Artillery Towers

Artillery Towers are one of the four main tower types in the Kingdom Rush series. They launch large-caliber ordnance at the enemy, doing splash damage to all caught in the blast radius. In Kingdom Rush and Kingdom Rush: Frontiers, Artillery Towers are primarily explosives and bombs, however in later games they expanded to include all sorts of large projectiles.

See also: Ranged Towers, Melee Towers, Magic Towers

Tower Properties[]

All Artillery Towers share the following properties:

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

Artillery Towers will deal their lowest and highest damage value depending on how close the units are to the center of the explosion. It will deal lower damage if the enemy is farther and highest damage if the enemy is closer to the center, (this is also known as: Falloff ) unlike with other towers who will deal their lowest and highest damage value based on pure chance (of course these calculations also factor in armor and the type of damage to also determine how much damage a unit will take, this one factor stated here is entirely unique to artilleries and artillery attacks from special towers)

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 damage-per-second.

Tower Summary[]

In Kingdom Rush, Kingdom Rush: Frontiers and Kingdom Rush: Origins, towers are non specialized for the first three stages of their build. These basic towers have no additional special features, and only gain a specialized status on the fourth and final stage where special abilities are also unlocked.

In Kingdom Rush: Vengeance and [Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance]], towers are specialized at all stages of their build. Some towers have additional special abilities that are available at every level, but all towers gain special abilities on their fourth and final stage.

Kingdom Rush[]

Tower (Level)	Damage	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Dwarven Bombard (Level 1)	8-15	Very Slow 3.0s	Average 320	125	None
Dwarven Artillery (Level 2)	20-40	Very Slow 3.0s	Average 320	220	None
Dwarven Howitzer (Level 3)	30-60	Very Slow 3.0s	Average 360	320	None
500mm Big Bertha (Level 4.a)	50-100	Very Slow 3.5s	Long 360	400	Dragonbreath Launcher Cluster Launcher
Tesla x104 (Level 4.b)	60-110	Very Slow 2.2s	Average 330	375	Supercharged Bolt Overcharge

500mm Big Bertha Slow attacking, but heavy damaging. Big Bertha is made for taking out large groups of weak enemies in one hit. Even enemies with high HP or armor

Dragonbreath Launcher Fires a volley of missiles that will not fail to hit targets
Cluster Launcher Fires a bomb that explodes into smaller bombs, covering a larger area

Tesla x104 uses electricity, sacrificing area damage for more damage per second. Tesla can target flying enemies, where standard artillery cannot, and with its abilities makes it an all round excellent tower for any situation.

Supercharged Bolt: Increases the number of targets hit with the main attack
Overcharge: Creates a damaging field that strikes all enemies simultaneously in a circular area (slightly lesser than the tower's attack range), after every main attack

Unique to only Kingdom Rush, Artilleries with the Smart Targeting upgrade will always deal their highest damage value (example 17 damage at lv. 1 , 44 at lv. 2 and 66 at lv. 3 artillery). This is because with this upgrade rather than explosions having falloff (explained in depth in the tower summary under the property number 5) the tower will deal its full damage to everyone hit by the explosion (only armor can reduce this damage)

This does not affect the Tesla as it is considered a beam attack and instead always does a random amount of damage based on the damage specified.

Other Towers[]

The Musketeer Garrison can add an artillery attack via a special ability

Kingdom Rush: Frontiers[]

Tower (Level)	Damage	Speed	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Dwarven Bombard (Level 1)	8-15	Very Slow 3.0s	Average 320	125	None
Dwarven Artillery (Level 2)	20-40	Very Slow 3.0s	Average 320	220	None
Dwarven Howitzer (Level 3)	30-60	Very Slow 3.0s	Average 360	320	None
DWAARP (Level 4.a)	25-45	Very Slow 3.0s	Average 360	400	Core Drill Furnace Blast
Battle-Mecha T200 (Level 4.b)	25-55	Average 1.0s	Short 350	375	Wasp Missiles Waste Disposal

DWAARP damages all enemies simultaneously by sending a shockwave through its range. It can eliminate hordes of weak and slow moving enemies in one go, but it struggles with higher HP, faster or armoured enemies. Its abilities can support the weaknesses by insta-killing or burning more troublesome foes.

Core Drill instantly kills an enemy
Furnace Blast Burns the ground and all enemies in range

Battle-Mecha T200 can be moved with a Rally Point like the units of a Melee Tower. This makes it a prime choice for moving to choke points or to focus on groups of enemies. Though it has a low attack, its missile ability is invaluable and a must have for any situation.

Wasp Missiles Fires a volley of missiles that will not fail to hit targets
Waste Disposal Drops oil on the path that slows enemies

Special Towers[]

The Pirate Cpt., Dwarven Bastion, Pirate Watchtower and Dark Forge have Artillery attacks

Kingdom Rush: Origins[]

Tower (Level)	Damage	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Stone Circle (Level 1)	7-12	Very Slow 3.0s	Short 300	125	None
Boulder Circle (Level 2)	18-30	Very Slow 3.0s	Average 340	220	None
Menhir Circle (Level 3)	30-50	Very Slow 3.0s	Long 380	320	None
Arch-Druid Henge (Level 4.a)	30-50	Average 1.7s	Long 380	375	Sylvan Curse Runed Bears
Weirdwood (Level 4.b)	62-106	Very Slow 3.5s	Great 420	400	Fiery Nut Clobber

Arch-Druid Henge attacks quickly, but its overall damage has not improved at all from its previous level 3 stage. It requires the support of other towers, but with its abilities to summon additional units and curse enemies, it provides excellent crowd control.

Sylvan Curse Curses an enemy causing any damage dealt to it, to affect nearby enemies also
Runed Bears Summons a Runed Bear to engage with enemies.

Weirdwood is a slower attacker than the Arch-Druid, but makes up for it with a higher attack and abilities that allow it to damage large amounts of weak enemies quickly. It lacks crowd control however.

Fiery Nut Throws a burning nut that explodes and sets the ground on fire, burning enemies
Clobber Simultaneously damages all enemies in range of the tower

Kingdom Rush: Vengeance[]

Tower (Level	Damage	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Rocket Riders (Level 1)	8-12	Very Slow 3.0s	Average 330	120	None
Rocket Riders (Level 2)	23-33	Very Slow 3.0s	Average 350	200	None
Rocket Riders (Level 3)	46-68	Very Slow 3.0s	Long 380	280	None
Rocket Riders (Level 4)	74-104	Very Slow 2.8s	Long 400	320	Minefield Nitro Boosters Defective Engines

Rocket Riders

Minefield Drops a mine on the path that explodes when enemies walk over it
Nitro Boosters Fires a rocket hitting a far away target
Defective Engines Fires a bomb that explodes in the air dropping debris on enemies

Tower (Level	Damage	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Melting Furnace (Level 1)	5-7	Very Slow 4.0s	Average 320	120	None
Melting Furnace (Level 2)	16-20	Very Slow 4.0s	Average 320	190	None
Melting Furnace (Level 3)	28-34	Very Slow 4.0s	Average 320	240	None
Melting Furnace (Level 4)	44-52	Very Slow 4.0s	Average 320	300	Red Hot Coal Abrasive Heat Burning Fuel

Melting Furnace

Red Hot Coal Drops coal on the path that burns enemies
Abrasive Heat Nearby towers gain an attack boost
Burning Fuel Increases tower attack speed for 5 seconds

Tower (Level	Damage	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Rotten Forest (Level 1)	3-3	Average 1.0s	Short 280	120	None
Rotten Forest (Level 2)	4-4	Fast 0.65s	Short 280	140	None
Rotten Forest (Level 3)	5-5	Very Fast 0.5s	Short 280	190	None
Rotten Forest (Level 4)	7-7	Very Fast 0.4s	Short 280	220	Evil Treants Roots of Evil Fog of Despair

Rotten Forest

Evil Treants Summons two Treants to engage with enemies. Treant HP decays over time.
Roots of Evil Traps enemies in roots, immobilising them for a short period
Fog of Despair Creates a fog that causes enemies to miss their attacks

Tower (Level	Damage	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Goblin War Zeppelin (Level 1)	6-12	Average 1.36s	Short 210	160	None
Goblin War Zeppelin (Level 2)	16-32	Average 1.36s	Short 210	260	None
Goblin War Zeppelin (Level 3)	30-60	Average 1.36s	Short 210	300	None
Goblin War Zeppelin (Level 4)	50-100	Average 1.36s	Short 210	360	Tar Bomb Goblin Scout Paratroopers

Goblin War Zeppelin

Tar Bomb Throws tar onto the path that slows enemies
Goblin Scout Towers nearby gain 20% extra range
Paratroopers Summons a Goblin Sapper to engage with enemies

Tower (Level	Damage	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Ignis Altar (Level 1)	2-2	Very Slow 3.5s	Short	120	None
Ignis Altar (Level 2)	4-4	Very Slow 3.5s	Average	160	None
Ignis Altar (Level 3)	6-6	Very Slow 3.5s	Long	220	None
Ignis Altar (Level 4)	8-8	Very Slow 3.5s	Long	300	Burning Elemental Single Extinction True Fire

Ignis Altar

Burning Elemental Summons a Magma Elemental to engage with enemies
Single Extinction Makes enemies take additional damage, and explode on defeat
True Fire Every attack leaves a pool of lava that slows enemies

Tower (Level	Damage	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Sandworm Hollow (Level 1)	4-4	Very Slow 6s	Short 300	130	None
Sandworm Hollow (Level 2)	9-9	Very Slow 6s	Short 300	200	None
Sandworm Hollow (Level 3)	13-13	Very Slow 6s	Short 300	270	None
Sandworm Hollow (Level 4)	18-18	Very Slow 6s	Short 300	350	Call of the Desert Snack Hour Mucus Gob

Sandworm Hollow

Call of the Desert Spawns a Dune Terror that moves along the path engaging enemies
Snack Hour The Sandworm leaves the Strategic Point and devours all units on the path (friend and foe)
Mucus Gob Spits mucus onto the path, slowing enemies

Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance[]

Tower (Level)	Damage	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Tricannon (Level 1)	3-5	Very Slow 3s	Long	140	None
Tricannon (Level 2)	8-12	Very Slow 3s	Long	200	None
Tricannon (Level 3)	16-24	Very Slow 3s	Long	280	None
Tricannon (Level 4)	28-42	Very Slow 3s	Long	360	Bombardment Overheat

Tricannon

Bombardment Shoots bombs quickly and over a wider area
Overheat Bombs leave scorched earth for a short period

Tower (Level)	Damage	Burn Damage (Over 3 Sec)	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Dwarven Flamespitter (Level 1)	4-6	15	Very Slow 3s	Long	130	None
Dwarven Flamespitter (Level 2)	10-20	30	Very Slow 3s	Long	190	None
Dwarven Flamespitter (Level 3)	24-32	45	Very Slow 3s	Long	270	None
Dwarven Flamespitter (Level 4)	32-60	60	Very Slow 3s	Long	370	Blazing Trail Scorching Torches

Dwarven Flamespitter

Blazing Trail Drops a bomb that spreads fire on impact burning enemies
Scorching Torches Fire erupts from the path, damaging and stunning enemies

Tower (Level)	Damage	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Battle Brewmasters (Level 1)	7-11	Very Slow 3s	Average	120	None
Battle Brewmasters (Level 2)	18-28	Very Slow 3s	Average	180	None
Battle Brewmasters (Level 3)	35-53	Very Slow 3s	Average	260	None
Battle Brewmasters (Level 4)	60-90	Very Slow 3s	Average	360	Elixir of Might Bad Batch

Battle Brewmasters

Elixir of Might Summons a unit to the path to engage enemies
Bad Batch Throws a barrel of poison that slows and damages enemies

Tower (Level)	Damage	Speed Fire Rate	Range Scope	Build Cost	Specials
Bog Hermit (Level 1)	7-9	Very Slow 2.5	Long 360	120	None
Bog Hermit (Level 2)	15-21	Very Slow 2.5	Great 400	160	None
Bog Hermit (Level 3)	29-39	Very Slow 2.5	Great 440	240	None
Bog Hermit (Level 4)	45-59	Very Slow 2.5	Extreme 480	280	Ground Pounder Sticky Tongue

Bog Hermit

Ground Pounder Ranged Area of Effect attack
Sticky Tongue Instakills an enemy

Comparison[]

All Level 4 Artillery Towers, without upgrades.

Tower	Damage	Speed	Speed Fire Rate	Damage p/Second	Range Scope	Scope	Build Cost	Cumulative Cost
500mm Big Bertha	50-100	Very Slow	3.5s	21.43	Long	360	400	1065
Tesla x104	30-55	Very Slow	2.25s	19.32	Average	330	375	1040
DWAARP	25-45	Very Slow	3.5s	10	Average	360	400	1065
Battle-Mecha T200	25-55	Average	1.0s	40	Short	350	375	1040
Arch-Druid Henge	30-50	Average	1.7s	23.53	Long	380	375	1040
Weirdwood	62-106	Very Slow	3.5s	24	Great	420	400	1065
Rocket Riders	74-104	Very Slow	2.8s	31.79	Long	400	320	920
Melting Furnace	44-52	Very Slow	4.0s	12	Average	320	300	850
Rotten Forest	7-7	Very Fast	0.4s	17.5	Short	320	220	670
Goblin War Zeppelin	50-100	Average	1.36s	55.15	Average	210	360	1080
Ignis Altar	(8-8)*17	Very Slow	3.5s	38.86	Long	390	300	800
Sandworm Hollow	(18-18)*20	Very Slow	6s	60	Short	300	350	970
Tricannon	(28-42)*3	Very Slow	3s	35	Long	180	360	980
Dwarven Flamespitter	32-60 (Burns for 60)	Very Slow	3s	35.33	Long	180	370	960
Battle Brewmasters	60-90	Very Slow	2.5s	30	Average	170	360	920
Bog Hermit	45-59	Very Slow	2.5s	20.8	Extreme	480	280	800

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Related Upgrades[]

Kingdom Rush[]

Concentrated Fire (1 Star)
- Increases artillery attack damage (by 10%).
Range Finder (1 Star)
- Increases artillery attack range (by 10%).
Field Logistic (2 Stars)
- Artillery construction and upgrading costs are reduced by 10%.
Industrialization (3 Stars)
- Artillery special abilities costs are reduced by 25%.
Smart Targeting (3 Stars)
- Artillery suffers no reduction of splash and chain lightning damage.

Kingdom Rush: Frontiers[]

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

Kingdom Rush: Origins[]

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