Puzzles & Conquest: The Ultimate F2P Guide – Progression, Strategy & Tips

Table of Contents


1. Game Overview and Core Gameplay Elements

The mobile gaming market has recently seen a surge in popularity for unique genre fusions. Among these, Puzzles & Conquest stands out as a title that successfully combines three distinct elements: puzzle matching, strategic base building, and warfare. Playing this game, I've discovered not just a way to pass the time, but also a source of deep strategic engagement and continuous growth. A particularly noteworthy aspect is the complete absence of forced advertisements, a common annoyance in many mobile games. This allows players to remain fully immersed in the game, highlighting its inherent appeal.

The primary objectives of Puzzles & Conquest involve building a formidable kingdom, developing heroes, gathering resources, exploring vast lands, and conquering enemies through puzzle combat. While this journey may seem complex, setting clear goals can enable Free-to-Play (F2P) users to acquire all rewards and fully experience the game's true enjoyment. Based on my insights and experience, this guide aims to comprehensively share strategies for optimizing all rewards as an F2P player in Puzzles & Conquest. By following this guide, you can minimize trial and error and efficiently advance your kingdom.

Puzzles & Conquest features three interconnected core systems: hero recruitment and development, building construction and resource management, and puzzle combat. The main storyline revolves around recruiting various heroes to recover lost relics and restore Aerasia. Strategically developing heroes to enhance their combat power and effectively utilizing their unique skills in puzzle battles are crucial for victory. Furthermore, constructing your castle and efficiently managing resources are essential foundations for continuous growth. In the early stages, focusing on building resource production facilities to ensure a stable supply of resources is paramount.

Combat in Puzzles & Conquest, based on match-3 puzzles, transcends simple puzzle-solving. You must strategically solve puzzles by combining runes, magic, and hero skills to defeat enemies. Selecting the right runes and magic for offense and defense, and leveraging hero skill synergies, are key to triumph. The exploration and quest system, which involves exploring a vast world and completing quests to find hidden treasures, offers excellent opportunities to gain additional resources, hero fragments, and items, as well as experience points necessary for game progression. Finally, forming and collaborating with alliances is a vital element that adds social enjoyment to Puzzles & Conquest, allowing you to share resources with allies and participate in alliance dungeons for greater rewards.

Game Basic Information:

Category Details
Official Name Puzzles & Conquest 
Developer Long Tech Network Limited
Release Year 2019
Platform Mobile (Android, iOS)
Price Model Free-to-Play (Includes in-app purchases)
Age Rating 12+

2. Puzzles & Conquest: F2P Roadmap for Success

Welcome to the world of Puzzles & Conquest! In this expansive realm, your objective is clear: reach Castle Level 22 to claim all ultimate rewards. Remember, all other activities serve as means to achieve this primary goal. While playing, it's easy to get sidetracked by various content, but focusing on reaching Level 22 will prevent unnecessary resource waste and ensure efficient progression. Generally, this goal may take about one to ten days to achieve, which is slightly longer than some similar games like Ant Legion. However, with a systematic approach, it is a perfectly attainable goal for F2P players.

Essential Prerequisite: The Importance of Alliance Membership

As you begin the game and follow the tutorial to advance your Castle Level, you will eventually receive a prompt to join an alliance. It is crucial not to hastily join just any alliance at this point. For successful F2P gameplay and stable growth, it is highly recommended to join a top-ranking alliance (preferably within the top 1 to 3). Early on, joining might be challenging due to power restrictions, but patience is key; wait until you have sufficiently grown to be accepted into such an alliance. Joining a top alliance offers several unparalleled advantages:

  • 1. Abundant Gift Rewards: When alliance members make in-game purchases, a portion of the purchase value is distributed as gifts to all alliance members. Top alliances typically have active members who make frequent purchases, allowing you to consistently acquire valuable rewards such as diamonds, speed-up items, and resources. This is a significant boon for F2P players.
  • 2. Active Alliance Support: Alliance members can support each other in building construction and research progression. In active top alliances, support requests are filled quickly, significantly reducing your construction and research times.
  • 3. Alliance Shop with Latest Items: The items available in the Alliance Shop update based on the alliance's activity and level. Being in a top alliance ensures that necessary items (e.g., speed-ups, resource chests) appear more frequently and under better conditions, optimizing your purchase efficiency.
  • 4. Territory Protection and War Rules: In most game worlds, non-aggression pacts or similar rules are established among top-ranking alliances (typically within the top 10). If you join the wrong alliance or remain unaligned, you might wake up to find your territory looted or burned. Joining a top alliance serves as a crucial shield, protecting your domain from such threats.
  • 5. Swift Alliance Mine Construction: Alliance Mines are a crucial system where you can dispatch troops to gather resources for extended periods (over 10 hours). Top alliances, being rich in resources and activity, construct and activate Alliance Mines more quickly.

For these reasons, remember that joining a good alliance is the most crucial first step towards achieving your Castle Level 22 goal. If you find your current alliance is not performing well, do not hesitate to seek out a better one.


3. Efficient Resource Management and Acquisition Strategies

Advancing your Castle Level in Puzzles & Conquest demands immense quantities of resources. Especially in the early game, you will consistently find yourself short on speed-up items and various resources. Clicking on your Territory Status provides an overview of your current resources, but in most cases, you'll realize it's far from what you need. Here are several strategies to overcome resource shortages and acquire them efficiently.

Key Methods for Resource Acquisition:

  • 1. Actively Utilize Mines: Capture mines on the world map and dispatch troops to gather minerals. These minerals can then be exchanged for necessary resources (iron ore, gold) through the resource exchange system. This process is a continuous and vital source of resource supply.
  • 2. Shop Resource Exchange: Opportunities to exchange specific resources for others frequently appear in the in-game shop. These exchanges often offer additional rewards, so it's advisable to perform them whenever available to maximize your gains.
  • 3. Arena Hero Champion Shop: Use points earned in the Arena to exchange for resources in the Hero Champion Shop. Focus on acquiring scarce high-tier resources like iron ore and gold from this shop.
  • 4. Goddess Statue: The Goddess Statue provides resources that are more beneficial than purchasing them from the shop with gems, up to a certain level. Consistently click on the statue to claim your rewards.

While these methods can help you acquire as many resources as possible through exchange, you will likely still find yourself severely lacking resources as your Castle approaches Levels 19-20. At this point, an aggressive strategy of raiding other territories for resources becomes necessary. While food and wood are relatively easy to obtain through raids, iron ore and gold are scarcer. Therefore, when exchanging raided resources, focus solely on iron ore and gold for maximum efficiency.

The Importance of Interior Heroes:

For resource conservation, utilizing interior heroes is also essential. By raising interior heroes (e.g., architects, resource managers) to a certain level, you can reduce the resources required for construction and development. This is highly advantageous for long-term resource management, so remember to continuously develop them. Nevertheless, as your Castle reaches higher levels, resource consumption increases exponentially, making raiding an unavoidable choice.


4. Optimal Castle Level-Up Build and Troop Management

In Puzzles & Conquest, achieving the ultimate goal of Castle Level 22 requires a systematic building upgrade plan and efficient troop management strategy. Meaningless building upgrades or inefficient troop production can lead to wasted valuable resources and time. Here is the most efficient build and troop management tips for reaching Castle Level 22.

Troop Composition and Raid Strategy: Focus on Cavalry Development

To successfully execute raids and defend your territory from external threats, a powerful military force is essential. Puzzles & Conquest features three troop types: Infantry < Cavalry < Archer, which form a rock-paper-scissors relationship. Among these, I strongly recommend focusing on developing Cavalry. The reasons are as follows:

Examining the building upgrade requirements for reaching Castle Level 22 reveals that Cavalry Barracks often demand higher levels later in the progression path. This means you can focus solely on leveling up the Cavalry Barracks to its target level without unnecessarily upgrading other barracks, providing an optimized path. This allows you to concentrate resources on the core troop type without waste.

Troop Management Tip: Utilize Level 1 Troops

For troop production, it is recommended to maintain Infantry Barracks and Archer Barracks at minimal levels and to train only Level 1 troops. The reason is simple: Level 1 troops consume only food for upkeep, unlike other resource types (wood, iron ore, gold, etc.). This significantly reduces the resource burden compared to maintaining higher-level troops, allowing you to focus scarce high-tier resources on Castle upgrades. Although their combat power may be low, a large number of Level 1 troops can be very useful for resource gathering, as bait during raids, or for alliance support.

Essential Building Upgrade Requirements for Castle Level-Up:

Castle level-ups require prior upgrades of specific buildings. The following table summarizes the key building requirements for Castle Levels 11 through 21. When aiming for the next Castle Level, refer to this table to preemptively upgrade necessary buildings. Especially utilize idle second construction queues to upgrade other essential buildings besides the Castle or Wall, saving valuable time.

Castle Level Required Buildings
11                  Wall Lv. 10 / Hospital Lv. 10
12                   Wall Lv. 11 / Siege Factory Lv. 11
13                  Wall Lv. 12 / Watchtower Lv. 12
14                  Wall Lv. 13 / Range Barracks Lv. 13
15                  Wall Lv. 14 / Market Lv. 14 / Alliance Hall Lv. 13 or 14
16                  Wall Lv. 15 / Gold Mine Lv. 15
17                  Wall Lv. 16 / Blacksmith Lv. 16
18                  Wall Lv. 17 / Infantry Barracks Lv. 17
19                  Wall Lv. 18 / Embassy Lv. 18
20                  Dragon Lair Lv. 19 / Cavalry Barracks Lv. 19
21                  Wall Lv. 20 / Sawmill Lv. 18
22                   ... (Final Goal)

For example, to reach Castle Level 15, you must upgrade the Market to Level 14, and to upgrade the Market, you may need to upgrade the Alliance Hall beforehand. Understanding these interconnected building requirements and planning your sequence is crucial for saving time and resources.


5. Key Tips to Accelerate Growth: Must-Do Content

To efficiently achieve the ultimate goal of Castle Level 22 in Puzzles & Conquest, actively utilizing various in-game content beyond just main quest progression is essential. Especially for F2P players, these supplementary contents are crucial avenues for acquiring valuable resources and speed-up items. Below are critical tips and must-do content to accelerate your growth.

Prudent Use of Speed-Up Items:

Throughout the game, many different speed-up items exist. These items instantly shorten the time required for construction, research, and troop training. Do not hoard these items; use them generously! Many players save them for later, but this often leads to delayed progression. Since these items are consistently obtainable, focus on using them immediately to build and develop your city as quickly as possible.

  • Utilize Mystery Shop: The Mystery Shop sells various items at reasonable prices, often including building speed-up items or general speed-up items. It is highly efficient to exchange resources for any speed-up items that appear here, so always check the shop and make purchases. I, too, purchased about 100 one-hour speed-up items from here, which greatly aided my growth.
  • Activate Second Construction Queue: To quickly raise your Castle Level, it is crucial to always keep the second construction queue active. Check your backpack for 2-day passes for the second construction queue and use them actively. If you don't have passes, activating it temporarily using diamonds is also a worthwhile investment. Always use your first construction queue for Castle or Wall upgrades, and utilize the second queue to preemptively upgrade other essential buildings, saving time.

Key Resources and Reward Content:

  • 1. Trial Tower: Challenge and clear the Trial Tower as early as possible. You can obtain a large quantity of speed-up items here. These are crucial items for early-game growth, so consistently challenge it to clear as many floors as possible.
  • 2. Ruins Coin Rewards: Use the coin rewards obtained from Ruins to purchase speed-up items in the Mystery Shop. This is an excellent way to acquire additional speed-up items.
  • 3. Utilize Pits (Mines): When mines open on the world map, immediately enter and mine rare ores. The mined ores can be exchanged for scarce resources (especially iron ore and gold) in the Market, greatly helping to alleviate resource shortages.
  • 4. Arena Battles: Fight other players in the Arena to win and gain more boosts. It is beneficial to increase your combat power and actively participate in the Arena.
  • 5. Research Lab Studies: Prioritize all research related to building and resource boosts in your camp's Research Lab. This provides permanent efficiency increases and is essential for long-term growth.
  • 6. Utilize Blitz Feature: If you don't have time to use all your campaign energy, use the Blitz feature to quickly consume energy and claim rewards. This is a good way to obtain components needed for hero upgrades.

Additionally, as you reach the final two levels (e.g., Castle 20-22), you may require an enormous amount of wood. Check your backpack for various magic chests or resource chests. These often contain resources to replenish shortages, so it's advisable to open them whenever you run low. Understanding and efficiently utilizing all in-game systems and content like this is key to F2P growth.


6. Hero Development and Advanced Puzzle Combat Guide

Combat in Puzzles & Conquest heavily relies on hero abilities and match-3 puzzle strategies. No matter how strong your castle is, if your heroes are underdeveloped and your understanding of puzzle combat is lacking, you will struggle to clear high-difficulty stages. This section delves into the importance of hero development and how to efficiently navigate puzzle battles.

Importance and Optimization of Hero Development:

If you encounter difficulties in the puzzle-matching aspects of the game, it is usually due to insufficient hero combat power. This can particularly occur at certain levels (e.g., Level 9). While you don't necessarily need to clear every single stage, upgrading your heroes is essential to overcome roadblocks. Here are some tips for hero development:

  • Hero Fragment Management: Sell or recycle excess hero fragments from unused or non-primary heroes to purchase fragments for your core, actively used heroes. This allows you to quickly raise the tier of your main heroes.
  • Acquire Soulstones: Explore the world map to find and defeat monsters and hell creatures to acquire Soulstones. Soulstones are essential materials for hero leveling.
  • Consistent Leveling and Skill Enhancement: Continuously level up your heroes and enhance their skills to maximize their combat power. In particular, hero skill synergies can unleash explosive power in puzzle battles, making it crucial to experiment with different hero combinations to find the most effective ones.

Puzzle Combat Strategy:

In puzzle combat, the key to victory lies in selecting the right runes and magic for offense and defense, and utilizing hero skill synergies. By solving match-3 puzzles, you gather runes to activate hero attacks. When certain conditions are met, magic abilities can be triggered at opportune moments to turn the tide of battle. Each hero's skill can have various effects on the puzzle board or inflict powerful damage on enemies, so you must strategically plan your hero combinations and skill usage order.

Furthermore, you can enhance your characters and gain an advantage in the game by utilizing various systems such as rune synthesis, equipment crafting, and monster capture. Actively using these systems will allow you to unleash your heroes' full potential and achieve even greater combat power.


7. Key Takeaways & Summary

Puzzles & Conquest is a unique and engaging mobile game that combines three core elements: puzzle matching, base building, and warfare. For F2P players seeking to successfully enjoy and progress, the following key strategies are essential. By applying these five core points to your gameplay, you can significantly enhance your efficiency and overall enjoyment.

  • 1. Clear Goal Setting: Make reaching Castle Level 22 your top priority to minimize unnecessary resource waste and aim for efficient growth.
  • 2. Essential Top Alliance Membership: You must join a top-ranking alliance (within the top 1-3) to benefit from abundant gifts, active support, and territory protection.
  • 3. Efficient Resource Acquisition and Raiding: Consistently secure resources through mines, shop exchanges, Arena shop, and the Goddess Statue. At higher levels, actively utilize raiding other territories. Developing interior heroes greatly aids resource conservation.
  • 4. Strategic Building Upgrades and Troop Management: Maximize resource efficiency by focusing on Cavalry development and utilizing Level 1 troops, and systematically upgrade only essential buildings according to Castle level-up requirements.
  • 5. Full Content Utilization: Use speed-up items generously and actively leverage all bonus content like the Mystery Shop, Trial Tower, Mines, and Arena to secure growth momentum. Hero development and puzzle combat should be mutually complementary.

8. Conclusion: Overall Review and Advice for F2P Players

This concludes the Puzzles & Conquest F2P strategy guide. Through approximately one week of gameplay, I have become confident that this game can provide ample enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment even for F2P players. While you might occasionally experience frustration due to resource shortages in some sections, these challenges are perfectly surmountable by consistently applying the strategies and tips provided. This game will particularly appeal to players who value consistency and strategic thinking.

Puzzles & Conquest is not merely a game where strength is directly proportional to spending. Significant progress can be achieved as an F2P player by efficiently managing resources, developing heroes, and collaborating with alliance members. Furthermore, the complete absence of advertisements significantly enhances the game's pure immersion, reducing fatigue even during prolonged play sessions. While the game requires both strategy and a bit of luck, I encourage you to consistently play, develop your own strategies, and enjoy the experience.

My final piece of advice is this: your goal in this game is to reach Castle Level 22. Always keep this objective in mind when allocating resources, developing heroes, and engaging with content. And most importantly, being part of a good alliance is crucial. An active and cooperative alliance will greatly aid your progress and make the game much more enjoyable. I hope you have a fulfilling journey of kingdom building and conquest with Puzzles & Conquest!


Puzzles & Conquest: Ultimate F2P Guide

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