Two Towers strategy: which two towers to pick first

The first decision in Two Towers comes before a single attacker appears: which tower goes on each side of the gate. This Two Towers strategy guide reads every pairing of the four towers against the attackers' own cards, so you can see what each pair handles well, what it leaves open, and which hill tower fills the gap later.

One honest note before we start. Everything here comes from what the Two Towers page itself says about each tower and attacker. It is a careful reading of the cards, not a table of tested damage numbers, and there is more than one good answer.

What you are choosing

On the title screen you pick the tower for each side of the gate from four kinds. The page describes each in one line:

• Archer Tower: fast arrows at one attacker, and with the Volley special, at up to four.
• Trebuchet: slow, long-range stones that hurt everyone where they land.
• Ballista: a heavy bolt through a line of attackers that ignores armor.
• Fire Tower: fire pots that leave the road burning, and fire burns through armor.

Later you can buy two more towers for West Hill and East Hill with gold: 150 for the first and 300 for the second, any of the four kinds. So your opening pair is not your whole defense. It is the defense that has to hold until you can afford a third tower.

The three problems every pair must answer

Read the attackers' cards and they fall into three kinds of trouble:

1. Speed. Cavalry are fast riders who reach the gate first. War hounds are fast and light, and come in packs of three.
2. Armor and shields. A Knight is armored, so every hit loses a few points. A Battering ram is slow, heavily armored, and strikes the gate hardest. A Shieldbearer's tall shield stops most arrows, though stones, bolts and fire still hurt him. A Standard bearer lends armor to the attackers around him.
3. Numbers and range. Peasant levies come many and weak. Archers, Crossbowmen and Mangonels stop short of the gate and shoot at it from a distance.

A good opening pair covers two of these well and does not leave the third completely open.

A reading of the cards: each tower's line, and the trouble it answers.

Two Towers strategy: the six pairs

With four towers there are six possible pairs. Here is what each one covers, by the cards:

• Archer Tower and Trebuchet. Speed and numbers. Arrows pick off riders and hounds; stones break up crowds of peasants. The gap is armor: arrows struggle against shields and knights, though the stones still hurt Shieldbearers.
• Archer Tower and Ballista. Speed and armor. The bolt ignores armor and goes through a line, so knights and rams in single file are its target. The gap is a big crowd spread across the road.
• Archer Tower and Fire Tower. Speed and a burning road. Fire burns through armor and keeps hurting whoever walks through it. This pair is flexible; the question is whether two single towers can keep up with a big crowd.
• Trebuchet and Ballista. Numbers and armor, with long range from the stones. The gap is speed: without fast arrows, cavalry and hounds are the most likely to reach the gate.
• Trebuchet and Fire Tower. Two towers that hurt groups. Strong against crowds and shields. The gap is speed again.
• Ballista and Fire Tower. Two answers to armor. Rams, knights and armored lines are covered twice. The gap is fast attackers and large crowds.

Notice the pattern: every pair without the Archer Tower has a speed gap, and every pair with it has to cover armor with its second tower. That is the real choice you make on the title screen.

A worked example: filling the gap with your hill towers

Say you open with an Archer Tower and a Ballista. Here is how to think through a run, step by step, using only what the game tells you:

1. Early stages. Your Archer Tower takes the fast riders and hounds, and the Ballista takes anything armored that walks in a line. Spend early gold on upgrades for the two towers you have: damage, fire rate, range or each tower's special.
2. Watch the road. If a crowd of peasants is still reaching the gate, that is your gap showing. Neither of your towers hurts everyone where it lands.
3. Buy the first hill tower. At 150 gold, a Trebuchet on West Hill or East Hill closes the gap: slow, long-range stones that hurt the whole crowd, and that also reach attackers who stop short to shoot.
4. Repair before the King. The King arrives every fifth stage, very strong, and hurries those around him. Repair and reinforce the gate with gold before that wave.
5. The second hill tower. At 300 gold, look at what is still getting through. If rams and Siege towers are the problem, a Fire Tower burns through armor and catches the three Shieldbearers who climb out.

The same method works for any opening: name your pair's gap, then let the first hill tower fill it.

Upgrades change the answer

Your choice is not fixed by the card alone. Every tower can buy damage, fire rate, range or its special, and every upgrade shows on the tower itself, from Plain through Trimmed, Fine and Grand to Masterwork. The Archer Tower's special is Volley, which lets it shoot at up to four attackers, and that softens its weakness against crowds.

Ages help too. Every five stages your towers are rebuilt stronger, from Timber to Legendary. But every stage also comes stronger, faster or in greater numbers than the last, and there is no final stage, so your defense always has to keep growing.

When to change your mind

If your gate keeps falling to the same attacker, the cards tell you why. Fast riders mean you need arrows. Armor and rams mean a bolt or fire. Attackers who stop short and shoot the gate from range mean you need reach. Next run, swap one opening tower and keep the other.

The towers are named after real machines, and each card carries a line of history. If you want the story behind them, see our guide to medieval siege weapons explained. For the controls and a first-run plan, start with our guide to the game in your browser.

Frequently asked questions

Which two towers should I pick first in Two Towers?

There is no single right answer. One sensible approach is one tower for single fast targets (the Archer Tower) and one for groups or armor (a Trebuchet, Ballista or Fire Tower).

Which tower is best against armored attackers?

By the cards, the Ballista and the Fire Tower. The Ballista's bolt ignores armor, and fire burns through it.

How much do the hill towers cost?

150 gold for the first and 300 for the second. Gold is won in the game; it is not money.

Why do my arrows not stop Shieldbearers?

Their tall shield stops most arrows. Stones, bolts and fire still hurt them.

Get started

Play Two Towers: it is free and plays in your browser on a computer or a phone. Pick a pair, find its gap, and let your first hill tower fill it.