Walkthroughs

How to build a great city in Game of War - Fire Age - hints, tips, and tricks

Advice aplenty in our handy strategy guide

How to build a great city in Game of War - Fire Age - hints, tips, and tricks

So you're trying to get into the "wacky" world of Game of War - Fire Age but don't know where to start.

You're wishing that some kind soul would teach you the basics of play, as well as how to progress quickly through this highly competitive PvP MMO city builder, and then join a powerful Alliance to rule the kingdom.

Well you're in luck, my friend, because that's exactly what you'll find below.

Getting started

The first thing you'll want to do is begin following the recommended upgrade paths, as laid out by the game's Quest system. Simply tap on Quests at the bottom of the main screen, and look at the top challenge you can take on.

When you're starting out, these will consist of ensuring you have one of every type of building that's available to you, and upgrading the ones you already have so that they produce more resources.

If you're playing on a budget or only logging in during your commutes, then you won't have access to VIP status benefits very quickly, so ensure that you're not wasting your time. You'll want to be earning as many resources and ticking off as many Quests as possible, so start juggling wait timers.

Though you won't be able to go on Alliance Quests yet, you will have access to Daily Quests, and these can be a great way to get resources. They're really easy: just tap the Start button next to the Quest you want to go on, and a timer will count down.

You should also be engaging in research at your Academy at the same time as questing. Just tap a skill, tap research, and meet the criteria to begin the upgrade. You can also train more troops, heal your wounded at the Hospital, and so on. Any way you can improve your base and bring in more resources in multiple ways at the same time is a great benefit.

The pen is mightier

A word of warning: one of the Quests you're given at the start is to scout another player. Unless you're ready to be attacked, don't do this, and certainly don't do it to a member of a powerful alliance. Try to pick a player whose city is named "Empire123456" or similar, as it's likely that they're inactive, and you needn't fear reprisal.

Knowing your limits is a key skill in Fire Age, as it's easy to get crushed by big Alliances if you rub the right people up the wrong way. Be friendly, try not to engage in the world chat or get caught up in petty squabbles, but do focus on your game and make friends.

After you've been logging in for a few days, you'll have built enough VIP rank to the point where you can skip sizeable wait timers. VIP 3 will allow you to skip almost 10 minutes of timer for free, every time you begin a building or upgrade process. Use this to expand and upgrade rapidly, and keep logging in for those VIP bonuses.

Returning to the game daily will give you the usual free spins of bonus wheels you find in most PvP games, but staying in the game will reward you with bonuses, such as free resources. You can also get extra loot by helping - I kid you not - to correct grammar and spelling of messages so that the crowd sourced translation software improves.

Alliances

Alliances are complicated things to be a part of, but you absolutely do want to be a part of one at some point.

The problem is this: finding a good one can be tough, and there are plenty of fly-by-nights who have started a new alliance but don't plan on sticking around for too long.

Your best bet is to join one made by a friend, but if you don't know anyone else playing, then scout around the world map and find an empire of a decent size, but not overcrowded, and attempt to join them.

Once you're in, you're committed to logging in every couple of days (minimum) and to following orders.

That might not sound like a lot of fun, but if you get a decent leader it won't be too serious if you slip up. Watch out for those that like to roleplay, as these little Napoleons can suck a lot of the fun out of the game.

Your leader or those in the upper ranks may ask you to concentrate your upgrades, or build certain items, or refrain from attacking certain Alliances. If you don't obey them, you may get kicked from the Alliance.

Got any tips to share? Let us and the rest of the PG community know by leaving them in a comment below.

Peter Willington
Peter Willington
Die hard Suda 51 fan and professed Cherry Coke addict, freelancer Peter Willington was initially set for a career in showbiz, training for half a decade to walk the boards. Realising that there's no money in acting, he decided instead to make his fortune in writing about video games. Peter never learns from his mistakes.