Damage per second (DPS) is a useful tool in games to compare two different weapons, spells, or towers. In Kingdom Rush, this can allow comparisons between tower types and within tower types: the optimal tower type and tower upgrade can be decided for a given situation.
This article lists some empirical numerical values for the rate of fire and draws conclusions based on that. Taking an average of the fire rate, and using the average damage listed in game, the average DPS of all towers can be determined. It is assumed that the fire rates obtained are consistent for all towers.
The cost efficiency can be considered as the amount of Gold per point of DPS. In other words, this is how much gold you spend in order to obtain 1 DPS. This means that lower numbers are better for the cost efficiency fields!
Formulas:
- DPS = average damage / average Fire Rate
- Cost Efficiency = total gold cost / DPS
where the total gold cost is the sum of all upgrade prices for that tower.
All data are from the Kingdom Rush mobile versions and decimals are rounded to the nearest tenth. Parenthesized values are due to upgrades.
Kingdom Rush[]
Archer Tower[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Tower | 0.8 | 4-6 | 6.3 | 70 | 11.2 |
| Marksmen Tower | 0.6 | 7-11 | 15 | 110 | 12 |
| Sharpshooter Tower | 0.5 | 10-16 | 26 | 160 | 13.1 |
| Rangers Hideout | 0.4 | 13-19 | 40 | 230 | 14.25 |
| Musketeer Garrison | 1.5 | 35-65 | 33.3 | 230 | 17.1 |
Magic Tower[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mage Tower | 1.5 | 9-17 (11-20) | 8.7 (10.3) |
100 (90) |
11.5 (8.7) |
| Adept Tower | 1.5 | 23-43 (27-50) | 22 (25.6) | 160 (144) |
11.8 (9.1) |
| Wizard Tower | 1.5 | 40-74 (46-86) | 38 (44) | 240 (216) | 13.2 (10.2) |
| Arcane Wizard | 2.0 | 76-140 (88-161) | 54.0 (62.3) | 300 (270) | 14.8 (11.6) |
| Sorcerer Mage | 1.5 | 42-78 (49-90) | 40 (46.3) | 300 (270) | 20 (15.5) |
Artillery[]
Note that these figures represent only the damage to a single unit. Artillery towers are intended to deal splash damage to groups of units; the actual damage depends on the number of enemies affected.
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarven Bombard | 3.0 | 8-15 (17-17) | 3.8 (5.7) | 125 (112) | 32.6 (19.8) |
| Dwarven Artillery | 3.0 | 20-40 (44-44) | 10 (14.7) | 220 (198) | 34.5 (21.1) |
| Dwarven Howitzer | 3.0 | 30-60 (66-66) | 15 (22) | 320 (288) | 44.3 (27.2) |
| 500mm Big Bertha | 3.5 | 50-100 (110-110) | 21.4 (31.4) | 400 (360) | 49.7 (30.5) |
| Tesla x104 | 2.2 | 60-110 (66-121) | 38.6 (42.5) | 375 (337) | 26.9 (22) |
Barracks[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Militia Barracks | 1.00 | 1-3 | 2 (6) | 70 | 35.0 (11.7) |
| Footmen Barracks | 1.6 - 1.7 | 3-4 | 2.1 (6.3) | 110 | 85.7 (28.6) |
| Knights Barracks | 1.6 - 1.7 | 6-10 | 4.8 (14.4) | 160 | 70.8 (23.6) |
| Holy Order | 1.5-1.8 | 12-18 | 9.1 (27.3) | 230 | 62.6 (20.9) |
| Barbarian Mead Hall | 1.5 - 1.8 |
16-24 [46 - 54] |
12.1 (36.3) [118.9] |
230 [630] |
47.1 (15.7) [8.2] |
Parenthesized values refer to the damage of all 3 units combined, rather than a single unit. Bracketed values refer to the fully-specialized damage of Barbarian "more axes" (+30 damage total). *Barracks units seem to have a bug where the first tier unit strikes as quickly as tier 0 (no upgrade) reinforcement units (1 sec).
Kingdom Rush: Frontiers[]
Archer Tower[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Tower | 0.8 | 4-6 (6-8) | 6.3 (8.8) | 70 (60) | 11.2 (6.9) |
| Marksmen Tower | 0.6 | 7-11 (9-14) | 15 (19.2) | 110 (100) | 12 (8.3) |
| Sharpshooter Tower | 0.5 | 10-16 (13-19) | 26 (32) | 160 (150) | 13.1 (9.7) |
| Crossbow Fort | 0.5 | 15-23 (18-28) | 38 (46) | 230 | 15 (11.7) |
| Tribal Axethrowers | 0.8 | 25-40 (30-47) | 40.6 (48.1) | 230 | 14 (11.2) |
Magic Tower[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mage Tower | 1.5 | 9-17 (10-19) | 8.7 (9.7) | 100 | 11.5 (10.3) |
| Adept Tower | 1.5 | 23-43 (26-48) | 22 (24.7) | 160 | 11.8 (10.5) |
| Wizard Tower | 1.5 | 40-74 (44-82) | 38 (42) | 240 | 13.2 (11.9) |
| Archmage Tower | 1.5 | 60-120 (66-132) | 60 (66) | 300 | 13.3 (12.1) |
| Necromancer Tower | 1.0 | 20-70 (22-77) | 45 (49.5) | 300 | 17.8 (16.2) |
Artillery[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarven Bombard | 3.0 | 8-15 (9-17) | 3.8 (4.3) | 125 | 32.6 (28.8) |
| Dwarven Artillery | 3.0 | 20-40 (22-44) | 10 (11) | 220 | 34.5 (31.4) |
| Dwarven Howitzer | 3.0 | 30-60 (33-66) | 15 (16.5) | 320 | 44.3 (40.3) |
| DWAARP | 3.0 | 25-45 (28-50) | 11.7 (13) | 400 | 91.3 (81.9) |
| Battle-Mecha T200 | 1.0 | 25-55 (28-61) | 40 (44.5) | 375 | 26 (23.4) |
Barracks[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Militia Barracks | 1.00 | 1-3 | 2 (6) | 70 | 35.0 (11.7) |
| Footmen Barracks | 1.6 - 1.7 | 3-4 | 2.1 (6.3) | 110 | 85.7 (28.6) |
| Knights Barracks | 1.6-1.7 | 6-10 | 4.8 (14.4) | 160 | 70.8 (23.6) |
| Assassin's Guild | 1.00 | 10-14 |
12 (36) [58.8] |
230 [755] |
47.5 (15.8) [18.6] |
| Knights Templar | 2.4-2.5 |
20-30 |
10 (30) [49.8] |
230 [780] |
57 (19) [22.5] |
Parenthesized values refer to the damage of all 3 units combined, rather than a single unit. Bracket values refer to combined damage of fully specialized units, including Sneak Attack and Arterial Strike accounting for their chance to trigger.
Kingdom Rush: Origins[]
Archer Tower[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Arbor | 0.7 | 2-5 (3-6) | 5 (6.4) | 70 | 14 (10.9) |
| Watcher Arbor | 0.6 | 4-9 (5-10) | 10.8 (12.5) | 110 | 16.6 (14.4) |
| Sentinel Arbor | 0.4 | 5-11 (6-12) | 20 (22.5) | 160 | 17 (15.1) |
| Arcane Archers | 0.8 | 22-36 (24-38) | 36.3 (38.8) | 230 | 15.7 (14.7) |
| Golden Longbows | 1.5 | 45-60 (48-63) | 35 (37) | 275 | 17.6 (16.6) |
Magic Tower[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mystic Dais | 1.5 | 8-12 (10-14) | 6.7 (8) | 100 | 15 (12.5) |
| Arcanist Dais | 1.5 | 18-30 (22-36) | 16 (19.3) | 160 | 16.3 (13.4) |
| Eldritch Dais | 1.5 | 34-56 (40-66) | 30 (35.3) | 250 | 17 (14.4) |
| Wild Magus | 0.3 | 8-16 (10-19) | 40 (48.3) | 300 | 20.3 (16.8) |
| High Elven Mage | 1.5 | 41-74 (46-83) | 38.3 (43) | 300 | 21.1 (18.8) |
Artillery[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Circle | 3.0 | 7-12 (8-14) | 3.2 (3.7) | 125 | 39.5 (34.1) |
| Boulder Circle | 3.0 | 18-30 (20-33) | 8 (8.8) | 220 | 43.1 (39.1) |
| Menhir Circle | 3.0 | 30-50 (33-55) | 13.3 (14.7) | 320 | 49.9 (45.3) |
| Arch-Druid Henge | 1.7 | 30-50 (33-55) | 23.5 (25.9) | 375 | 44.3 (40.2) |
| Weirdwood | 3.5 | 62-106 (69-117) | 24 (26.6) | 400 | 44.4 (39.1) |
Kingdom Rush: Vengeance[]
Archer Tower[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Archers I | 0.7 | 3-4 | 5 | 80 | 16 |
| Shadow Archers II | 0.7 | 7-11 (7-12) | 12.9 (13.6) | 120 | 15.6 (14.7) |
| Shadow Archers III | 0.7 | 14-21 (15-23) | 25 (27.1) | 190 | 15.6 (14.4) |
| Shadow Archers IV | 0.7 | 23-34 (25-37) | 40.7 (44.3) | 280 | 16.5 (15.1) |
| Goblirangs I | 1.4 | 3-5 | 4.3 | 90 | 20.9 |
| Goblirangs II | 1.4 | 7-14 (7-15) | 11.3 (11.8) | 140 | 20.4 (19.5) |
| Goblirangs III | 1.4 | 14-26 (15-28) | 21.4 (23) | 200 | 20.1 (18.7) |
| Goblirangs IV | 1.4 | 25-47 (27-51) | 38.6 (41.8) | 270 | 18.1 (16.7) |
| Bone Flingers I | 0.6 | 2-4 | 5 | 60 | 12 |
| Bone Flingers II | 0.6 | 5-11 (5-12) | 13.3 (14.2) | 110 | 12.8 (12) |
| Bone Flingers III | 0.6 | 9-20 (9-22) | 24.2 (25.8) | 150 | 13.2 (12.4) |
| Bone Flingers IV | 0.6 | 14-34 (15-37) | 40 (43.3) | 180 | 12.5 (11.5) |
Magic Tower[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infernal Mage I | 1.8 | 5-16 (5-17) |
5.8 (6.1) | 100 | 17.1 (16.4) |
| Infernal Mage II | 1.8 | 16-49 (17-53) |
18.1 (19.4) | 180 | 15.5 (14.4) |
| Infernal Mage III | 1.8 | 33-100 (36-110) |
36.9 (40.6) | 250 | 14.3 (13.1) |
| Infernal Mage IV | 1.8 | 49-146 (53-160) |
54.2 (59.2) | 300 | 15.3 (14) |
| Specters Mausoleum I | 1.45 | 5-8 | 4.5 | 110 | 24.5 |
| Specters Mausoleum II | 1.45 | 13-20 (14-22) |
11.4 (12.4) | 130 | 21.1 (19.3) |
| Specters Mausoleum III | 1.45 | 26-38 (28-41) |
22.1 (23.8) | 170 | 18.6 (17.2) |
| Specters Mausoleum IV | 1.45 | 48-71 (52-78) |
41 (44.8) | 230 | 15.6 (14.3) |
| Orc Shaman I | 2.3 | 4-20 (4-22) |
5.2 (5.7) | 130 | 24.9 (23) |
| Orc Shaman II | 2.3 | 10-55 (11-60) |
14.1 (15.4) | 190 | 22.6 (20.7) |
| Orc Shaman III | 2.3 | 20-110 (22-121) |
28.3 (31.1) | 260 | 20.5 (18.7) |
| Orc Shaman IV | 2.3 | 35-190 (38-209) |
48.9 (53.7) | 320 | 18.4 (16.8) |
| Deep Devil's Reef I | 1.5 | 4-12 (4-13) |
5.3 (5.7) | 120 | 22.5 (21.2) |
| Deep Devil's Reef II | 1.5 | 11-34 (12-37) |
15 (16.3) | 170 | 19.3 (17.8) |
| Deep Devil's Reef III | 1.5 | 23-68 (25-74) |
30.3 (33) | 240 | 17.5 (16.1) |
| Deep Devil's Reef IV | 1.5 | 40-120 (44-132) |
55.3 (58.7) | 330 | 16.1 (14.7) |
| Blazing Gem I | 0.4 | 6-12 (6-13) |
22.5 (23.7) | 140 | 6.2 (5.9) |
| Blazing Gem II | 0.4 | 18-27 (19-29) |
56.2 (60) | 210 | 6.2 (5.8) |
| Blazing Gem III | 0.4 | 30-48 (33-52) |
97.5 (106.2) | 240 | 6 (5.5) |
| Blazing Gem IV | 0.4 | 48-72 (52-79) |
150 (163.7) | 300 | 5.9 (5.4) |
| Wicked Sisters I | 2.5 | 11-25 (12-27) |
7.2 (7.8) | 120 | 16.6 (15.3) |
| Wicked Sisters II | 2.5 | 27-63 (29-69) |
18 (19.6) | 160 | 15.5 (14.2) |
| Wicked Sisters III | 2.5 | 48-112 (52-123) |
32 (35) | 200 | 15 (13.7) |
| Wicked Sisters IV | 2.5 | 78-182 (85-200) |
52 (57) | 250 | 14 (12.8) |
Artillery[]
| Tower Type | Fire Rate | Damage | DPS | Build Cost | Cost Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket Riders I | 3.0 | 7-10 (7-11) |
2.8 (3) | 120 | 42.4 (40) |
| Rocket Riders II | 3.0 | 20-29 (22-31) |
8.2 (8.8) | 210 | 40.4 (37.4) |
| Rocket Riders III | 3.0 | 40-58 (44-63) |
16.3 (17.8) | 370 | 42.9 (39.3) |
| Rocket Riders IV | 2.8 | 64-92 (70-101) |
27.9 (30.5) | 390 | 39.1 (35.7) |
| Melting Furnace I | 4.0 | 5-7 | 1.5 | 110 | 73.3 |
| Melting Furnace II | 4.0 | 14-18 (15-19) |
4 (4.3) | 190 | 75 (70.6) |
| Melting Furnace III | 4.0 | 25-31 (27-34) |
7 (7.6) | 240 | 77.1 (70.8) |
| Melting Furnace IV | 4.0 | 41-50 (45-55) |
11.4 (12.5) | 300 | 73.8 (67.2) |
| Rotten Forest I | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 120 | 60 |
| Rotten Forest II | 0.65 | 3 | 4.6 | 140 | 56.3 |
| Rotten Forest III | 0.5 | 4 | 8 | 190 | 56.3 |
| Rotten Forest IV | 0.4 | 5 | 12.5 | 220 | 53.6 |
| Goblin War Zeppelin I | 1.36 | 6-12 (6-13) |
6.6 (7) | 160 | 24.2 (22.9) |
| Goblin War Zeppelin II | 1.36 | 16-32 (17-35) |
17.6 (19.1) | 260 | 23.8 (22) |
| Goblin War Zeppelin III | 1.36 | 30-60 (33-66) |
33.1 (36.4) | 300 | 21.8 (19.8) |
| Goblin War Zeppelin IV | 1.36 | 50-100 (55-110) |
55.1 (60.7) | 360 | 19.6 (17.8) |
Discussion/Notes[]
Archer Towers
- While it is slightly better to build more archer towers than upgrade a single one, the range difference in upgraded towers and their more consistent damage likely offsets the difference; all in all, tower positioning is the most important factor to consider, which tends to favor upgrading few towers in advantageous positions over placing many nonupgraded towers in inferior positions.
Mage Towers
- Upgrades are widely powerful on mage towers, adding strong utility at all tiers and increasing damage by slightly more than 15% (not shown in the tables above). For single target damage, putting upgrade stars into mage towers is the best option.
- While Sorcerer Mage may seem worse than Arcane Wizard, it's important to note that it has a passive ability to put curse on target dealing true damage over time and lowering physical armor.
Artillery Towers
- The table above points out the DPS of the various towers, not the usefulness, as the usefulness of artillery towers is in the Area of Effect, which is fundamental in many stages; the overcharge of Tesla Towers against the necromancers is a perfect example, as it will kill the skeletons (with huge total DPS) allowing other turrets to not waste their attacks on weak units.
- Combined with the final upgrade to deal full splash damage, the potential DPS output of an artillery tower will be equal to or better than equivalent-tier towers, as long as it is striking ~4 targets or more per blast.
- It's worth remembering that artillery towers deal explosive and lightning damage, being penalized for only half the amount of physical armor.
- A 500mm Bertha Big Bertha is more cost-efficient than a Tesla X104 when striking more targets than the Tesla can hit with its lightning bolt, although the tesla can hit multiple enemies more easily thanks to the chain lightning, evening things out. As for the special abilities, those of the Tesla x104 are arguably better.
Barracks
- Fully-specialized barbarians are some of the most efficient DPS units in the first game, second only to a fully-supercharged Tesla x104 against an average number of enemies or a Big Bertha striking five units or more, with the full-splash-damage upgrade. The Barracks-equivalent upgrade that returns % damage may even give Barbarians an edge over artillery against higher damage opponents.
- Given the above, Barbarians are likely the highest DPS units against three or fewer unarmored targets, although a Sorcerer Mage with golem will deal more damage if the target has no magic resistance. Of course, Death Ray and Polymorph are also more efficient, and mage towers—as well as artillery—are better vs. armored units.
- Melee range and death severely limits the DPS of barracks units; however, the fact that enemy units wait on them while other towers fire is a synergy that can be attributed to their effectiveness. Ultimately, their usefulness is maximized when used in tandem with other towers.
- Barracks units cost efficiency for survivability scales much better with single upgrades over building more barracks, except for barbarians, who are less durable than Knights vs physical damage (unless the barbarians kill their opponents outright)
- Barracks armor upgrade only affects the in-game descriptive label for the first and third tier units, as well as barbarians. This may be a bug.
- The Counterattack skill can bolster Assassins damage massively, but is not included on the table since its DPS is dependent on how frequently they are attacked.
Summary[]
DPS is not equal to actual damage a tower will inflict in a stage. One must also consider the range (or how many seconds a tower spends doing damage) and the amount of enemies hit at once.
For the statement that building more towers is better than upgrading a single tower, one has to be careful:
- A tower is more important when enemies stay longer in its range. Sometimes it's impossible to build so many towers around a single choke point. So, one must upgrade the towers near such an important point first.
- In many later stages, advanced towers are more urgent than low-level towers due to their special functions. So, building too many low-level towers will delay the upgrades to advanced towers.
However, this generalization is useful in the early stages, especially early iron/heroic stages when advanced towers are disabled, and technology is limited to a lower level. Besides the better cost efficiency, another advantage of building more primary towers is that they cost less; they can be applied faster into the battlefield than tower upgrades.
Archer Towers
- Upgrade a few towers in strategic positions over building many towers; since then.
Mage Towers
- Arcane Mage is more efficient for DPS, but Sorcerer Mage reduces enemy armor, making other's DPS better.
Artillery
- Artillery towers have better DPS than equivalent towers of other types if they hit 4 or more enemies with their attacks.
- Two tier 1 towers are likely better than one tier 2 tower.
Barracks
- If you have more soldiers than incoming enemies but need your line to hold longer, then upgrading a single barracks is better than building more barracks.
- DPS is really bad except for maxed Barbarians.
- If you can keep them alive, fully specialized barbarians have the highest DPS in the game against three or fewer unarmored units, excluding instant-kill attacks from tier 4 mage towers and Musketeers.
This game is about more than just DPS, but hopefully some of this was able to inform you how to make better decisions while playing!|}