Both help centers describe emeralds as "the universal game currency". They buy energy, extra attempts, shop refreshes, chests and gold, which is exactly why they drain so fast. The sources below come from the official Alliance and Dominion Era help centers, official community posts and current guide sites; numbers are only given where two sources agree.
Every free emerald source at a glance
| Source | Alliance | Dominion Era |
|---|---|---|
| Arena | Daily bonus and promotion rewards by league | Emeralds for every new best place, plus a daily reward |
| Grand Arena (team level 50) | Daily reward by ranking | Daily reward for your best place in Arena or Grand Arena |
| Daily login bonus | Yes, in the Events tab | Yes, in the Special Events tab |
| Hero promoted to a new rank | 10 emeralds by mail | 10 emeralds by mail |
| One time quests | Hero's Way rewards | Quests tab, plus Season rewards and Asgard Hall of Fame weekly |
| Hero Rating | Not confirmed | 50 emeralds for the first rating of each hero at Orange+4 |
| Codes and gift links | HEROWELCOME plus batch codes | Gift links in official posts |
| Partner offers | Free tab and offerwall | Free tab and Emerald Tasks in the Offers menu |
| Events | Advent calendars, Bingo and other event rewards | Event rewards, community contests |
Two small ones are easy to forget. Every time you promote a hero to a higher rank, both versions mail you a letter with 10 emeralds, so ranking up your five core heroes pays a little back. In Dominion Era, rating a hero for the first time (the hero must be at Orange+4) pays 50 emeralds per hero, confirmed by the official help center and h-w.fun; changing the rating later pays nothing.
The daily login bonus has one catch in both versions: rewards are not tied to calendar days, so you can resume after a missed day, but missing days means you will not reach the last reward of the month. Log in daily even when you have no time to play.
Arena: the largest steady income
Every guide we checked puts Arena first, and the two versions pay in different ways.
Alliance: leagues and trophies
The Alliance Arena is cross server and split into leagues from Iron up to Legends. You earn a promotion reward the first time you reach each league, and promotion rewards refresh every season, so climbing again pays again. The daily bonus is claimed the first time you enter the Arena each day (reset at 2:00 AM UTC) and depends on your best league the day before. Daily emeralds start in the Silver leagues and rise steeply at the top: 1,000 a day in Champions II, 1,500 in Champions III and 2,000 in Legends, according to both the official help center and Hero Wars Olympus (May 2026). Olympus calls Champions III "the realistic target for serious climbers". That is why a free Alliance account should build its first team for Arena defense.
Dominion Era: places on your server
Dominion Era pays emeralds each time you reach a new best place in the Arena, and that record does not reset if you change servers. At 8:00 PM in game time you also get a daily reward for your best place across Arena and Grand Arena, but only if you attacked at least once in either mode that day. Some Dominion servers run the newer cross server League Arena instead, with league and season rewards.
To win more of those fights, read our Arena battle guide and the current Arena meta.
Codes, gift links and live streams
New Alliance accounts should redeem HEROWELCOME, a standing welcome code worth 1,100 Emeralds according to our codes page. Batch codes from the official Alliance channels add more, and the current list with expiry dates is on the Hero Wars promo codes page. Dominion Era uses codes less often and mostly posts gift links in its official community posts. Most give energy or event items, but some pay emeralds: the New Year 2026 link did. Both help centers also point to giveaways in official YouTube streams; Alliance ran a 10th anniversary stream with a giveaway on 5 November 2026.
Both versions turned ten in 2026, Dominion Era in March and Alliance in November (left: Alliance anniversary stream art; right: the Dominion Era birthday banner). Anniversary weeks are heavy on calendars, gift links and quests, so they are the best time of the year to bank free emeralds.
Emerald Tasks and partner offers
In Dominion Era, Emerald Tasks returned on 9 July 2026. They are special offers and tasks completed outside the game, now found in the Offers menu on the right side of the screen. The rollout was gradual, so not every player sees them, and the official post says tasks, rewards and availability are managed by a partner and can vary from player to player. In Alliance, the help center sends you to the button that looks like a sack of emeralds (or the emerald icon, then the Emeralds tab), where you pick an offerwall provider. Both versions also have tasks in the Free tab on the main screen.
The x4 and x5 Emerald Sales, and the new Friday schedule
A multiplier sale makes each emerald pack give several times the normal amount. Both help centers describe the x4 sale the same way: it appears automatically for a limited time on one or all Emerald Shop offers, and each x4 offer can be bought once a day. The Alliance help center adds that the multiplier raises emeralds only, not the VIP points the pack gives.
- Dominion Era. With the new 28 day event system that started on 2 November 2026, Nexters announced that "x4 and x5 Emerald Sales will now take place on Fridays". The first one under the new schedule was the x5 sale on Friday 6 November, paired with a one day Fate's Wish event.
- Alliance. Sales still sit inside event groups. The official Wodryn's Season calendar lists Big Sales with x4 Emerald offers inside the Bountiful Roads and Dominion Day event groups.
If you never pay, sales change nothing for you. If you plan a small purchase, the Friday sale (Dominion Era) or a Big Sale week (Alliance) is the only time it makes sense. Version differences like this one are collected in our Alliance vs Dominion Era comparison.
Events, seasons and the Realm
Events are where free emeralds and smart spending meet. The Alliance Wodryn's Season calendar lists emeralds among the rewards of the Holiday Every Day advent calendars that ran from late October through mid November, and of the Halloween Bingo. Many event quests in the same calendar ask you to "spend Emeralds", so emeralds you were going to spend anyway also earn event rewards in those weeks.
Left: a Realm mine in Alliance, the mode the Realm event rewards. Right: the Glory Pass art. Neither pays emeralds directly: the Realm event (February 2026) paid hero upgrade resources, Realm resources and speed ups, and the Glory Pass free track gives gold and rune stones.
The Realm (Alliance only, open from level 40) is a resource source rather than an emerald source: Nexters valued the launch event rewards in emerald terms, but paid them as items. The trap is the other way round: Realm teleports can be bought with emeralds. Keep the Realm free and let it feed your heroes.
In Dominion Era, the help center lists Season rewards and the weekly Asgard Hall of Fame reward as emerald sources, so staying in an active guild that fights Asgard pays directly. See our guild war guide for guild modes. Dominion also runs Emerald City, a five day pass event from team level 30 whose quests are all about spending emeralds. It rewards spending you would do anyway; it is not a reason to spend more.
What free players should spend emeralds on
- The daily Emerald Exchange quest, as cheaply as possible. The daily quest list includes "Use Emerald Exchange 1 time" and it gives team experience. The exchange cost rises every fifth exchange, so one roll a day is enough. In Alliance you can also watch an ad for a free roll that counts toward the quest.
- Energy, but only during events. The energy refill price climbs with each purchase up to 200 emeralds in both versions. Buy one or two refills when a campaign event pays extra for energy spent.
- Extra heroic mission attempts for a core hero. This turns emeralds into soul stones of a hero you are already building. See our best heroes for beginners guide for which heroes deserve it.
- Discounted chests during event windows. The Alliance calendar schedules Outland Chest and Heroic Chest discounts inside event groups; Hero Wars Olympus advises free players to save for Outland discounts and to spend during Tournaments of Power, when quests multiply the value. Outland rewards are explained in our Outland and Tower guide.
What to avoid
- Shop refreshes. Every hero shop can be refreshed with emeralds. It is the most common way free accounts leak emeralds.
- Skipping cooldowns. In Dominion Era, skipping the wait between Arena or Grand Arena attacks costs 50 emeralds each time. Wait instead.
- Extra Arena attempts as a new player. They are sold in packs of five, and the price of League Arena attempts rises with each purchase. Climb with your free attempts.
- Gold from the Exchange beyond the daily quest. Rolls get more expensive as you go.
- Cosmetic sales and Piggy Bank traps. Dominion Era's Piggy Bank returns part of the emeralds you spend, but you must buy the offer to break it open. If you do not pay, it is just a reminder to spend.
More on avoiding early waste is in our beginner mistakes guide. Back to the Hero Wars hub.
Can You Really Get 15,400 Free Emeralds Every Month? (Hero Wars Central)FAQ
How do you get free emeralds in Hero Wars?
Arena rewards, the daily login bonus, one time quests, hero rank promotions (10 emeralds each), events, codes and gift links, and partner offers in the Free tab or Emerald Tasks. Arena is the biggest steady source in both versions.
What is the fastest way to get emeralds in Hero Wars Alliance?
Climb the Arena leagues. The daily bonus is 1,000 emeralds in Champions II, 1,500 in Champions III and 2,000 in Legends, and promotion rewards refresh every season. New players should also redeem HEROWELCOME for 1,100 Emeralds.
When is the emerald sale in Hero Wars?
In Dominion Era, x4 and x5 Emerald Sales run on Fridays under the event system that started on 2 November 2026. In Alliance, x4 Big Sales are scheduled inside event groups on the season calendar.
Are Hero Wars emerald generators real?
No. Emerald hack and generator sites do not work and can put your account at risk. Emeralds come only from the game, official codes and gift links, and the official partner offers.
What should I spend emeralds on in Hero Wars?
The daily Emerald Exchange quest, energy during events, extra heroic mission attempts for your core heroes and discounted chests during event windows. Avoid shop refreshes and cooldown skips.