# The Core Shelter Progression Loop

## Step 1: Prioritize Headquarters (HQ)

Your **Headquarters should drive your shelter progression**.

HQ upgrades unlock buildings and determine the maximum level available for both heroes and buildings, making your Headquarters the primary progression bottleneck.

### Your Basic Progression Loop

**Check next HQ requirement → Upgrade prerequisites → Upgrade HQ → Repeat**

Don't try to keep every building at the same level as your Headquarters.

Instead, determine what your **next HQ upgrade actually requires** and focus your construction resources there first.

For detailed HQ progression, refer to our:

**HQ Upgrade & Progression Guide — Levels 1–35**

## Step 2: Track HQ Prerequisites

Starting at **HQ8**, the Laboratory becomes part of the core HQ upgrade path.

The basic pattern is:

### Laboratory + Required Building → Next HQ

The second required building rotates between:

- City Walls
- Alliance Center
- Assaulter Camp
- Shooter Camp
- Rider Camp

### Important

Keep the building required for your **next HQ level** ready.

The other buildings **do not need to stay equal to your HQ level** unless they're needed for another reason.

## Laboratory

The Laboratory unlocks at **HQ7** and is used to research technologies.

Because it becomes a recurring HQ prerequisite, keeping your Laboratory on the progression path helps prevent it from becoming a roadblock later.

### Page 1 Rule

**Don't upgrade everything. Upgrade what gets you to the next HQ.**

[![ChatGPT Image Sep 30, 2026, 05_29_50 PM.png](https://775intel.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-09/scaled-1680-/chatgpt-image-sep-30-2026-05-29-50-pm.png)](https://775intel.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-09/scaled-1680-/chatgpt-image-sep-30-2026-05-29-50-pm.png)