waves
The number of waves depends on the difficulty: Easy has 10 waves, Normal has 20, and Hard has 50. Each wave is split into two parts:
- Build phase - You place or upgrade defenders
- Wave phase - Enemies spawn and march toward the gate
- The build phase starts.
- You spend your gold on new defenders or upgrades.
- The wave phase begins.
- Enemies spawn in small groups with short delays.
- The wave ends when all enemies are gone or have reached the gate.
- You get gold from kills and wave completion.
- The next build phase starts.
The HUD shows wave progress, enemy count, gate health, gold, and your current defender setup.
| Event | Gold |
|---|---|
| Wave completed | 30g |
| Bonus: no enemies leaked | +20g |
| Swarm kill | 3g |
| Walker kill | 5g |
| Runner kill | 8g |
| Berserker kill | 10g |
| Shaman kill | 12g |
| Tank kill | 20g |
| Miniboss kill | 50g |
| Boss kill | 100g |
If no enemy reaches the gate during a wave, you get an extra 20g bonus.
The list below shows the 10-wave flow on Easy difficulty. Normal (20 waves) and Hard (50 waves) follow a similar buildup but run longer, add more Tanks, Shamans, and Berserkers, and bring in Minibosses and Bosses on later waves. Other arenas follow a similar pattern, even if exact wave files differ.
| Wave | Main threats |
|---|---|
| 1 | Walkers only, simple introduction |
| 2 | More Walkers |
| 3 | Walkers with the first Runners |
| 4 | Walkers and Runners |
| 5 | Walkers, Runners, and a Tank |
| 6 | Runners, Berserkers, and Walkers |
| 7 | Swarms and Walkers |
| 8 | Tanks, Swarms, and a Shaman |
| 9 | Runners with Tank support |
| 10 | Swarms, Berserkers, and a Shaman in the final wave |
| Easy | Normal | Hard | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting gold | Higher | Standard | Lower |
| Enemy health | Reduced | Standard | Increased |
| Enemy speed | Slower | Standard | Faster |
| Enemies per sub-wave | Fewer | Standard | More |
| Miniboss / Boss | Not present | Later waves | More common |
Different difficulties do not only change stats. Wave compositions can also change.
- Use the build timer well because it is your main planning window
- A perfect wave gives bonus gold, so clean defense matters
- Waves 7 to 10 are much more dangerous, especially on Hard
- Try to have your core defense ready before wave 6