Empires and Puzzles: tips for beginners - base, gems and fast leveling (2026)
Information is current as of August 2026.
Empires & Puzzles only looks like “three in a row”: under the wrapper there is a deep strategy with a base, an economy and hundreds of heroes. It’s easy for a beginner to waste a month: the wrong buildings, the wrong heroes, gems going nowhere. We have collected tips that are most often repeated in guides and comments from experienced players in 2026 - from the first steps to the moment when you begin to beat the titans together with the alliance.
Base: what to build and download first
- Fortress (Citadel)— the main limiter of development: the level of other buildings rests on it. We download as needed, without delay.
- Farms and mines— food and iron are always needed; keep your production maxed out for your level.
- Recruit houses- a source of recruits for training heroes. Underrated Building: The recruit pool decides when you start mass training.
- Training camps— the heart of pumping. The main goal of the first months is to raise the camp to level 20: it gives you a chance to get a legendary hero for regular resources, without donating. All the beginner advice threads agree: TC20 is the point where the game “opens up.”
- Forge and warehouses- just enough so as not to run into resource limits.
Where to spend gems (and where not to spend them)
Gems are the currency that newbies pay the most for. Community consensus on priorities:
- Hero Cell Expansion— roaster capacity is always needed, it is an investment without an expiration date.
- Summons x10 on event portals- if you do call, then in a batch and where you really need a pool of heroes (seasonal, elemental portals), and not at random in the first banner that comes across.
- DO NOT spend on speeding up construction or bribing energy at the start- a classic beginner’s mistake: gems are burned for something that will arrive in an hour or two anyway.
Heroes: first teams without donation
Focus on 3–5 heroes, and not on the entire roster: a pumped-up three or four are stronger than a dozen under-pumped “fives”. The priority is epic heroes with useful skills (removing buffs, healing, cutting armor): they are cheap to level up and relevant even at a late stage. Be sure to study the circle of elements (fire → nature → water → fire, light and darkness attack each other) and assemble a team that matches the color of the enemy: double damage to a weak element decides more than the rarity of the card. Stones on the field are your main damage: aim for a weak element and don’t be afraid to “skip” a combo turn in order to charge the desired skill.
