![Dead Defense Tier List [UPD 2.1] – Best Towers for Nightmare, Trade Values, and More](https://histream.ir/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/dead-defense-tier-list.webp.jpeg)
If you have the best towers in Dead Defense, then even the most challenging game modes, like the Nightmare stages, become trivial to complete. Now, testing out all the towers and each of their variants can be time-consuming. So, we did the testing for you and prepared the following Dead Defense tier list to help you summon and use only the best towers in the game.
Dead Defense Tier List
In the tier list above, we ranked all towers in Dead Defense from best to worst, based on their:
- DPS (Damage/CD)
- Range
- Placement and upgrade costs
- Money generation for the Farm units
- Ability to complete the Nightmare stages with minimal support
In general, rare towers are more powerful, but that isn’t always the case. For example, Rifleman is one of the best DPS towers in Dead Defense. At the same time, the Minigunner, which is super expensive to place, is really mid. Also, Gold and Jade variants of some weaker towers can easily out-DPS towers like Gladiator and Vampire. You can find out more about Gold and Jade tower variations further in the guide.
List of Dead Defense Towers
Below is a list of all towers in Dead Defense, sorted by their rank on our tier list. Also, to give you some context for their ranking, we included some pros and cons for each tower, as well as their current value in trade. At the bottom of the list, you can find all upcoming towers in Dead Defense, along with their potential abilities.
S-Tier Towers
| Tower | Pros & Cons | Placement Cost |
Trade Value |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
+ Easily solos in Nightmare modes + Amazing DPS + Decent range + Meta DPS tower for all game modes + Slightly stronger version of the Vampire |
$750 | Regular: 3,500 Gold: 5,500 |
 |
+ Meta DPS tower + Excellent single-target DPS + Very good range − Expensive to place and upgrade |
$1,000 | Regular: 450 Jade: 7,750 |
 |
+ Very good range and DPS + Amazing for solo Nightmare runs + AoE attacks + Cheap to place and upgrade − Not that great single-target damage |
$350 | Regular: 225 Jade: 2,500 |
 |
+ Best Farm tower + Overall, a better version of the High Roller + Excellent range + Cheap to place and upgrade |
$300 | Regular: 10,500 |
A-Tier Towers
| Tower | Pros & Cons | Placement Cost |
Trade Value |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
+ Amazing range and damage + Excellent single-target DPS + Very strong for an Epic tower − Low attack speed − Expensive to place − Not that good against hordes |
$1,000 | Regular: 2,250 |
 |
+ Good damage and attack speed + Excellent range + Very good early-game tower − Not that great to be your main DPS tower − Weaker version of the Vampire |
$500 | Regular: 2,250 |
 |
+ Excellent range + Good DPS + Good for Nightmare runs − A worse version of the Arsonist |
$400 | Regular: 80 Gold: 350 |
 |
+ Best starter tower + AoE attacks + Golden variation can solo Nightmare modes − Not that great single-target DPS |
$300 | Regular: 50 Gold: 225 |
B-Tier Towers
| Tower | Pros & Cons | Placement Cost |
Trade Value |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
+ Decent DPS and range + Generates money when hitting enemies − Very expensive to place and upgrade − Actually very mid for a Legendary tower |
$1,500 | Regular: 175 |
 |
+ Very good Farm tower + Generates money every few seconds − To get the most money out of it, you can’t skip waves − Limited placement |
$250 | Regular: 110 |
 |
+ Decent starter DPS tower + Ok range − Borderline useless in Nightmare modes − Really falls off against stronger enemies |
$350 | Regular: 10 Gold: 125 |
 |
+ Decent DPS and range + Relatively cheap − Falls off later on |
$450 | Regular: 10 Jade: 275 |
C-Tier Towers
| Tower | Pros & Cons | Placement Cost |
Trade Value |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
+ Good cheap DPS tower + Excellent range − Falls off against stronger enemies |
$250 | Regular: 1 Jade: 125 |
 |
+ Decent damage − Short range − One of the worst DPS towers − Expensive |
$750 | Regular: 15 |
 |
+ Decent, but only in the beginning + Cheap to place − Short range and low DPS |
$150 | Regular: 1 |
Upcoming Towers
| Tower | Possible Effects | Cost |
|---|---|---|
 |
• Spawns trains with a high amount of HP that also shoot on their own • Applies buffs to nearby towers |
$1,000? |
 |
• Buffs the damage, range, and attack speed of nearby towers | $750? |
 |
• Summons wolves with a decent amount of HP | $450? |
Gold and Jade Tower Variations in Dead Defense
Certain towers in Dead Defense have Gold or Jade variations, which are just their upgraded versions. Their placement and upgrade costs are the same as those of the regular ones. So, it is always better to bring a Gold or a Jade tower instead of the default one. Here are the bonuses that variations provide your towers with:
- Gold: 35% increased damage, 25% increased range
- Jade: 50% increased damage
How to Get Towers in Dead Defense
There are multiple ways to get new towers in Dead Defense, but the main one is by summoning them using Bonds. Each pull costs 50 Bonds, and a ten-pull costs 500. You can also get new towers through events, Battlepass rewards, special chests, and via trade.
That concludes our Dead Defense tier list. Now, you know which towers are the best to bring into the next stage with you. If you want to claim some free Bonds and start summoning new towers right away, then check out our Dead Defense codes.
Dead Defense Tier List FAQs
Currently, the best towers in Dead Defense are Gladiator, Vampire, Arsonist, and Cowboy.
Towers that can solo Nightmare runs are Jade Arsonist, Gold Gladiator, Jade Vampire, Gold Shotgunner, and Gold Necromancer.
You can get Gold towers from the Gold chests, which you receive as a reward from the Battlepass. Jade towers can very rarely appear when you summon towers using Bonds.
