Forums → Game Walkthroughs → Kingdom Rush - Tips and Tricks

For those who wish to succeed in the ultimate classic strategy game, Kingdom Rush (2011). Recommended for all player levels, but with a strong emphasis on new players.

1) Upgrades
A lot of people wonder how upgrades should be distributed? Well, keep in mind you can always reset them and redistribute the points elsewhere.
When you have beaten the game in one run, you will probably have around 36 stars (3 stars all 12 main zones). Here is my distrubtion (having 22 stars, buy a hero for 15 stars with a total star count of 37/62)

I HIGHLY recommend NOT upgrading ALL towers eveningly. The reason is because you will likely be using a certain tower combination more than others. The combination I often find people us early to mid game is archers. This likely due to the cheap yet powerful Rangers Hideout, which 2nd ability "Wrath of the Forest" binds on to enemies, giving time for other troops to inflict damage in addition to being a staller.

Below is a example of even distribution upgrades which is not recommended!!

Staller = tool to stop enemies' from getting through to the end of the map. Stallers include: Barracks, reinforcement, Hero abilities, and Tower abilities (Arcane's Teleport and Ranger's Wrath).

So, as a strong tip: place emphasis on upgrading the tower you will use the most (on certain maps) + max out reinforcement and meteor! They are super useful as you save up for the 4th tier upgrades/abilities.

2) Tactics
Although the game does a good job at providing basic mechanisms' for implementing strategy, my guide will further your understanding, and hopefully give you a better idea of what to strategize.

i) Do not main with Barrack troops. Like most tower defense games, troops are meant to be a distraction or staller. Please do not use them as your main source of dps against enimies! If this is your strategy, and you feel you are struggling - this is why.
Pros: Barracks provide good stalling and help your other towers take out hefty, large HP enemies.
Cons: They do not do as much damage, and once they are down, it will take time to train a new troop - therefore dps is not consistent.

Main = prioritize a specific tower type; placing more of this tower type than any other in game(s).

ii) Clumped vs Spatial
Spatial tactics refer to implementing a strategy that places towers apart from one another, utilizing the entire room of the map. This works effectively for maps that have multiple starts and exits. Sometimes, you may have no choice but to disperse your towers, such as in Twin Rivers map (4th map).

Clumped tactics refer to implementing a strategy that places towers closer to one another, utilizing a certain area of the room. This works effectively for maps that have single starts and exits. I strongly recommend this tactic EVEN if the map has multiple lanes because you are effectively destroying all enemies in that area - maximizing dps and synergy between towers.

Synergy = syc + energy. A term used to explain how towers will work together really well. An example of synergy is between reinforcements and archer towers. The reinforcements act as a staller while the archers do dps on the stalled enemy.

dps = in this case, refers to damage per shot. The amount of "effective hurtness" per hit.

iii) Panic!
When in doubt, do not panic. Even if you are struggling and it is the FINAL round, do your best to survive. Some maps can be very challenging - you may be swarmed by a bunch of enemies. An example of this is the first boss map (The Citadel or Map 6). In this &quotanic" situation, sometimes you have to break some of these tactic "rules". An example is switching your main to opt for barracks. When there is a swarm of enemies at the exit, your other troops won't have enough time to damage them all. So your last result is using stallers to delay their exit while inflicting dps.

Below is an example of a &quotanic" defense. Note it is breaking tactic "rule" i)

In conclusion, having fun and exploring the game is the true idea for Kingdom Rush Tower Defense. I hope these tips and tricks help you in your progress, wherever you are at! Also remember, the general idea can apply for the rest of the Kingdom Rush series!