A flexible build order
- Read the map before taking space
Identify the route you can extend and note where larger tower footprints can fit. The 1.0-era tower guide recommends placing large towers after shaping the maze.
- Choose one clear damage plan
Decide what the run is leaning toward—such as fire, lightning, poison, or a focused single-target option—based on the towers and relics actually offered.
- Connect relics to towers
Prefer a relic when your current towers can trigger it. For example, Volatile Poison needs poisoned targets that also take fire damage.
- Spend to solve the next bottleneck
When a wave exposes a weakness, compare a targeted upgrade with adding another tower or extending the path. Research found conflicting upgrade-versus-expansion advice, so neither is a universal rule.
- Revisit the plan after each reward
A roguelite run changes as towers, runes, relics, and map effects arrive. Keep the build coherent, but do not force a synergy that the run did not offer.
Build directions worth testing
| Direction | What supports it | Evidence limit |
|---|---|---|
| Fire and area coverage | Official 1.0 balance notes use Fireball as an area-damage example; community Heroic posts mention Flamethrower. | The tower recommendation is older community evidence and is not a verified current full build. |
| Lightning chain | Lightning Conductor has a documented chain effect and an early-game endorsement in the 1.0-era material. | The supplied research does not give a complete tower/relic/upgrade sequence tested through a full 1.0 run. |
| Poison into fire | Volatile Poison describes a concrete interaction when a poisoned enemy takes fire damage. | The effect’s trigger interval and the need for both elements matter; it is not a standalone poison build. |
| Heroic maze-first setup | Older community players recommend a spiral or multi-turn maze and pair Flamethrower with Sniper. | Those posts predate 1.0. Treat them as a starting experiment, not a current guaranteed clear. |
What not to copy blindly
- Endless archetypes labeled Lightning, Fire, or Boulder in early-access posts have not been re-tested in the supplied research against 1.0.
- One old build advises saving upgrades while a 1.0 guide says to strengthen before expanding. The right choice depends on the current wave, tower coverage, and available space.
- A build is not reproducible unless it records mode, map, character, upgrades, relics, and version. The source set does not provide that complete test log for a current “best build.”
Sources and scope
This is an independent guide, not an official Refic Games page. Source roles and version limits are stated alongside each reference.
- Emberward on SteamOfficial game and release reference.
- 1.0 release notesCurrent-version context; update notes mirrored by SteamDB.
- Community Heroic tower discussionOlder community strategy; pre-1.0.