Barracks (Assaulter/Shooter/Rider Camp), but you always need to upgrade your HQ first! It's relatively easy to upgrade to HQ20 if you know what to focus on and don't waste resources on unnecessary upgrades. 

Research:

Focus on one research tree at a time. Complete New Home and Shelter Upgrade to get some construction and research boosts and then continue with Elite Troops. At HQ level 18, you can purchase a license to build a second Laboratory which is highly recommended!

Formations carry 5 heroes. AT HQ15, you will unlock the third formation but you will only need to focus on your strongest formation, your F1. Use that formation to loot, defend, reinforce your team mates, make rallies, etc. The other two formations can be used to gather resources.

Focus on your F1! Save items to upgrade your F1 first: EXP, Fragments, Equipment. This formation represents your Arena Strength and will collect you the best rewards. The other heroes are not important at this point. S Heroes (Orange) are the strongest and your main formation will eventually consist of only S Heroes. As you unlock more heroes, you can choose what faction to focus on, but you don't have to worry about that yet.

Getting Sophia and Amelia early on is a great benefit because, when starred up, they boost construction and research. Vivian is another hero that is important to star up because her global skill decreases fuel consumption.

Spend diamonds on increasing your VIP level first! In the first week, while the Laura 7-Day Challenge is active, upgrade to VIP3 to unlock Sophia for free! Over time VIP benefits will really pay off.

Get to 8 million power in the first week while the Rise from Doom event is active to unlock the Battle Skin for your HQ. It gives a small buff, but the skin will be locked behind a paywall after this event!

Resources:

One thing you must know is how to get resources [rss]. You need Food, Wood and Zent to upgrade buildings. You need Electricity and Zent for research. The fastest way to get resources is by taking it from others. To loot, scout an HQ, see what resources they have and attack if you estimate that you can win. Upgrading your Radar will revel more information when scouting.

You will also get resources as rewards for completing tasks. Those resource boxes will go to your Warehouse and that's where they should stay! NEVER OPEN RESOURCE BOXES FROM YOUR WAREHOUSE! They cannot be looted there and can be used to fill up when you are upgrading.

In Event Center > Mines Melee, focus on Zent mines first! You will need it! Also send one of your formations to gather Zents!

An important event is Full Preparedness (it's the first event in your Event Center). Full Preparedness changes theme every 4 hours and gives good rewards if you time your actions. Defeat Zombies and Boomers during the Mod Vehicle Boost window and upgrade your heroes during Hero Progression. Later on Alliance Duel [AD] will overlap with this event at which time AD should take priority as to using items like Speedups.