House-Keeping
There are a few matters I want to discuss. I use images and text in lieu of Youtube videos for this guide for two reasons. First, it's a pain to use Youtube videos - especially in this game since they need to be cut up considering the constant rewinding. The videos often are hard to see minute details of and generally induce headaches in my experience. Second, I think text and images are better. I have put pink dots next to each new tower in each image showing you where to place them. With the text, I've tried to clearly direct you on what to do when.
In all, I think this will help you develop strategies as you learn the game while still taking advantage of a guide. You can then use these strategies to get the 100 Gold medals for the final achievement without the need to consult a video on every map. I think this works, and I invite any of you to comment in this walkthrough's forum if you have any issues at all.
I encourage all of you to move your cursor over a new enemy every time you encounter one and press . This will allow you to inspect the enemy, giving you some insight into what kinds of towers are typically good at this. It sounds basic, and it is, but it will really help you understand the game and allow you to play better. On top of that, there's also an achievement for it.
So, without further ado, let's start the campaign. Normal difficulty is fine but you can definitely do this on Easy. The guide was done on Normal with no tower upgrades - if you do it on Easy and equip your upgrades it should be quite simple. Make sure you equip new tower upgrades. I'll mention if you should use a specific special ability. If I don't mention it - use Zacara.
Chapter 1
Mission 0 - Prologue (10k) (10 Waves)
Build three towers at the very beginning as shown in the image. Just upgrade the Inferno tower when needed (rewind by pressingif enemies get through and upgrade it). At some point, you should make sure to rewind the same wave 5 times in a row before continuing on for an achievement.
Completing this mission with a gold medal following my strategy will unlock a motherload of achievements. They are:
RetryUse the Reload Checkpoint option.
2 guidesNo SaleWin any mission without selling any towers.
Mission 1 - Threshold (20 Waves)
At some point you should fire General Cai's special ability by pressing and holding . You'll get an achievement.
Start: Build an Inferno, three Cannons and four Guns.
Wave 5: Upgrade the Inferno, the leftmost Gun, and the Cannon in the middle to Level 2.
Wave 7: Upgrade the leftmost Gun to Level 3 and the Gun next to it to Level 2.
Wave 8: Upgrade the Level 2 towers to Level 3 (Cannon, Gun and Inferno).
Wave 11: Upgrade your Level 1 towers to Level 2 (two Cannons and two Guns).
Wave 15: Upgrade those Level 2 towers to Level 3.
Completing the mission will give you some achievements.
You should be making good use of the fast forward feature, activated by pressing , at 3x speed (it's set to 3x at default, though you can lower this). Doing so in this mission will probably unlock:
ConfidentUse the speed up control at 3x for a total of 60 seconds in any mission.
3 guidesAnd if you used General Cai's ability:
Mission 2 - Supply and Demand (90k) (20 Waves)
Start: 1 Begin in second section, building an Inferno on top of a boost tower and two Guns.
Wave 7: By the time you get to this wave, you should have many more Guns and have upgraded your Inferno.
Wave 20: No more towers need to have been built. This mission is fairly easy, and as long as you're upgrading only when you need to, you should be fine. If you want to build more towers, Cannons are a good bet to fill in the gaps.
After this mission, it's possible to unlock an achievement by selecting Advisor Zacara in your Command Team and pressingto use her Special Weapon ability. You'll be able to select this character on the next mission.
Mission 3 - Suspension (200k) (25 Waves)
Start: Tesla, followed by Guns when you get the chance (see image below Wave 7).
Wave 7: Upgrade the Tesla and build a few more Guns as well as a second Tesla and a Laser.
Wave 12: Upgrade the second Tesla to Level 3 and many of the Guns to Level 2.
Wave 17: You should be upgrading your Guns to Level 2/3 and the Laser to Level 2.
Wave 19: Build another Tesla and upgrade everything to Level 3.
This last one should take you all the way to the end. If you're struggling, just build some Cannons and upgrade them.
With the fourth mission completed, you'll unlock:
Boot CampFinish all the missions in Chapter 1 in Story Mode.
After this mission, it's possible to unlock an achievement by selecting Professor Briel in your Command Team and pressingto use her Special Weapon ability. You'll be able to select this character on the next mission.
More PleaseUse the Resource Reinforcement Special Weapon (Professor Briel).
Chapter 2
Mission 4 - Overlook (80k) (20 Waves)
Start: You want to kick out a Level 2 Inferno on a Boost and some Guns as soon as possible.
Wave 9: Upgrade the Inferno to Level 3 and Overcharge it. Upgrade some of your Guns and build a Tesla as well. At some point in here you might also want to upgrade one of your towers to reveal invisible units. This can help a bit. I picked one of the bottom Guns but really the choice is yours.
Wave 15: Upgrade the top three Guns and the Tesla to Level 3.
Wave 19: Build one more Inferno (it should be on a Boost, though it isn't in the image) and upgrade everything to Level 3.
At this point, you'll undoubtedly have unlocked another achievement:
Mission 5 - Barrage (500k) (30 Waves)
Start: Build Boosts then a Concussion when you have the funds. You must be very quick even without fast forward on.
Wave 4: Build a Tesla and a second Concussion.
Wave 5: Use Overcharge to make it through the enemies. You'll also want to have built two more Teslas.
Wave 7: Build a Mortar.
Wave 8: Upgrade the first Concussion. Build three Cannons and a Gun.
Wave 9: Upgrade the second Concussion (and Overcharge it) to Level 3.
Wave 14: Upgrade the other Concussion (and Overcharge it), your Mortar and both Teslas.
Wave 21: Build a third Concussion at Level 2.
Wave 23: Upgrade all Tesla to Level 3, and build an extra.
Wave 28: Overcharge to make it through the enemies.
Wave 30: Upgrade your two Cannons to Level 3.
Using my strategy, you'll unlock:
ArsenalBuild 20 towers of any type in one mission.
Salvage RightsKill an alien boss creature. (Juggernaut, Rumbler, Turtle, or Crasher)
Mission 6 - Rapid Collapse (400k) (30 Waves)
Before I give the strategy, I'll note that there's an achievement tied to this map specifically. It's for using the Command Shuttle. To do so, move your cursor over the Command Shuttle and press . From there, you'll get a menu that looks like this:
You'll need to build all six to get the achievement. I'll be sure to tell you when to do it.
Start: The new standard will be Concussion and Temporal. It's an incredibly good combination you'll grow to love. We'll begin with that. Get a little money from interest before you build the Concussion.
Wave 4: Another Concussion and upgrade the Temporal.
Wave 7: Upgrade the Temporal again once you can afford it. Some Cannons will do you some good as well.
Wave 12: Focus on upgrading your Concussion towers. Don't forget to Overcharge with the Boost tower as well. Then upgrade your Cannons and the Guns.
Wave 21: Upgrade the Gun to Level 3. Build a Temporal near the Cannons. Get the Cannon and Temporal to Level 3 just before Wave 21 begins. There's a boss in it.
Waves ~24: At some point in between Waves 21 and 27 you'll want to upgrade and Overcharge your other Concussion.
Wave 27: You'll want to upgrade the Laser once, build another near the Cannons and upgrade it, and build a Tesla.
Wave 30: During Wave 30, don't forget to activate the Command Shuttle and add the six platforms for an achievement.
At the end of this one, if you did what I did, you'll unlock...
Master BuilderUse the command shuttle to move 6 map sections in Mission 6.
Mission 7 - Split Decision (450k) (30 Waves)
Start: Concussion on a Boost on the bottom and the one on the top. Then two Meteors.
Wave 6: Upgrade both Concussions by Wave 5 (bottom first). Then build a Temporal, two more Meteor and a Tesla. The shielded enemies will cause issues, and you'll need to Overcharge to get past them. Wait until the lead enemy is about to exit your towers' range (so that the new Meteor tower hits it when it's out of range).
Wave 7: Quickly upgrade the Tesla and Gun and then build and upgrade multiple Guns (see image).
Wave 10: Build and upgrade some Guns and a Temporal in preparation for the boss.
Wave 14: Upgrade the top Concussion and Temporal once each. Don't forget to Boost the Concussion.
Wave 15: Upgrade the Concussion and Boost it.
Wave 17: Overcharge to kill the boss.
Wave 21: Upgrade the bottom two Gun towers to Level 3.
Wave 24: Overcharge. Hit the middle two Level 2 Guns and time it right so that you knock out both the top and bottom waves.
Wave 25: Build a Level 2 Concussion and Temporal up top. Upgrade the bottom Temporal to Level 3.
Wave 27: Build a Temporal and Level 3 Concussion on bottom. Also upgrade the Tesla and middle Meteor to Level 3.
Wave 30: Smart use of Overcharge here will see you through.
After this mission, it's possible to unlock an achievement by selecting Colonel Rissler in your Command Team and pressingto use his Special Weapon ability. You'll be able to select this character on the next mission.
No Fast Blast
Use the Temporal Cannon Special Weapon (Colonel Rissler).
Chapter 3
Mission 8 - Boiling Point (250k) (30 Waves)
I completed this one using Colonel Rissler.
Start: Boost towers and a Concussion. Follow it up with a quick Gun to kill any leaks (if you're very fast you won't have any).
Wave 3: Build a Temporal to compliment your arsenal.
Wave 5: Upgrade your Concussion to Level 2.
Wave 6: Upgrade your first Concussion with Disruptor. Build a second Concussion. Upgrade the Gun to Level 2.
Wave 7: Build three Cannons.
Wave 9: This can be tricky. Build a Laser and two more Cannons (the image showing the placement of these is under Wave 19). Build the second Cannon once the enemies are about to finish spawning. Use your new Temporal special weapon to get that achievement and to slow the enemies - but make sure not to hit enemies that don't have a core (they will not move out of your kill area and then they will pick up a core from a dead enemy).
Wave 10: Upgrade your Concussion to Level 3. Upgrade the Temporal to Level 2.
Wave 19: Build another Temporal and a Concussion.
Wave 20: Upgrade the third Concussion, your Laser, and all your Cannons to Level 2.
Wave 23: Upgrade your other two Concussions (Overcharge them) and your Temporal to Level 3. Also upgrade your Gun and two Cannons to Level 3.
Wave 24: Around the time this wave starts, a Boss will likely be returning with cores. Slow it with your special weapon to kill it.
Wave 29: Feel free to use your special weapon again around here.
Mission 9 - Precipice (600k) (30 Waves)
Start: Start off with a Cannon, Gun and Concussion all on Boosts.
Wave 2: Get a Temporal on a Boost.
Wave 3: Build another Concussion on a Boost.
Wave 4: When this wave is almost over, upgrade the Gun and Cannon. Then get a Disruptor on your Temporal. Upgrade that was well when you can.
Wave 7: Upgrade the first Concussion to Level 2.
Wave 9. Overcharge your Gun and Cannon using the Boost tower.
Wave 11: Upgrade the first Concussion to Level 3 and Overcharge. Then upgrade the Temporal and upgrade the Cannon.
Wave 13: Activate Defense Position in the Command Center (like you did on Mission 6 for the achievement). Then build two Level 2 Cannons on it, Overcharge them, and upgrade your Gun to Level 3.
Wave 23: Upgrade your two Cannons to Level 3 and the Concussion to Level 2 (and I activated score boost on it).
Wave 27: Build three more Cannons here and upgrade them.
Wave 30: Overcharge with Zacara to end it quickly.
Mission 10 - Breach (350k) (30 Waves)
Start: Kick it off with two Concussions.
Wave 2: One more Concussion.
Wave 4: Upgrade the upper left Concussion.
Wave 5: Upgrade the bottom Concussion. Build two Cannons.
Wave 7: Upgrade both Cannons to Level 2 and Overcharge them.
Wave 10: Overcharge the bottom Concussion and upgrade both Cannons to Level 3.
Wave 12: Upgrade the bottom Concussion to Level 3.
Wave 15: Around this time you should build a Level 2 Temporal and two more Level 3 Cannons.
Wave 21: Upgrade your remaining Concussions once each and Overcharge. Then build a Temporal and add a Disruptor.
Wave 25: Upgrade the Temporal and Concussion, then build another Level 2 Concussion.
Wave 27: Two more Level 3 Cannons.
Mission 11 - Sandstorm (800k) (25 Waves)
Start: Start with a Concussion and some Boosts.
Wave 3: Upgrade the Concussion to Level 2. Upgrade it with a Disruptor.
Wave 4: Build three Cannons.
Wave 6: Build a Temporal. Upgrade it to Level 3 and the Temporal to Level 2.
Wave 8: Upgrade your Cannons and Overcharge them.
Wave 10: Use Zacara's Overcharge on the Cannons to kill the boss.
Wave 11: Build a Level 3 Concussion and Overcharge it.
Wave 16: Use Zacara's Overcharge.
Wave 19: Upgrade the Cannons to Level 3. Get another Level 3 Concussion.
Wave 22: Build two more Cannons and a Gun. Get a Disruptor on the Gun.
I'd also recommend you use your boatload of cash to build a bunch of random towers (you'll need to eventually build 100 of each). It doesn't matter what they are. Don't build TOO many though - you'll want to make sure you get Gold still.
After this mission, it's possible to unlock an achievement by selecting Rear Admiral Phillips in your Command Team and pressingto use his Special Weapon ability. You'll be able to select this character on the next mission.
Shoot That GuyUse the Precision Targeting Special Weapon (Rear Admiral Phillips).
Chapter 4
Mission 12 - Incursion (900k) (30 Waves)
I don't recommend using Rear Admiral Phillips here unless you're playing on Easy. Zacara is essential to this strategy on Normal.
Start: Two Concussions and wall off a pathway.
Wave 2: Build a Temporal and continue making a wall. Upgrade to Level 2 when you can.
Level 7: Upgrade a Concussion to Level 2.
Level 8: Upgrade it to Level 3 and Overcharge it.
Wave 9: Build a Level 3 Laser tower. Overcharge it.
Wave 11: Add a Disruptor on the Temporal.
Wave 14: Build two Level 3 Cannons.
Wave 19/20: Upgrade the Concussion to Level 2. Some enemies will spawn from behind, use Zacara to help you out.
Wave 25: Make the other Concussion Level 3. Then add Disruptor.
Wave 28: Be ready to use Zacara's ability after this. Upgrade the Temporal to Level 3.
At the end of the level, you'll get two achievements:
Full PotentialWin a chapter 4 (or later) mission with level 3 towers only and no selling.
UntouchableBeat a Chapter 4 mission or higher with zero cores captured.
Mission 13 - Deep End (500k) (30 Waves)
Don't build anything but Gun towers. That means no Boost towers.
Start: Start off with 5 Gun towers.
Wave 3: Upgrade them to Level 2.
Wave 5: Build 12 more Guns.
Wave 7: Upgrade the original five to Level 3.
Wave 10: Start upgrading the other Guns.
Wave 16: Six more Guns. Continue periodically upgrading (but make sure you save some for extra interest).
From now on, it doesn't matter where you build Guns. Just be strategic and keep upgrading them.
Wave 22: Be prepared to use Zacara's power.
If you don't get Gold, it's ok. You can redo it later. If you're on an easier difficulty though you probably did. At the end you'll nab another achievement:
Gun CrazyUsing only Gun towers, Win any chapter 4 (or later) mission.
Mission 14 - Surface Tension (300k) (25 Waves)
Start: Start with two Concussions and then get a Gun.
Wave 4: Build a Temporal and then upgrade the Concussion.
Wave 7: Put a Disruptor on the Temporal.
Wave 9: Build a Gun and two Cannons.
Wave 10: Then upgrade those to Level 2.
Wave 15: Upgrade the two Concussions and Overcharge one. Upgrade the Temporal to Level 2.
Wave 20: Upgrade a bunch of towers and build another Cannon (see image).
Wave 22: You'll want to use Zacara's power to get past the bosses.
Wave 24: Four more Guns and a Temporal.
Mission 15 - Refuge (1M) (30 Waves)
Start: Build a Concussion.
Wave 2: Build a Temporal, and work towards upgrading the Concussion.
Wave 5: Activate Distruptor and then build a Level 2 Laser.
Wave 8: Build four Cannons.
Wave 12: Upgrade the Laser, Concussion and Temporal to Level 3.
Wave 20: Overcharge to kill those healers.
Wave 21: Upgrade the Cannons and Overcharge them. Build a Concussion Level 2.
Wave 26: Build two Lasers and two Teslas. Take them all to Level 3.
Wave 28: Overcharge with Zacara to kill the bosses.
After this mission, it's possible to unlock an achievement by selecting Professor Taylor in your Command Team and pressingto use his Special Weapon ability. You'll be able to select this character after this mission.
Chapter 5
Mission 16 - Double Take (1M) (30 Waves)
Start: Follow the image. Concussion on each side and the other one on the left is a Cannon.
Wave 3: Build two Temporals (the left one should be Level 2) and another Cannon.
Wave 5: Upgrade the left Concussion to Level 2.
Wave 6: Upgrade the right Concussion to Level 2.
Wave 7: Build a Temporal, Level 3 Gun, and a Cannon.
Wave 9: Three more Cannons.
Wave 12: On the left side, upgrade the Temporal and Concussion each to Level 3 (Overcharge). On the right side, upgrade the Temporal near the middle to Level 2.
Wave 14: Upgrade the four Cannons on the left to Level 2.
Wave 16: Build a Gun to Level 3 near the left core housing. Upgrade the Cannons to Level 2 and the Temporal to Level 3. Then build a Laser in the north and upgrade to Level 3.
Wave 21: Upgrade the four Cannons on the left to Level 3.
Wave 26: Upgrade the left two Cannons to Level 3. Then build a fifth Cannon on the left (to make a group of 4).
Wave 30: If you've been following my guide, you should have plenty of money here at the end. You'll want to build an Inferno, Tesla, Missile and Meteor all to Level 3. Watch your score. If you're playing on Normal, you may just barely make the scoring threshold for Gold. If you miss it, quickly rewind before the conversation between the AIs is done and don't build these - that might push you over the edge. Either way, at some point you'll need to come back and do this again on a lower difficulty to knock out some easy achievements. Following my strategy, you'll unlock...
Full HouseBuild and fully upgrade each tower type in one mission.
Tower ExpertBuild every tower and every upgrade for each tower.
DiversityBuild at least 1 of each tower type in any single mission.
Mission 17 - Scarce Resources (1M) (30 Waves)
Start: Start off with a single Concussion.
Wave 3: Upgrade it to Level 2.
Wave 4: Build a Temporal and four Cannons.
Wave 5: Add Disruptor to your Temporal.
Wave 6: Upgrade the Concussion to Level 3 and Overcharge it.
Wave 7: Upgrade your Cannons to Level 2.
Wave 8: Build a Level 3 Laser and a Concussion.
Wave 14: Upgrade and Overcharge the Cannons to Level 3.
Wave 15: Upgrade the Temporal and Concussion to Level 2.
Wave 20: Upgrade the Temporal and Concussion to Level 3.
Wave 23: This will take a while to build. We're making 8 towers. Two Meteors, a Concussion, a Temporal, two Guns and two Cannons - all Level 3 and Overcharged (Disruptor on the Temporal).
Wave 29: I'd take the time to work toward a few achievements at the end here once you pass the Gold medal mark of 1M. You should have plenty of money to make this happen. First, build a tower you don't use often on every empty slot (I used Inferno). Then, sell 10-12 of them. Then rebuild them all. Doing this will work toward building 100 of each tower and it will also immediately unlock two achievements:
IndecisiveSell 10 towers or more in a single mission.
3 guidesMission 18 - Checks and Balances (1M) (30 Waves)
Start: Start off with a Level 2 Gun.
Wave 2: Upgrade the Gun to Level 3 and Overcharge it.
Wave 4: Get a Temporal and another Gun - both Level 2.
Wave 6: Upgrade the Gun to Level 3.
Wave 7: Upgrade the Temporal to Level 3.
Wave 8: Get a Level 2 Concussion.
Wave 10: Build three Cannons and a Gun - all Level 2.
Wave 13: Activate Disruptor on the Temporal. You'll want to use Advisor Zacara's power to get through this (all the enemies will cloak each other).
Wave 16: Upgrade your three Cannons and the Gun to Level 3. Overcharge.
Wave 19: Concussion to Level 3.
Wave 21: Use the Command Shuttle to activate Lockdown West. Build a Level 3 Concussion, a Temporal with Disruptor, a Gun and a Cannon.
Wave 25: Upgrade the Temporal to Level 2, the Gun and Cannon to Level 3, and build a Level 3 Laser.
Wave 28: Be prepared to use Zacara's ability.
Wave 30: Once you're past the 1M mark for the Gold, you'll want to spend all your money building a random tower you don't build much of once again in every single space (I did Missile).
Mission 19 - Out of Control (1.5M) (35 Waves)
Start: Use Boosts to make a wall and build a Gun and then a Concussion as soon as you can afford it (see Wave 3 picture).
Wave 3: Build a Temporal and upgrade the Concussion to Level 2.
Wave 5: Upgrade the Gun to Level 3 and Overcharge it.
Wave 6: Disruptor on the Temporal.
Wave 7: Get a Level 3 Cannon and a Level 2 Laser.
Wave 14: Build three Level 2 Cannons and upgrade the Concussion to Level 3.
Wave 15: Use Zacara's Overcharge.
Wave 18: Upgrade the Laser and Temporal to Level 3.
Wave 21: Upgrade the Cannons to Level 3.
Wave 24: Build a Level 3 Tesla and Concussion.
Wave 31: Use Zacara's Overcharge.
Wave 33: Do something like in the image - you should have so much money it doesn't really matter. I also built a huge amount of Missile turrets to work toward that achievement and to help maze after I got Gold.
You'll get an achievement for finishing this mission without using the Command Shuttle.
Mission 20 - Backlash (2M) (35 Waves)
I used General Cai since Zacara is unavailable.
Start: Build Boosts so that you make a maze that looks like this. Then build a concussion and a Temporal.
Wave 6: Upgrade the Concussion to Level 2.
Wave 7: Build a Level 3 Laser.
Wave 9: Put a Disruptor on the Temporal.
Wave 10: Build two Level 2 Cannons and restructure your maze so it looks like this.
Wave 14: Upgrade the Concussion to Level 3.
Wave 22: Use the Command Center to activate Defense Posture Four (it's in the northern area near one of the spawns). Upgrade the two Cannons to Level 3.
Wave 23: Build a Level 2 Concussion, upgrade the Temporal to Level 2, and build two Level 3 Guns.
Wave 28: Upgrade the Concussion to Level 3, then build a Level 3 Tesla and two Cannons (see image for Wave 31).
Wave 31: Build two Level 3 Missiles.
Wave 35: I'd suggest building as many Temporals as you can to work toward an achievement - but only once you get Gold! If you haven't already, you'll definitely unlock an achievement while building all these towers:
What Now?
Technically, you should have just unlocked a number of achievements.
Planet DefenderEarn a silver medal (or better) on all missions in the Story mode.
Alien TearsEarn a gold medal on every mission in Story mode.
If you did...go to the next page!
What if you didn't? First, check and make sure you actually have a gold medal on every mission. If you do, sadly you are like many of us and this achievement has glitched. The only solution is to just keep playing. You can play all the missions again on the same difficulty or on a new difficulty - the choice is yours. Either way I feel your pain and this isn't fun. Some speculate that you need to complete all the missions on the same difficulty, or the same play session, etc. I didn't find this to be true. I completed them all on Normal and then started over on Easy and unlocked it at Mission 15.
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