Part of the Resources Series:
- Resources Guide: The wider economy (Start Here).
- Event Calendar: When to spend them.
- KvK Guide: What you are hoarding for.
Quick Answer
Speedups come from daily objectives, events, event stores, the alliance shop, expedition and gift codes. The rule that matters more than any source: do not spend them outside a scoring event. The same speedup that quietly finishes a building on a Tuesday can, spent during Mightiest Governor, finish that building and earn event rewards. Hoard, then dump.
Overview
Speedups are the closest thing this game has to savings. They are also the thing new governors burn fastest, usually on a building they were going to finish anyway.
Experienced players carry hundreds of hours of speedups in their bag doing nothing for weeks at a time. That is not hoarding for its own sake — it is waiting for the moment the same progress pays twice.
The Types and What They Are For
Construction speedups. For buildings. The main sink is the City Hall 17–25 grind, where individual upgrades run into days.
Research speedups. The most valuable type for most accounts, because Academy research is the best permanent power in the game and the gate on T5 troops. Hoard these hardest.
Training speedups. For troops. Useful before a KvK season or when rebuilding after losses.
Healing speedups. Underrated. During a war, healing speed is what keeps you in the fight rather than sitting out three days with a full hospital. Keep a reserve permanently.
Universal speedups. Work on anything. Save them for whatever your bottleneck turns out to be — usually research.
Where Speedups Come From
- Daily objectives. Small, constant, and the reason daily play compounds.
- Events and event stores. The largest source. Event points buy speedups directly — see best events to spend on.
- The alliance shop. Reliable and cheap in credits — see the alliance shop guide.
- Expedition rewards. A meaningful one-off pile if you have not pushed expedition.
- Gift codes. Small but free.
- Alliance help. Not an item, but functionally the same thing — every tap shortens a timer, and in an active alliance this is worth hours a day.
The Hoarding Rule
Speedups do not expire and cannot be looted while they sit in your bag. There is no cost to holding them and a real cost to spending them at the wrong time.
The cycle:
- Hoard between events. Everything goes in the bag.
- Queue the expensive work in advance — a big City Hall upgrade, a long research — but do not start it.
- Start it when the scoring phase opens, then speed it through.
- Collect the event rewards for progress you were making anyway.
- Repeat.
This one habit is worth more over a year than any purchase a low spender will make.
When to Spend Outside an Event
There are legitimate exceptions:
- Healing during a war. Always. Being out of the fight costs more than the speedups.
- Unblocking a hard requirement, such as the last building standing between you and a troop tier unlock.
- Finishing research that unblocks everything else when your Academy would otherwise sit idle.
- Immediately before a KvK season when readiness matters more than efficiency — see the KvK 1 preparation guide.
Outside those, wait.
Common Speedup Mistakes
- Burning them to make today's power number bigger. Power gained today and power gained during an event are the same power — one of them also pays rewards.
- Spending construction speedups on cheap buildings. Save them for the multi-day upgrades.
- No healing reserve. The most painful shortage during a war.
- Ignoring alliance help. Free timer reduction that costs nothing but being in an active alliance.
FAQ
How do I get speedups in Rise of Kingdoms?
Daily objectives, events and event stores, the alliance shop, expedition rewards and gift codes. Event stores are the biggest source.
Should I save speedups for events?
Yes. This is the highest-value habit in the game. Spending outside a scoring event leaves free rewards on the table.
Which speedups are most valuable?
Research speedups, because research is permanent power and gates troop tiers. Healing speedups are the most valuable during a war.
Do speedups expire?
No, and they cannot be looted while in your bag. There is no downside to holding them.
When should I use speedups in KvK?
Healing and training freely — staying in the fight is the point. Construction and research speedups are better saved for scoring events unless you need a specific unlock.
Key Takeaways
- Hoard between events, dump during the scoring phase.
- Research speedups are the most valuable; healing speedups are the most missed.
- Queue expensive work before an event starts, then speed it through.
- Alliance help is free speedups — be in an active alliance.
- Exceptions: healing in war, unblocking a tier gate, KvK readiness.