Update 9.0 — Alliances Rework

Alliances Are Changing—Here’s Why

Before we get into the details of the update, let’s talk about why we’re changing Alliances and what this means for you.

For a long time, Alliances were a feature that only a small group of high-level players could fully enjoy. Many others—especially newcomers—avoided them because the mechanics seemed too complex, the benefits were unclear, and learning all the ins and outs felt overwhelming.

With this update, we’re making Alliances more accessible and rewarding for everyone. While PvP remains an important part of the experience, we’re adding more PvE opportunities so that being in a clan is not just fun, but also useful and profitable for a much larger group of players.

Put simply: Alliances are now for everyone. Whether you're just starting out or you're already a master of the Frontier, you’ll find real benefits here. And the more you work together, the greater those rewards will be.

We'll continue improving things based on your feedback, cowboys. But for now, let’s take a look at what’s already changed in Update 9.0.

New Unique Bonuses

Introducing the biggest feature in this update—Bonuses! These powerful boosts affect nearly every aspect of the game, providing valuable advantages. The strength of each bonus depends on the modules inside certain buildings—but we’ll get to that later.

How Bonuses Work

The system is simple and follows a weekly cycle:

Complete Assignments → Earn Reputation → Spend Reputation on the Bonuses you want.

Now, let’s break it down step by step.

Assignments

Think of Assignments as weekly clan missions that are automatically given to every Alliance. They must be completed together as a group.

— Each week, 5 Assignments are issued for Members, while Rookies (a separate rank for newcomers—more on that later) receive 3 Assignments.
— Unlike Battle Pass tasks, Assignments cannot be failed. For example, if your mission is to defeat 20 bandits, but your Alliance only manages 10, you'll still earn some Reputation points for your effort.

Reputation

Reputation is the currency you earn from completing Assignments—and it's what you’ll use to activate Bonuses.

— Your goal each week is to earn as much Reputation as possible to unlock more Bonuses.
— Unused Reputation does not carry over—it resets at the end of the week, so be sure to spend it all before time runs out!

Bonuses

Now that you know how Reputation works, let’s talk about how to use it.

— Bonuses are unlocked using Reputation earned from Assignments. The cycle resets every week.
— There are currently 13 Bonuses, each offering a unique advantage (listed below).
— Only the Alliance Leader and their Deputy can activate Bonuses. (Yes, you read that right—Deputy roles are now available!)
— A maximum of 5 Bonuses can be active at once. The number of active Bonuses depends on how much Reputation your Alliance has earned—every 1,000 Reputation unlocks an additional slot.
— Leaders and Deputies should coordinate with their members before activating Bonuses—communication is key to making the most of your team’s efforts!

Available Bonuses:

— Increased gold earnings.
— Lower prices for silver and gold purchases at all Traders.
— More reputation from completing clan assignments.
— More points (e.g., Bullets) from completing Battle Pass missions.
— Higher critical hit chance.
— Increased damage against spirits.
— Increased damage against Alliance Defenders.
— Faster item production.
— Longer duration of temporary food bonuses.
— Reduced energy cost when traveling on horseback.
— Increased durability for Alliance Defenders’ gear.
— Reduced durability loss upon death.
— Increased XP from kills.

Choose wisely, spend Reputation efficiently, and make sure your Alliance is always benefiting from the best possible Bonuses!

New Buildings & Other Changes

Building upgrades are now directly tied to the Bonus system—a major new feature in this update. In simple terms, upgrading a module inside a building will permanently enhance the power of a specific Bonus. Each building is linked to a particular Bonus, and over time, you’ll learn exactly how this system works.

How It Works—A Simple Example:

Upgrading the Hall module in the Headquarters will increase the power of the “XP from kills” Bonus. The more you upgrade specific buildings, the stronger their related Bonuses become. Once you familiarize yourself with the system, you’ll know exactly how each upgrade impacts your gameplay.

Bottom line? Upgrading modules is worth it—it strengthens Bonuses, which in turn improve your entire game experience.

New Buildings

Since Bonuses are now tied to buildings, we’ve added two brand-new structures:

— Laboratory
— Place of Power

You can build the new structures as usual through the construction menu.

Building Removals & Adjustments

Because each building now has a unique Bonus attached to it, we’ve decided to permanently remove two of the three Bunkhouses—from now on, you can only have one. But don’t worry!

If you had two or more Bunkhouses, they have been automatically replaced with the new Laboratory and Power Nexus buildings. No losses, just new opportunities!

Other Important Changes

Alongside the new buildings, we’ve made several key adjustments:

— Building and upgrade costs have been drastically reduced—in some cases, by more than four times!
— The number of Alliance slots is now determined solely by the Headquarters level.
— The Headquarters now sets the maximum upgrade level for all Alliance buildings.
— The number of Member slots has been reduced, but Rookies are now an essential part of every Alliance, contributing to its growth and balance.
— Power Station now has a new module—Transformer, which means it now grants a Bonus as well.

With these changes, Alliances are more structured, Bonuses are more impactful, and upgrading your buildings is more rewarding than ever!

Alliance Roles & New Features

Alliance Roles

Earlier, we mentioned a new role—Rookies. Now, let’s take a closer look at what this position means and how it fits into the overall structure of an Alliance.

First, here’s a breakdown of all three Alliance roles:

— Candidates – Players who have applied to join an Alliance. Once accepted, they automatically become Members.
— Members – Full-fledged Alliance members who enjoy all its benefits.
— Rookies – A brand-new role designed to encourage lower-level players (30+) to join an Alliance early and start exploring this part of the game. Unlike Candidates, Rookies skip the application process and are automatically added to an Alliance. However, Leaders still have the authority to remove inactive Rookies if needed.

Now, let’s go over each role in detail.

Members

A Member is a standard Alliance participant with full access to its perks.

Requirements: Level 50+ (Note: Creating an Alliance still requires progressing to the relevant story chapter.)

Benefits:
— Gains the full effect of activated Alliance Bonuses.
— Can contribute to building upgrades in the Alliance.
— Can participate in raids and earn a share of the gold.
— Earns Gold Rush leaderboard rewards.

Rookies

A Rookies is a junior Alliance participant—a promising newcomer with room to grow.

Requirements: Level 30+

Benefits and Limitations:
— Gains only a partial effect from activated Alliance Bonuses.
— Cannot participate in core clan activities (such as raids or building upgrades).
— Does not earn a share of the gold or Gold Rush rewards.

But don’t be mistaken—being a Rookie is still incredibly rewarding! Even at lower levels, you’ll gain valuable boosts, help your clan grow by completing Assignments, and experience an entirely new layer of progression in Westland Survival.

At the same time, Members benefit from having Rookies in the Alliance, as they serve as extra hands generating Reputation points—a true win-win relationship for both sides.

So, why introduce Rookies? To bring more new players into Alliances. We want to show them that joining a clan isn’t just a long-term goal—it’s something that can help them right now. And today’s Rookie? Well, they might just become a full-fledged Member tomorrow.

New Features

We’ve already hinted at some of the new Alliance features, but now it’s time to dive deeper.

— Deputy – A long-awaited co-leader role that the Alliance Leader can assign. The Deputy has the same permissions as the Leader, allowing them to step in and manage the Alliance. This means the Leader can delegate responsibilities, ensuring that the Alliance remains active even in their absence.

— Auto-Join System – A much-needed improvement to Alliance management! In the settings menu, alongside customizing the emblem and name, you can now enable join by request and set a minimum level requirement for automatic acceptance. No more manual approvals—just seamless recruitment!

PvP Changes & Gold Rush Leaderboard Updates

In Update 9.0, we’re making important adjustments to PvP to ensure raids remain fair while staying a core part of the game.

PvP Changes

— Backpacks are now restricted in raids—you can only use consumables (healing items) and binoculars. Make sure to equip your consumables before entering a raid, as you won’t be able to return once you leave.
— Alliance Defenders’ armor can now be repaired using Repair Kits.

New Gold Rush System & Rewards

The Gold Rush leaderboard is getting a major overhaul! Instead of ranking players solely by the amount of gold stolen, we’re now factoring in other key actions:

What counts towards your Gold Rush score:
— Total number of raids performed.
— Successfully stealing a safe.
— Successfully defending against a revenge raid.
— Total gold looted.

Revamped Gold Rush Rewards

To better match player expectations, we’ve improved the Gold Rush rewards. In addition to the usual special Alliance resources, you can now earn:

— More gunpowder
— Sugar for your horse
— Alcohol
— More loot tubes
— Repair Kits (now used to fix Defender armor!)

We believe these updates will make Gold Rush more exciting and rewarding!

Other Important Changes

These changes don’t fit neatly into a category, but you need to know about them!

— Boosting gold loot no longer requires Dynamite—it can now be activated as a Bonus.
— Safe Loot Changes – Safes now contain only gold—whiskey and dynamite have been removed, ensuring a more predictable reward system.
— Reworked Divisions – Gold Division added, and Silver/Bronze now have 3 tiers instead of 4, shifting ranks upward (e.g., Bronze 1 → Silver 2). A downstep mechanic now lets Alliances drop divisions if they can’t keep up, preventing them from getting stuck in high ranks.

Need a Quick Recap?

If you’re still unsure about some of the changes, don’t worry! You can check out a video overview for a clear and detailed breakdown. Watch it here!