Resources

=Economic Concepts= There are a few in-game economic concepts that are closely related to the game's Resources and Currencies, but which are not really resources or currencies themselves. These concepts (along with the game's Currencies and Tier 1 Resources) constitute the bread & butter of Battle Nations as you begin your quest for expansion. Players learn many techniques over time, to maximize resource gain.

XP
XP (or Experience Points) represents your progress within the game. You accumulate XP through producing and collecting Goods, collecting taxes, completing Missions, and earning 30 Victory Points from the Head-to-Head online battles. If you accumulate enough XP for a given Level, you will level up, thereby unlocking new buildings and units for your army. Currently the maximum level is level 65. Once level 65 is reached, the player has to level up once more to enter Prestige mode and can earn Stars with XP.

Population
Population represents workers, which are what constitutes your workforce. You can assign workers to buildings to keep them running. To increase your population you must build Houses. Your maximum population is determined by your level, although the Permits Office can be built to increase the maximum population, regardless of your level.

Note that soldiers of your army are not included in the population count.

Time
Time is how long it takes for a construction job, goods, or unit production to complete. Generally speaking, the maximum amount of time required for a job is anytime under one and a half days, while the minimum seems to be three seconds (excluding Decorations).

Note: Nanopods may be used to speed up most build times. Each nanopod is worth 1-hour of time.

=Currencies= Battle Nations uses several forms of in-game currency, which can be used to purchase various units, buildings, or in-game advantages.

Gold
Gold is the most basic resource in the game, and arguably the most abundant one. It can be obtained through tax collection from the players' houses, Goods production, and battle rewards. Generally, Gold is considered one of the less limiting resources, since it can be obtained from everywhere and the Gold rewards are quite high, ranging in the thousands. However, because of this, Gold is also a resource that is used everywhere, from Land Expansions to Goods Production.

If you attempt to purchase something but do not have enough gold, the game will offer to sell it at a rate of 200 gold per nanopod. However, since the 3.5.1 Patch, it is possible to buy gold for a significantly lower cost in the build menu.

Nanopods
Nanopods are used to buy premium items (units or structures) within the game, and cost real money to buy. One can also get them through promotions websites such as Tapjoy.com, by converting Black Nanopods and by levelling up. They can also be used to hurry production/construction/healing time at a rate of one nanopod per hour, rounded up. In single-player battles, a single nanopod can be used to heal 100 to a single unit, though this takes the player's turn - they cannot attack on the same round that you heal.

Z2 Points
Z2 Points can be obtained through completing in-game Achievements. Once earned, they can be used to buy special items such as the Humvee, Hacienda, and the Durian Orchard. Outside of Battle Nations, they can also be spent in Trade Nations for decorations or buildings.

Z2Live points may also be earned in other games made by the developer, Z2Live. Currently, they can be earned in Trade Nations, where it is actually possible to earn a sizable amount of points with minimal effort. A current list of Z2Live games can be accessed in game by tapping on your player icon in the upper left corner of the screen.

VP
Victory Points (or VP for short) are obtained by participating in 'random PvP' matches. Each battle rewards 1 VP to the loser and 4 VP to the winner. In sufficient quantities, these can be used to gain random prizes, including gold, XP, Bars, Gears, and in rare cases even Nanopods.

A 24 Hour countdown timer starts as soon as a player tries to find a match. After the counter expires, the player's VP total is reset to 0.

There are currently 4 Tiers of VP Rewards, requiring at least 10, 20, 30, and 40 VP (respectively). There appears to be no benefit to obtaining more than 40 VP at a time. According to player reports, the possible Tier 4 VP Rewards (obtainable after getting 40 VP in a single day) include:
 * 1 Gear
 * 4 Gears
 * 6 Gears
 * 9 Gears (lvl 40)
 * 10 Gears
 * 1 Bar
 * 3 Bars (lvl 10)
 * 4 Bars
 * 5 Bars (lvl 16)
 * 6 Bars
 * 8 Bars
 * 2 Nanopods (lvl 9)
 * 3 Nanopods (lvl 10)
 * 8 Nanopods
 * 12 Nanopods
 * 25 Nanopods
 * 50 Nanopods
 * 200 Nanopods (lvl 45)
 * 500 Nanopods (lvl 50)

The reward seems to be tied to your level, and as such at higher levels you will get bigger rewards.

Tier 1 Resources
Tier 1 resources are natural resources that are collected, harvested, or mined from nature. With the exception of Coal, you will utilize all these resources almost immediately as you start the game, and will continue to need them throughout the entire game.

These resources can be purchased at a cost of 39 units per nanopod.

Stone
Stone is used to build the most basic buildings, and can later be transformed into Concrete. It is also used in training Sandbags and Frontier Chuckers. Stone is found in  Stone Outcrops . To obtain it, you must build a Stone Quarry. This is the first resource you will harvest.

Wood
Wood also constitutes the building material for most basic buildings, and can later be transformed into Lumber. Wood is found in  Dense Forests . To obtain it, you must build a Logging Camp.

Iron
Iron is used to build many buildings. It is also extensively used to train, heal/repair and upgrade units. In combination with Coal, it can be used to make Steel. Iron is found in  Iron Deposits . To obtain it, you must build an Iron Mine. As a key ingredient in the training and healing/repairing of almost all non-nanopod units and in Steel production, it is the most important resource in the game.

Coal
Coal is used, in combination with Iron, to make Steel through the use of a Steel Mill. It is found in  Coal Deposits . To obtain it, you must build a Coal Mine.

Tier 2 Resources
Tier 2 resources are required in the more advanced stages of the game, to build and produce buildings and units that are more sophisticated and powerful.

Each of the Tier 2 resources (except Oil) must be manufactured using specialized manufacturing 'shops'. The manufacturing process works similar to how normal shops build items, except that manufacturing shops consume Natural (Tier 1) Resources (and time), instead of gold. Refer to the page of each manufacturing building for details.

These resources can be purchased at a cost of 39 units per nanopod.

Tip: To maximize Tier 2 production, place your buildings where visitors (Friends) will see them immediately when they open your world. This makes its easy for them to help you.

Concrete
Concrete is used to build more advanced buildings. Stone is transformed into Concrete through the use of a Concrete Plant or the premium Advanced Concrete Plant.

Lumber
Lumber is used to build more advanced buildings. It is also used to train and upgrade specific units. Wood is transformed into Lumber through the use of a Lumber Mill or the premium Advanced Lumber Mill.

Steel
Steel is used to build more advanced buildings. It is also extensively used to train, heal/repair and upgrade units. Iron and Coal are transformed into Steel through the use of a Steel Mill or the premium Advanced Steel Mill.

Oil
Oil is used to build and repair certain vehicles. Oil is found in  Oil Fields . To obtain it, you must build an Oil Pump.

Tier 3 Resources
Tier 3 resources are required for the production of special buildings and units. They are granted to you through the completion of Missions, occupying/raiding certain buildings, defeating enemies on your land and on the world map, or claiming your reward after getting 40 VP.

These resources can be purchased at a cost of 10 nanopods each.

Gears
Gears are instrumental in building certain advanced vehicles, as well as healing and ranking them. You can obtain them by Raiding or Occupying another player's Vehicle Factory, or by winning PvP battles (from the random award after you obtain 40 VP). Another way to obtain them is by assisting a vehicle factory (10% drop rate). Gears may also rewarded after defeating the Ancient Sentinel and Ancient Construct. You can store up to 100 gears.

Bars
Bars are used to create specialized infantry units such as the Sniper and Field Agent. You can obtain Bars through missions dealing with Rebel troops, assisting a Barracks (10% drop rate), by winning PvP Battles (from the random award after you obtain 40 VP), as random rewards from fighting Silver Wolves, Mystery Troops and by raiding or occupying Special Ops Center. Bars may also rewarded after defeating the Ancient Sentinel and Ancient Construct. The icon for bars is the same as the US military insignia for the rank of Captain. You can store up to 100 bars.

Skulls
Skulls are used to build Raider Training Camps and Sandworm Ranches, as well as to train and heal Allied Raider units. Skulls are earned through missions involving Raiders, as well by defeating random Raider encounters (in your own camp or in your friends'). Based upon player reports, random Raider encounters seem to have a Skull drop rate of approximately 10% (i.e. rewards include 1 Skull per 10 wins on average). It is unclear whether this rate depends at all on the level of the player or the raiders. During The Raider Invasion event drop rate of skulls was multiplied by 5. The drop rate of Skulls was also increased during the Raiders VS Bottle Rockets event. At higher levels, there will be occasional invasions from the raider lieutenants; these battles generally yield 3 Skulls each. Raider encounters featuring Sarin, Tronk or Crazy Blades yield a higher amount of Skulls than regular Raider encounters. You can store up to 100 skulls.

Teeth
Teeth are used to train and heal Animals and Bigfoots. Teeth can be obtained after certain missions or battles with animals (Boar, Raptors, Mammoths...), including random encounters invading your or your friends' outposts. They have roughly a 5% drop rate according to most reports. Visit Raptor Nesting Grounds and Boar Badlands to obtain them faster. An easy way to earn Teeth would be defeating higher level animals (Elder Sandworm, Raptor Lord etc.) as these battles sometimes yield 3 Teeth.

Tier 4 Resources
These resources were introduced with the 2.2 Patch, and are used to upgrade units to rank 6 and above, and train a few advanced units. All Tier 4 resources are made by processing Tier 3 resources at the Refinement Facility, which can be found in your Shops Menu (rather than Resources). All Tier 4 resources take 18 hours to produce.

Some special enemies, like the Ancient Construct and the Ancient Sentinel, can drop some tier 4 resources.

Widgets
1 Widget is made by refining 5 Gears. They are mostly used to upgrade Vehicles to rank 6 and above as well as training the Dragon, Heavier Tank, Zoey's Trebuchet and the Railgun Buggy. Widgets are also a common repair cost for higher level vehicles and premium units.

Laurels
1 Laurel is made by refining 5 Bars. They are mostly used to upgrade Soldiers to rank 6 and above, as well as training the Lightning Trooper, Cryo Trooper, Radio Tech and the L7 Sandworm Drill. Laurels are also a common repair cost for higher level soldiers and premium units.

Powder
1 Powder is made by refining 5 Skulls. They are mostly used to train and upgrade Allied Raiders to rank 6. Powder is also a rare healing cost for some premium units like the Blood Ninja.

Necklaces
1 Necklace is made by refining 5 Teeth. They are mostly used to upgrade Animals,the Melee Sentinel Fragment and Ranged Sentinel Fragment to rank 6. Necklaces are also a rare healing cost for some premium units like the Mammoth Tank.

Special Resources
These resources were introduced in the 1.4 Patch, and are used to create units or build buildings and units which were introduced in the same update.

Prestige
Prestige Stars are a rare resource, available only to those players that have reached the maximum level, then earned enough experience to advance one more level beyond that. The current MAX Level is 65, and 15 Prestige Stars are earned every time the player accumulates 200,000 XP, as of the 3.2 Patch. These Stars can then be used to purchase special trophy buildings and units. Special units can be trained in the Prestigious Academy. If you are lucky enough to have 200 stars in your warehouse, then you will notice a "max" in your XP bar. You need to spend some stars to keep collecting XP. The Plasma Field Technician or Suburban House are good things to spend your stars on.

Merits
Merits are earned randomly when you assist a friend at their outpost. You can offer assistance five times every 22hours to each friend, so be sure you keep track of it. They can also be earned by defeating angry civilians. Merits are used for training a few units, like the Junior Officer, and the Arsonist and later in the game, Silver Wolves at the Mercenary Vault and Frontier units at the Frontier Recruitment HQ. Most importantly, they can be used to buy a 25% SP Boosts.

Merits can be purchased at a cost of 2 per nanopod.

Chemical Vials
Chemical Vials are a rare resource introduced in the 2.0 Patch. This resource is used to train chemical-based units and construct chemical-based structures. The player begins with 10 storage capacity for Vials, but can construct Chemical Storage Facilities to increase capacity. Chemical Vials can be won as a rare battle reward from Rebel army encounters (e.g. in the Heartland World Map) that include chem-based units.

As of the 2.2 Patch, players can obtain Chemical Vials by raiding or occupying other players' Chemical Weapons Lab and Chemical Storage Facilities.

Use Chemical Vials to train Chem Troopers, Bio Grenadiers, and Light Chemical Tanks. You also use them to heal all of the above and Heavy Chemical Tanks.

Black Nanopods
Black Nanopods are a type of resource introduced in the 2.3 Patch. They can only be earned by defeating Infected encounters on the world map and at the players outpost. Higher level infected can sometimes drop 2 Black Nanopods rather than 1.

By constructing a Black Nanopod Facility, you can convert five Black Nanopods into one pure Nanopod. Alternatively, players can infect their soldiers using five Black Nanopods at the Infection Test Facility. Infected soldiers wil turn into one of many Mutated specimens.

=Wilderness Features= Around the outpost area are a few natural features which either must be built around or can be exploited. The resource deposits are only the most blatant form. Wilderness features, on the other hand, can be exploited through Player versus Player combat; raiding and occupying them will generate a small amount of resources appropriate to the type of feature.

Trees
Trees are found in large groupings, and can be sold off to clear area and generate wood (10 wood resources for each tree sold). As of the 2.9.1 Patch, all trees can be rearranged for decorative purposes as well. You can only move trees in the squares you've cleared.

There is also a secret buried in the Northern Forest, but it will take some specific planning to reach it.

Rocks
Rocks can be found either clustered together around mountains or sitting individually in small hills. Rocks cannot be moved and block all construction. Be very aware of purchasing districts with rocks in them, and have a plan for what you will do to work around them.

Mountains
Mountains are large, taking up most of a district and cannot be removed. However, they are one of the few targets of raids or occupations which will generate small amounts of Iron.

Water
Water cannot be moved, removed, or built upon. It produces nothing when raided or occupied.