Some achievement objectives involve optional interactions, hidden characters, collectibles, or restrictions that vary by stage. The guide explains reliable habits, but it does not replace a stage-specific achievement list.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
For a reliable opening, place one damage tower near the first important bend, add a second tower that covers a different enemy weakness, then invest in a barracks or other control option before buying expensive special abilities. Put both heroes where they can reach several lanes, move them to the next threat, and spend powers before a leak becomes unavoidable. During the campaign, prioritize full clears and stars on normal difficulty, learn each enemy gimmick, then return for Heroic, Iron, Veteran, Impossible, and achievement cleanup. This approach is safer than chasing perfect runs immediately.
Start here
A direct opening plan for the first stage
Pause as soon as the map loads and identify the main choke point, the longest tower coverage area, and any split or secondary entrance. Your first goal is not maximum damage; it is a defense that can survive the opening waves without constant emergency movement.
Build one dependable damage source at the strongest bend. Add a second tower with a different role, such as area damage, magic damage, ranged precision, or crowd control. The exact best choice depends on the towers unlocked in your save, so follow the role shown in each tower’s description rather than copying a fixed build.
Use your first hero to hold or soften the most dangerous lane. Place the second hero where it can intercept leaks, reach a second path, or answer a special enemy. Heroes are mobile resources: move them between fights instead of leaving both beside the entrance.
Call an early wave only when your defense is already stable. The extra gold is useful, but an early call is not worth losing lives or forcing an emergency spell. Save at least one active ability for a fast enemy, a heavy wave, or a boss transition.
- Cover the first bend before filling every build slot.
- Buy a useful upgrade before adding several weak towers.
- Keep heroes close enough to support towers, but not so close that one effect disables both.
- Watch the next wave preview and prepare for its most dangerous trait.
| Early priority | Why it matters | Common alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Reliable damage | Stops ordinary enemies efficiently | A second damage tower if the map has no safe control point |
| Control or blockers | Buys time for every nearby attacker | More damage when enemies cannot be delayed safely |
| Hero positioning | Handles leaks and unusual threats | A tower upgrade when the hero is already covering both lanes |
| Selective abilities | Prevents a bad wave from becoming a life loss | Saving the ability for a boss or scripted surge |
There is no single opening layout that fits every map. Terrain, enemy entrances, special objectives, and available towers change the correct answer. Copy the decision process, then adapt the actual towers.
During battles
The strategy that scales through the campaign
Think in jobs rather than tower names. A balanced defense normally needs sustained single-target damage, a way to handle groups, a response to armored or resistant enemies, and some form of delay or interception. A tower can perform more than one job, but you should be able to explain what each major investment is doing.
Upgrade the towers that already cover the most path. A high-value position often beats several isolated towers because every upgrade fires more frequently across the full route. Add new towers when you need a missing damage type, another firing angle, or protection for a second lane.
Use heroes to solve movement problems. A hero can plug a leak, pull enemies away from a weak point, finish a durable target, or reposition before a wave reaches the kill zone. Avoid treating hero powers as emergency-only buttons; regular use also supports achievement progress, and one Steam achievement explicitly tracks 500 hero-power uses.
Read enemy behavior before reacting with gold. Flying, armored, regenerating, splitting, summoning, or transforming enemies each punish a different kind of tunnel vision. If a wave defeats you, identify the first enemy that changed the fight and adjust one role at a time rather than replacing the entire defense.
For bosses, preserve space and cooldowns. Do not spend every ability on the wave immediately before a boss unless the alternative is losing the stage. Keep at least one hero available to distract or reposition around the boss while towers continue firing.
- Spend on coverage and role balance before luxury upgrades.
- Move heroes before selling towers when a threat is temporary.
- Use reinforcements to stall at the edge of a tower’s range, not after enemies have already passed it.
- If a stage has two routes, build for the weaker route first, then reinforce the shared kill zone.
| Problem | First adjustment | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Basic enemies overwhelm the lane | Add sustained damage or upgrade the best-covered tower | Buying several unrelated level-one towers |
| Groups survive too long | Add area damage or stronger control | Relying on a single-target tower to clear crowds |
| Armored or resistant targets pass | Add the appropriate damage type and focus heroes | Assuming raw physical damage solves every target |
| Fast enemies leak | Move a hero, add blockers, or improve coverage near the exit | Waiting until the enemy is already at the goal |
| Boss phase collapses | Save cooldowns and widen the damage zone | Selling half the defense during the boss attack |
The official materials describe two heroes per stage, upgradeable towers with special skills, multiple game modes, and a campaign spread across distinct terrains. That breadth is why flexible roles are more reliable than one favorite tower used everywhere.
Progression
A practical path from first clear to full completion
First, finish the campaign on a comfortable difficulty while learning maps. Aim for three stars when the stage feels understood, but do not stall your entire run trying to perfect a map that introduces a new mechanic. Unlocking more options gives you better answers for later terrain and enemy combinations.
Second, replay earlier stages to test towers and heroes. Choose one Linirean-focused team and one Dark Army-focused team so you become comfortable with both sides of the alliance. The official achievement list includes restrictions for winning with only Linirean or only Dark Army towers and heroes, making these runs easier when planned separately.
Third, clear optional modes and difficulty achievements. Heroic and Iron challenges change the available tools or restrictions, while Veteran and Impossible demand tighter spending and wave knowledge. Treat these as optimization exercises: inspect the stage, identify the required condition, and build around that condition rather than using your normal campaign layout.
Finally, clean up exploration achievements and add-ons. Hidden interactions, collectibles, stage-specific helpers, and unusual objectives are best attempted with a checklist. The current achievement set includes cumulative tasks, hero-level milestones, mode clears, boss defeats, and map-specific actions, so many unlock naturally while others require deliberate revisits.
If a new DLC campaign is available in your version, approach it after the base campaign has taught you the core roles. The official store listing separates the three add-on campaigns from the base game, while the official site presents them as current add-ons. Balance and availability can differ by platform, so confirm the content shown in your own game.
- Normal campaign clear first.
- Stars and familiarization second.
- Challenge modes and restricted runs third.
- Hidden objectives, collectibles, and cumulative achievements last.
- Keep a note of missed conditions immediately after each stage.
| Goal | Best time to pursue it | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign completion | First pass | Builds map knowledge and unlock familiarity |
| Three-star clears | Second pass | Lets you focus on lives and objectives without learning every mechanic at once |
| Heroic and Iron | After normal clears | You can plan around restrictions instead of discovering them mid-run |
| Veteran and Impossible | After practicing maps | Wave timing and spending become more important than experimentation |
| Achievement cleanup | Last or during focused replays | Stage-specific objectives are easier with a dedicated setup |
Official and store pages do not always display identical counts for towers, heroes, stages, or achievements, which can reflect platform or content-package differences. Use the roster and achievement menu inside your version as the final authority.
Avoid these traps
Common mistakes that make stages harder
The most frequent error is building too wide too early. A map full of weak towers can look impressive but lack the damage needed to stop a dangerous wave. Concentrate spending around one or two high-value zones until the defense is stable.
Another mistake is ignoring hero movement. Two heroes do not automatically double your safety if both are idle in the wrong lane. Check their health, range, and ability cooldowns between waves and reposition before the next threat arrives.
Do not spend every coin on special abilities just because they are available. A basic upgrade that improves every shot can be more valuable than a flashy skill used against a harmless wave. Conversely, saving every ability for the final wave wastes opportunities to stabilize earlier.
Avoid changing several variables after a failed attempt. Record where the first leak occurred, what enemy caused it, and whether the problem was damage, armor, speed, air coverage, or control. Change one or two decisions and retry; this creates a repeatable strategy instead of guesswork.
Finally, do not assume achievements are only combat tests. The list includes stage interactions, collectibles, hero levels, cumulative totals, restricted rosters, and difficulty clears. Check the exact wording before starting a replay.
- Do not buy every tower type just to fill the map.
- Do not leave both heroes parked at the same chokepoint.
- Do not call waves early while the defense is unstable.
- Do not retry a failed challenge without identifying the failure point.
- Do not trust memory when an achievement has a precise condition.
FAQ
Common questions
What should beginners upgrade first?
Upgrade the tower with the best path coverage and the clearest immediate job. Then add a complementary role, usually control, area damage, or a different damage type. The best first upgrade changes by map and unlocked roster.
How should I use the two heroes?
Give them different jobs. Keep one near the main kill zone for sustained pressure and move the other toward leaks, split paths, elite enemies, or objectives. Use powers proactively when they can improve several waves, not only when the exit is already threatened.
Should I chase achievements during the first clear?
Only for simple cumulative tasks or objectives that naturally fit the stage. For hidden interactions, restricted rosters, and difficulty conditions, finish the map first and replay with a focused plan. This avoids sacrificing a clear for a condition you have not yet learned.
How do I prepare for Heroic and Iron challenges?
Read the restriction before spending anything, then choose towers and heroes that cover the missing role. Practice the normal map once more, save abilities for the wave that the restriction makes dangerous, and expect to reposition heroes more often.
Are the add-on campaigns required for the base progression?
No. The store presents the extra campaigns as separate add-ons. They are additional content, not a prerequisite for learning or completing the base campaign, although their enemies and mechanics can provide further strategy and achievement challenges.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.