Rune Ramparts

How to play

Enemies march down the road toward your castle in waves. Build towers on fixed spots beside the road to stop them. Each enemy that gets in costs at least one of your 20 lives, and a boss costs all 20. You win by surviving every wave. Keep 18 or more lives for 3 stars, or 10 or more for 2. Winning a map opens the next one.

On a computer, click a build spot or tower and pick from the ring menu, or press 1 to 4 for Archer, Mage, Mortar or Barracks. U upgrades, S sells, Q and W cast Meteor Rune and Call to Arms, and Space calls the next wave. On a phone, tap an option once to see its stats and again to confirm.

Tips and tricks

• Match the tower to the enemy. Raiders and Brutes wear armor, so Mages work better. Imps shrug off magic, so use Archers. Mortars cannot hit flyers like Bats.
• Barracks soldiers stand on the road and block enemies. Use them to hold fast Wolves inside your other towers' range.
• Call waves early for bonus gold. It also cuts the wait on your Meteor Rune and Call to Arms.
• Stop Shamans and Warlocks first. Shamans heal the enemies around them and Warlocks shield them.
• Fully upgraded towers can pick one of two special paths, such as the Ranger Lodge or Ballista Nest for Archers. Then they can learn extra skills.
• Spend stars on Rune Upgrades for lasting boosts. You can reset them and get your stars back.

What makes it fun

Rune Ramparts gives every enemy a clear weakness, so each map feels like a puzzle about which tower goes where. With eight special towers, one map can be beaten many ways. Each map also has harder modes: Valiant gives you one life against elite waves, and Purist lets you use only one tower type.