Shields, Hospitals & How Not to Get Zeroed

"Getting zeroed" means losing most of your troops in one attack. These are the habits that prevent it.

#Shields

The Alliance Store also sells shorter shields for alliance points, and the stock resets weekly.

• Shields don't stack. A new shield replaces your remaining time, it doesn't add to it.
• No grace period. You can be hit the second it expires.
• Your troops out on the map are not protected by your base shield.

These break your shield instantly: attacking, scouting or rallying a player base, or joining a rally against one.

These don't: fighting zombies and bosses (even in rallies), gathering, reinforcing allies, Radar missions, and building, research and training.

#War Fever

Attacking or scouting a player gives War Fever: +1% damage for 15 minutes, refreshed with every hostile action. While it's active you can't raise a new shield, so let it expire before you log off.

#Wounded vs dead

When you lose a fight, troops go to the hospital up to its capacity. Anything over capacity dies and has to be retrained, which costs far more than healing.

• Capacity is per hospital, so more hospitals means more room. The 4th comes from Defense Fortifications research.
• Start healing at about 90% full. A full hospital means new losses die.
• Heal in batches sized so each alliance help is worth at least a minute.

#The Emergency Center

Unlocks at HQ 22. It saves a share of the troops that would have died as "fainted" (about 21% at level 1, up to 40% by level 20), which you can rescue later.

• It only works on the world map, not on battlefield maps.
• Rescues run on a cooldown of about two days and can't be sped up, but alliance help works.

#The don't-get-zeroed checklist

• Hospital has room. Heal before you fight.
• Emergency Center cooldown is ready.
• Shield up before sleeping, especially before Saturday, Enemy Buster day.
• No War Fever when you log off.
• Keep a teleporter in your bag to escape an incoming attack.
• Keep spare squads in a shielded ally's base, so they survive even if your base is hit.
• Resources stay in your bag, not your base.

#Sources

Compiled from community guides (last checked October 2026). Several are run by top-up shops, and numbers change with updates and differ by server, so double-check anything important in game.

• Last War Handbook: Shields
• Last War Handbook: Healing Guide
• Heaven Guardian: Hospital Guide
• Heaven Guardian: Emergency Center Guide
• LDShop: Battlefield Basics
• Last War Tutorial: Tricks