u/SparksMarioWiki

In the Kingdom Rush stage “Bandit’s Lair”, there are three barricades blocking a shortcut. Enemies don’t try to cross them until the final wave, where The Kingpin crushes them with his vehicle, allowing a group of Marauders to get by with ease.

However, these barricades don’t serve a purpose at all, despite their “crush” animation. No matter what, you can place troops directly on them, destroyed or not. This allows for ranged heroes to stay at a great spot to shoot at enemies from afar without much fear, only having to worry about the Raiders. If The Kingpin is killed before he reaches the barricades, the Marauders still cross the path regardless.

These barricades could be holograms or illusions…

As you know, the final upgrade for the demon reinforcements allows for a small chance (I think it’s 30%?) to summon a Pit Lord alongside your reinforcements. The Pit Lord himself is quite powerful in all stats, and has a strong AoE bomb ranged attack that crushes groups of weak foes.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t always appear, resulting in an RNG issue. I guess that’d make him too powerful, but I really wish it didn’t resort to chance. Alliance’s third reinforcement always appears, but that game was after Vengeance…

It’s unlikely, but I hope there’s an update where the Pit Lord always appears when using Reinforcements. I don’t care if his stats are weaker; I’d rather always have a third guy than a strong one that isn’t reliable. It’s the reason I didn’t get his upgrade (it’s the most expensive BTW) until after beating the main campaign.

I’ve made grids in other subreddits, so I thought to make one with Mario & Luigi characters as well. I did 20 squares instead of my usual 15, and I made them as unique as possible to make sure nobody takes up more than one spot. You may disagree with some of my placements, and that’s totally fine!

(Also sorry that this image may be of low quality. For whatever reason it would not download and I lost my progress several times…)

Absolute favorite! - Connie: Connie’s been my favorite Mario & Luigi character ever since I saw the trailer for Brothership. It’s impossible to dislike her.

Least favorite - Starlow: Probably saw this one coming right? Starlow’s very annoying in the middle games of the series (not to mention rude to Luigi) but thankfully Brothership improved her. It’s not enough to save her from this spot though…

Smartest character - Professor Elvin Gadd: It was a choice between him, Technikki and Adaphne. I ultimately went with E Gadd because he made a TIME MACHINE out of all things and even made a machine to get rid of the Shroobs once and for all.

Felt bad for - Buddy: Buddy’s had it rough in Brothership. He lost his only friend and when he came to see Bowser Jr. in Bowser’s castle, it was too late. He then got Glohmed and said harsh things to Jr., and after reverting back to normal he apologizes… at least the two became good friends at the end.

Favorite to use in battle - Bowser: Bowser’s just fun to use in Bowser’s Inside Story. He can punch, breathe fire, vacuum, crouch, and use his minions for powerful attacks. He’s got lots of versatility, making for amazing battles.

Silent, but powerful - Paper Mario: There had to be at least one Paper Jam character here! Paper Mario doesn’t say anything and he’s super strong. Enough said.

Character I wish we saw more of - Toadiko: She’s only in Partners in Time and never seen afterwards, not even in Bowser’s Inside Story. Not only that, but she’s a minor character with lots of potential. Do you think Toadette replaced her as the “female Toad”?

Most powerful character - Zeekeeper: His giant battle explains it all, but he’s also a powerhouse in the real world with the Wakebeam and Zee Egg! Dark Star and Great Conductor are also quite strong, but I think Zeekeeper is the most powerful of them all.

Biggest jerk - Popple: Zokket would’ve been another good choice, but I went with Popple. He’s always rude to everyone (including Rookie) and he was super harsh to a Wiggler in Dream Team. Thankfully he got what he deserved!

Character I’d be best friends with - Luigi: What can I say? Luigi’s a nice guy who I relate to. I too am a younger brother who’s taller than an older brother!

I don’t wanna make this one angry! - Broggy: Broggy’s always in a bad mood, but when he’s angry with you? You better watch out! He’s the most powerful attack Bowser’s got, and that’s saying something!

Best theme (not battle theme) - Antasma: Antasma’s theme is just plain awesome. I really wish it was heard more in the story, but that’s what the jukebox is for.

Best boss fight - Elder Princess Shroob: Elder Princess Shroob is a fantastic boss for many reasons: she’s got a variety of attacks, you have to plan to defeat her, her theme is great, and she isn’t a form of Bowser. We don’t talk about Shrowser…

Worst boss fight - Fawful Express: Another one that’s obvious, mainly for the fact that this boss is IMPOSSIBLE if your DS mic is broken. It’s better in the remake, but having to rely on the microphone (that doesn’t always work well!) does not make for a good boss fight.

Favorite “guide” character - Snoutlet: Snoutlet is definitely better than Starlow, but he also beats Stuffwell. Not to mention that Snoutlet is funny and helps out Mario and Luigi on their journey quite well.

Best villain - Reclusa: This guy had one heck of a plot and he’s confirmed to have destroyed many worlds before Concordia?! Just pure evil, and one of the best Mario villains ever.

Important to plot but isn’t seen much - Dr. Snoozemore: Dr. Snoozemore is the proprietor of Pi'illo Island, but we don’t actually meet him after Driftwood Shore. He also tells us to find the Zeekeeper, which is vital!

Hardest boss fight - Bowser X: There are lots of factors that make Bowser X the hardest Mario & Luigi boss, but it mostly comes down to his sheer strength and turn limit. I should also mention that you can’t spam Falling Star because he STEALS your Bros. Attacks! He does give them back… after like 6 turns!

Overrated character - Fawful: PLEASE NOTE THAT I DON’T DISLIKE FAWFUL. THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEAN BY THIS. Fawful is a great villain, and I see lots of people talk about him, especially in Bowser’s Inside Story. I can totally see why, but I like Reclusa and Antasma more.

Underrated character - Prince Dreambert: The secondary “guide” character from Dream Team has quite a role to play in the story, but I don’t really see anyone talk about him. Heck, there’s not even a reef of him in Brothership! Zeekeeper’s there instead.

So far, there haven’t been any Apple achievements for the Dragon Wars DLC in Kingdom Rush Alliance. When the other DLCs were implemented more achievements appeared, but why not for Dragon Wars? I wonder.

Something goofy I just thought of. Gloomtail and Amazy Dayzee are definitely powerhouses, but little do they know about Whacka…

The last three images show their strength.

Archers attacking Dune Terrors while they’re burrowing? That doesn’t make sense!

Why couldn’t Dune Terrors be like this in Frontiers?

A funny weird thing I encountered. Apparently Corpse Recruiters can use frogs to revive HUMAN pirates as ghosts? That Hanged Captain got his revenge on Isfet but he did immediately revive afterwards, so that’s good.

When I first played Kingdom Rush Vengeance in 2018, I didn’t think much of the Goblirangs. They looked like a unique tower but I always used Shadow Archers instead.

Ever since last year however, I’ve had them in my lineup most of the time. I’ve dominated many extra stages on Impossible difficulty with them as one of my main towers (especially the Hammerhold DLC). They’ve got great range, area damage, and two hits with good attack rate, capable of damaging flying enemies as well. To make the most of them, I group up the enemies with reinforcements/hero/barracks and watch them shred enemies with little to no armor. They’re like a cheap, purely physical artillery that can hurt flying enemies and I love it. I don’t usually get their abilities, as just having them at tier 4 is enough, but Bigarang is always nice to have.

Shadow Archers and Bone Flingers are still pretty great, but I just prefer Goblirangs now. The only time where they aren’t as viable is the Cursed Bargain campaign because group damage doesn’t matter against Haunted Skeleton hordes, but they’re not bad. Shadow Archers handle stronger foes while Bone Flingers have high DPS and stalling potential, but Goblirangs has the range and crowd control.

I feel weird to prefer them when everyone says Bone Flingers are the best. I wonder if anyone here likes them too?

So I just beat The Grand Arena of Kingdom Rush Vengeance without losing any lives and only using any free stuff! No items were used as well. It was easier than I thought it’d be.

I have beaten this level on Impossible difficulty before, but I had Isfet as my hero. The Sandworm Hollow is nice, but it doesn’t really work for the latter three levels of the Hammerhold Campaign. Isfet has extremely powerful abilities (turning those darn Djinis into frogs and making enemies take lots more damage) but I wondered if I could win with only free stuff. I will talk about my strategy below!

Hero: Asra. Asra is very fast and has strong ranged attacks. I used her over Oloch because of multiple reasons: faster speed, better Hero Spell, shield ability, and lowering the armor of the elephants. She can tank a lightning bolt strike from Malik if her shield kicks in. I don’t think Veruk stands much of a chance here and Oloch is fine, but Asra’s just the best of the three even though I like using Oloch more. I didn’t really find any uses for Asra’s Spider Bite, but I didn’t really need it.

Towers: Goblirangs, Specter’s Mausoleum, Elite Harassers. I also brought in Melting Furnace and Orc Shaman but I didn’t use them.

I placed my Goblirangs at the start of the paths to thin out the weak enemies. They have enough range to range other paths and my Gargoyles and Twilight Elves, which I’ll talk about later. Shadow Archers and Bone Flingers I feel aren’t as good as the Goblirangs. Goblirangs also serve as my “Artillery” but as pure physical damage and cheaper price. They’re also capable of hitting Magic Carpets and eagles which is a huge plus. They also help with taking out the other Magic-resistant enemies. I didn’t get any of their special abilities.

Specter’s Mausoleums are my magic attackers. They also act as support with their gargoyles. I placed them right outside of the Goblirangs and in front of the Elite Harassers so both towers can attack enemies while the gargoyles defend. They’re also capable mausoleums themselves also helped take down the elephants and has overall better DPS than the Goblirangs. I didn’t get any other abilities for them, although now I wonder how great the Possession ability would’ve been. I prioritized defending the front and built two backups later on just in case.

Elite Harassers were my “barracks”. They can block enemies in emergencies while also contributing with their ranged attacks. I upgraded them last, but once I did I bought their arrow barrage upgrade because of its insane DPS. Once again I didn’t get the other abilities. I built three at the start, with two more in the back later on.

What I did was build two maxed-out Goblirangs at the start with three Elite Harassers. I then focused on building the four Specter’s Mausoleums and then the third Goblirang. I then got the gargoyles and upgraded by Twilight Elves. Near the end, I built two more mausoleums and harassers.

Whenever an elephant showed up, I had Asra lower its armor so my physical towers can damage it better. She lasts surprisingly long against the War Elephants, but caution should still be advised when she’s close to one!

Djinnis should be gunned down when they appear. Their stupid polymorph ability is insanely OP, but thankfully their tower transforming skill has a very long cooldown and usually only reaches one tower. My Goblirangs whittled them down while my Elite Harassers finished them off. Be wary of them being turned into animals though! DO NOT let Asra become polymorphed. Most appear in the center lane, but two appear in the other lanes on wave 13, make sure you’re prepared. While seeing gargoyles polymorphed is sad, they do provide a brief distraction.

Sand Mystics are also vicious. Their healing is strong, but their ranged attack is even stronger. Even the Gargoyles don’t last long against them! My Goblirangs usually dispatch of them, but the Twilight Elves also can, also you have to watch out.

I should talk about Master Assassins too. If you’re luck, they won’t shred through your powerful units. Even if they can, they don’t have too much HP and can be taken out with the towers. Wave 14 spams them (buffed by War Elephants too!) with Sand Mystics support, so that’s why I had backup! They tend to group up, allowing for Hero Spell/Soul Impact destruction.

Now for Malik: He’s a scary boss, but he too was easier than I expected. His main gimmick is to destroy tower spots, but he also has incredibly powerful lightning strikes that deal massive damage to one unit. He seems to prioritize heroes, and can one-shot Asra if her shield isn’t ready. Thankfully, he jumps around the map, and his first jump just so happens to be a very great choke point. When he jumped to the top path, I blocked him with Gargoyles and had my Elite Harassers fire their arrow volleys. He was defeated before he could get far. Best to not take too long - he’s got Sand Mystic support!

Woo! That’s my experience with this challenge. Pretty fun actually!

Surprisingly, this only took two tries. On my first attempt an eagle got through on like wave 3… for some reason the teslas didn’t activate.