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UpTier Artillery

Artillery is one of the four main tower types in Kingdom Rush, displaying the technological advances of Linirea's dwarven race. They launch large-caliber ordnance at the enemy, doing splash damage to all caught in the blast radius. In Kingdom Rush: Origins the artillery tower is functionally the same but are called Druids, which feature ancient beings throwing stones at enemies, instead of bombs.

Tower Properties[]

Some characteristics shared by all Artillery towers are:

  1. Artillery Towers deal damage to a number of enemies at once
  2. Artillery Towers cannot directly attack flying units, with the exception of a few towers
  3. Artillery Towers are the slowest attacking towers, and the most expensive
  4. Artillery Towers deal explosive damage. This is basically physical damage which ignores half of the enemy's armor

They are powerful towers and will blast your enemies to pieces. However, their slow rate of fire makes them better suited for crowd control than for beefy individual enemies, though some Specialized towers with their special upgrades allow them a high DPS like the Tesla x104.

There are five Artillery Towers in the first three Kingdom Rush games:

  • Three non-specialized towers
  • Two specialized towers

However, in Kingdom Rush: Vengeance, there are a total of five different types of artillery towers. In each and every artillery tower, there are three non-specialized towers (level 1-3) and one specialized tower (level 4).

The three non-specialized towers differ in each game but have the same purpose. Each upgrades a stage further before offering a split choice between two new towers with additional upgrades to further boost the towers offensive and defensive capabilities.

Tower Summary[]

Kingdom Rush[]

Towers
(Level)
Damage Fire Rate Range Build
Cost
Specials
Pedia tower Dwarven Bombard

Dwarven Bombard
(Level 1)
8-15
(9-17)
3.0s 320
(352)
125
(112)
None
Pedia tower Dwarven Artillery

Dwarven Artillery
(Level 2)
20-40
(22-44)
3.0s 320
(352)
220
(198)
None
Pedia tower Dwarven Howitzer

Dwarven Howitzer
(Level 3)
30-60
(33-66)
3.0s 360
(396)
320
(288)
None
Pedia tower 500mm Big Bertha

500mm Big Bertha
(Level 4.a)
50-100
(55-110)
3.5s 360
(396)
400
(360)
• Dragonbreath Launcher
• Cluster Launcher
Pedia tower Tesla x104

Tesla x104
(Level 4.b)
60-110
(66-121)
2.2s 330
(363)
375
(337)
• Supercharged Bolt
• Overcharge
  • Damage and cost values in parentheses are due to Upgrades.

Armed with ludicrously-sized cannons, these dwarves are more than willing to launch their explosives at enemy hordes. They are the slowest and most expensive out of all the towers, so explosion-happy generals must plan carefully before putting themselves under the heavy money commitment.

At Level 4, the engineering prowess of the dwarves really comes into play. The 500mm Big Bertha siege weapon can launch its Dragonbreath Launcher (homing rockets) and Cluster Launcher Xtreme (cluster bombs) killing every enemies with low-medium life in its range, but fires very slowly. The Tesla x104 use Electricity, sacrificing AoE damage for more DPS, and of its abilities, Overcharge deals low damage to all enemies close to the tower, and Supercharged Bolt increases the number of enemies hit by each attack.


Kingdom Rush: Frontiers[]

Towers
(Level)
Damage Fire Rate Range Build
Cost
Specials
TowSqr KRF Bombard

Dwarven Bombard
(Level 1)
8-15
(9-17)
3.0s 320
(352)
125 None
TowSqr KRF Artillery

Dwarven Artillery
(Level 2)
20-40
(22-44)
3.0s 320
(352)
220 None
TowSqr KRF Howitzer

Dwarven Howitzer
(Level 3)
30-60
(33-66)
3.0s 360
(396)
320 None
Dwaarp

DWAARP
(Level 4.a)
25-45
(28-50)
3.0s 360
(396)
400 • Core Drill
• Furnace Blast
Battle-mecha-t-200

Battle-Mecha T200
(Level 4.b)
25-55
(28-61)
1.0s 350 375 • Wasp Missiles
• Waste Disposal
  • Damage values in parentheses are due to Upgrades.

DWAARPs completely annihilate oncoming hordes of small foes and burn them with Furnace Blast and for most high-health enemies that its attacks struggle with, it can use Core Drill to insta-kill. While the Battle-Mecha T200 blasts small clusters of enemies into pieces with its fast-firing twin mortars, eliminates crucial enemies with its Wasp Missiles and slows enemies that get stuck in the garbage it produces.

Kingdom Rush: Origins[]

Towers
(Level)
Damage Fire Rate Range Build
Cost
Specials
Stone Circle

Stone Circle
(Level 1)
7-12

(8-14)

3.0s 300
(330)
125 None
KRO TowerBox Boulder Circle

Boulder Circle
(Level 2)
18-30
(20-33)
3.0s 340
(374)
220 None
KRO TowerBox Menhir Circle

Menhir Circle
(Level 3)
30-50
(33-55)
3.0s 380
(418)
320 None
KRO TowerBox Arch-Druid Henge

Arch-Druid Henge
(Level 4.a)
30-50
(33-55)
1.7s 380
(418)
375 • Sylvan Curse
• Runed Bears
KRO TowerBox Weirdwood

Weirdwood
(Level 4.b)
62-106
(69-117)
3.5s 420
(462)
400 • Fiery Nut
• Clobber
  • Damage values in parentheses are due to Upgrades.

The Arch-Druid Henge blasts enemies to pieces with fast shooting rocks of doom while keeping them in place with Runed Bears and applying horde-destroying curses. Weirdwoods, the wrath of the forest, throw the biggest nuts known to man or elf and even ones that have caught on fire while stunning and damaging the groups around it with its big hands.


Kingdom Rush: Vengeance[]

Rocket Riders Damage Fire Rate Range Build
Cost
Specials
RRiders I

Rocket Riders I
7-10
(7-11)
3.0s 330 120 None
RRiders II

Rocket Riders II
20-29
(22-31)
3.0s 350 210 None
RRiders III

Rocket Riders III
40-58
(44-63)
3.0s 370 310 None
RRiders IV

Rocket Riders IV
64-92
(70-101)
2.8s 390 370 • Minefield
• Nitro Boosters
• Defective Engines
Melting Furnace Damage Fire Rate Range Build
Cost
Specials
MFurnace I

Melting Furnace I
5-7
(5-7)
4.0s 320 120 None
MFurnace II

Melting Furnace II
14-18
(15-19)
4.0s 320 190 None
MFurnace III

Melting Furnace III
25-31
(27-34)
4.0s 320 240 None
MFurnace IV

Melting Furnace IV
41-50
(45-55)
4.0s 320 300 • Red Hot Coal
• Abrasive Heat
• Burning Fuel
Rotten Forest Damage Fire Rate Range Build
Cost
Specials
RForest I

Rotten Forest I
2 1.0s 280 120 None
RForest II

Rotten Forest II
3 0.65s 280 140 None
RForest III

Rotten Forest III
4 0.5s 280 190 None
RForest IV

Rotten Forest IV
5 0.4s 280 220 • Evil Treants
• Roots of Evil
• Fog of Despair
Goblin War Zeppelin Damage Fire Rate Range Build
Cost
Specials
WZep I

Goblin War Zeppelin I
6-12
(6-13)
1.36s Short 160 None
WZep II

Goblin War Zeppelin II
16-32
(17-35)
1.36s Short 260 None
WZep III

Goblin War Zeppelin III
30-60
(33-66)
1.36s Short 300 None
WZep IV

Goblin War Zeppelin IV
50-100
(55-110)
1.36s Short 360 • Tar Bomb
• Goblin Scout
• Paratroopers
Ignis Altar Damage Fire Rate Range Build
Cost
Specials
IAltar I

Ignis Altar I
2-2 Very Slow Short 120 None
IAltar II

Ignis Altar II
4-4 Very Slow Average 160 None
IAltar III

Ignis Altar III
6-6 Very Slow Long 220 None
IAltar IV

Ignis Altar IV
8-8 Very Slow Long 300 • Burning Elemental
• Single Extinction
• True Fire
Sandworm Hollow Damage Fire Rate Range Build
Cost
Specials
SWHollow I

Sandworm Hollow I
4-4 Very Slow Short 130 None
SWHollow II

Sandworm Hollow II
10-10 Very Slow Short 200 None
SWHollow III

Sandworm Hollow III
15-15 Very Slow Short 270 None
SWHollow IV

Sandworm Hollow IV
20-20 Very Slow Short 350 • Call of the Desert
• Snack Hour
• Mucus Gob
  • Damages values in parentheses are due to Upgrades.

Tower Tactics[]

General Tips[]

  • Artillery Towers are most suitable for dealing with overwhelming groups of low-to-medium health ground-based enemies (The Tesla x104 is an exception: its strength lies more in damage and not so much 'overwhelming' amounts). Artillery is less effective against enemies with sheer high health (Swamp Things, Pillagers, Saurian Brutes) and is incapable of damaging a Bloodshell.
  • In original Kingdom Rush, a way to approach levels is to blitz Artillery and Barracks. The idea is for Artillery to make short work of enemies while hold them in one place. This means that a few strong towers can be focused in one area, especially good if the Field Logistics and Industrialization upgrades have been purchased. Specializing tower types means the player can purchase upgrades in fewer paths and make the most of your stars and money. However, flying enemies are a major flaw, as Teslas are unlocked very late in the game and even then are insufficient against Rocket Riders and Imps . The Javelin Throw Upgrade, Barbarians or a ranged Hero are the only way to compensate while practicing this strategy.
  • Artillery works best when enemies are grouped. Rally and Reinforcements in one place and place in intersections to ensure effectiveness.

Advantages[]

  • Artillery ignores half of the enemies' armor. For example, if an enemy has 50% armor, it will be treated as 25% when targeted by artillery. But the player should keep in mind that physical damage immunity still has its full effect. Artillery can damage more than one enemy at a time, but it must be close to the enemy that the artillery is planning to target at. It is very useful to kill hordes of weak enemies such as goblins.
    • In Kingdom Rush: Origins, the Heavy Load upgrade changes Druids' damage type from Explosive to True, making Druids ignore armor completely.
  • Unlike other towers, artillery deal its maximum damage in the center of the explosion and less damage to other enemies in close proximity. To make this happen more often, place soldiers to block them so that the artillery has no trouble targeting them at its highest damage. In Kingdom Rush there is a buff that causes it to deal the same damage throughout the area.
  • The artillery are the only non-advanced towers that have area damage, use it to your advantage.

Disadvantages[]

  • Artillery is the most expensive tower type. In Kingdom Rush, there is a reduction to the cost of artillery, but it is still the most expensive tower type.
  • Artillery cannot target flying enemies like Gargoyles. The main point of artillery is to blast off enemies from the bottom, not blast off enemies flying. However, if there is any enemy below a flying enemy and the artillery is about to target that enemy, then the flying enemy will take damage as well. The only exception to this is the Tesla x104. Its bolt of electricity can arc from a ground enemy to a flying enemy and vice versa.
  • Artillery has the longest reload time of all towers. Exceptions to this are the Battle-Mecha T200 and the Arch-Druid Henge.
  • Artillery isn't good at targeting fast enemies like Wulves, Worgs, etc. To prevent this, place Reinforcements in front of these enemies and the artillery will have no problem targeting the enemies without missing them.
  • Even though artillery ignores half of armor, it still does fairly low damage against enemies with high and great armor like the Dark Slayer and Raider; Bloodshells are completely immune to it. On the other hand, in Kingdom Rush: Origins, artillery has an Upgrade that makes it completely ignore any physical armor, even physical damage immunity.

Related Upgrades[]

Kingdom Rush[]

  • KR Up ConcFire Concentrated Fire (1 Star)
    • Increases artillery attack damage (by 10%).
  • KR Up Range Range Finder (1 Star)
    • Increases artillery attack range (by 10%).
  • KR Up FieldLog Field Logistic (2 Stars)
    • Artillery construction and upgrading costs are reduced by 10%.
  • KR Up Indust Industrialization (3 Stars)
    • Artillery special abilities costs are reduced by 25%.
  • KR Up SmartTar Smart Targeting (3 Stars)
    • Artillery suffers no reduction of splash and chain lightning damage.
      • (Artillery strikes deal the maximum damage at the center of the explosion. At the edges of the explosion and further away from the center, it deals the minimum damage. With this upgrade, artillery strikes deal the maximum damage every time in the entire explosion radius. For the Tesla, all enemies in the lightning chain take a random value in its listed damage range, 66-121, as opposed to half this range, 30-55. This upgrade also affects Musketeer's Shrapnel Shot on non-Flash versions.)

Kingdom Rush: Frontiers[]

  • Up KRF Smoothbore Smoothbore (1 Star)
    • Increases artillery attack range (by 10%).
  • Up KRF Powder Alchemical Powder (1 Star)
    • Artillery has a 10% chance of dealing maximum damage with no splash reduction.
  • Up KRF Ordnance Improved Ordnance (2 Stars)
    • Increases artillery attack damage (by 10%).
  • Up KRF Gnomish Gnomish Tinkering (3 Stars)
    • Reduces artilleries' special abilities reload times. (by 3 seconds)
  • Up KRF ShockAwe Shock and Awe (3 Stars)
    • Artillery towers have a 20% chance of stunning their targets for 2 seconds on every attack.

Kingdom Rush: Origins[]

  • KRO Upgrade D 01 Level-1 Hardened Boulders (1 star)
    • Increases Druid attack damage (by 10%).
  • KRO Upgrade D 02 Level-2 Sharp Splinters (1 star)
    • Increases boulder explosion area (by 10%).
  • KRO Upgrade D 03 Level-3 Earth Mastery (2 stars)
    • Increases Druid attack range (by 10%).
  • KRO Upgrade D 04 Level-4 Heavy Load (3 stars)
    • Boulder explosions ignore physical armor. (damage type is changed to true)
  • KRO Upgrade D 05 Level-5 Shocking Impact (3 stars)
    • Boulder explosions slow enemies for a short time. (by 50% for 0.5 seconds)

Kingdom Rush: Vengeance[]

  • KRVUp Bombs BIGGER BOMBS (1 soul)
    • Infused with powerful alchemy, explosions now have a bigger range of effect. (20% additional area of effect)
  • KRVUp Guild GUILD OF MERCHANTS (2 souls)
    • Costs of towers' special skills is now reduced. (15% cost reduction)
  • KRVUp Master MASTER ARCHITECTS (2 souls)
    • All towers gain extra bonus damage. (10% additional basic attack damage)


View All Towers
Towers • Kingdom Rush
Standard Archer TowerMarksmen TowerSharpshooter TowerRangers HideoutMusketeer GarrisonMilitia BarracksFootmen BarracksKnights BarracksHoly OrderBarbarian Mead HallMage TowerAdept TowerWizard TowerArcane WizardSorcerer MageDwarven BombardDwarven ArtilleryDwarven HowitzerBig BerthaTesla x104
Special Sylvan Elf HallSasquatchSunray Tower
Towers • Kingdom Rush: Frontiers
Standard Archer TowerMarksmen TowerSharpshooter TowerCrossbow FortTribal AxethrowersMilitia BarracksFootmen BarracksKnights BarracksAssassin's GuildKnights TemplarMage TowerAdept TowerWizard TowerArchmage TowerNecromancer TowerDwarven BombardDwarven ArtilleryDwarven HowitzerDWAARPBattle-Mecha T200
Special Legion ArcherMercenary CampSCUMM BarPirate Cpt.Spear MaidenDwarven BastionDwarf HallPirate WatchtowerShrine of RegnosDark Forge
Towers • Kingdom Rush: Origins
Standard Hunter ArborWatcher ArborSentinel ArborArcane ArchersGolden LongbowsDefender BarracksWarden BarracksRanger BarracksBladesinger HallForest KeepersMystic DaisArcanist DaisEldritch DaisWild MagusHigh Elven MageStone CircleBoulder CircleMenhir CircleArch-Druid HengeWeirdwood
Special Awok HutGryphon RiderFaery Dragon AerieGnome GardenDragon NestYoung BeresadRenegade PostBastion
Towers • Kingdom Rush: Vengeance
Standard Shadow ArchersOrc Warriors DenInfernal MageRocket RidersDark KnightsMelting FurnaceSpecters MausoleumGoblirangsBone FlingersElite HarassersOrc ShamanGrim CemeteryRotten ForestBlazing GemDeep Devil's ReefWicked SistersSwamp ThingShaolin TempleIgnis AltarGoblin War ZeppelinSandworm Hollow
Special Troll MercenariesSpider NestCaravanAncient Sarcophagus

All items (21)

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