Defend the Castle

How to play Defend the Castle

Objective

Keep the castle's 1000 health points above zero through as many waves as possible, since the waves never stop. The Defeat screen then reports how many waves you survived, your final score and the Royal Medals you take into the next run.

Controls

Desktop

• Mouse: click a card in the right-hand panel, then click a grid square to build it there
• W, A and C keys: pick the Wall, Archer tower or Cannon tower without opening the panel
• Click a tower, then press U: upgrade it (first archer upgrade 50 gold and 10 wood, the next 100 gold and 20 wood)
• Space or the Start Wave button: send the next wave
• Undo arrow beside Start Wave: removes everything placed in the current build phase and refunds the cost
• Medal counter at the top left: opens the Royal Armory

Mobile

• Tap a card under the map, then tap a square: build it
• Start Wave in the bottom bar: send the next wave

Getting started

1. Press Start Game on the title card, which also lists the keyboard shortcuts; you begin with 145 gold, 80 wood and a castle at full health.
2. Place two Archer towers right beside the castle, since enemies can arrive from the left, the top and the right of the map.
3. Press Start Wave or Space and watch the routes the blobs take; the first wave took about 120 health off the castle with two archers in place.
4. Spend the payout between waves: walls at 10 wood each across the approaches, an upgrade with U, and a Woodcutter on a forest tile.
5. Before wave 4 The King's Gambit appears; choose Berserker's Rage, Iron Horde or No Gambit, Play It Safe to continue.
6. When the castle falls, read the Defeat screen, open the Royal Armory to spend medals, then press Play Again.

Tips

• Cover every side of the castle: enemies came in from the left, top and right edges, and the wave where most walls sat on the left side alone cost 205 health.
• Walls cost only wood and enemies stop to break them, so refill the gaps after every wave; the wall in the busiest approach fell twice in four waves.
• Build the Woodcutter early on a forest tile because it pays wood every wave, and take Iron Horde when your towers are strong to bank 100 extra wood.
• Medals arrive at one per wave from wave 3, so a seven-wave run banks only a few; the 15-medal Tar Pit is the first Armory unlock within reach.
• Castle health never comes back, so invest before it drops: a castle at 305 health after wave 5 lasted just two more waves.

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