Bosses
The beam is weakest on a fresh target and strongest on one it has held for a while, so give the Laser the big enemies. Small fast swarms keep resetting its climb.
Laser Tower
Ramping beam damage, armor piercing
175 goldGround + AirResearch 30000
The Laser holds one enemy in a beam, and the longer it holds it the harder it burns. Each lock starts at its plain damage and climbs fast to 6x in about 10.3 seconds, then keeps climbing slowly with no limit, so a boss or a Blimp Boss that stays in range melts. At 175 gold it hits ground and air, strips armour and shields as it burns, and from level 4 the beam splits to 2 more enemies near its target. The catch: switching targets starts the climb again, and the beam runs hot. When its heat bar fills it overheats and rests.
Attributes Level 1, on the ground
- Cost
- 175 gold to build
- Unlock
- 30,000 XPXP to research it (main menu, Upgrades & Research)
- Sell value
- 131 gold 75% of the gold spent on it; all of it back within 15 seconds of placing
- Can hit
- Ground & Air
- Damage
- 20
- Fire rate
- 10/s
- DPS
- 20 beam damage a second at 1x, before the ramp and armour
- Range
- 6.5 3.25 tiles
- Targets at once
- 1 beam + its refractions
- Power
- uses 24 when firing · 1 on standby Full power only while it has a target. Switch it off to free its power.
- Neighbours
- +15% damage, +10% fire rate eachSame-type towers on its four sides, up to four (+60% / +40%). Connected Lasers need 25% less power.
- Platforms
- +8% damage, +0.5 range a level of heightSmall +1, Medium +2, Large +3, up to 3 stacked. Hills up to 15 (above 5 is rare). Standing onPlatformsGround: no height bonus
- Ground
- Grass: −5% damageNo penalty on rock, or on a platform (it stands on steel, even over grass)
- Level parts
- Base: 1 green level light, plate 01
- Research
- 5 items, 5 levels each250 / 750 / 2,000 / 6,000 / 15,000 XP a level, 120,000 XP for all. Beam Intensity, Pulse Frequency, Focus Length, Deep Wound, Poison
- Cards
- Damage, Fire Rate, Range, Deep Wound, Poison, Armor Damage, Shield DamageEnd-of-wave cards: up to 5 of each a game, then Endless cards
Base numbers: no research, cards or neighbours. (+n) is the change from the level before.
How to use it
Give it a long look
Build it where the path stays inside its range for a long stretch, on a bend or beside a long straight. A Cold Snap nearby slows the enemy, so the beam holds it longer, and also cools the Laser.
It stays on its target
Once locked, the beam does not jump to a better enemy; it lets go only when the target dies, leaves range, or the Laser overheats or loses power.
Build in rows and go high
Each Laser on the four sides of another gives it +15% damage (up to +60%). Each level of hill or platform gives +8% damage and +0.5 range; on bare grass it loses 5% damage, unless it stands on a platform.
Pair it with swarm clearers
The Laser kills one big enemy at a time. Let splash towers handle the crowds around it.
Build it
Pick a level, research, end-of-wave cards, where it stands and what cools it, and see how hard your Laser burns as the lock goes on, and how long it can hold one target before it overheats. Share the build with a link.
How the configurer works it out (formula, card values, share-link format)
How the game adds it up
- Damage: level base x (1 + neighbours x 0.15) x (1 + height x 0.08) x ground (0.95 on bare grass, else 1) x (1 + research %) x (1 + cards % + Endless %)
- Fire rate: level base x (1 + neighbours x 0.1) x (1 + research %) x (1 + cards % + Endless %)
- Range: level base + height x 0.5 + level base x (research % + cards % + Endless %)
- Dps: damage x ramp x (fire rate / the level's base fire rate) (a beam: it ticks at its own pace; fire-rate bonuses make each tick hit harder)
- Rule: Every source multiplies damage and fire rate; cards and Endless cards of one stat add into one percent. Range percents are all of the levelled base, added.
End-of-wave cards
Each wave offers 3 cards. Up to 5 cards of each stat a game, then that stat comes only as grey Endless cards (a random amount in the range shown). Percent per card:
| Card | Normal | Common | Rare | Epic | Legendary | Mythical | Endless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage | 2% | 5% | 10% | 15% | 25% | 35% | 1-5% |
| Fire Rate | 2% | 5% | 10% | 15% | 25% | 35% | 1-5% |
| Range | 2% | 5% | 10% | 15% | 25% | 35% | 1-5% |
| Deep Wound | 1% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 1% |
| Poison | 1% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 1% |
| Armor Damage | 2% | 4% | 6% | 8% | 10% | 12% | 2% |
| Shield Damage | 2% | 4% | 6% | 8% | 10% | 12% | 2% |
Research
Unlock: 30,000 XP; its upgrades: 120,000 XP for all.
- Beam Intensity: +10% a level, 5 levels (+50%), 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000, 15,000 XP
- Pulse Frequency: +10% a level, 5 levels (+50%), 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000, 15,000 XP
- Focus Length: +10% a level, 5 levels (+50%), 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000, 15,000 XP
- Laser Deep Wound: +1% a level, 5 levels (+5%), 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000, 15,000 XP
- Laser Poison: +1% a level, 5 levels (+5%), 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000, 15,000 XP
Where it stands
- Each same-type neighbour on its four sides: +15% damage, +10% fire rate (up to 4).
- Each level of height (hill + platforms): +8% damage, +0.5 range.
- Bare grass: damage x0.95 (no penalty on rock, or on a platform: it stands on steel, even over grass). One tile is 2 range units.
This tower's own rule
- The beam hits 10 times a second for damage x 0.1 x the ramp x its fire-rate bonuses: damage per second = damage x ramp x (fire rate / the level's base fire rate); heat and tick speed do not change with them. The ramp starts at 1x after a 0.3 s lock-on, grows 0.05 a hit up to 6x, then 0.01 a hit without limit; it starts again on a new target. Against armour x1.5; crits x1.8.
- Heat: each hit adds 0.015 x (1 - 0.1 x (level - 1)) / cooling to a bar of 1 x (1 + 0.25 x (level - 1)). Uncooled the beam does not cool while it fires; with cooling above 1x it sheds 0.25 x its beam-off rate x (cooling - 1) x heat / bar a second while it fires, so with enough cooling the heat settles below the top and it holds for good. Full: a burst of x2 damage, then it rests 2 s / cooling. With the beam off it cools 0.15 x (1 + 0.1 x (level - 1)) x cooling a second.
- From level 4 the beam also splits to 2 more enemies near its target for 40% of each hit.
Worked examples
#build:l10~r.damage.5~c.damage.55555~e.damage.5x10: damage 448.5, fire rate 10/s, DPS 448, range 10.1.#build:l10~r.damage.5~c.damage.55555~e.damage.5x10~n3~h15: damage 1430.72, fire rate 13/s, DPS 1,860, range 17.6.
Share-link format
A build is the page address + #build: + parts joined by ~, in any order; parts left out are 0 / none. Opening the link loads the build and scrolls here. Links shared from the page also carry ?utm_source=...&utm_medium=...&utm_campaign=tower_build&utm_content=... before the hash; they are optional.
l<N>: tower level 1..10r.<stat>.<N>: research level 0..5 of a research item (damage, fire_rate, range_radius, deep_wound, poison)c.<stat>.<digits>: end-of-wave cards of one stat, one digit per card = its rarity (0 Normal, 1 Common, 2 Rare, 3 Epic, 4 Legendary, 5 Mythical); at most 5 a state.<stat>.<amount>x<count>: Endless cards of one stat: count cards of +amount% (only once that stat has 5 cards)n<N>: same-type neighbours touching it, 0..4h<N>: height: hill + platform levels, 0..15g: standing on bare grass (no platform)s<N>: level of the Cold Snap over it, 0 = none (1..10)sp0: that Cold Snap has no power (it cools nothing)w<N>: water tiles beside it, 0..4 (sides not taken by neighbours)k<N>: towers in its connected chain, itself included (at least neighbours + 1)kw<N>: water tiles beside the whole chain
Every level
Base numbers: no research, cards, height or neighbours. Damage is what the beam does each second at the start of a lock; it climbs to 6x in about 10.3 seconds and keeps growing after that. Power is what it needs while it has a target (1 on standby).
| Level | Upgrade | Total spent | Damage | Fire rate | DPS | Range | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | build 175 | 175 | 20 | 10/s | 20 | 6.5 | 24 |
| 2 | 288 | 463 | 28 | 10/s | 28 | 6.9 | 29 |
| 3 | 476 | 939 | 36 | 10/s | 36 | 7.3 | 34 |
| 4 | 786 | 1,725 | 44 | 10/s | 44 | 7.7 | 38 |
| 5 | 1,297 | 3,022 | 52 | 10/s | 52 | 8.1 | 43 |
| 6 | 2,140 | 5,162 | 60 | 10/s | 60 | 8.5 | 48 |
| 7 | 3,531 | 8,693 | 68 | 10/s | 68 | 8.9 | 53 |
| 8 | 5,826 | 14,519 | 76 | 10/s | 76 | 9.3 | 58 |
| 9 | 9,614 | 24,133 | 84 | 10/s | 84 | 9.7 | 62 |
| 10 | 15,863 | 39,996 | 92 | 10/s | 92 | 10.1 | 67 |
Levels 1-2Cheap and quick to heat: from cold it overheats before its climb reaches 6x. Water or a Cold Snap gives it the time to get there.
Levels 4-10The beam splits to 2 more enemies near its target, each taking 40% of the beam's climbing damage, and each level holds a target longer.
Levels 9-10It can hold one target for well over a minute from cold (about 216.9 seconds at level 10), so its slow climb past 6x really pays off on bosses.
Heat and cooling
Water
1.5x
One water tile beside it; +0.5x for each more, up to 3x. Slower heat, faster cooling, shorter rest.
Cold Snap
2-6.5x
Inside a powered Cold Snap's range, level 1 to 10. Only the strongest one counts.
Both
2.5x
A level-1 Cold Snap and one water tile: the two add up.
- The beam heats while it is on, and with nothing cooling it, it does not cool at all until it lets go. Each moment of beam adds a little heat; a higher level adds 10% less heat a level and holds 25% more before it overheats.
- How long it can hold one target from cold, with nothing cooling it: about 6.9 seconds at level 1, 12.7 seconds at level 3, and about 216.9 seconds at level 10. Levels 1 and 2 overheat before their climb reaches 6x; from level 3 the beam reaches it first.
- When the heat bar fills: the Laser fires one last burst at 2x its damage into its target, shows OVERHEATED, smokes and rests 2 seconds. Then it starts again cold, with its climb back at the start.
- Between targets it cools: with the beam off the heat drains away; a full heat bar takes about 6.7 seconds to empty at level 1, 11.4 seconds at level 10. Heat carries over from one target to the next, and every wave starts cold.
- Water and a Cold Snap help four ways: the beam builds heat that many times slower, it sheds some heat even while it fires, it cools that many times faster with the beam off, and the overheat rest is that many times shorter. Enough cooling and the heat settles below the top: the beam holds its lock for good. A level-1 Laser needs 2.6x for that, level 5 2x, level 10 only 1.2x. One water tile beside it gives 1.5x, +0.5x for each more, up to 3x; a powered Cold Snap over it gives 2x at level 1, +0.5x a level (6.5x at level 10). Only the strongest Cold Snap counts; water adds on top.
- See it in the game: the tower panel's heat gauge says how long it can hold a target nonstop before it overheats with the cooling it has, and shows how hot it is and what is cooling it, and its Locked Target section shows the climb as it happens.
Research
Research (main menu, Upgrades & Research) makes every Laser you build stronger. Each item has 5 levels for 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000 and 15,000 XP (24,000 XP for all 5).
Beam Intensity
+10% damage a level, +50% at level 5. The climb multiplies it, so it counts most on long locks.
Pulse Frequency
+10% fire rate a level, +50% at level 5: the beam does that much more damage each moment. It still ticks at its own pace, so it heats no faster.
Focus Length
+10% range a level, +50% at level 5. More range means longer locks.
Laser Deep Wound
Each level: enemies the Laser burns take 1% more damage from every tower for 4 seconds (5% at level 5). Wounds from different kinds of tower add up.
Laser Poison
Each level: the beam leaves poison worth 1% of its damage every second for 4 seconds (5% at level 5). Poison goes straight to health, past shield and armour.
Height and ground
- Each level of height: +8% damage and +0.5 range.
- Hills: up to 15 levels on every map; above 5 is rare.
- Platforms (small +1, medium +2, large +3) stack up to 3 high: up to 9 more levels, on flat ground or on a hill. Research unlocks the sizes and stacking.
- Highest it can stand: 24 levels, +192% damage, +12 range.
- On grass: −5% damage; no penalty on rock, or on a platform (it stands on steel, even over grass).
Laser FAQ
No question matches. or ask on the forum.
Why does my Laser stay on one enemy when a better target comes in range?
On purpose: its damage climbs the longer it holds one target, so switching would throw that away. It lets go only when the target dies, leaves its range, or the Laser overheats or loses power. Then it picks a new target by your target priority, and the climb starts again.
How strong does the beam get?
It starts at its plain damage (20 a second at level 1, 92 at level 10). After a short lock-on of 0.3 seconds it climbs fast to 6x in about 10.3 seconds , then +1x every 10 seconds for as long as it holds on. Against an armoured enemy it does 50% more, and some of its hits are critical (5% at level 1, 18.5% at level 10, each 1.8x).
Why did my Laser stop firing?
Most often it overheated: its heat bar filled, it fired one burst at 2x damage and now rests 2 seconds, showing OVERHEATED. Or it is short of power: it needs 24 power at level 1 and 67 at level 10, and the beam goes out with the power.
How do I stop my Laser overheating?
Water beside it, a Cold Snap over it, or both: they make it heat slower, cool faster and rest shorter. Upgrades help too: each level heats 10% less and holds 25% more, so a level-10 Laser can hold one target for about 216.9 seconds from cold. With enough cooling it holds its lock for good (2.6x at level 1, 2x at level 5, 1.2x at level 10). Only the strongest Cold Snap over it counts; water adds on top.
Can the Laser hit a Blimp Boss flying high above it?
Yes. It hits ground and air, and its range is measured flat across the ground, so an enemy counts as in range however high it flies: a Blimp Boss passing over its range ring can be hit.
Is the Laser good against armour and shields?
Yes, it is one of the best. While the target still has armour the beam does 50% more, and every moment it also strips armour and shield, more as its damage climbs.
What is refraction?
From level 4 the beam splits off its target to up to 2 more enemies close by, each taking 40% of the beam's damage at its current climb. Those extra beams do not add heat.
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, damage a second and how far the climb has got, time held, an estimated time to kill, heat, and how the last lock ended.
How long can my Laser hold a target before it overheats?
The tower panel says it under its heat gauge: "Overheats after N s of nonstop fire: needs Nx more cooling to hold its lock for good", and from which level it lasts a minute or more, with the cooling it has right now (Cold Snaps in range, water beside it). With enough cooling it says "Holds its lock for good": the cooling sheds the beam's heat as fast as it builds. It changes when you add or upgrade a Cold Snap, add water or upgrade the Laser.
How much power does a Laser use when it has nothing to shoot?
Only 1: with no target it stays on standby, lights and radar on. It uses its full power only while it has a target: 24 at level 1, 67 at level 10 (the tower panel says "uses N when firing, 1 on standby"). If the grid cannot give it that, it stays on standby too: it keeps tracking enemies but cannot fire (LOW POWER). The panel's Switch off button turns it off completely: it draws nothing and does nothing until you Switch on again, so you can choose which towers run when power is short.
Still stuck? or ask on the forum.
Ask a question
Tower stats
In ranked games
From ranked games on version 0.1.8.16 and later. Held scores count once they are released. Your own numbers are shown only to you.
Tower stats
In players' games
From games where players turned on "launch reports and gameplay stats" in the game's settings: anonymous, no account or device is sent. Updated every few minutes.