Quick Summary: Resource gathering events reward you for collecting resources from the world map. Success depends on gathering speed, march capacity, and continuous march management. Use the four Blue (Rare) Heroes for gathering speed bonuses, send Gordon or Howard for march survivability, send 5 marches to Level 6+ tiles, and gather during kingdom buffs for maximum efficiency.
Resource gathering events are among the most accessible events in Kingshot, requiring no combat and no speedup spending. These events reward active players who manage their marches efficiently and understand gathering mechanics.
Event Types Overview
Individual Gathering Events:
- Reward personal resource collection
- Rankings based on total resources gathered
- Usually 24-72 hours duration
- Rewards scale with gathering volume
Alliance Gathering Events:
- Reward collective alliance gathering
- Contribution-based rewards
- Encourages alliance coordination
- Often paired with alliance territory buffs
Kingdom Gathering Competitions:
- Cross-kingdom gathering races
- Requires strategic resource targeting
- Best rewards for top performers
- Often during KvK preparation phases
Frequency: Gathering events occur regularly throughout the month, making them consistent reward sources for active players.
Gathering Mechanics Fundamentals
How Gathering Works
- Send March: Deploy troops to resource tile
- Travel Time: March reaches tile
- Gathering Phase: Troops collect resources over time
- Return Trip: March brings resources back to castle
- Collection: Resources added to your inventory
Key Variables:
- March Capacity: How many resources one march can carry
- Gathering Speed: How fast troops collect resources
- Number of Marches: How many simultaneous gathering trips
- Tile Level: Higher level tiles have more resources
Resource Tile Levels
| Tile Level | Resources Available | Gathering Speed | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1-2 | Low | Very Slow | None |
| Level 3-4 | Moderate | Slow | Low |
| Level 5-6 | High | Moderate | Medium |
| Level 7-8 | Very High | Fast | High |
| Level 9-10 | Maximum | Very Fast | Very High |
Optimal Strategy: Focus on Level 6-8 tiles for best balance of availability and gathering speed. Level 9-10 tiles are often overcrowded or far from your castle.
Best Gathering Heroes
Kingshot uses two different hero layers for gathering efficiency. The Blue (Rare) Heroes provide direct gathering speed bonuses tied to specific resource types. Combat heroes like Gordon and Howard contribute march survivability — keeping your troops alive if attacked while out on the map.
The Blue Hero System — Gathering Speed Specialists
Kingshot has four dedicated Blue (Rare) heroes built specifically for resource gathering. Each one provides a gathering speed bonus for a specific resource type — but only when that hero is included in the march heading to that tile type.
| Hero | Resource | Gathering Speed Bonus (Max) |
|---|---|---|
| Olive | Food | Up to +25% |
| Forrest | Wood | Up to +25% |
| Seth | Iron | Up to +25% |
| Edwin | Stone | Up to +25% |
How it works:
- Each hero's gathering skill scales from +5% (level 1) to +25% (level 5)
- The hero must be in the march to apply the bonus — a blue hero sitting in your roster does nothing
- Match the hero to the resource: send Forrest on wood marches, Olive on food marches, etc.
Skill leveling priority: Each blue hero has two expedition skills — a passive town output bonus (1st skill) and a wilderness gathering speed bonus (2nd skill). If you are actively gathering, prioritize the 2nd skill (gathering speed) first.
For gathering events: Pair Olive or Forrest in every food/wood march. These are your fastest-completing tiles and the most efficient source of event points.
Optimal Gathering Strategies
The 5-March System
Unlock All March Queues:
- Base marches: 3
- VIP 6 bonus: +1 march (the single most impactful VIP perk)
- Academy research (Command Tactics / March Queue): additional slots
- Target: 5 total marches minimum
Continuous Cycling:
- Send all 5 marches to nearby Level 6+ tiles
- When first march returns, immediately resend
- Rotate through marches continuously
- Never let march capacity sit idle
Time Management: Check game every 30-60 minutes during gathering events to resend completed marches. Consistent attention yields significantly more resources than sporadic play.
Overnight Strategy: Before bed, send all marches to maximum capacity tiles (Level 7-8) that will take 6-8 hours to complete. Wake up, collect, repeat.
Resource Type Priority
Food & Wood (Fastest Gathering)
Why Prioritize:
- Most abundant tiles on map
- Fastest gathering speed
- Highest event point generation per hour
- Less competition than stone/iron
Event Strategy: Focus entirely on food and wood during gathering events unless specific event requirements demand other resources.
Tile Selection:
- Food: Level 6-7 tiles (abundant, fast) — use Olive as lead hero
- Wood: Level 6-7 tiles (abundant, fast) — use Forrest as lead hero
Point Efficiency: Food and wood tiles complete faster, allowing more march cycles per hour. This generates more event points than slowly gathering stone/iron.
Gathering Speed Optimization
Research Priorities:
- Gathering Speed (all types) in Academy Economy tree
- March Capacity / Regimental Expansion research
- Command Tactics for additional march queues
Equipment:
- Gathering speed gear (equip on gathering hero)
- March capacity equipment
- Gathering preset equipment sets
Kingdom Buffs:
- Gathering speed buffs (significant increase when active)
- March capacity buffs
- Coordinate with alliance for buff timing
Troop Selection:
- Send highest tier troops available (higher tier = greater load capacity)
- Fill march capacity completely
- Match Blue Hero to the resource type of the tile
Castle Position:
- Move castle near resource-rich areas during events
- Reduce march time = more gathering cycles
- Position near alliance territory for buffs
Combined Effect: Maxed gathering research + Blue Heroes at skill level 5 + kingdom buff + good gear stacks into a significant multiplier over your base gathering speed.
Alliance Territory Gathering
What It Is: Alliance territory provides special resource tiles with bonuses for alliance members.
Benefits:
- Meaningful gathering speed increase while inside territory
- Protected gathering (safer from enemy attacks)
- Higher resource tile density
- Alliance-wide buffs when activated by leaders
Strategy: During gathering events, prioritize alliance territory tiles over regular world map tiles. The speed boost compounds across multiple marches over the duration of an event.
Buff Coordination: Alliance leaders can activate gathering buffs that affect all members in territory. Time your gathering to coincide with these buffs.
Access Requirements: Must be in alliance to access territory. Strong alliances control more territory = more gathering opportunities.
Event-Specific Strategies
Individual Gathering Events
Goal: Maximize personal resource collection
Strategy:
- Send 5 marches continuously
- Focus on food/wood (fastest completion) — use Olive and Forrest
- Use Gordon/Howard as secondary heroes for survivability if needed
- Gather during kingdom buffs
- Check and resend marches every 30-60 minutes
Ranking Strategy: Top 100 rewards are usually achievable for active players. Target reward tiers based on your activity level:
- Very active (check every 30 min): Top 50-100
- Moderately active (check every 2 hours): Top 500
- Casual (few times per day): Top 2000
Resource Management: Use gathered resources immediately or store in backpack to avoid raids. Gathering events make you a target for attackers.
Gathering Presets & Automation
Formation Presets: Save gathering formations for one-click deployment:
- Resource-specific Blue Hero + full march capacity troops
- Equipment loadouts
- One preset per resource type (food, wood, stone, iron)
Quick Send: Use preset formations to send marches instantly without manual hero/troop selection. This saves 10-15 seconds per march, compounding to significant time savings over hundreds of marches.
Equipment Sets: Create gathering equipment preset:
- All gathering speed gear
- March capacity items
- One-click swap between combat and gathering gear
March Templates: Set up templates for different scenarios:
- Maximum capacity (overnight gathering)
- Speed gathering (food/wood during active play)
- Protected gathering (alliance territory)
Time Savings: Presets reduce march sending from 30 seconds to 5 seconds. Over 100 marches per event, this saves 40+ minutes of clicking.
Common Gathering Mistakes
Avoid These Errors: - Sending marches to Level 1-3 tiles (too slow) - Letting march queues sit idle between gathering trips - Not including the matching Blue Hero in each march (Forrest on wood, Olive on food, etc.) - Ignoring Blue Hero skill investment — their gathering speed skills are cheap and impactful - Gathering stone/iron when food/wood is faster for events - Not using alliance territory buffs - Sending incomplete marches (fill capacity completely) - Forgetting to recall marches before going offline for extended periods - Gathering in dangerous areas without shield (risk of losing troops)
- Not coordinating with kingdom buffs
Gathering Safety
Risk Assessment: Gathering marches can be attacked by enemy players. Your troops can be wounded/killed and resources stolen.
Safe Gathering Zones:
- Alliance territory (protected)
- Near your castle (quick retreat)
- During kingdom peace periods
- In areas controlled by friendly alliances
Dangerous Gathering:
- Enemy territory
- Disputed areas during war
- Far from your castle
- High-level tiles in contested zones
Emergency Recall: If you see enemies approaching, immediately recall gathering marches. Losing marches wastes the entire gathering time.
Shield Usage: If gathering in dangerous areas, consider using a shield to protect your castle while marches are out. Enemies can't hit your castle, but can still attack marches.
Scout First: Check surrounding area for enemy castles before sending marches to distant tiles. This is when including Gordon or Howard as march heroes pays off — their defensive buffs reduce losses if a march does get hit.
Resource Management Post-Gathering
Immediate Use:
- Construction projects
- Troop training
- Research
- Gear upgrades
Storage Strategy:
- Keep excess in backpack (protected from raids)
- Only open resource packs when ready to use
- Don't let resources sit in castle unprotected
Trade Resources: If you have massive surplus of one resource, consider:
- Trading with alliance members
- Using market (if available)
- Saving for future needs
Event Planning: Stockpile resources before major events (Hall of Governors, KvK) when you'll need massive quantities for construction/training/research.
F2P Tip: Gathering is your primary income source. Never buy resource packs with gems. Active gathering provides far greater value over time.
Gathering Event Rewards
Personal Rewards:
- Resource packs
- Speedups (universal, construction, training)
- Hero XP materials
- Equipment materials
- Gems
- VIP points
Milestone Rewards:
- Cumulative gathering thresholds
- Scales with total resources gathered
- Accessible to all players
Ranking Rewards:
- Top 50: Premium rewards (massive speedups, rare items)
- Top 500: Excellent rewards (significant speedups, materials)
- Top 2000: Good rewards (speedups, resources)
- Participation: Basic rewards (still worthwhile)
Value Assessment: Even moderate participation (top 2000) in gathering events provides rewards worth several days of normal gameplay. These events are extremely F2P-friendly.
Gathering Optimization by Player Type
F2P Gathering Strategy
Goal: Maximize gathering efficiency to compensate for lack of purchased resources
Hero Investment: Level the four Blue Heroes' gathering speed skills first. Forrest (wood) and Olive (food) are the highest priority since food and wood are your primary gathering targets during events. Gordon is already useful for garrison defense — his presence in gathering marches is a bonus, not the primary reason to invest in him.
Research Priority: Max gathering speed research in Academy Economy tree before most battle research. Also prioritize Command Tactics for additional march queues. Resources enable everything else.
March Management: Check game 5-10 times per day to resend marches. Consistent activity yields massive resource accumulation over time.
VIP Focus: Target VIP 6 for the extra march queue — the single most impactful VIP perk. This additional march slot meaningfully increases total resources gathered per day.
Alliance Choice: Join strong alliance with good territory control. Territory buffs provide significant gathering advantages.
F2P Reality: Active gathering is the dominant source of your resource income. Master march management and Blue Hero deployment, and you'll compete with spenders in gathering events.
Advanced Gathering Tactics
Tile Sniping: Scan map for abandoned high-level tiles (Level 8-9) where previous gatherer was attacked or recalled. These tiles have partial resources and immediate availability.
Territory Control: During alliance territory events, coordinate with alliance to control resource-rich map sections. Block enemy access to best tiles.
Teleport Gathering: For major gathering events, teleport near tile clusters to minimize march time. One teleport can yield noticeably more gathering cycles per day.
Buff Stacking: Stack kingdom gathering buff + alliance territory buff + equipment + Blue Hero gathering skills for maximum gathering speed.
Overnight Optimization: Calculate exact march capacity and tile level to ensure marches complete just as you wake up. Maximize sleep efficiency.
Event Calendar: Track gathering event schedules. Save stamina and focus for high-reward events instead of gathering randomly.
Resource Prediction: Check upcoming construction/research requirements. Gather specific resources you'll need 2-3 days before major projects.
Resource gathering events are among the most F2P-friendly events in Kingshot. Success depends on active march management, deploying the right Blue Hero per resource type (Olive for food, Forrest for wood, Seth for iron, Edwin for stone), focusing on Level 6+ tiles, and coordinating with alliance territory buffs. Send 5 marches continuously, check every 30-60 minutes to resend, and gather during kingdom buffs for maximum efficiency.
Key Takeaways:
- Use the four Blue Heroes — match each hero to its resource type for up to +25% gathering speed per march
- Blue hero must be in the march to apply the gathering speed bonus
- Gordon and Howard add defensive value to marches in contested or dangerous zones
- Send 5 marches continuously to Level 6+ tiles
- Focus on food/wood (fastest gathering for event points)
- Use alliance territory for gathering speed bonuses
- Gather during kingdom buffs for compound efficiency
- Check and resend marches every 30-60 minutes
- Save gathering formations as presets (saves significant time)
- VIP 6 unlocks the extra march queue — the most impactful single VIP milestone for gatherers
For academy research priorities including gathering speed, see our Academy Research Guide. For resource protection strategies, check our Resource Protection Guide.
For long-term account progression, we strongly recommend reading our Master Academy Guide to unlock Pan and Valora's passive rewards.