The fastest way to increase power in Z Route: Redemption is to train soldiers, then level your heroes up to your base-level cap. Those two sources can make up well over half of a mid-game account’s power. After that, gear and stars on your main five heroes, your fighter and decorations give the best return.
Below is a real power breakdown from our Base Lv.28 test account (46.7M power), the targets the game itself sets for each category, and every way to raise power, ranked by how much it gives.
Where Your Power Comes From
Tap your power number on the profile to open Commander Details. This is our account’s split (verified in-game):
| Category | Power | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hero Level | 21,549,562 | 46% |
| Building | 4,106,724 | 9% |
| Decoration & Building Attributes | 3,822,582 | 8% |
| Hero Skill | 3,396,113 | 7% |
| Gear | 3,016,165 | 6% |
| Hero Star Level | 2,612,013 | 6% |
| Survivor | 2,366,675 | 5% |
| Fighter Level | 2,337,044 | 5% |
| Tech | 2,223,740 | 5% |
| Fighter Component | 1,039,000 | 2% |
| Wingman | 148,200 | 0.3% |
| Hall of Legends | 91,350 | 0.2% |
| Soldiers | 0 | 0% |
Hero level is almost half of everything. Our soldier power is zero because the army was wiped out in a raid, which leads to the most important point in this guide.
Check the Power Up Rating Screen First
Under Commander Details, tap Power up! and open the Rating tab. The game grades every category and shows a target for your base level. At Base Lv.28 the targets are:
| Category | Target at Base Lv.28 |
|---|---|
| Soldier | 24,000,000 |
| Hero Level | 17,300,000 |
| Deco & Building Attributes | 2,990,000 |
| Building | 2,905,000 |
| Hero Skill | 2,705,000 |
| Fighter Level | 2,555,000 |
| Hero Star Level | 2,530,000 |
| Gear | 2,395,000 |
| Tech | 1,422,000 |
| Fighter Component | 1,040,000 |
| Survivor | 867,500 |
Any category graded below the top grade is where you have the most room to grow. The Suggested tab next to it lists shortcuts to the weakest areas. On our account it pointed straight at Soldiers, Fighter Component and Fighter Level.
The Fastest Ways to Increase Power, Ranked
1. Train soldiers (biggest and fastest, but temporary)
The soldier target at Base Lv.28 is 24 million, larger than any other category. Each T9 soldier adds 1,350 power (verified in-game), so a batch of 735 T9 soldiers is worth about 1 million power, and roughly 17,800 T9 soldiers fill the whole 24M target.
The catch: soldier power is the easiest to lose. Soldiers die when you are attacked, and a single raid can take the whole category back to zero. Train them for events and fights, protect them with a shield when you are offline, and don’t treat soldier power as permanent progress.
2. Level heroes to your base cap
Hero level is the largest permanent source of power. Your base level caps hero level: each base level adds 5 hero levels, so Base Lv.28 caps heroes at 140 and Base Lv.29 raises the cap to 145 (verified in-game). Once your main heroes hit the cap, upgrading the base is the only way to keep growing this category. Plan the cost with the HQ Upgrade Calculator.
3. Gear on your main squad
On our Monroe, gear is about 29% of her hero power: 2.27M with gear, 1.61M without (verified). Each enhance level on a UR rifle added roughly 2,000 power for about 7,500 refining stones and 1.1M oil. Put gear on your main five only, and plan it with the Mythic Gear Upgrade Calculator.
4. Stars on your main five
Each star raises a hero’s base stats, about +8% on Leah’s next star. At 4 stars and hero level 31, UR heroes unlock Doomsday Judgment for +20% ATK, DEF and HP. Stars also raise the skill level cap. The tier list shows which heroes deserve your shards.
5. Hero skills
Skill books are an easy steady gain, but only up to the star cap: 10 levels at 3 stars, 20 at 4 stars, 30 at 5 stars. Level your main damage dealers’ battle skills first.
6. Fighter level and components
Your fighter adds the same flat bonus to every hero you own, not just one squad. Fighter levels cost combat chips, with a key upgrade every 5 levels that needs fighter parts. Components fuse three of the same level into the next level, and the jump from level 7 to 8 roughly doubles a component’s main stat. Save component chests and fuse them in bulk.
7. Decorations and Training Centers
Decorations count toward “Decoration & Building Attributes” and boost every hero. Each faction’s Special Training Center adds power to that faction’s heroes: our Warrior center goes from 196,500 to 232,800 power at the next level. See the Decorations guide for the details.
8. Tech, buildings and survivors
These grow slowly and steadily. Most individual building upgrades add only 5,000 to 50,000 power. Keep your build and research queues busy at all times, but don’t expect big jumps from them.
Common Mistakes
- Chasing the power number with soldiers only. It looks great until the first raid. Build permanent power first.
- Spreading gear and shards across every squad. Five strong heroes beat fifteen average ones in almost every fight.
- Upgrading every building equally. Focus on the base, Training Centers and the buildings your next base level needs.
- Ignoring the fighter. It boosts every hero at once, so it is one of the best upgrades per resource spent.
How to Increase Power FAQ
What gives the most power in Z Route: Redemption?
Soldiers have the highest ceiling (24M at Base Lv.28), but they can be lost. Of the permanent sources, hero level is by far the biggest.
Why did my power suddenly drop?
Almost always because you lost soldiers in an attack. Soldiers are the only part of your power that attacks can take away.
Is power the same as combat strength?
No. Faction counters, skills and squad makeup decide fights. A well-built squad can beat one with more power, especially when its faction counters the enemy.
Why can’t I level my heroes any higher?
You have hit the cap for your base level. Upgrade your base to raise the cap by 5 levels.
