Exclusive Gear Forge — the event that makes widgets less than half price
New in the 2026-08-13 update. 1 widget spent = 1 point; 275 maxes a piece, 750 points hits the final Lv.14 tier. Event packs sell widgets at 2-5 per dollar against the standard 1, making this the best value in the game. Champion Forge $10, ~7-8k gems for F2P.
Bottom line — if you spend anything on widgets, this is the best-value event in the game right now. Widgets cost 2–5 per dollar instead of the standard 1 per dollar, and the $10 "Champion Forge" unlock alone makes the milestone track explode. F2P players walk away with roughly 7,000–8,000 gems.
📌 Event overview "Earn points by developing Exclusive Gear during the event"
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Eligible heroes | Only the three heroes of your current (newest) generation — older-generation widgets earn nothing |
| Points | 1 widget spent = 1 point (spent during the event window) |
| Duration | About 30 days, once per generation |
| When it opens | Roughly one month after a new generation drops. If you don't see it, your generation is less than four weeks old (officially it opens in sequence based on state progress) |
| Tracks | Free track (gems) + Champion Forge paid unlock ($10) |
Its sibling event, Hero Ascension Training (paid unlock = "Battle Stars"), opens at the start of a generation. So the cycle is gen start = Ascension Training, gen +1 month = Exclusive Gear Forge, which naturally spreads spending over two months. The same update also added Endless Trials — 30 solo attacks a day, ranked by highest single-hit damage.
🧮 Point math — widget upgrade costs One piece of Exclusive Gear maxes at 275 widgets
| Level | Cost for this level | Cumulative | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 5 | Unlock |
| 2 | 10 | 15 | Both exclusive skills online — minimum target |
| 3 | 15 | 30 | |
| 4 | 20 | 50 | Realistic F2P ceiling |
| 5 | 25 | 75 | |
| 6 | 30 | 105 | 60/40 lancer savings line |
| 7 | 35 | 140 | |
| 8 | 40 | 180 | Usual dolphin target |
| 9 | 45 | 225 | |
| 10 (max) | 50 | 275 | Multiplicative tier |
🏁 Milestone table Ton's account screen + Kingshot precedent · provisional
| What you do | Widgets spent (= points) | Tier reached |
|---|---|---|
| Two widgets to Lv.4 (typical F2P) | 100 | Lv.5–6 about 7,000–8,000 gems |
| One widget maxed | 275 | Lv.9 |
| Two widgets maxed | 550 | Lv.12 |
| Final milestone | 750 | Lv.14 (all rewards) two maxed + a third at Lv.9 (225) = 775 · Lv.8 (180) only gets you to 730 |
| All three maxed | 825 | All rewards + 75 spare |
The key point is that you profit long before filling the track. The free track is mostly gems; the Champion Forge ($10) track adds widgets, gems and VIP points at every tier.
💰 The real prize — the widget purchase ladder Widgets per dollar drop step by step
Buying the whole ladder = about $39 for 95 widgets (~2.5 per dollar). 95 is exactly the cost of Lv.9 + Lv.10 (45+50) — which is why "push to Lv.8 the usual way, then finish 8→10 with event packs" is the standard route. Prices and quantities may read differently by region or currency, so remember the ladder (5→4→3→2.5→2) rather than the exact figures.
🛒 Versus the old widget sources
· Regular widget pack (shop) = 1 per $1 → the event packs are 2–5× better
· Mystery Shop badges (10/20/50% off) = heavy badge opportunity cost. Ton admits the widgets he recently bought with badges cost far more than this pack would have
· Frosty Fortune / lucky wheel / Hall of Heroes = the F2P mainstay, but limited volume · Tundra Trading Station exchange = inefficient (Ton ran the numbers live and the currency required per widget doesn't come close)
Until now, widget spending earned no milestone rewards at all — this is the first reward track rally leaders and whales have ever gotten for it, which is why it feels so strong.
⏱️ Timing is everything — when to burn your widgets
The official wording is "during the event", so levels you push before the event most likely won't count as points.
New gen, weeks 0–4: hold your widgets (go to Lv.2 = 15 widgets if you must, for both exclusive skills) → gen +1 month, event opens: dump your stockpile plus the 95 pack widgets inside the window → time the purchases with alliance mobilization buy-missions
Ton's account already had two maxed widgets and still showed progress, so retroactive credit is possible — check the progress bar first when the event opens, then decide.
⚠️ The trade-off
Sitting on widgets for a month means weaker heroes for that month. If SvS, Fortress battles or another big fight lands in that window, raw power wins.
Ton's own line: "If I'd known we were getting this, I would have run Gen 12 widgets completely differently" — meaning this is advice for the next generation.
🧭 Strategy by spending level
| Profile | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| F2P | Save widgets from the lucky wheel and Frosty Fortune and spend them during the event. One or two at Lv.4 → Lv.5–6 → 7,000–8,000 gems. Ignore the paid track |
| Micro-spender $1–5 | The $1 pack (5 widgets) is an auto-buy. $3–4 gets you two widget levels — the best efficiency in the game |
| Light spender $10–15 | Champion Forge $10 first. That is the single biggest value here. Spend leftovers on tiers 1–2 |
| Dolphin | Champion Forge plus the top of the ladder (~$39) → reach Lv.8 the usual way, finish 8→10 with event packs |
| Whale / rally leader | Drop the habit of buying widgets with badges or at full price and concentrate it here. Plan for milestone Lv.14 (750) |
🔎 Still unconfirmed
Whether upgrades made before the event count — the biggest variable. Check the progress bar
May differ by region and currency. Trust the widgets-per-dollar ladder, not the exact prices
14 tiers, 750 points and the gem totals are provisional, based on Kingshot's version
Compiled 2026-08-17 — provisional while the event is fresh; will be updated once confirmed.