Classic Nations — First steps after joining
About
OverviewClassic Nations is a real-time strategy game where up to 40 players build nations, expand territory, manage resources, and fight wars on a world map. This guide covers your first steps, how the four resources work, how your nation grows through advancement levels, warfare, Antarctica, and surviving disasters.
What is on this page
Contents
First steps after joining
Step
When you join, 150 Wealth lands in your account automatically — that is your entire starting budget. The first tile you claim becomes your capital city, and changing it later costs 200 Wealth, so think before you paint. Joining the game's group or using the LINQ server tag on Discord adds two more boosts of 150 Wealth each when you start a new country.
- Check your Wealth confirm the 150 starting Wealth is in your account before doing anything else.
- Pick your first tile walk to a spot on Home Land you want as your capital, then paint it with Wealth to claim it.
- Set your nation's name and flag names can be up to 56 characters; every UN-recognised flag is available, or you can upload a custom decal.
- Collect Golden Ingots pick up every ingot that spawns on your land; normal ones give 1 Wealth and glowing buffed ones give 5.
- Reach 5,000 population Warfare unlocks at this threshold, making it your first major milestone.
The four resources and what they do
TableAll four resources spawn as physical collectibles on your claimed land, except War Charges, which you can also buy directly with Wealth. Wealth is the only resource that other players can see on the leaderboard, so spending it quietly can disguise how strong your nation really is.
| Wealth | collected from Golden Ingots on your land; used to paint tiles, buy Oil, and buy War Charges; maximum storage is 125,000. |
| Oil | spawns only on certain tiles (hover over a tile with tips enabled to check); used for trade, Marketplace sales, and spawning Federation-tier units and Forbidden Weapons. |
| Research | collected from Book items anywhere on the map; used to stop Disasters and to maintain your equipped troops every minute. |
| War Charges | collected from Bomb items or purchased with Wealth; required both to buy a troop and to spawn it in battle. |
Advancement levels and what each one unlocks
TableEach tier unlocks a new feature or passive income bonus.
| Rank | Population needed | Passive income added | Feature unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Settlement | 1 | — | Diplomacy |
| Commune I | 50,000 | 1 Wealth/s | Marketplace purchases |
| Commune II | 100,000 | 1 Research/s | Wars, Spy Operations |
| City State I | 500,000 | 2 Wealth/s | Trade, Alliance creation |
| City State II | 1,000,000 | 2 Research/s | Marketplace sales |
| Republic I | 2,500,000 | 1 Oil/s | Antarctica and Supply Drops |
| Republic II | 5,000,000 | 2 Oil/s, 3 Research/s | — |
| Federation I | 10,000,000 | 3 Wealth/s, 4 Research/s | Vulnerable to breakaway rebellions |
| Federation II | 50,000,000 | 4 Wealth/s, 5 Research/s | — |
| World Power | 100,000,000 | 5 Wealth/s, 3 Oil/s | — |
Troop unlocks through population growth
TableWarfare becomes available at 5,000 population. Every troop costs War Charges both to purchase and to deploy. Two additional units require the Banned Weapons gamepass.
| Population threshold | Troops unlocked |
|---|---|
| 5,000 | Warfare system unlocked |
| 10,000 | Archers, Warriors |
| 50,000 | Knights, Horsemen, Nukes, Missiles, Bioweapons, Chemoweapons |
| 100,000 | Gladiators, Catapults |
| 250,000 | Vikings, Pirates |
| 500,000 | Musketeers, Cannons |
| 1,000,000 | Soldiers, Tanks |
| 5,000,000 | Helicopters, Jets |
Making the most of Antarctica
TipsAntarctica opens up once your nation reaches Republic I (2,500,000 population). Tiles there cost three times more than Home Land tiles.
- Every Book you pick up in Antarctica gives double the Research of a normal pickup.
- Supply Drops fall from the sky and can only be opened after they hit the ground — opening takes about two seconds.
- You need a large enough land claim in Antarctica before the game lets you open a Supply Drop.
- A Rare Supply Drop costs 2,250 Research to open and gives two rewards; an Epic costs 2,500 Research and gives three rewards.
Surviving disasters
WarnA Disaster requires the entire server to contribute Research collectively — the cost ranges from 1,000 to 9,000 Research per event. Resolving any Disaster raises WPO, rewarding the whole server for cooperating.
Painting costs and the leaderboard
TipsPainting is funded by Wealth. Prices rise as you paint further from your starting territory. The maximum Wealth you can spend in a single painting operation is 700. The leaderboard shows every nation's population and Wealth, but you can spend Wealth quietly to appear weaker than you are — or display your strength openly to deter rivals.
- Buffed Golden Ingots glow with yellow particles and give 5 Wealth instead of 1.
- Check the leaderboard's alliance tab to see combined wealth and population for every active alliance in the server.
- Keep Research topped up: if it hits zero, every troop in your hotbar is automatically removed.
Glossary
Glossary- Painting
- Spending Wealth to claim an unclaimed tile and add it to your nation's territory.
- WPO
- Wealth Per Oil — the exchange rate between Oil and Wealth, which shifts every five seconds and is influenced by Disasters and Warfare.
- Advancement
- Your nation's rank, determined by population, which controls what features, troops, and passive income you have access to.
- Supply Drop
- An Antarctica-exclusive item that falls from the sky and gives multiple resource rewards when opened, with rarity determining how many rewards you get.
- War Charges
- The resource required to both purchase and deploy any military troop; collected from Bomb pickups or bought with Wealth.
- Buffed Golden Ingot
- A rarer version of the standard Golden Ingot, identifiable by yellow sparkles, that gives 5 Wealth instead of 1 when collected.
Common questions
FAQHow do I grow my population?
Population is tied to the tiles you own — each standard tile holds up to 10,000 population, while tiles with cities hold up to 20,000. Claim more tiles by painting them with Wealth, and your population capacity grows along with your territory.
Can I get nation-progress badges on a private server?
No. Badges tied to founding a nation or reaching an advancement level cannot be earned on private servers. Play on a public server if you want to unlock those milestones.
What happens if I run out of Research?
Every troop currently equipped in your hotbar is removed the moment your Research hits zero. Research drains once per minute for each equipped troop.
Is Oil worth buying with Wealth?
WPO — the rate at which Oil converts back into Wealth — changes every five seconds and rises after Disasters are resolved.
Why is Warfare useful for expanding territory?
Painting tiles with Wealth gets increasingly expensive the further you expand from your starting area. Conquering territory through Warfare bypasses those rising paint costs.
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