Factory troops are expensive, but they are extremely powerful compared to the troops in your barracks. When battling other players, send them in only against players whose bases are absolutely loaded with resources in order to maximize your return on your investment. Even if your only goal is battle points, they can still get extremely expensive to train.
Heroes, on the other hand, provide the best return on investment, so upgrade your hero command as high as you can, as quickly as you can. This is especially important in fights against players who have working shield generators, but even if they do not, your heroes can still provide an impressive amount of firepower.
Don’t waste your attacks on players with heavy defenses and few resources. Save your attacks for players who have tons of resources but very few defenses, comparatively. Having a hard time finding them? Simply keep hitting the “next” button until you do. They will show up eventually, especially at higher battle point levels, because many players have excellent offense but crappy defense.
Ever looked at the top players and been jealous of how insanely powerful their bases look? That’s because they’ve been playing for a very long time. This game is naturally a game of slow, gradual advancement, so keep building and upgrading at your own pace and before you know it you’ll end up as one of the more powerful players in the game as long as you stay consistent.
Get revenge on other players who attack you as often as possible, especially if they steal a lot of your resources. If they steal a lot then typically they will have a lot available. You’ll also earn battle points about twice as fast this way because more will be available per star against revenge players.
Your overall base rating (the number next to your name) is based on the overall upgrade level of your buildings. The more expensive and the longer that they take to upgrade, the more that they will increase your overall base level. Build and upgrade consistently, and set push notifications if you have to, in order to increase your overall base rating.