Not all maps and enemies are built the same. That means you'll have to carefully choose which units you want to pull for in Dead Defense and which to put on your team. Our Dead Defense tier list will show you which units to invest in as they can work on most maps and carry you through stages.
Dead Defense - All Towers Ranked
We have divided this tier list into five sections to show you which towers will help you defeat the most enemies. Towers are ranked according to their usefulness, damage, and how well they justify their cost of placement and upgrade.
| Tier | Units |
|---|---|
| S | Cowboy, Vampire, Arsonist, |
| A | Gladiator, Boss, Necromancer, Shotgunner |
| B | Rifleman, Highroller |
| C | Priest, Minigunner |
| D | Gunslinger, Survivalist, Miner, Brute |
Overpowered Towers (S Tier)
The towers in this tier have the highest damage and can clear even the strongest waves of zombies. They are especially good against bosses and larger waves as they can deal AoE damage. Plus, their upgrades are worth it since they boost damage and range.
| Unit | Pros & Cons |
|---|---|
 Cowboy |
+ The Cowboy has amazing range, allowing you to place it anywhere on the map rather than at one fixed spot. + It has cheap upgrades and costs less to place as well. This makes it the most cost-efficient unit in the game. |
 Vampire |
+ The Vampire deals tons of single-target DPS, making it strong against bosses and larger enemies. + It has a good range as well, which means you can place it almost anywhere without being restricted to one spot. |
 Arsonist |
+ Deals tons of AoE damage, which makes it highly viable against waves of zombies and slower enemies. + Apart from its high damage, the range is amazing as well. You can place it almost anywhere, and the Arsonist will attack zombies. |
Good Against All Enemies (A Tier)
These are almost S-tier towers but are held back due to having slight flaws, like less damage or not being cost-efficient. Towers like the Gladiator deal a lot of damage despite having less range, and the upgrades make it a true boss-killer.
| Unit | Pros & Cons |
|---|---|
 Gladiator |
+ One of the strongest DPS in the game due to how hard it hits despite having a low range. + The Gladiator is extremely useful against stronger zombies and can work well on higher difficulty as well. |
 Boss |
+ It has a long range, allowing the Boss to attack zombies far away from its placement. + The Boss has a fast attack speed, causing it to deal tons of DPS to all enemies, but works great against fast wolves. |
 Necromancer |
+ The Necromancer offers good DMG, especially against bosses. + It has a lot of range, which makes it a strong tower against all types of enemies. |
 Shotgunner |
+ After upgrading it to the max, this tower can clear waves without any issues. + This is a good tower to place at the start of the game as it deals tons of damage to multiple enemies. |
Decent (B Tier)
B-tier towers are mediocre as they have some positives but have flaws as well. Unfortunately, the flaws aren't something you can ignore since you will notice them during the gameplay. Both towers in this tier fall short against waves of zombies due to their lack of AoE damage.
| Unit | Pros & Cons |
|---|---|
 Rifleman |
+ This tower has one of the highest ranges in the game as it can attack zombies from far away. + Deals a lot of damage to a single target. This makes it effective against bosses and slower enemies since it has more time to attack. - Expensive tower that doesn't deal enough damage to waves since it focuses on a single target at a time. |
 High Roller |
+ It generates money passively after a few seconds. This allows you to earn more money for upgrades or placing new towers. + Cost-efficient since it covers its costs quickly. - Cheaper to place compared to other units, but it doesn't generate as much money. |
Only Good After Upgrades (C Tier)
The Priest and Minigunner are useful, but do not justify their costs (especially the Minigunner). Both have expensive upgrades, and even when maxed out, they don't give enough value for money. This forces them to be placed in the C-tier, but if they get buffed, they can easily rise up a tier.
| Unit | Pros & Cons |
|---|---|
 Priest |
+ Once upgraded, it has good DPS, which is useful against all types of enemies. - The damage falls off as you progress through the waves. - Upgrades are expensive, which forces you to invest a lot in this tower to make it better. - Single Damage DPS |
 Minigunner |
+ Has good DPS and range, which makes it strong against weaker enemies. - Extremely expensive ($1,500). The upgrades are not worth it either for the price that you have to pay. - Unless it is fully upgraded, the tower isn't reliable, especially against bosses or faster enemies that run past it. |
Useless After a Few Waves (D Tier)
Towers in this tier are useless after the first few waves. They don't have enough damage and don't justify their costs as well. Plus, some of the upgrades (especially for the Survivalist and Miner) are too expensive, which forces you to waste money instead of placing stronger towers.
| Unit | Pros & Cons |
|---|---|
 Gunslinger |
- Low damage despite upgrading it to the max. - Short range causes it to only attack a few times before enemies get away. |
 Survivalist |
- Can survive (pun intended) the first few waves, but doesn't do great on higher levels. - Upgrades are quite expensive, considering this is an early game tower. |
 Miner |
- Melee range, which causes it to only hit enemies a few times before they get away. - Expensive to place and upgrade, considering it isn't good against most enemies (especially faster ones like wolves). |
 Brute |
- Damage okay in the first few waves, but like the other units in this tier, quickly becomes obsolete. - Useless tower in higher difficulties as it doesn't deal enough damage to weaker enemies in the starting wave. |
Dead Defense Unit Tier List FAQ
The best tower in Dead Defense is the Cowboy, along with Vampire and Arsonist. All of these towers deal high damage and justify their costs. Some of the upgrades for them are also quite strong.
Arsonist, Vampire, and Boss are the most budget-friendly units in Dead Defense. They will allow you to farm money and clear waves of enemies easily. Plus, their upgrades are also cost-efficient, despite some being a little on the pricey side.
Some towers have different variations, like Gold and Jade. Depending on the variant, it will have better stats than the normal. Gold towers can be obtained from the Gold chests in the Battlepass, and Jade towers can be summoned using Tower Bonds (the in-game summoning currency).
Those are all the towers ranked in our Dead Defense tier list. For more tower defense content, check out our Dead Defense codes so that you can get more summons.
