Dungeon Defenders
57 Achievements
413-505h
PS3
Defense Is the Best Offense
Reached Wave 10 on all levels in Pure Strategy on at least Medium Difficulty
3.6%
How to unlock the Defense Is the Best Offense achievement in Dungeon Defenders - Definitive Guide
Chris Plus
TrueAchievements
TrueAchievements
This is generally a very simple and easy achievement to unlock, assuming you have a tower spec'd Squire. In Pure Strategy mode, treasure chests give you a substantial amount of mana, meaning that it's not at all ludicrous to start every map on the highest starting wave, wave 8.
All that is needed when starting on wave 8 is completion of the first two waves. Once you've made it to wave 10, you will have completed the first of two steps to fulfill the requirements for that map. The second step is to come to a hard conclusion to the map, either by finishing the map by completing wave 30 (unlikely) or by having your crystal destroyed. If you manually exit the map at any point before it's officially concluded, credit will not be awarded and you'll have to do it again. All 13 levels must be completed this way.
Additionally, you may attempt to make it to wave 15 on each map to earn each map's specific pet. Some of the pets can be very difficult to find, or expensive so it's worth it to make it to wave 15 on as many maps as possible if you plan on attempting the Catch 'em All achievement. Be aware however that even though you are awarded the pet for simply reaching wave 15, you still must conclude the session for it to count toward Defense Is the Best Offense.
All that is needed when starting on wave 8 is completion of the first two waves. Once you've made it to wave 10, you will have completed the first of two steps to fulfill the requirements for that map. The second step is to come to a hard conclusion to the map, either by finishing the map by completing wave 30 (unlikely) or by having your crystal destroyed. If you manually exit the map at any point before it's officially concluded, credit will not be awarded and you'll have to do it again. All 13 levels must be completed this way.
Additionally, you may attempt to make it to wave 15 on each map to earn each map's specific pet. Some of the pets can be very difficult to find, or expensive so it's worth it to make it to wave 15 on as many maps as possible if you plan on attempting the Catch 'em All achievement. Be aware however that even though you are awarded the pet for simply reaching wave 15, you still must conclude the session for it to count toward Defense Is the Best Offense.
10 Comments
Thanks for this. I had done all of them at wave 8 but didn't get the achievement so I thought I had to do them all over. Apparently it was just the fact I did Deeper Well but didn't get a "hard conclusion" as you say. I redid the stage and sold all my towers on one side so they would destroy the crystal and bam, achievement.
By LV 1 Blue Slime on 13 Nov 2011 15:30
My story is similar to the above comment,
I did all my levels up to 10 and didn't get the hard conclusion for any of them. So I went back to Deeper well, got my hard conclusion and it popped.
I did all my levels up to 10 and didn't get the hard conclusion for any of them. So I went back to Deeper well, got my hard conclusion and it popped.
By Big Brenski on 23 Nov 2011 08:09
Bonemane
TrueAchievements
TrueAchievements
I played through this on Hard, took about 14 hours in total, but would be half that as I also tried to see if I could get to 15 which took much longer. Hard is relatively easy to get to wave 10 and you'll get some decent items for lower levels. To start you need a level 70+ tower build.
The recording of my play-through is here. There wasn't much prep before hand, I just went in using experience I have from playing the game so maybe skip 5-10 minutes into each map to look at the final defensive build for a Squire run.
Keep in mind you ONLY need to REACH wave 10 and then finish the game by losing or reaching wave 30. If you lose on wave 10 then the achievement will still unlock. The reason you need to legitly finish it is because the game doesn't actually record the level data until you actually finish the level and go back to the tavern normally. If you exit early, not only will the achievement not pop, but the game won't even recognize your play-thru. Oddly enough you will still retain all items and mana you collected as those seem to be sent directly to the server as soon as you collect them, but level completions are not.
Character setup -
Level 73 Squire (Tower Build)
Tower Attack & Tower Health Stats of tower maxed out (120 on character)
Weapons, Pet & Armor configured for tower stats as well
Useful tips when playing Dungeon Defenders:
1. Make sure your towers feed into one another, if there is an upper and lower level with a ledge hanging over an enemy spawn, if you put the turrets on the edge of the ledge they can assist killing whats below with whatever device you have down on the lower level. The Ramparts is a good example of this. If you have a blockade, combo it with something that either stuns or has knockback like a bowling ball turret, this keeps your blockade alive much longer since the enemies will die or be gravely injured and the blockade only has to finish them off. Setting up bouncer blockades and others items to where they can knock enemies off ledges for an instant death is always a plus as well.
Another example would be the fantastic two bowling balls down a hallway. The bowling ball turret down a narrow hallway by itself is unstoppable, but having two completely negates enemy movement as they'll get a double knock-back.
2. Try to keep your defense in a tight area if possible, this helps you upgrade faster as the mana will be literally at your feet
3. Make constant rounds through the map, picking up mana and upgrading as you go
4. Beware of randoms. If you're going after achievements, random players 90% of the time are completely useless. On the Xbox 360 they also will most likely STEAL YOUR ITEMS. If a player is following you around or standing behind you, immediately dashboard out or kick them from your room. If more than a second passes then just dashboard out or power off your Xbox (don't go back to the Tavern or exit to main menu as it will save your game and your items will be lost forever!) You will most likely have to avoid the player forever if they successfully took your item as every time you come into the same game as them, your item will disappear. This is because the servers don't allow duplicate items to exist (if both players have them equipped) and unfortunately it always deletes the original...
5. DO NOT build right in front of enemy spawns. This is a typical mistake new people make and only results in wasted time. The enemies take no damage until they leave the spawn so if you build in front of the spawn be prepared for your towers to do 0 damage and eventually be destroyed by them. This is also bad in later levels as the necromancers will keep spawning skeletons and you'll have a horde of skeletons unleashed upon you once they break free.
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The recording of my play-through is here. There wasn't much prep before hand, I just went in using experience I have from playing the game so maybe skip 5-10 minutes into each map to look at the final defensive build for a Squire run.
Keep in mind you ONLY need to REACH wave 10 and then finish the game by losing or reaching wave 30. If you lose on wave 10 then the achievement will still unlock. The reason you need to legitly finish it is because the game doesn't actually record the level data until you actually finish the level and go back to the tavern normally. If you exit early, not only will the achievement not pop, but the game won't even recognize your play-thru. Oddly enough you will still retain all items and mana you collected as those seem to be sent directly to the server as soon as you collect them, but level completions are not.
Character setup -
Level 73 Squire (Tower Build)
Tower Attack & Tower Health Stats of tower maxed out (120 on character)
Weapons, Pet & Armor configured for tower stats as well
Useful tips when playing Dungeon Defenders:
1. Make sure your towers feed into one another, if there is an upper and lower level with a ledge hanging over an enemy spawn, if you put the turrets on the edge of the ledge they can assist killing whats below with whatever device you have down on the lower level. The Ramparts is a good example of this. If you have a blockade, combo it with something that either stuns or has knockback like a bowling ball turret, this keeps your blockade alive much longer since the enemies will die or be gravely injured and the blockade only has to finish them off. Setting up bouncer blockades and others items to where they can knock enemies off ledges for an instant death is always a plus as well.
Another example would be the fantastic two bowling balls down a hallway. The bowling ball turret down a narrow hallway by itself is unstoppable, but having two completely negates enemy movement as they'll get a double knock-back.
2. Try to keep your defense in a tight area if possible, this helps you upgrade faster as the mana will be literally at your feet
3. Make constant rounds through the map, picking up mana and upgrading as you go
4. Beware of randoms. If you're going after achievements, random players 90% of the time are completely useless. On the Xbox 360 they also will most likely STEAL YOUR ITEMS. If a player is following you around or standing behind you, immediately dashboard out or kick them from your room. If more than a second passes then just dashboard out or power off your Xbox (don't go back to the Tavern or exit to main menu as it will save your game and your items will be lost forever!) You will most likely have to avoid the player forever if they successfully took your item as every time you come into the same game as them, your item will disappear. This is because the servers don't allow duplicate items to exist (if both players have them equipped) and unfortunately it always deletes the original...
5. DO NOT build right in front of enemy spawns. This is a typical mistake new people make and only results in wasted time. The enemies take no damage until they leave the spawn so if you build in front of the spawn be prepared for your towers to do 0 damage and eventually be destroyed by them. This is also bad in later levels as the necromancers will keep spawning skeletons and you'll have a horde of skeletons unleashed upon you once they break free.
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Nutter tkk
TrueSteamAchievements
TrueSteamAchievements
This only tracks for non-DLC stages.
This can be tracked via the the Level select Screen in the Tavern. To make it count you must complete the level either by letting the crystal get destroyed or beat the final wave.
To unlock Pure Strategy for any given level at Medium, you must play that level normally on Medium or harder.
Pure Strategy is unique in your characters can not attack, or build/summon or repair during the battle phase. However the mobs won't attack your character. Also Mobs will not be elemental, so you can use most towers without worrying about some being immune to them. Only certain enemy types will appear, so you don't need worry about Sharks, Djinn or Ogres.
It's strongly recommended that you use Builder spec characters for this mode, and that are higher level a possible. Only Passive effects of some pets will apply, and best to boost defence stats.
Out of the "Classic" Characters, The Squire and The Apprentice towers are recommended, as these provide damage that won't result in "damaged" Defences. The Monk's Aura and the Huntress Traps are generally recommended as a back up for the other defences that have failed, if they're used at all.
From DLC Characters: The Series EV Buff beam works wonders with the range towers. The Summoner's Minions can be used to add extra towers in exchange for Mana, as the Archer and Mage Minions can used for extra damage and provide much needed heal during combat phase. When a Minion stands on Buff beam it gets boosted like other towers.
As a builder, you should have already experienced the map have an idea on where the Choke points are.
Unlike the rest of the game, adding more players won't add to the Mob count. It does effectively allows the builder to hold more Mana or cover more areas.
As you can upgrade during combat, It's recommended that you upgrade Ranged defences first, then the wall as they get damaged. Upgrades not only boost the stats of a Defence, it will repair it if damaged.
In later stages, you may want to consider rebuilding walls to allow you to perform upgrade "repairs" during combat.
As you need to let the level "complete," It's recommend that you continue beyond the required Wave 10, to earn pets for getting to Wave 15 and Wave 25, which are required for other achievements and boosting your stats for later Stages.
This can be tracked via the the Level select Screen in the Tavern. To make it count you must complete the level either by letting the crystal get destroyed or beat the final wave.
To unlock Pure Strategy for any given level at Medium, you must play that level normally on Medium or harder.
Pure Strategy is unique in your characters can not attack, or build/summon or repair during the battle phase. However the mobs won't attack your character. Also Mobs will not be elemental, so you can use most towers without worrying about some being immune to them. Only certain enemy types will appear, so you don't need worry about Sharks, Djinn or Ogres.
It's strongly recommended that you use Builder spec characters for this mode, and that are higher level a possible. Only Passive effects of some pets will apply, and best to boost defence stats.
Out of the "Classic" Characters, The Squire and The Apprentice towers are recommended, as these provide damage that won't result in "damaged" Defences. The Monk's Aura and the Huntress Traps are generally recommended as a back up for the other defences that have failed, if they're used at all.
From DLC Characters: The Series EV Buff beam works wonders with the range towers. The Summoner's Minions can be used to add extra towers in exchange for Mana, as the Archer and Mage Minions can used for extra damage and provide much needed heal during combat phase. When a Minion stands on Buff beam it gets boosted like other towers.
As a builder, you should have already experienced the map have an idea on where the Choke points are.
Unlike the rest of the game, adding more players won't add to the Mob count. It does effectively allows the builder to hold more Mana or cover more areas.
As you can upgrade during combat, It's recommended that you upgrade Ranged defences first, then the wall as they get damaged. Upgrades not only boost the stats of a Defence, it will repair it if damaged.
In later stages, you may want to consider rebuilding walls to allow you to perform upgrade "repairs" during combat.
As you need to let the level "complete," It's recommend that you continue beyond the required Wave 10, to earn pets for getting to Wave 15 and Wave 25, which are required for other achievements and boosting your stats for later Stages.
MikeSharpeWritr
TrueTrophies
TrueTrophies
Note: This Guide was written based on the PC version, and this guide has been altered to remove PC only content.
This only tracks for non-DLC stages.
This can be tracked via the the Level select Screen in the Tavern. To make it count you must complete the level either by letting the crystal get destroyed or beat the final wave.
To unlock Pure Strategy for any given level at Medium, you must play that level normally on Medium or harder.
Pure Strategy is unique in your characters can not attack, or build/summon or repair during the battle phase. However the mobs won't attack your character. Also Mobs will not be elemental, so you can use most towers without worrying about some being immune to them. Only certain enemy types will appear, so you don't need worry about Sharks, Djinn or Ogres.
It's strongly recommended that you use Builder spec characters for this mode, and that are higher level a possible. Only Passive effects of some pets will apply, and best to boost defence stats.
The Squire and The Apprentice towers are recommended, as these provide damage that won't result in "damaged" Defences. The Monk's Aura and the Huntress Traps are generally recommended as a back up for the other defences that have failed, if they're used at all.
As a builder, you should have already experienced the map have an idea on where the Choke points are.
Unlike the rest of the game, adding more players won't add to the Mob count. It does effectively allows the builder to hold more Mana or cover more areas.
As you can upgrade during combat, It's recommended that you upgrade Ranged defences first, then the wall as they get damaged. Upgrades not only boost the stats of a Defence, it will repair it if damaged.
In later stages, you may want to consider rebuilding walls to allow you to perform upgrade "repairs" during combat.
As you need to let the level "complete," It's recommend that you continue beyond the required Wave 10, to earn pets for getting to Wave 15 and Wave 25, which are required for other trophies and boosting your stats for later Stages.
This only tracks for non-DLC stages.
This can be tracked via the the Level select Screen in the Tavern. To make it count you must complete the level either by letting the crystal get destroyed or beat the final wave.
To unlock Pure Strategy for any given level at Medium, you must play that level normally on Medium or harder.
Pure Strategy is unique in your characters can not attack, or build/summon or repair during the battle phase. However the mobs won't attack your character. Also Mobs will not be elemental, so you can use most towers without worrying about some being immune to them. Only certain enemy types will appear, so you don't need worry about Sharks, Djinn or Ogres.
It's strongly recommended that you use Builder spec characters for this mode, and that are higher level a possible. Only Passive effects of some pets will apply, and best to boost defence stats.
The Squire and The Apprentice towers are recommended, as these provide damage that won't result in "damaged" Defences. The Monk's Aura and the Huntress Traps are generally recommended as a back up for the other defences that have failed, if they're used at all.
As a builder, you should have already experienced the map have an idea on where the Choke points are.
Unlike the rest of the game, adding more players won't add to the Mob count. It does effectively allows the builder to hold more Mana or cover more areas.
As you can upgrade during combat, It's recommended that you upgrade Ranged defences first, then the wall as they get damaged. Upgrades not only boost the stats of a Defence, it will repair it if damaged.
In later stages, you may want to consider rebuilding walls to allow you to perform upgrade "repairs" during combat.
As you need to let the level "complete," It's recommend that you continue beyond the required Wave 10, to earn pets for getting to Wave 15 and Wave 25, which are required for other trophies and boosting your stats for later Stages.
Gackt
Reach Wave 10 on all levels in Pure Strategy on at least Medium difficulty.
Start at wave 8, reach wave 10 and quit. You do not need to complete wave 10.
yewjhin, terryfu
Pure Strategy is a mode where your hero cannot attack the monsters and can only build towers. Best done solo (as the resource units do not increase with the no. of heroes but the no. of monsters increases). You just need to reach Wave 10 (don’t have to complete it). You also cannot repair the towers that are damaged during the combat phase. However you can upgrade them, which in turn will fully heal the towers. Hence in between combat phases you may want to sell the defenses and build them again to reset the upgrades (each tower can be upgraded up to 5 times).