Progression & First Month
The Auto-Level System (Read This First)
This is the single most important system to understand as a new player.
In several game modes (Hard Mode, Sewers, Club Smash), all fighters — yours AND the enemy's — are automatically leveled to match your 6th highest fighter's level.
This means if you level a 7th fighter past your 6th, enemies get stronger for free while your team gains nothing new. Your advantage comes from things auto-level doesn't give enemies: promotion rank, equipment, dragons, and charms.
What This Means in Practice
- Pick 6 core fighters and only level those. Everyone else stays low-level. This keeps enemies manageable while your core team has all the gear advantages.
- Get all other fighters to exactly level 80. That's the minimum level to equip weapons. In auto-level modes, these fighters get boosted automatically, but they can't use weapons unless they're actually level 80+. Don't go above 80 though — you don't want them entering your “top 6.”
- You can't undo levels. A reset refunds gold and elixir, but if a fighter is in your top 6, the auto-level damage is done.
Example: Your top 6 are all level 200. Your 7th fighter is level 80. Auto-level = 200. If you accidentally level that 7th fighter to 220, auto-level jumps to 220 — enemies get 20 free levels while your team doesn't get any stronger.
Promotion Ranks
Fighters gain power through promotion (fusing copies together to raise their rank and level cap). There are many ranks, but only a few milestones really matter. Here are the important ones:
4th skill unlocks — your fighter finally feels complete.
2nd dragon slot and Charms unlock. Huge power spike.
Considered "endgame ready" for most content.
For a full breakdown of every rank, required copies, and gold/elixir costs, see the Promotion Costs page.
Quick Promotion Tips
- No need to level a fighter before fusing — resources are returned at 100%
- Never promote two copies of the same elite past Ultra rank — it wastes precious copies
- Reset reclaims 100% of gold/elixir/platinum but does NOT return fused copies
Mastery (Long-Term Investment)
Mastery is a faction-wide and class-wide stat boost system gated by scrolls — the rarest resource in the game. Don't stress about this early, just save your scrolls until you know which faction your core team is in.
When you're ready, prioritize in this order:
- Kodiak faction mastery — your main mech carry faction (Spekkio)
- Crane faction mastery — Scythe and Laguna are both top tier
- Finisher class mastery — gives +15% Crit Chance to all finishers
Your First Month
Don't try to do everything at once. Here's a realistic week-by-week roadmap:
Week 1: Just Get Started
- Join a club — Club rewards (Mech Event, Club Smash) are some of the best in the game
- Push campaign — your main source of gold and XP early on
- Pick any 6 fighters — doesn't matter which. You can swap later
- Spend gems on x5 orb pulls (4000 gems, 7% Elite rate) — best value by far
- SAVE scrolls — you'll want them later when you know your main team
Week 2-3: Building Your Core
- Get 6 fighters to level 80 — unlocks weapon slots for auto-level modes
- First fighter to 180 — 4th skill is a big power boost. Scythe, Dax, or Laguna are great first picks
- Participate in Mech Event if it's running — even tiny damage earns dojo coins and 20 gems per local kill
- Start buying daily shop items — gold, platinum, dragon shards
Week 3-4: Expanding
- Second fighter to 180 — ideally a support (Laguna or Zura)
- Push campaign to stage 1400+ for better reward tiers
- Start spending scrolls on faction mastery once you know your core team
Feeling stuck? Progression slows down after the first couple weeks — that's completely normal. TapForce is a long-term game. Just do your dailies and you'll steadily get stronger. See the Currency Guide for tips on spending gems, gold, and platinum wisely.
Daily Routine
Once you're settled in, here's what to do each day. This takes about 15-20 minutes once you know the flow. Missing a day isn't the end of the world — consistency matters more than perfection.
Do Every Day (5-10 min)
- Collect AFK rewards — tap the chest on the main screen. Gold, XP, and platinum accumulate while you're offline.
- Use Arena tickets — 3 attacks every 12 hours. You get gems just for participating. Find it under the PvP tab.
- Push campaign — tap the Campaign button and auto-battle as far as you can. This is your main XP/gold source early on.
- Buy daily shop items — gold, platinum, and dragon shards. Skip gem-only items early. Shop resets daily.
When Available (5-10 min)
- Mech Event attacks — when the event is running, use all attacks. Even small damage earns rewards.
- Club Smash — use PvP tickets when you have them. Wins give boss ticket chances.
- Hard Mode / Sewers — push when you have energy. Daily attempts reset.
- Active events — check the event tab for Dino Dice, Battleship, etc. Time-limited events should take priority.
Gem spending rule of thumb: Save gems for x5 orb pulls (4000 gems, 7% Elite rate). Don't spend on capsules (3% rate) or cosmetics. Save Technodome crystals — great lineups only appear a few times per year. More details in the Currency Guide.
Mistakes to Avoid
These are the mistakes that actually set your account back. Everything else is recoverable.
Account-Level Mistakes
- Using elite fighters as food — always check for 4 skills before fusing
- Leveling more than 6 fighters — raises auto-level, makes enemies harder for free
- Spending gems on capsules — 3% elite rate vs 7% from orbs. Always buy orbs.
Easy-to-Make Mistakes
- Not getting all fighters to level 80 — they can't equip weapons in auto-level modes
- Promoting two copies of the same elite to Ultra+ — wastes copies you'll need later
- Merging Naga dragons together — keep 3+ separate for speed manipulation on supports
- Spending scrolls before knowing your main team — scrolls are the rarest resource