Iron Challenge opens on a stage once it is won in Campaign; the other four also need 24 stars.
Each challenge won on a stage adds 1 star to the total, on top of the up to 3 Campaign stars: 54 Campaign stars and 90 challenge stars, 144 in all.
20 lives, 5-15 waves.
1 life, 1 wave.
3 lives, 3 waves, faster spells.
3 lives, 6 waves, no heroes and faster spells.
3 lives, 6 waves, 4 heroes and no spells.
3 lives, 5-15 waves, one hero, Classic Towers and classic spells.
Campaign: 20 lives, 5-15 waves. Enemies carry the stage's full gem amount. A win gives 1 to 3 stars, by lives left.
Gems
100%
Iron Challenge: 1 life, 1 wave. Enemies carry 60% of the stage's Campaign gems. A win gives 1 star.
Towers allowed in Iron Challenge
| Stage | Towers |
|---|---|
| 1. Linirean Castle | Archer Garrison, Royal Catapult |
| 2. Arcane Academy | Knights Order, Scholar Mage |
| 3. Raided Farmlands | Scholar Mage, Royal Catapult |
| 4. Western Wall | Dwarven Culverin, Knights Order |
| 5. Silveroak Village | Elven Elite Ranger, Scholar Mage |
| 6. Lozagon Tower | Dwarven Culverin, Knights Order |
| 7. Three-Side Ambush | Elven Elite Ranger, Royal Catapult |
| 8. Fortress of Acaroth | Archer Garrison, Scholar Mage |
| 9. Path of Peril | Sunray Master, Elven Elite Ranger |
| 10. Abominable Lair | Royal Catapult, Sunray Master |
| 11. Frostbite Nest | Gold Prospectors, Dwarven Culverin |
| 12. Ha'kraj Village | Knights Order, Elven Elite Ranger |
| 13. Stormcloud Halls | Sunray Master, Dwarven Culverin |
| 14. Brightwick Town | Light Priestess, Archer Garrison |
| 15. Castle Blackburn | Dwarven Culverin, Knights Order |
| 16. Golden Grove | Wildcat Huntresses, Ironbark Treant |
| 17. Paladin Enclave | Alchemist Shack, Elven Elite Ranger |
| 18. Vez'nan's Tower | Arcane Forger, Cursed Crossbows |
Blitz Challenge: 3 lives, 3 waves, faster spells. In this mode enemies give 2.5 times their gold, spell cooldowns are half as long, enemies move 20% faster and heroes earn 25% more XP. Enemies carry 30% of the stage's Campaign gems. A win gives 1 star.
Spell Rush: 3 lives, 6 waves, no heroes and faster spells. In this mode spell cooldowns are half as long. Enemies carry 60% of the stage's Campaign gems. A win gives 1 star.
Hero Party: 3 lives, 6 waves, 4 heroes and no spells. In this mode enemies give 1.5 times their gold and heroes earn 25% more XP. Enemies carry 60% of the stage's Campaign gems. A win gives 1 star.
Classic Rush: 3 lives, 5-15 waves, one hero, the 12 Classic Towers (4 base towers and 8 specialist towers) and the spells Rain of Fire and Reinforcements. In this mode heroes earn 50% more XP. Enemies carry the stage's full gem amount. A win gives 1 star.
Gems
100%
Every battle
A battle takes 5 towers, 2 heroes and 3 spells, chosen before it starts; the mode rules above can change the heroes and spells. Calling the next wave before its timer runs out gives 1 gold for each second left, rounded to the nearest second, and moves every running spell cooldown forward by the same number of seconds.
Keyboard controls
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Spell 1 | 1 |
| Spell 2 | 2 |
| Spell 3 | 3 |
| Hero 1 | 4 |
| Hero 2 | 5 |
| Hero 3 | 6 |
| Hero 4 | 7 |
| Custom Hero | 8 |
| Stage Hero | 8 |
| Next Hero | Space |
| Previous Hero | U |
| Next Reinforcement | 0 |
| Previous Reinforcement | 9 |
| Item 1 | F1 |
| Item 2 | F2 |
| Item 3 | F3 |
| Send Wave | W |
| Wave Info | E |
| Show Info Card | R |
| Tower Rally Point | T |
| Tower Mode | Y |
| Toggle Pointer | . |
| Move Up | Up arrow |
| Move Down | Down arrow |
| Move Left | Left arrow |
| Move Right | Right arrow |
Challenge rating
The level-select screen rates the challenges of each stage: Hard on stages 1-7, Brutal on stages 8-13 and Extreme on stages 14-18.
Starting lives and waves by mode
| Mode | Lives | Waves | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign | 20 | 5-15 | 3 |
| Iron Challenge | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Blitz Challenge | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Spell Rush | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| Hero Party | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| Classic Rush | 3 | 5-15 | 1 |