Tower Lab Tiers and 27.0.3 Guide for Devo Strategies
Table of Contents
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General notes
General notes
Please remember that this list is not going to be a perfect guide.
Nearly every ranking can swing in different directions
depending on your current game progression. If you have any
doubts or something isn't clear, we encourage you to ask on
discord to get extra confirmation
Tier Criteria
S+ Do it as soon as it only takes 2-3 days to
save for the cost
S Game changing lab for all builds
Most basic labs are good to get a few levels on even if they're
ranked lower on the list
A Great lab for most builds
B Good for most builds
While some bot labs may be ranked decently high, due to the
balance of bots themselves you probably should only have
golden bot for a long time as econ is most important
C Below average but has some utility
D Skippable for most builds
F
Ignore until you have nothing else to do /
will harm your tower If a lab has a split ranking, the note should explain why
For any feedback/questions please use the discord thread QOL Helpful/Nice to have, nothing important
Link to the thread on The Tower discord
If you're looking for exactly how good a quantifiable lab is for
your tower, the team recommends using Matt's and Fanta's
ePaths
Credits:
Link to the ePaths Optimizer Discord thread Audacious, minionek, 1410c, IGotSlain,
Iver, zAlpha
Wondering what waves specifically unlock which labs? It was
used to populate the tier column of the sheet
Link to the Wiki Milestone page
Updated for version 27.0.3 Labs Sorted by Section Labs Sorted by Rank Labs listed twice in this section (like Lab Speed) have varying value based on different factors, check the main list notes to see why
Tier Lab Name Ranking Notes S+ S A B C D F QOL TBD
Labs Data (verbatim)
T1 Game Speed S+ Makes everything better. First lab to take to max Game Speed Labs Speed Labs Coin Discount Workshop Enhancements Workshop Utility Discount Workshop Attack Discount Starting Cash Buy Multiplier Ray Enemy Attack
Starting Cash F
Irrelevant, easily outdone by enemy kills and even cash/wave Garlic Thorns Workshop Respec Labs Speed Enhancement Defense - Coin Discount Range Workshop Defense Discount Damage / Meter More Round Stats Scatter Enemy Attack
T2 Workshop Attack Discount D Gaining more coins is more beneficial then spending less coins, utility can be useful for ELS later on. Retroactive on respecs
Missiles Explosion Workshop Enhancements Target Priority Damage Super Crit Chance Workshop Utility Discount Health Regen Card Presets Workshop Defense Discount D Extra Black Hole Enhancement Utility - Coin Discount Enhancement Attack - Coin Discount Health Super Crit Multi Labs Coin Discount Defense Absolute Workshop Respec Workshop Utility Discount D C Lightning Amplifier - Scatter Light Speed Shots Attack Speed Orbs Speed Max Rend Armor Multiplier Range Defense % Reroll Daily Mission
T1
Labs Coin Discount D A
a few early levels are useful, however actual econ labs are much better until Card Masteries or assists/BC labs Energy Shield Extra Hit Orb Boss Hit Critical Factor Shockwave Size Max Interest Land Mine Damage Land Mine Decay Recharge Demon Mode
Labs Speed S A
S tier until level 50; very long after. Should be slotted in whenever a lab slot is not occupied by a high priority lab Unlock Perks Wall Thorns Damage / Meter Wall Health Chrono Field Damage Reduction Orb Boss Hit Shockwave Size Auto Pick Perks
T2 Buy Multiplier QOL More necessary the more you respec to avoid carpal tunnel, also nice for buying large amounts of things in runs Perk Option Quantity Recovery Package Chance Health Regen Cash Bonus Chrono Field Reduction % Wall Rebuild Cash / Wave Auto Pick Ranking
T1 More Round Stats QOL Useful data to track progress First Perk Choice Missile Radius Defense % Package After Boss Black Hole Disable Ranged Enemies Wall Invincibility Coins / Wave Unmerge Module T4 Target Priority A
Required for every devo strategy. Useful for blender and tournaments Shatter Shards Golden Tower Duration Wall Rebuild Recovery Package Chance Chain Thunder Missile Barrage Interest
T1 Card Presets QOL Most useful for having different cards for farm, tourney, and various missions Battle Condition Reduction Chain Lightning Shock Wall Regen Golden Tower Bonus Inner Land Mine - Chrono Jump Missile Barrage Quantity Recovery Package Amount
T4 Workshop Respec QOL S
Required for devo strategies and almost mandatory for legend league tournaments. If blender and not in
legend it's nice to make the buy workshop upgrades mission cheaper
Missile Amplifier Wall Invincibility Death Wave Health Flame Bot - Cooldown Spotlight Missiles Recovery Package Max
Reroll Daily Mission QOL Costs 5 gems to use Inner Mine Stun Wall Fortification Inner Mine Blast Radius Thunder Bot - Cooldown Death Wave Damage Amplifier Missile Despawn Time T12 Workshop Enhancements B S
becomes required to progress after 1T~ LTC Black Hole Damage Coins / Kill Bonus Chrono Field Range Fast Enemy Speed Second Wind Blast Swamp Radius
T21
Enhancement Attack - Coin Discount A
ASPD+ is really good to get cheaper, alongisde the damage that's required by the time this lab is unlocked Black Hole Coin Bonus Enemy Attack Level Skip Swamp Rend Boss Health Double Death Ray Recharge Missile Barrage
Enhancement Defense - Coin Discount B
The 500T unlock is Orb Size, the
least useful of the three Extra Orb Adjuster Enemy Health Level Skip Swamp Rend - Additional Enemies Protector Health Energy Shield Extra Hit Chain Thunder
Enhancement Utility - Coin Discount S
ELS+ and Coin+ are some of the strongest enchancements in the game Extra Extra Orbs Chrono Field Duration Gold Bot - Duration Protector Radius Super Tower Bonus Death Wave Armor Stripping Standard Perks Bonus Swamp Radius Amp Bot - Duration Ranged Enemy Range Recharge Second Wind Waves Required
T1
Damage B Most useful after owning a damage UW like Chain Lightning, still retains some utility for early towers in tournaments or against protectors/elites
Improve Trade-off Perks Swamp Stun Module Coin Cost Cannon Effect Bans Recharge Nuke Gold Bot - Cooldown
Attack Speed A
Very good lab for increasing both damage and CC, gets very long towards the end Common Drop Chance Swamp Stun Chance Assist Module Bonus - Cannon Armor Effect Bans Amp Bot - Cooldown Amp Bot - Cooldown
Critical Factor A
Same as Damage although more significant per level, even more so when using the Ultimate Crit card Daily Mission Shards Swamp Stun Time Assist Module Bonus - Core Generator Effect Bans Thunder Bot - Linger Time Flame Bot - Burn Stack
T2 Range D C
Detrimental in farms if too high. Useful for orb placement in some cases. Helps out in tournaments under some BCs, has a slider to revert the effect
Rare Drop Chance Shock Chance Core Effect Bans Common Enemy Health Common Enemy Attack
T3 Damage / Meter F A
Useless until SL+, very helpful with
it while also pairing well with Range mastery Assist Module Substats - Generator Shock Multiplier Assist Module Bonus - Armor Fast Enemy Health Fast Enemy Attack
T5
Super Crit Chance C Gets VERY long for little benefit Assist Module Substats - Core Death Wave Coin Bonus Knockback Resistance Tank Enemy Health Tank Enemy Attack
Super Crit Multi C
Enemy Level Skip Reduction Inner Mine Rotation Speed Thorns Resistance Ranged Enemy Health Ranged Enemy Attack
T13 Max Rend Armor Multiplier C
Decent for extending bullet orbless, helps bullet damage together with AD or HB. Great to pair together with Swamp Rend to further
increase its damage potential
Spotlight Coin Bonus Orb Resistance Protector Damage Reduction Boss Attack
T7
Light Speed Shots S Keeps enemies at tower range much better Spotlight Missiles Plasma Cannon Resistance Scatter Enemy Health Vampire Enemy Attack Death Wave Cells Bonus Death Ray Resistance Module Coin Cost Vampire Enemy Health
T1
Health B Good, but not game changing lab Super Tower Bonus Armored Enemies Boss's Ultimate Enemy Speed Health Regen F A
Crucial for eHp, useless before owning WHR or Wall and for Glass Cannon builds Recharge Second Wind Enemy Attack Speed Tank's Ultimate More Enemies Defense Absolute F Dabs scales horribly past tier 1 Recharge Demon Mode Death Defy Down Protector's Ultimate Fast's Ultimate
T5 Defense % A F Only good until level 23 (level 18 with the relic) after other requirements are met. Helps reach the 98% hard cap on defense Recharge Nuke Energy Shields Down Ranged Ultimate
T3 Orbs Speed B
Decent to help with orbs clearing enemies better, later good to get more Orb mastery or Orb Boss Hit procs Ban Perks Basic's Ultimate
T6
Land Mine Damage D Can help with orbless farms Gold Bot - Cooldown Ultimate Weapon Durations
Land Mine Decay F
Landmines usually explode before having a chance to decay Ray Enemy Health
T3 Shockwave Size F B Mostly negative lab, can be useful for ACP or high ranges Reroll Shards
T6 Orb Boss Hit D S Mostly useless until you have developed CC to force bosses to stay in orb line longer Module Shards Cost
T8 Wall Health B Another health lab Assist Module Substats - Cannon Wall Rebuild D A Mostly useless unless you're using a Glass Cannon build Assist Module Substats - Armor
T10 Wall Regen A
Best eHP tool in the game because Vamps don't turn it off; do at least 10 levels Assist Module Bonus - Generator Wall Thorns S Helps kill enemies with wall quicker, useful percentage damage; get to at
at least 11 T12 Wall Invincibility D A Same as Wall Rebuild
T14 Wall Fortification A
Enables Wall Regen to be the best eHp tool in the game
T2 Garlic Thorns S+
Solves the vampire problem better than a wooden stake to the heart, if you don't have a problem with vampires you can wait to start/finish this lab
T1
Cash Bonus B Cash has limited usability Cash / Wave F Kills from enemies matter a lot more Coins / Kill Bonus A
Excellent lab, eventually max it, but balance it with UW econ labs Coins / Wave F Coins from enemies quickly become the only coins that matter
T2
Interest F Only helps to reach the max which
is very easy regardless Max Interest C
Useful for early cash purchases, good for weak/no GT
T3 Package After Boss B
Decreases variability of packages, very good for early towers without WHR or Wall and Gcomp users
T6
Recovery Package Amount F Packages become insignificant after Recovery Package Max F wall, very little value per level Recovery Package Chance B S Good with GComp and for getting extra shards out of RPC mastery
T11
Enemy Attack Level Skip A More ELS is always good, especially when the lab is less expensive than Enemy Health Level Skip A the WS or WS+ upgrades
T7
Missile Despawn Time F Useless; if a missile lives long enough for this to matter it was not needed Missiles Explosion S+ Adds crucial splash damage to Missile Radius S Missiles Chrono Field Duration A Only research with intention to go for permanent CF
Chrono Field Damage Reduction C Very long for any benefit past a Chrono Field Reduction % C certan point
Swamp Radius F A
Potential footgun regarding where the enemy gets stunned. Proceed with caution. Can be partly counteracted by using a higher range
Swamp Stun A Great complementary source of crowd control Swamp Stun Chance A
Swamp Stun Time A
T4
Golden Tower Bonus B One of the last econ labs to do
Golden Tower Duration S A lab for something that otherwise costs stones is incredible. Getting duration past BH duration with perk has little value
T7
Chain Lightning Shock S Adds a global damage multiplier to CL
Shock Chance A
Shock will stack faster; no need to max, attack speed should handle maxing fast Shock Multiplier A
Shock will stack higher; good to max
T3 Death Wave Health B
Very good for farm, dubious use in tourney Death Wave Coin Bonus A More econ always good
T7
Inner Mine Blast Radius B More radius enables more stuns
Inner Mine Rotation Speed A
Helps with hitting bosses by multiple mines
Chrono Field Range B
The more the better however be wary as it can be harmful without perma CF Missile Amplifier S Adds a SM-only damage multiplier that stacks wildly high
T8 Missile Barrage D
SM based Panic Button. Helpful with "SM hits" event mission Missile Barrage Quantity D Panic Button gains more missiles T7 Inner Mine Stun S
Turns ILM into a CC machine when combined with Rotation
T5
Black Hole Damage S Does a % of max enemy health every second they are inside BH, the go to protector killer for early towers
Extra Black Hole S+ Self explanatory. Probably the only
lab to consider rushing before ancestral modules Black Hole Coin Bonus S Best coin multiplier that isn't GT
T7 Spotlight Coin Bonus A Third best coin multiplier
T3 Spotlight Missiles D A
Basically useless prior to owning SM other than for an event mission, enables SLM Orbless with SM
T14
Black Hole Disable Ranged Enemies C Mostly for perma BH
Recharge Missile Barrage F Panic Button can be reused, however the cooldown is too long to matter on top of being a lackluster ability
T16
Swamp Rend B
An important part in making PS damage matter and even strong. Great against Ultimate Tanks
Swamp Rend - Additional Enemies B When PS has any use in damage, good to make the multiplier affect everything
Chain Thunder F C
Extremely good at what it does; however the effect of it is not that desirable by the time you unlock it. Basically requires CL+, costs 40q coins to max
Lightning Amplifier - Scatter S+ A few levels solve scatters for the most part. More levels should solve the problem if they ever become a danger again
T3
Death Wave Cells Bonus A
The only Cell multiplier in the game outside of WS+ Death Wave Damage Amplifier D
Niche use with Ring or Max Devo farming. Decent for bosses with DW+ Death Wave Armor Stripping F Not important, potential footgun regarding killing too far out
T7 Inner Land Mine - Chrono Jump C
Requires a mediocore UW+ developed to function, decent damage if you do have it. Fleets weaken its potential a lot
T3
Second Wind Blast D
Acts like the nuke card when maxed, great for consistency
Updated for version 27.0.3 Labs Sorted by Section Labs Sorted by Rank Labs listed twice in this section (like Lab Speed) have varying value based on different factors, check the main list notes to see why Tier Lab Name Ranking Notes S+ S A B C D F QOL TBD
T3 Double Death Ray
D
Chance too low to be significant value for the lab time
T6
Extra Orb Adjuster S Makes extra orbs a lot more useful. Allows easy clearing of BH
Extra Extra Orbs S The more the merrier
T4 Energy Shield Extra Hit
D S+ Okay early for the mission, truly
incredible later (Legend tourney or Glass Cannon farm) with the way Death Defy is checked before charge is used
T8 Super Tower Bonus
D
A
Super Tower is a bullet only damage multiplier until you unlock its mastery. Great damage multipler after doing so
T14
Recharge Second Wind
D
A
Essential to keep the effect of mastery going past 400 waves
Recharge Demon Mode QOL
A Great for the event mission, essential to keep the effect of mastery going past 300 waves
Recharge Nuke
D
A Okay for the event mission when high level, essential to keep the effect of mastery going past 300 waves
T2 Unlock Perks S+ Perks are great, they make your tower better at almost everything Waves Required F
Long lab that is almost entirely overshadowed by Perk Wave Reduction.
T4 Auto Pick Perks QOL
Toggleable. Can be harmful to use if you are able to pick your perks by hand. Really hard to use before 4 perk choices and multiple bans. T2 Standard Perks Bonus S Makes perks better T4 Perk Option Quantity S+ Reduces RNG in perks by a lot T2 First Perk Choice S+ Guarantees you can get PWR first in farm runs
T5 Ban Perks
A
Allows you to ban perks that are useless or detrimental to your runs, do not ban Coin Trade Off T2 Improve Trade-off Perks S Makes TO perks better
T6 Auto Pick Ranking QOL
Improves the consistency of Auto Pick by a lot. Is not a replacement for bans. No need to overdo it
T5
Flame Bot - Cooldown
C
Required for consistent damage reduction
Thunder Bot - Cooldown
C Improves overall CC potential Gold Bot - Cooldown F A
Can hinder syncing with UWs at certain higher times, best to sync 1: 1 Amp Bot - Cooldown F D
Syncing the bot may be beneficial in some cases, improves consistency
T10
Flame Bot - Burn Stack F FB is not for damage; not needed
Thunder Bot - Linger Time
D Only good if you have the bot Gold Bot - Duration B Great but long lab Amp Bot - Duration B
Improves overall damage and its consistency
T9
Common Enemy Health
D
Attack does not have any special
interaction like health does with CL+. The lower health the enemy has compared to wave health, the higher value CL+ or BH+ is. Attack
is a simple reducement in stats,
leading it to be really low value even for eHp. This changes little for tanks and bosses,
however they are already the enemies you will want to and struggle with most to kill
Common Enemy Attack F
Fast Enemy Health
D
Fast Enemy Attack F
Fast Enemy Speed
C
Tank Enemy Health
D
Tank Enemy Attack F
Ranged Enemy Health
D
Ranged Enemy Attack F
Boss Health
C
Boss Attack F
Protector Health
C Good with high level CL+ to fully kill protectors with percentage damage Protector Radius C Decent value for the lower levels Protector Damage Reduction D
T19
Ray Enemy Attack TBD
Ray Enemy Health
A
Alongisde CL+ and PC mastery, can
leave Rays at only 4.24% hp Vampire Enemy Attack F Vamps with garlic thorns, wall and Vampire Enemy Health F package+ are a non threat anyway
Scatter Enemy Attack TBD
Scatter Enemy Health
D
T13 Ranged Enemy Range
C Good to reduce ranged chips
T4
Common Drop Chance S
Very important long term for shard
income. Affects most stats Reroll Shards A
The costs of rerolling get really high with better developed modules Daily Mission Shards S
Very important long term for shard
income. Affects most stats
T10
Module Shards Cost
A Important but also retroactive Module Coin Cost D B
Useless until level 161+ when costs go into trillions and quadrillions. Retroactive
Rare Drop Chance S
Very important long term for fodder and shard income. Each level brings a big increase in the drop rate
T8 Unmerge Module QOL Costs 20 gems per unmerge. Shatters fodder on use. Can be used for hoarding modules past inventory
limit for Shatter Shards
T16 Shatter Shards S+ Very important to shard economy, makes getting high mod levels reasonable
T10
Cannon Effect Bans
C
Basically another reroll shards lab but arguably worse Armor Effect Bans C
Generator Effect Bans
C
Core Effect Bans
C
T19
Assist Module Substats - Cannon
A
Assist Module Substats - Armor
A
Assist Module Substats - Generator S
Assist Module Substats - Core S
Assist Module Bonus - Cannon
B
Assist Module Bonus - Armor
C
Assist Module Bonus - Generator
A
Assist Module Bonus - Core
B
T18 Battle Condition Reduction S+ Very strong for those reaching max heat in tournaments. Removes 100% uptime on ultimate enemies. Great for farms in T14 and up
T19
Knockback Resistance
C
Resistances get far weaker than most battle conditions with how they substract the effect
Thorns Resistance
C Orb Resistance C
Plasma Cannon Resistance
C
Death Ray Resistance
C
T20
Armored Enemies
C Helps to avoid losing CL+ damage
Enemy Speed F More Enemies F
Enemy Attack Speed
C
T19
Fast's Ultimate F
Ranged Ultimate F
Boss's Ultimate
D
Basic's Ultimate F
Tank's Ultimate
D Cuts off a few seconds of duration, can sometimes help lower the Protector's Ultimate D danger
T21
Ultimate Weapon Durations F Max lab only gives you back 1 second Death Defy Down C
Extra invincibility is always strong
Energy Shields Down
C
Enemy Level Skip Reduction S
Expensive but very rewarding lab. More ELS always is amazing