# Blockade Brigade: how do I ...? > Short answers to the questions players ask most: getting and updating the game, signing in, controls, building, terrain, heat and cooling, towers that boost each other, power, research, cards, speeds, saving, scores, map codes, map ownership, replays, bug reports and contact. - Page: https://blockadebrigade.com/llms-howto.txt - Site: Blockade Brigade, a tower defense game for Windows PC (https://blockadebrigade.com/) - Last updated: 2026-10-28 - Text generated: 2026-11-02 07:34 UTC As of game version 0.1.8.32 (answers updated 2026-10-28). Machine-readable copy: https://blockadebrigade.com/llms/howto.json ## Getting and updating the game ### How do I get Blockade Brigade? Buy the [Founder Edition](https://blockadebrigade.com/founder-edition) on blockadebrigade.com, sign in with that account and open the download page (it is only for owners). Got a game key? Redeem it on your account and the download appears on the same page. The game runs on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit). It is coming to Steam; Founder Edition owners get a free Steam key for the full game at launch. Android is very beta for a small group of testers (no public download) and iPhone/iPad is in the works. See: [Windows](https://blockadebrigade.com/windows), [Steam](https://blockadebrigade.com/steam), [Android](https://blockadebrigade.com/android), [iOS](https://blockadebrigade.com/ios) ### How do I install it? On the download page run the Windows installer. It needs no admin rights and adds Start menu and desktop shortcuts. A newer installer installs over the old version and keeps your saves. See: [FAQ](https://blockadebrigade.com/faq) ### How do I update the game? The game checks for a new version each time you sign in. When one is out, the Update available button in the bottom-right corner of the main menu turns green. Open Settings > About, choose Download update, then Restart to update. Your saves stay. What changed is on What's New. See: [What's New](https://blockadebrigade.com/changelog) ## Account and signing in ### How do I sign in, and do I need an account? Your account is a blockadebrigade.com account: make one on the website or in the game (Sign In in the top-right corner of the main menu, then Create Account; confirm the email). Sign in with your email and password. The game needs it to check your Founder Edition, for the leaderboards, and to keep your XP, research, cards and newest saves on your account so you can carry on from another computer. See: [FAQ: accounts](https://blockadebrigade.com/faq#accounts) ### How do I stay signed in? Tick Remember me when you sign in. The game then keeps you signed in as long as you play at least once a month; your password is never stored. Sign Out (Settings > Account) ends it on that computer. On the website, My Account > Devices lists every computer that stays signed in: Revoke one, or Sign out everywhere. Forgot your password? Use Forgot your password? on the sign-in page. ### How do I change my screen name or profile picture? In the game under Settings > Account, or on the website under My Account (Account Information for the screen name, Profile picture for the picture). Both show on the leaderboards, in the forum and on your profile page. ## Controls ### Can I play with a controller? Yes: PlayStation, Xbox, Backbone and most others. The left stick moves a pointer, Cross / A clicks, Circle / B goes back, Triangle / Y starts the wave, the right stick moves the camera, L2 / R2 zoom and L1 / R1 turn. Settings > Controller shows the controller that is plugged in and lets you move any action to another button; Reset puts the standard layout back. ### Does it work on a touch screen? Yes. Tap a tile to place the tower you picked, or drag to see it just above your finger and let go to place it. One finger moves the map; two fingers pinch to zoom, twist to turn and slide up or down to tilt. ### What are the keyboard shortcuts? By default: Escape or P pause, O starts the wave, 1-5 set the speed (6 and 7 for 10x and 20x near the end of a wave), F1-F5 pick towers 1-5 of the open build tab, R turns a tower while placing, W A S D or the arrow keys move the camera, Q and E turn it, Z and X tilt it, Home puts it back. Esc always works for the menu. Change any key in Settings > Controls. ## Building and terrain ### How do I place a tower? Pick a tower on the build menu at the bottom of the screen (tabs by group, or the F1-F5 keys for the open tab), then click a tile. Each tower costs gold, and every further tower of the same kind costs more: 20% of its price more each time (Cannon Tower 50, 60, 70, 80...). Most towers also need power, which a Power Plant makes. A Miner goes on a level hilltop only, and a Water Pump on water. See: [Your first ten waves](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies/first-ten-waves), [Power and heat](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies/power-and-heat) ### How do I upgrade a tower? Click the tower to open its panel, then press Upgrade (the gold button). The panel shows what the next level gives and costs. Towers go up to level 5 or 10. In the same panel you set its target priority (which enemy it shoots first). See: [Towers](https://blockadebrigade.com/towers) ### How do I sell a tower? Click the tower and press Sell (the red button). Within 15 seconds of placing it you get everything back; after that you get 75% of all you paid for it (price plus upgrades), and the next tower of that kind is cheaper again. ### How do I reshape the terrain? Use the Terrain tab of the build menu (the bulldozer): Clear $50; Level $100; Fill $100; Pave $50; Dig $250; Dig Hill $100 a level of height. Dig Hill and Level earn 25 terrain a level, which Fill spends. Height matters: a tower standing higher hits harder and reaches further, and platforms (unlocked by research) lift a tower anywhere you can build. See: [Terrain is a weapon](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies/terrain) ### What does the Laser panel's Locked Target section show? The enemy its beam holds, that enemy's health now and when the lock began, damage dealt, DPS and the damage ramp, time held, an estimated time to kill, heat, and how the last lock ended. See: [Laser](https://blockadebrigade.com/towers/laser) ## Towers working together: heat, cooling, boosts and power ### My guns overheat. Why, and what can I do? Some guns build heat as they fire: Cannon, Tesla, Lightning, Railgun, Laser. Every shot adds heat (Cannon 30 C, Tesla 55 C, Lightning 85 C, Railgun 220 C) and the barrel cools back toward 20 C on its own. At 400 C a gun shows OVERHEATED, smokes and stops firing until it is back under 250 C. The Laser is different: when its heat bar fills it fires one burst at 2x damage, then rests 2 seconds. The faster a gun fires (upgrades, fire-rate cards) the hotter it runs. To keep it firing: stand it in a Cold Snap's snow, put water beside it, or both (see the next answers); a gun that is not firing cools by itself. The tower panel's heat gauge shows how hot it is and what is cooling it. See: [Power and heat](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies/power-and-heat), [FAQ: towers working together](https://blockadebrigade.com/faq#tower-teamwork) ### How does the Cold Snap cool my other towers? A hot gun inside a Cold Snap's range sheds heat 2x as fast at Cold Snap level 1, plus 0.5x for every level after (6.5x at level 10). Only the strongest Cold Snap over a gun counts (they do not add up), and one without power cools nothing. Select a Cold Snap to see which guns it cools: they glow icy blue (faintly when a stronger Cold Snap does the work), and its panel reads like "Cooling 4 towers - heat drops 3x faster". While placing a hot gun, its ghost shows the cooling that spot gets. The Cold Snap also slows enemies (a critical hit freezes them), so they stay longer in front of every other gun; it cannot slow Infernos. See: [Cold Snap](https://blockadebrigade.com/towers/cold_snap) ### Why does my Cannon overheat, and what is enough to cool it? A Cannon fired nonstop levels off where the heat it adds matches the heat it sheds; up to level 4 that is under 400 C, so it never overheats on its own. From level 5 it does: a level-10 Cannon needs to shed heat 1.8x as fast (two water tiles or a level-1 Cold Snap is enough), and with four Cannons beside it (+40% fire rate) 2.5x. An overheated Cannon is quiet about 3 seconds on its own. The Cannon page has every level's numbers. See: [Cannon](https://blockadebrigade.com/towers/cannon), [Power and heat](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies/power-and-heat) ### How does water cool my towers? Does the Water Pump do it? Water on a tile right beside a gun cools it: 1.5x as fast with one water tile, +0.5x for each more (up to 3x with water on all four sides); a small cooling pump appears on the gun's base. Water and Cold Snap snow add up (a level-1 Cold Snap and one water tile give 2.5x). Connected towers of one type share their water: a chain counts one more water tile for each tower beyond the first, up to 12 tiles. The Water Pump itself does not cool other towers: it is a tower that stands on water, blasts Infernos and gets stronger for each water tile around it. No water where you need it? The bulldozer's Dig makes a water tile. See: [Terrain is a weapon](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies/terrain) ### Do towers of the same type boost each other when built together? Yes. Each tower gets +15% damage and +10% fire rate for every tower of its own type on the four sides of its tile (corners do not count), so at most four neighbours: +60% damage and +40% fire rate. A neighbour more than about 5 levels higher or lower does not count, and different types never boost each other. Missile Silos get more: +25% damage, +20% fire rate and +10% against armour per neighbouring silo. Miners beside Miners earn more, and Power Plants beside each other make more power. Connected towers of one type also need 25% less power each and share their water for cooling. To see it: the placement ghost shows a line such as "2 Cannons beside: +30% damage, +20% fire rate", and a built tower's panel shows the bonus in yellow as "+30% adj". See: [FAQ: towers working together](https://blockadebrigade.com/faq#tower-teamwork) ### Should I cluster my towers or spread them out? Cluster towers of the same type (the neighbour bonus, cheaper power and shared cooling), placed where the path passes close or bends round them so the whole block reaches it. Spread out the helpers that do not add up: only the strongest Cold Snap over a gun cools it, and a tower takes only the strongest boost of each kind from Support Stations, so give each its own group of guns. ### What does the Support Station do? It never shoots. It boosts every other tower in its range in three tracks: damage, reload speed and range, each +25% per step up to +100%. Each upgrade adds a step to the track you pick as its focus (level 12 has all three at +100%). Stations do not stack: a tower gets the strongest boost of each kind from any one station. Height makes its boosts stronger. Its damage boost also raises a Miner's income and a Power Plant's output; it never boosts another Support Station, and without power it boosts nothing. Select it to see the towers it boosts tinted green; a tower's placement ghost shows the boost a spot gets. It costs 600 gold. See: [Support Station](https://blockadebrigade.com/towers/support_station) ### Does it matter where I place a tower? Yes. Each level of height (hill or platforms) gives +8% damage and +0.5 range. A tower on grass loses 5% damage (not on a platform). Same-type neighbours, a Support Station's range, a Cold Snap's snow (for hot guns) and water beside it all add more. Before you pay, the tower's placement ghost lists what the spot gives, or "No bonus on this spot". See: [Terrain is a weapon](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies/terrain) ### How does power work, and what does the Power Plant do? Most towers need power; the base gives 60 for free. A Power Plant (200 gold, no research, does not shoot) makes 40 power, +20 per upgrade up to 120 at level 5; it makes more standing higher and beside other plants. There are no cables: one supply for the map. A tower's need grows with its level and it draws its full need only while it has a target. When the need is more than the supply, towers farthest from the base go short first: LOW POWER means it tracks but cannot fire, NO POWER means it does nothing. You can switch a tower off in its panel to save power. The top bar shows power used against power you have. See: [Power and heat](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies/power-and-heat), [Power Plant](https://blockadebrigade.com/towers/power_plant) ### Which towers work well together? Cold Snap + Laser: the Laser grows stronger the longer it holds one target, slowed and frozen enemies stay in its beam, and the snow keeps it cool. Gravity Well + Cluster Mortar or Missile Silo: the well drags ground enemies into one bunch and mortars and silos in its range fire at it the moment it opens. Magnet + any guns: it tears armour off enemies, so every hit after does more. Portal + a strong stretch of guns: it drops enemies back down the path to walk past them again. A Support Station in the middle of your best guns, or among Miners for more gold. A row of Cannons along water: neighbour bonus, cheaper power and cooling at once. See: [Strategies](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies) ## Research and cards ### How does research work? Every enemy you defeat earns XP for your account. Spend it in Upgrades & Research (main menu), or with the Research button on the top bar between waves (the game pauses while it is open). New towers cost 10,000 to 200,000 XP; research also improves your towers and unlocks options such as platforms and card tools. The first game you finish and the first time you beat wave 10 each give a one-time XP bonus. See: [Gold, Miners and reward cards](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies/economy) ### How do the end-of-wave cards work? After each wave you pick one card: a stat boost for a tower, a gold card, or another card (rerolls, lives, one more card, a tower on loan). Tabs sort them: All, Favourite, Economy, Towers and Other; the keys 1-9 pick a card. Gold cards: Instant Gold gives gold now, at least 40 + 15 for each wave played; Gold Drop makes every kill pay 2% to 10% more for the rest of the game and comes 5 times a game, then that place offers Instant Gold or a Miner card instead. See: [Gold, Miners and reward cards](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies/economy) ### How do I reroll the cards or buy more? Press Reroll on the card screen for a fresh hand; you start a game with 6 rerolls. The Reward Store on the card screen sells a Reroll Pack (3 rerolls for 150 gold) and an Extra Card Draw (one more card on every screen for the rest of the game: 500 gold, then 500 more for each one after). ### How do I hold a card, or choose favourite and filtered towers? These are card research: Hold a Card adds a Hold button on the card screen (the held card comes back on later screens until you take it); Favourite Towers makes chosen towers count as on your map for the cards; Card Filter keeps chosen towers out of the cards (you can still build them). The buttons are on the card screen and in the Cards list, shown locked until researched. Towers you choose there apply from your next game. ### How much does a Miner cost? 150 gold, and each Miner after the first costs 40% more (150, 210, 293, 411...). Its upgrades cost 150, 300, 600 gold. It must stand on a level hilltop, needs no power and earns gold each wave. See: [Miner](https://blockadebrigade.com/towers/miner), [Gold, Miners and reward cards](https://blockadebrigade.com/strategies/economy) ## Playing a game ### What kinds of games can I play? From Start Game: a Standard Game (a map that grows as you play; reach wave 50 to win, then keep going), a Custom Map (choose the size, terrain, number of waves and more), Scenarios (hand-built maps with set waves, and challenges with their own rules) and Map Code (play exactly the map someone shared). See: [Maps](https://blockadebrigade.com/leaderboards/maps) ### How do I speed the game up? Use the speed buttons on the top bar (or keys 1-5) for 1x to 5x. When 5 or fewer enemies are left in a wave and no more are coming, 10x and 20x unlock (keys 6 and 7) to finish it fast; they go away when the next wave starts and the game returns to your speed. If a battle runs slowly the game offers once to switch off heavy effects for that game. ### How do I save and load a game? Pause (Esc or P) and choose Save Game; carry on later from Load Game on the main menu. Signed in, your newest saves are also kept on your account. After a lost wave, Retry Wave on the game over screen goes back to just before it. Saving and quitting keeps a ranked game off the leaderboards until you end it. ## Scores, maps and replays ### How do I post a score to the leaderboards? Sign in and allow leaderboards when the game asks about Online features (Settings > General). From wave 5 your game is saved to your account wave by wave, and its score goes on the boards when the game ends: when you lose, when you win, or when you choose End game & post score in the pause menu. Without internet, scores wait on your computer and are sent the next time you play. Players are ranked by waves (bonus waves included), then lives left, then the faster time, then DPS. See: [Leaderboards](https://blockadebrigade.com/leaderboards), [FAQ](https://blockadebrigade.com/faq#leaderboards) ### My game never ended (crash, closed, no internet). Can I still post it? Yes. On the website, My Account > Unfinished games lists your ranked games that never ended, each with Publish now, which puts it on the leaderboards at its last finished wave: a crash partway through wave 37 publishes wave 36. Only you see them until then. Start the game once before you publish: waves it could not send (no internet, the website down, a crash) are kept on your computer and sent when you next start the game or sign in, so the newest wave is there first. See: [Unfinished games](https://blockadebrigade.com/leaderboards/unfinished) ### How do I share my map code? Choose Share Map in the pause menu or on the game over screen (once the game has reached wave 5): COPY CODE copies it, OPEN ON WEBSITE opens the map's page, and you can post it to X. ### How do I play a map code someone shared? In the game choose Start Game, then Map Code, and type the code; or press Play next to any map on the website's maps page (it opens the installed game). You choose Owner's Rules (everyone plays with the same towers, research, gold, lives and rerolls, and gets the same cards on the same wave) or Unlocked (your own research). Your own research is never changed. See: [Maps and map codes](https://blockadebrigade.com/leaderboards/maps) ### How do I become a map's owner? Beat wave 10 on a map nobody owns. The first finished game that beat wave 10 owns the map (it counts once that game has ended and its score is on the boards, or once you publish it from Unfinished games). The top bar shows the owner, or Unclaimed with your progress (wave 7 / 10), and "Claim when you end it" once you have beaten wave 10. Make a Custom Map or play a new Standard map to find one that is free; scenarios have no owner. See: [FAQ](https://blockadebrigade.com/faq#how-do-i-become-a-map-s-owner) ### How do I change my map's rules? In My Maps (main menu, or My Account > My Maps on the website) choose Edit rules: the allowed towers and their research (up to your own level), starting gold, lives, rerolls and reroll packs, bonus waves, map pictures and a full-map preview. Before anyone scores the rules simply change; once the map has scores, saving starts a new rules version with a fresh board. See: [My Maps](https://blockadebrigade.com/leaderboards/my-maps) ### How do I watch replays? Your best game on each map is kept as a replay. On a map's page, Watch anyone's from its board, or Load it in the game to play on from any wave with their towers and cards (a loaded game is not ranked). In the game, Replays on the main menu lists your own, and Watch Replay is on the game over screen. See: [Leaderboards](https://blockadebrigade.com/leaderboards) ### How do I save a video of a wave? Open the Battle Report after a wave and press SAVE VIDEO, or use the film-camera button on a replay in Replays (On this PC). Pick the wave and 1080p or 720p; the video is made on your computer and saved in your Videos folder under Blockade Brigade. Nothing is uploaded. ### Where is my player profile? At /players// on the website: your picture, overall ranking, stats from ranked games, the maps you own, your best result on each board with its replay, and your last 10 games. Your name on any leaderboard or forum post links to it. ## Help and contact ### How do I report a bug? Post it on the forum's Bugs board (Report a Bug at the bottom of every page); a pinned guide says what to include. Signing in is needed to post. Each report shows where it stands: Open, Pending or Fixed. In the game, Settings > About > Send feedback can send a debug log with your note and gives you a reference code to quote. See: [Bugs board](https://blockadebrigade.com/discuss/bugs) ### How do I suggest a feature? Post it on the forum's Feature Requests board. Each request shows its status: Open, Pending or Added. See: [Feature Requests](https://blockadebrigade.com/discuss/requests) ### How do I report a suspicious score? Sign in on the website and open a leaderboard: next to each player's name (not your own) is a Report button. Pick a reason and add a note if you like. Reports are private; the team reviews the score. See: [FAQ: fair play](https://blockadebrigade.com/faq#fair-play) ### How do I contact the team? Use the contact form, or Ask a question on the FAQ page, or post on the forum. Email: info@blockadebrigade.com. See: [Contact](https://blockadebrigade.com/contact), [Forum](https://blockadebrigade.com/discuss) --- About the whole site: https://blockadebrigade.com/llms.txt