Resources in Z Route: Redemption
Resources in Z Route: Redemption start with Food, Metal and Oil, which pay for buildings and research. Beyond those you manage Diamonds, Hero EXP, Stamina, Refined Stone, Research Data, Alliance Coins and a few season items. Farms, Smelting Plants and Oil Wells produce the basics, the Barn and Metal Warehouse protect part of them, and every other currency has its own source.
Resource List
This table names every resource and currency the guides cover, with where it comes from and what it buys. Later sections give numbers for the ones that matter most.
| Resource | Where it comes from | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Food | Farm, world map Farm nodes, Food Weekly Pass, bag items, Food Lv. Chests, Resource Selection Chests. | Building upgrades and research. Food is the main cost of Base upgrades from the start. |
| Metal | Metal Smelting Plant, world map Foundry nodes, Metal Weekly Pass, bag items, Metal Lv. Chests. | Facility upgrades and equipment crafting. With Food, the main cost of Base upgrades. |
| Oil | Oil Extraction Well, Ruins Exploration, world map Oil Extraction Well nodes, Oil Weekly Pass, bag items. | Base upgrades from Base 9, research, gear upgrades and donations to alliance research. |
| Refined Stone | Alloy Processing Plant, Ruins Exploration, Oasis Market, Alliance Ambush rewards. | UR gear upgrades. |
| Hero EXP | Radar quests, Arena, finished building upgrades, Training Ground, Hunting, VIP Shop, Oasis Market and chests. | Levels up heroes. |
| Diamonds | Bag items and gift codes. | Buying resources, refreshing shops and speeding up timers. |
| Stamina | Slow regeneration, a free daily refill and bag items. | Attacks on the world map. |
| Alliance Coins | Donating to alliance research, giving Alliance Help and bag items. | Alliance Shop purchases. |
| Research Data | Weekly VS wins, Oasis Market and a pack offer in the research window. | 5 of the 15 tech trees. |
| Survivor Tokens | Check the survivor window in the game. | Survivor star upgrades. |
| Uranium Crystal | Uranium Crystal Refinery, first kills of Radiated Zombie and Radiated Elite, Season Passes, Radar season quests. | Season content. |
| Immune Protein | First kill reward of Radiated Elite and the Uranium Crystal Refinery. | Season content. |
| Class EXP | Season building upgrades, zombies on the world map during the season and the Season Pass. | Season content. |
| Dew coins | Currency of the Oasis Market. The coins do not expire. | Oasis Market purchases. |
Speedups are a resource of time. Save construction speedups for the buildings that block you, such as the Alpha Research Division, and for the alliance competition construction day. The Engineering Department gives a free speedup allowance for short timers.
Food, Metal and Oil
Food and Metal dominate the early game, since both go into every Base upgrade. Oil costs nothing before Base 9, and its role grows with each Base level after that. The Base table shows the exact amounts. Each resource has its own building: the Farm makes Food, the Metal Smelting Plant makes Metal, the Oil Extraction Well makes Oil and the Training Ground makes Hero EXP. The Alloy Processing Plant produces Refined Stone, and the Gear Material Factory produces Steel.
Chests can fill gaps. Resource Selection Chests let you pick Food, Metal or Oil. Some Base upgrades ask for much more of one resource than the level before, so start saving for that resource early.
Production by Level
The table lists output per hour for the four production buildings at the levels where every figure is known.
| Building level | Food (Farm) | Metal (Smelting Plant) | Oil (Oil Well) | Hero EXP (Training Ground) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,465 | 1,465 | 748 | 1,556 |
| 2 | 2,190 | 2,190 | 1,474 | 3,803 |
| 3 | 3,646 | 3,646 | 2,206 | 5,212 |
| 4 | 4,374 | 4,374 | 2,930 | 6,640 |
| 5 | 5,827 | 5,827 | 3,669 | 8,095 |
| 6 | 6,554 | 6,554 | 4,396 | 10,280 |
| 7 | 8,009 | 8,009 | 5,128 | 11,738 |
| 8 | 9,455 | 9,455 | 5,852 | 13,191 |
| 9 | 10,180 | 10,180 | 6,590 | 16,757 |
| 10 | 11,630 | 11,630 | 7,319 | 21,115 |
| 11 | 12,366 | 12,366 | 8,048 | 26,196 |
| 12 | 13,817 | 13,817 | 8,770 | 31,280 |
| 13 | 14,540 | 14,540 | 9,510 | 35,587 |
| 14 | 15,997 | 15,997 | 10,231 | 41,341 |
Output climbs steadily with each building level. A level 22 Farm or Metal Smelting Plant makes 25,440 per hour, and a level 20 Oil Extraction Well makes 14,613. The Economy and Prosperous Economy trees add more output, gathering speed and carrying capacity, as the research page shows.
Storage and Protection
The Barn protects stored Food and the Metal Warehouse protects stored Metal, even if your base is breached. The protected amount rises with the building level.
| Building level | Barn (Food) | Metal Warehouse (Metal) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2,881 | 2,881 |
| 3 | 4,692 | 4,692 |
| 4 | 7,341 | 7,341 |
| 5 | 13,615 | 13,615 |
| 6 | 27,140 | 27,140 |
| 7 | 45,181 | 45,181 |
| 8 | 90,172 | 90,172 |
| 9 | 135,109 | 135,109 |
| 11 | 270,121 | 270,121 |
| 12 | 450,118 | 450,118 |
| 13 | - | 720,124 |
Stamina
Stamina pays for attacks on the world map. One guide says it regenerates 1 point every 290 seconds, which gives 297 per day, and that you get a free refill of 100 each day. Bag items add 10 or 50 Stamina. One list of the VIP Shop also sells 10 Stamina for 12 diamonds. Gift codes sometimes include stamina, so check the codes page.
Guides say to spend stamina instead of hoarding it, because "later" rarely happens. The one exception is the alliance competition Radar day, so keep a buffer for it. Points per stamina in the competition differ between sources, so this page gives no figure.
Hero EXP
Hero EXP levels up your heroes. It comes from Radar quests, the Arena, finished building upgrades, the Training Ground, Hunting, Special Ops, the VIP Shop, the Oasis Market and several chests. The hero level cap is 5 levels per Base level, so a higher Base is the only way past the cap. One guide says to put almost all early Hero EXP, skill books, gear and shards into your main five heroes. The heroes page shows who to pick.
Skill EXP Books
Skill EXP Books level up hero skills. Guides agree on where they go: into the main five heroes, and preferably UR heroes. One list of the VIP Shop sells the book for 4 diamonds with a limit of 2,200 per refresh, and one list of the Oasis Market asks 15 dew coins. Mission Readiness rewards also include skill EXP books.
Research Data and Tokens
Research Data pays for 5 of the 15 tech trees. One guide lists 840 Research Data for each weekly VS win and a price of 50 dew coins at the Oasis Market. The research page explains the spend order.
Survivor Tokens upgrade the stars of survivors. One list says that taking a survivor from 0 to 5 stars costs 575 survivor shards and 25,405 tokens in total. Check your own survivor window to see where tokens drop. Survivors are recruited at the Highway Tavern and managed in the Motel. The survivors page lists the jobs.
Diamonds and Alliance Coins
Diamonds buy resources, refresh shops and speed up timers. Compare the rate before you buy: one guide shows a standard offer of 10,000 Food for 10 diamonds, which is 1,000 Food per diamond, and a limited offer of 126,100 Food for 40 diamonds, which is 3,152.5 Food per diamond. Max out the limited offer first.
Alliance Coins come from donating to alliance research and from giving Alliance Help. Contributions can crit for x5 or x10 coins. In the Alliance Shop, buy scarce items first, such as Peace Shields, Teleports, Talent Resets and rare shards, because resources are easy to farm. A large Resource Selection Chest from that shop can be worth over a million Food and Metal. The alliance page covers the shop in full.
Season Resources
Uranium Crystal, Immune Protein and Class EXP belong to the season. The Uranium Crystal Refinery produces Uranium Crystal and Immune Protein, and first kills of Radiated enemies also reward them. Season content may change between seasons, so check the season page before you plan around them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main resources in Z Route Redemption?
The three basic resources are Food, Metal and Oil, and they sit in the top bar next to Diamonds. Food and Metal pay for Base upgrades from the start, while Oil costs nothing before Base 9 and then grows in importance. Farms, Metal Smelting Plants and Oil Extraction Wells produce them, and chests and shops add more.
How do I protect my resources from attacks?
The Barn keeps part of your Food safe and the Metal Warehouse does the same for Metal, even when your base is breached. The protected amount grows with the building level, from 2,881 at level 2 up to 450,118 at level 12 for the Barn. Soldiers are not covered, so put a shield up when you go offline.
How does stamina work in Z Route Redemption?
Stamina pays for attacks on the world map. One guide says it regenerates 1 point every 290 seconds, which is 297 per day, and that you get a free refill of 100 each day. Bag items add 10 or 50. Spend stamina instead of hoarding it, and save some for the alliance competition Radar day.
How do I get skill EXP books?
One list of the VIP Shop sells Skill EXP Books for 4 diamonds each with a limit of 2,200 per refresh, and the Oasis Market sells one for 15 dew coins. Daily Mission Readiness rewards include skill EXP books too. Put them into your main five heroes.
What is Research Data used for?
Research Data pays for 5 of the 15 tech trees, the five that are not paid with Food, Metal or Oil. A guide gives a reward of 840 Research Data per weekly VS win, and an Oasis Market price of 50 dew coins. The research page covers the spend order.
How do I use survivor tokens?
Survivor Tokens upgrade the star level of your survivors. One list says that taking a survivor from 0 to 5 stars costs 575 survivor shards and 25,405 tokens in total. You recruit survivors at the Highway Tavern and manage them in the Motel. The survivors page has the jobs and details.