Arms Race is a daily points race against commanders at a similar Base level. Each round lasts four hours and has its own theme, and only the actions that belong to that theme earn points. The points open Theme Chests, the chests give Battle Readiness Medals, and your total for the day decides your place in the ranking.
The useful habit is to look at the current theme before you spend anything. The same upgrade can be worth many points in one round and nothing in the next, so a few minutes of planning can turn work you were going to do anyway into chests and rank.
How an Arms Race day works
A day contains six rounds of four hours, starting at 00:00 server time and continuing at 04:00, 08:00, 12:00, 16:00 and 20:00. Each round has a theme. There are five themes and six slots, so one theme repeats during the day, and the order changes from one day to the next. The event's calendar shows the day's lineup and the start of each round.
At 00:00 you are matched with 12 to 20 commanders whose Base level is close to yours. Your daily total is the sum of all six rounds, and the ranking uses that total. Rewards are calculated and mailed once a day, and you need more than zero points to receive anything. Unclaimed Theme Chests and Arms Chests are mailed after settlement as well, but Battle Readiness Medals from an unclaimed Theme Chest are not sent, so claim those chests while the round is running.
Arms Race has a point reminder in the game's settings if you want a prompt when a new round begins.
Rooms and matchmaking
Your Base level decides how large your room is. Higher brackets are smaller, so a high-level commander competes against fewer players.
| Base level | Players in the room |
|---|---|
| Lv. 10 | 20 |
| Lv. 11–12 | 20 |
| Lv. 13–14 | 20 |
| Lv. 15–16 | 18 |
| Lv. 17–18 | 18 |
| Lv. 19–20 | 18 |
| Lv. 21–22 | 16 |
| Lv. 23–24 | 16 |
| Lv. 25–26 | 14 |
| Lv. 27–28 | 14 |
| Lv. 29–30 | 14 |
| Lv. 31–33 | 12 |
| Lv. 34+ | 12 |
Yesterday's placement also adjusts your matchmaking, using these values.
| Yesterday's place | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| 1st | +40 |
| 2nd | +20 |
| 3rd | +10 |
| 4th–9th | 0 |
| 10th–20th | −40 |
Some season missions ask for a first-place Arms Race finish. Those placements count on the following day's scoring.
What scores in each theme
Each theme lists the tasks that earn points during its round. Every theme also awards 30 points for each Diamond obtained from a pack purchase. Everything else is a normal gameplay action. The tables below show the points for a single action.
Hero Boost
| Task | Points |
|---|---|
| Recruit a hero | 400 each |
| Spend at least 2,000 Hero EXP in one action | 1 per spend |
| Obtain Diamonds from pack purchases | 30 per Diamond |
Base Building
| Task | Points |
|---|---|
| Increase building power | 1 per power |
| Use construction speedups | 10 per minute |
| Obtain Diamonds from pack purchases | 30 per Diamond |
Unit Boost
| Task | Points |
|---|---|
| Train a Tier 1 unit | 5 |
| Train a Tier 2 unit | 6 |
| Train a Tier 3 unit | 7 |
| Train a Tier 4 unit | 13 |
| Train a Tier 5 unit | 15 |
| Train a Tier 6 unit | 19 |
| Train a Tier 7 unit | 22 |
| Train a Tier 8 unit | 25 |
| Train a Tier 9 unit | 28 |
| Train a Tier 10 unit | 31 |
| Use training speedups | 10 per minute |
| Obtain Diamonds from pack purchases | 30 per Diamond |
Tech Research
| Task | Points |
|---|---|
| Increase research power | 1 per power |
| Use research speedups | 10 per minute |
| Obtain Diamonds from pack purchases | 30 per Diamond |
Airship Upgrade
| Task | Points |
|---|---|
| Use Airship EXP | 1 per 10 EXP |
| Use Stamina | 100 each |
| Obtain Diamonds from pack purchases | 30 per Diamond |
Training is the one theme with a spread by tier. A Tier 10 unit is worth about six times a Tier 1 unit, so the troops you train during Unit Boost matter more than how many batches you queue. Check the troop calculator before you commit training time, and use the building calculator to see how much power an upgrade adds before Base Building starts.
Theme Chest targets by Base level
Each round has three Theme Chests, and filling the point bar opens them in order. Higher rooms need more points and pay more. The table lists the three targets for every theme and every Base level.
| Base level | Hero Boost | Base Building | Unit Boost | Tech Research | Airship Upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lv. 10 | 400 / 800 / 2,400 | 1,000 / 2,000 / 6,000 | 400 / 800 / 2,000 | 250 / 500 / 1,500 | 200 / 500 / 2,000 |
| Lv. 11–12 | 600 / 1,200 / 3,600 | 1,500 / 3,000 / 9,000 | 800 / 1,600 / 4,000 | 500 / 1,000 / 3,000 | 500 / 1,000 / 3,000 |
| Lv. 13–14 | 800 / 1,600 / 4,800 | 2,000 / 4,000 / 12,000 | 1,200 / 2,400 / 6,000 | 1,000 / 2,000 / 6,000 | 1,000 / 2,000 / 6,000 |
| Lv. 15–16 | 1,000 / 2,000 / 6,000 | 2,500 / 5,000 / 15,000 | 2,400 / 4,800 / 12,000 | 1,500 / 3,000 / 9,000 | 2,000 / 4,000 / 12,000 |
| Lv. 17–18 | 1,200 / 2,400 / 7,200 | 3,000 / 6,000 / 18,000 | 5,000 / 10,000 / 25,000 | 2,000 / 4,000 / 12,000 | 2,500 / 5,000 / 15,000 |
| Lv. 19–20 | 1,400 / 2,800 / 8,400 | 3,500 / 7,000 / 21,000 | 6,000 / 12,000 / 30,000 | 2,500 / 5,000 / 15,000 | 3,000 / 6,000 / 18,000 |
| Lv. 21–22 | 1,600 / 3,200 / 9,600 | 4,000 / 8,000 / 24,000 | 9,000 / 18,000 / 45,000 | 3,000 / 6,000 / 18,000 | 3,500 / 7,000 / 21,000 |
| Lv. 23–24 | 1,800 / 3,600 / 10,800 | 4,500 / 9,000 / 27,000 | 10,000 / 20,000 / 50,000 | 3,500 / 7,000 / 21,000 | 4,000 / 8,000 / 24,000 |
| Lv. 25–26 | 2,000 / 4,000 / 12,000 | 5,000 / 10,000 / 30,000 | 12,000 / 24,000 / 60,000 | 4,000 / 8,000 / 24,000 | 5,000 / 10,000 / 30,000 |
| Lv. 27–28 | 2,000 / 4,000 / 12,000 | 5,500 / 11,000 / 30,000 | 13,000 / 26,000 / 65,000 | 4,500 / 9,000 / 27,000 | 5,000 / 10,000 / 30,000 |
| Lv. 29–30 | 2,000 / 4,000 / 12,000 | 6,000 / 12,000 / 30,000 | 15,000 / 30,000 / 75,000 | 5,000 / 10,000 / 30,000 | 5,000 / 10,000 / 30,000 |
| Lv. 31–33 | 2,000 / 4,000 / 12,000 | 6,750 / 13,500 / 30,000 | 15,000 / 30,000 / 75,000 | 6,250 / 12,500 / 30,000 | 6,000 / 12,000 / 30,000 |
| Lv. 34+ | 2,000 / 4,000 / 12,000 | 7,500 / 15,000 / 30,000 | 15,000 / 30,000 / 75,000 | 7,500 / 15,000 / 30,000 | 7,500 / 15,000 / 30,000 |
The rewards depend on your Base level, not on the theme. Every chest also gives Battle Readiness Medals: one for the first chest, two for the second and three for the third.
| Base level | Skill Medals | Iron, Food and Coin Chests (SR), each | 5m Universal Speedups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lv. 10 | 30 / 60 / 200 | 1 / 2 / 4 | 1 / 3 / 8 |
| Lv. 11–12 | 50 / 100 / 300 | 1 / 2 / 6 | 2 / 5 / 12 |
| Lv. 13–14 | 60 / 120 / 400 | 1 / 2 / 8 | 2 / 6 / 16 |
| Lv. 15–16 | 80 / 160 / 500 | 1 / 3 / 10 | 3 / 8 / 20 |
| Lv. 17–18 | 100 / 200 / 600 | 2 / 4 / 12 | 4 / 10 / 24 |
| Lv. 19–20 | 110 / 220 / 700 | 2 / 4 / 14 | 4 / 11 / 28 |
| Lv. 21–22 | 130 / 260 / 800 | 2 / 5 / 16 | 5 / 13 / 32 |
| Lv. 23–24 | 150 / 300 / 900 | 3 / 6 / 18 | 6 / 15 / 36 |
| Lv. 25–26 | 160 / 320 / 1,000 | 3 / 6 / 20 | 8 / 20 / 40 |
| Lv. 27–28 | 180 / 360 / 1,000 | 3 / 7 / 20 | 8 / 20 / 40 |
| Lv. 29–30 | 200 / 400 / 1,000 | 4 / 8 / 20 | 8 / 20 / 40 |
| Lv. 31–33 | 250 / 500 / 1,250 | 5 / 10 / 25 | 10 / 25 / 50 |
| Lv. 34+ | 250 / 500 / 1,250 | 5 / 10 / 25 | 10 / 25 / 50 |
Saving a stock of speedups or hero experience for the right round is the simplest way to reach the third chest. Compare your target with what you already plan to do, and let the theme tell you when to do it.
Battle Readiness Medals and Arms Chests
Opening all three chests in a round gives six medals. Medals are spent on the daily Arms Chest track, which has three stages.
| Chest | Battle Readiness Medals | Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Arms Chest 1 | 2 | Diamonds ×50; Legendary Recruitment Ticket ×1; SSR Universal Hero Shard ×2 |
| Arms Chest 2 | 8 | Diamonds ×100; Legendary Recruitment Ticket ×3; SSR Universal Hero Shard ×5 |
| Arms Chest 3 | 18 | Diamonds ×200; Legendary Recruitment Ticket ×6; UR Universal Hero Shard ×2 |
Eighteen medals are three fully cleared rounds, but any mix that adds up to 18 works, so you do not need to clear all six rounds. The medals are the one reward that is not mailed if you forget a chest, which makes a missed round more expensive than it looks.
Ranking rewards
The ranking uses your total points from all six rounds and is settled daily. Places 1 to 20 receive a reward.
| Place | Rewards |
|---|---|
| 1st | UR Universal Hero Shard ×1; Decal Chest (SSR) ×1; Iron, Food and Coin Chest (SR) ×24 each |
| 2nd | Decal Chest (SSR) ×1; Iron, Food and Coin Chest (SR) ×18 each |
| 3rd | Decal Chest (SSR) ×1; Iron, Food and Coin Chest (SR) ×12 each |
| 4th–5th | Iron, Food and Coin Chest (SR) ×6 each |
| 6th–20th | Iron, Food and Coin Chest (SR) ×3 each |
The ranking is a daily race, so points from every round count, not only the last one.
Swapping a theme
Once the swap option is available to you, the calendar lets you replace the current round's theme with a later one from the same day. The swap works under a few rules:
- You can swap once per day.
- You can only choose a theme scheduled later than the current round.
- The two themes exchange their point tasks, points and chests. If you had already opened two chests, the new current theme keeps them and the theme you sent away gets three unopened chests.
- If a chest is waiting to be claimed, the game asks you to claim it first.
- You cannot swap when less than five minutes remain in the round.
The swap is most useful when you have a large amount of saved progress that fits a theme later in the day. Pull that theme forward and spend the materials before the round ends.
A practical routine for the day
Open the calendar once in the morning and note which themes repeat. Match your upgrades to the rounds: building and research upgrades to Base Building and Tech Research, training to Unit Boost, hero recruitment and experience to Hero Boost, and Airship experience and Stamina to Airship Upgrade.
Claim every Theme Chest before a round ends, check how many medals you need for the next Arms Chest, and decide whether the ranking is worth chasing in the last round. A steady routine across all six rounds beats a single large push late in the day.