Kingshot Troop Training vs Promotion Guide (September 2025)

If you’re wondering whether to train fresh troops or promote your existing ones, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common questions among Kingshot players—and the truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The right choice depends on what you’re trying to achieve, what events are live, and how your troop composition impacts long-term survivability.

Let’s break it down so you can get the most value out of your speedups, resources, and time.

Kingshot Troop Training vs. Promotion: Which One’s Better and When?

The Short Answer

Both Kingshot Troop Training vs. Promotion are essential, but the key is knowing when to do which.

• Train lower-tier troops consistently when no event is running.
• Promote those troops during major point-based events like:
  • Hall of Glory (HoG)
  • Kingdom vs. Kingdom (KvK)
  • Strongest Governor (SGE)

Why? Because promotion gives more event points per speedup compared to raw troop training.

How Promotions Win During Events

Let’s say you’ve just unlocked T7 troops. Instead of training T7s outright, you can:

1. Train T6 troops in bulk before the event.
2. Promote them to T7 during HoG or KvK.

This gives you better event return, a larger leaderboard presence, and the chance to compete for higher-tier rewards.

The same logic applies to T8 → T9, T9 → T10, and beyond. Always train one tier below your max unless you need immediate troops for war.

“Alot more points to promote. Only had about 30k of each to promote but got better rewards than pure training.” – Reddit user Flalless69

Why Infirmary Capacity Changes Everything

One of the biggest reasons to keep lower-tier troops to a minimum is how your infirmary works during battles.

The infirmary fills with lower-tier injured troops first, not the ones you want to save.

Example Scenario:

• You bring 1,000 T1 and 500 T5 troops to a battle.
• You lose all 1,500 in combat.
• Your infirmary only holds 1,000.
• It fills up with the T1s—your T5s are permanently lost.

This is why high-tier alliances often avoid low-tier troops altogether for combat roles. Not only are they weak, but they can cause your best troops to die permanently if you get wiped.

“The 500 rank 5s just disappeared and cannot be recovered. That’s why I promote my older troops before going into risky fights.” – Reddit user snatcha08

Power, Efficiency, and Promotion Timing

While the total power gained from training vs. promoting is roughly the same, the event points and resource efficiency are not.

• Promotions are better during events.
• Training is better outside of events when you’re stockpiling.

Reddit’s top comments reflect this balance:

“Promotion is the exact resource and time difference between the two troops.” – Still-Reference2575
“Alternate between promotion and training so it’s less of a slog. Your future self will thank you.” – AcceptableArt5675

Gathering vs. Fighting: Troop Roles

Some players choose to keep lower-tier troops for gathering only, especially if they’ve already unlocked T7 or T8.

• T1–T4 are still useful for resource runs, but should never be used in combat.
• When you’re ready to switch to a new tier of troops, consider converting older troops via promotion (if events are active) or simply retiring them to gathering roles.

“I still use T1s for gathering. I wouldn’t waste time promoting them unless I needed points.” – Reddit user Flalless69

Troop Promotion Availability

Wondering when promotion unlocks?

• You’ll be able to promote troops starting at Town Center level 13.
• From there, your training buildings (e.g., Barracks) will show both Train and Promote options depending on what troops you have available.

“I was looking for this answer forever. Turns out promotion unlocks at level 13.” – pitiBalrog

Strategy Summary: What to Do and When