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The Tower Lab Tier List

The labs worth your time first, down to the ones you can ignore. This is an opinion, not game data: it largely follows the community's lab tier list for v29, so treat it as one informed view.

For the costs and level tables behind each lab, see the lab pages in the wiki.

Disagree? Build your own in the tier list maker

S+

  • Game SpeedMain
  • Garlic ThornsDefensePays off once Vampires are a problem for your tower.
  • Extra Black HoleUltimate Weapons
  • Lightning Amplifier - ScatterUltimate WeaponsOnly if Scatters trouble you and Chain Lightning is a main damage source. Otherwise skip it.
  • Unlock PerksPerks
  • Perk Option QuantityPerks
  • First Perk ChoicePerks
  • Shatter ShardsModules
  • Battle Condition ReductionMiscMainly for tournament players who reach max heat.

S

  • Lab SpeedMainA
  • Light Speed ShotsAttack
  • Wall ThornsDefense
  • Golden Tower DurationUltimate Weapons
  • Chain Lightning ShockUltimate Weapons
  • Inner Mine StunUltimate Weapons
  • Black Hole DamageUltimate Weapons
  • Black Hole Coin BonusUltimate Weapons
  • Extra Orb AdjusterCards
  • Extra Extra OrbsCards
  • Standard Perks BonusPerks
  • Improve Trade-off PerksPerks
  • Common Drop ChanceModules
  • Daily Mission ShardsModules
  • Rare Drop ChanceModules

A

  • Target PriorityMain
  • Attack SpeedAttack
  • Critical FactorAttack
  • Defense %DefenseF
  • Wall RegenDefense
  • Wall FortificationDefense
  • Coins / Kill BonusUtility
  • Enemy Attack Level SkipUtility
  • Enemy Health Level SkipUtility
  • Chrono Field DurationUltimate Weapons
  • Swamp StunUltimate Weapons
  • Swamp Stun ChanceUltimate Weapons
  • Swamp Stun TimeUltimate Weapons
  • Shock ChanceUltimate Weapons
  • Shock MultiplierUltimate Weapons
  • Death Wave Coin BonusUltimate Weapons
  • Inner Mine Rotation SpeedUltimate Weapons
  • Spotlight Coin BonusUltimate Weapons
  • Death Wave Cells BonusUltimate Weapons
  • Inner Land Mine Chrono JumpUltimate Weapons
  • Ban PerksPerks
  • Reroll ShardsModules
  • Module Shards CostModules

B

  • Workshop EnhancementsMainS
  • DamageAttack
  • HealthDefense
  • Orbs SpeedDefense
  • Shockwave SizeDefenseB
  • Wall HealthDefense
  • Package After BossUtility
  • Recovery Package ChanceUtilityS
  • Missiles ExplosionUltimate Weapons
  • Golden Tower BonusUltimate Weapons
  • Death Wave HealthUltimate Weapons
  • Inner Mine Blast RadiusUltimate Weapons
  • Chrono Field RangeUltimate Weapons
  • Swamp RendUltimate Weapons
  • Swamp Rend - Additional EnemiesUltimate Weapons
  • Gold Bot - DurationBots
  • Amp Bot - DurationBots

C

  • Super Crit ChanceAttack
  • Super Crit MultAttack
  • Max Rend Armor MultiplierAttack
  • Max InterestUtility
  • Missile RadiusUltimate Weapons
  • Chrono Field Damage ReductionUltimate Weapons
  • Chrono Field Reduction %Ultimate Weapons
  • Missile AmplifierUltimate Weapons
  • Black Hole Disable Ranged EnemiesUltimate Weapons
  • Flame Bot - CooldownBots
  • Thunder Bot - CooldownBots
  • Fast Enemy SpeedEnemy
  • Protector HealthEnemy
  • Cannon Effect BansModules
  • Armor Effect BansModules
  • Generator Effect BansModules
  • Core Effect BansModules

D

  • Workshop Attack DiscountMain
  • Workshop Defense DiscountMain
  • Workshop Utility DiscountMainC
  • Labs Coin DiscountMainB
  • RangeAttackC
  • Land Mine DamageDefense
  • Orb Boss HitDefenseS
  • Wall RebuildDefenseA
  • Wall InvincibilityDefenseA
  • Cash BonusUtility
  • Missile BarrageUltimate Weapons
  • Missile Barrage QuantityUltimate Weapons
  • Spotlight MissilesUltimate WeaponsA
  • Death Wave Damage AmplifierUltimate Weapons
  • Second Wind BlastCards
  • Double Death RayCards
  • Energy Shield Extra HitCardsS+
  • Super Tower BonusCardsA
  • Recharge Second WindCardsA
  • Recharge NukeCardsA
  • Thunder Bot - Linger TimeBots
  • Common Enemy HealthEnemy
  • Fast Enemy HealthEnemy
  • Tank Enemy HealthEnemy
  • Ranged Enemy HealthEnemy
  • Boss HealthEnemy
  • Protector RadiusEnemy
  • Protector Damage ReductionEnemy
  • Module Coin CostModulesB

F

  • Starting CashMain
  • Damage / MeterAttackA
  • Health RegenDefenseA
  • Defense AbsoluteDefense
  • Land Mine DecayDefense
  • Cash / WaveUtility
  • Coins / WaveUtility
  • InterestUtility
  • Recovery Package AmountUtility
  • Recovery Package MaxUtility
  • Missile Despawn TimeUltimate Weapons
  • Swamp RadiusUltimate WeaponsA
  • Recharge Missile BarrageUltimate Weapons
  • Chain ThunderUltimate WeaponsC
  • Death Wave Armor StrippingUltimate Weapons
  • Waves RequiredPerks
  • Gold Bot - CooldownBotsA
  • Amp Bot - CooldownBotsD
  • Flame Bot - Burn StackBots
  • Common Enemy AttackEnemy
  • Fast Enemy AttackEnemy
  • Tank Enemy AttackEnemy
  • Ranged Enemy AttackEnemy
  • Boss AttackEnemy

QOL

  • Buy MultiplierMain
  • More Round StatsMain
  • PresetsMain
  • Workshop RespecMainS
  • Reroll Daily MissionMain
  • Recharge Demon ModeCardsA
  • Auto Pick PerksPerks
  • Auto Pick RankingPerks
  • Unmerge ModuleModules

FAQ

Which labs should I research first?

Start with the S+ row: Game Speed, Garlic Thorns, Extra Black Hole, Lightning Amplifier - Scatter, Unlock Perks, Perk Option Quantity, First Perk Choice, Shatter Shards, Battle Condition Reduction. A few only pay off in certain situations, and the note on the lab says when. After that, work down through S and A as your lab slots allow.

What does QOL mean?

Quality of life. These labs save time or clicks instead of making your tower stronger, so they sit outside the ranking.

Does the order depend on my account?

Yes. Some labs matter more for certain builds or tiers, and this is one general ranking. For upgrades ranked for your own stats, use the advisor.

Why is a lab missing?

Only rated labs are listed: 143 of 201. The rest do not have a rating yet.

Other tier lists: Cards · Ultimate Weapons · Relics

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