All Star Tower Defense has a large roster, and most of it will not carry a hard stage. Some units are built for raw damage, some for damage over time, some for buffing allies, and some for stopping enemies in their tracks. You can only bring six units into a run once every slot is unlocked, so picking the right ones matters more than owning a lot of them.
Quick answer: Build around Hamerucifer, The Overlord, Omega Dragon, Second Trumpet Salt King, Legendary Leader (Path), Kung Fu Galaxy, or TBOI (Rebirth), and add Jeff (CEO) or Octo The Greedy for money.
All Star Tower Defense unit tier list
Units are ranked on damage output, range, AoE coverage, support value, placement and upgrade cost, and how well they hold up across Story, Infinite, and raid content. The ranking covers the October 2026 meta, after Update 57, the OG LOBBY Update.
| Tier | Units |
|---|---|
| S | Hamerucifer, The Overlord, Omega Dragon, Second Trumpet Salt King, Legendary Leader (Path), Kung Fu Galaxy, TBOI (Rebirth) |
| A | Jeff (CEO), Octo The Greedy, Mochi (Awakening), Squad 7 Commander, Speedaholic (Enchanted), Dr. Heart (Mystical), Devil, Heavenly Duo, Cresent Rose, Wrathdioas (Demon King), Kovegu IV, Ruffy (5th Form), Future T & Aqua Vegu, Medukami, Ultimate Patriot, Unhuman (Nullifier), Buddha Chairman (Serious), Evil Incarnate, Perfect Insect, Hollow Woman, Glenn (Catastrophe), Tuca Donka, Ant King (Awakened), Vegu (Ego Ascension), Evil Shade (Final), Koku (Instinctive), Mysterious X (Final) |
| B | The Almighty, Crimson Boar (True), Mr. Wax, Lucci Heaven, Witch Betrayer, Idol, The Fear Volt, Blood Queen (B-Kui), Zyaya (Released), Zaruto (SS), Kosuke (SS), Ombre |
| C | Ganyu (Koku), Future Demon King (Unlocked), War Witch, Vampire Queen, Eyepatch (Serious), Handsome-Jo (Old), Joe Kid, Ikki Potent (Awaken), Universe Justice 1 (Serious), Stampede (???%), The Visionary, Jujutsu Master, Jong Choi, Otherworldly Pickle, Police Girl (Vamp), Flare Lord (Serious), Ex-Captain (B-Kui), Chain Avenger (Enraged), Zero, Eyezen (Final), Nightmare, Falcon (Ascendance), Humble-Swordman (Awoken), Shaolin (B-Kui), Tornado Girl (Serious), Boo (Kid), Jokato Koju (ASCENDED), Ms. Love TS, Mysterious X (VOID), Gex D. Gecko |
S-tier units fit almost any team and stay useful in endgame stages. A-tier units are close behind but come with a catch, such as a narrow role or a one-time ability. B-tier picks do their job in the right setup but are rarely first choice. C-tier units are situational, and several are only worth fielding early or in specific raid strategies.
Best damage carries in All Star Tower Defense
All seven top-ranked units are damage dealers, and each one has a trade-off worth knowing before you spend upgrades on it.
| Unit | Role | Placement cost | Drawback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamerucifer | AoE damage | Low | Expensive upgrades |
| The Overlord | AoE damage, range | High | Endgame only |
| Omega Dragon | Range and DPS | Low | Hard to obtain |
| Second Trumpet Salt King | DPS, passive | Low | None notable |
| Legendary Leader (Path) | Scaling, nuke | Fairly low | Short range |
| Kung Fu Galaxy | Poison DoT | Low | Weak scaling |
| TBOI (Rebirth) | Ranged AoE, nuke | Not listed | Range barely grows |
Hamerucifer has the strongest AoE damage in the game. It is cheap to put down, so it can go out early, but you will need a steady income to fully upgrade it.
Omega Dragon has the best combination of range and DPS on the roster, and both placing and upgrading it are cheap. The hard part is getting it in the first place.
The Overlord pairs wide AoE with long range. Its high cost keeps it out of early waves, so it is really a late-game unit that earns its price back through raw damage.
Second Trumpet Salt King is the easiest of the group to slot in. It is cheap at every step, and its passive keeps it strong into the endgame. It also counts as a damage-over-time unit.
Legendary Leader (Path) scales better from early to late game than anything else on the list, and it doubles as a nuke. Its short range means placement needs some thought.
Kung Fu Galaxy is the strongest mid-game pick. Its poison keeps ticking through long runs, which makes it a good fit for Infinite Mode, though it falls behind once upgrades stack up.
TBOI (Rebirth) is a ranged AoE attacker with a nuke. Its gains slow down after a few upgrades, and its reach stays roughly the same no matter how much you invest.
Money units: Jeff (CEO), Octo The Greedy, and Idol
High-cost carries rely on a steady supply of cash. For generating money, Jeff (CEO) and Octo The Greedy are the best picks.
| Unit | Tier | Income type | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff (CEO) | A | Extra money each wave | One per run, can’t be sold |
| Octo The Greedy | A | Stored money, collect on demand | Best in long runs |
| Idol | B | Money plus ally buffs | Buff changes at final upgrade |
| Humble-Swordman (Awoken) | C | Leader bonus to income | Weak vs Fire enchantments |
Jeff (CEO) adds income every wave, which helps you afford the costly upgrades on units like Hamerucifer. Plan its spot carefully, because you get one and it stays put.
Octo The Greedy banks its earnings so you can cash out when you need a big upgrade, which matters most in longer runs.
Idol generates income and grants nearby units Shine, increasing their damage by as much as 250%. On its last upgrade, Shine gives way to an ability that raises the damage enemies receive by 15% for four minutes. Humble-Swordman (Awoken) can help hold the lane while you’re still in the early game.
Best support and buff units
Buffers make your main damage dealers hit harder or reach further. A few have exact numbers attached, and those are the easiest to plan around.
| Unit | Tier | Buff | Extra effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speedaholic (Enchanted) | A | Up to 300% damage, 20% range | Restores base HP |
| Crimson Boar (True) | B | Up to 300% damage | None |
| The Fear Volt | B | Fear: +10% damage taken | Manual bleed ability |
| Ex-Captain (B-Kui) | C | 250% damage, range boost | Blocks base for 30 seconds |
Speedaholic (Enchanted) is the strongest pure buffer listed. On top of its damage and range boost, its passive heals your base based on the damage your team deals.
Crimson Boar (True) gives a similar damage boost without the range or healing, which is why it sits a tier lower. The Fear Volt weakens enemies rather than buffing allies, and its manual ability bleeds everything in range.
Ex-Captain (B-Kui) is a C-tier unit with a strong buff. Its ability keeps enemies out of the base for half a minute, which can save a run that is about to fail.
The other support units offer broad utility rather than a standout single stat. A-tier options are Squad 7 Commander, Dr. Heart (Mystical), Devil, Heavenly Duo, Cresent Rose, Wrathdioas (Demon King), Kovegu IV, Ruffy (5th Form), Future T & Aqua Vegu, Medukami, Ultimate Patriot, and Unhuman (Nullifier); Kovegu IV is the most adaptable among them. The B-tier utility group consists of The Almighty, Lucci Heaven, Witch Betrayer, Blood Queen (B-Kui), Zyaya (Released), Zaruto (SS), Kosuke (SS), and Ombre. They are usable, but a team built solely from these units still needs higher-ranked choices.
Nukes and burst damage units
Nukes deliver one huge hit for difficult waves or bosses. They are the reason several A-tier units earn their spot.
| Unit | Damage | Extra effect | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buddha Chairman (Serious) | 25 billion, map-wide | Poison | Single use, unit removed |
| Mysterious X (Final) | 7.5 billion | 60-second map-wide stop | Eight-minute cooldown |
| Koku (Instinctive) | Burst nuke | None listed | Shared cooldown |
| Vegu (Ego Ascension) | Burst nuke | None listed | None listed |
| Evil Shade (Final) | Burst nuke | None listed | None listed |
Buddha Chairman (Serious) uses Flower Explosion to hit the whole map and poison enemies. You only get one use, and then the unit is gone, so save it for the wave that would otherwise end your run.
Mysterious X (Final) is both a nuke and a crowd-control unit. Its normal stop freezes enemies for eight seconds, and Final Domain Finisher stops the whole map while dealing its damage.
Koku (Instinctive) and Buddha Chairman (Serious) share a global cooldown. Activating either one prevents you from using the other.
For steady damage instead of bursts, the A-tier pure DPS options are Evil Incarnate, Perfect Insect, Hollow Woman, Glenn (Catastrophe), Tuca Donka, and Ant King (Awakened). Ant King’s value depends on how far you upgrade it.
Crowd control units: slows and time stops
Slowing or freezing enemies gives your damage dealers more time to work. Most of these units rank low on their own but still fill a gap.
| Unit | Tier | Control type |
|---|---|---|
| Mochi (Awakening) | A | Slow plus AoE attacks |
| Mr. Wax | B | Slow |
| Zero | C | Slow, time reversal |
| Eyezen (Final) | C | Time reversal |
| Nightmare | C | Slow, time stop |
| Boo (Kid) | C | Eight-second time stop, AoE |
| Mysterious X (VOID) | C | Manual time stop |
| Shaolin (B-Kui) | C | Slow |
| Tornado Girl (Serious) | C | Slow |
| Gex D. Gecko | C | Slow |
Mochi (Awakening) is the only crowd-control unit ranked above B tier. Its AoE improves with upgrades, but its short range means it needs a good spot.
Boo (Kid) loses its time stop at the final upgrade, so stop upgrading before that point if the stop is the reason you placed it. Mysterious X (VOID) is worth keeping because it evolves into the A-tier Final version with a much bigger time stop.
Situational C-tier units worth knowing
- Ganyu (Koku) is solid early but loses value in the late game.
- Future Demon King (Unlocked) is a niche pick that doesn’t scale well.
- Stampede (???%) has Esper Rage for specialized raid strategies, but it needs heavy income behind it.
- Flare Lord (Serious), Chain Avenger (Enraged), Falcon (Ascendance), Jokato Koju (ASCENDED), and Ms. Love TS are support fillers.
Other C-tier picks include War Witch, Vampire Queen, Eyepatch (Serious), Handsome-Jo (Old), Joe Kid, Ikki Potent (Awaken), Universe Justice 1 (Serious), The Visionary, Jujutsu Master, Jong Choi, Otherworldly Pickle, and Police Girl (Vamp). Fill vacant spots with them while you work toward stronger units; if you put one on the field, upgrade it promptly.
How to summon units in All Star Tower Defense
New units come from banners at the Summoning station. Depending on the banner, you pay with Gems or Stardust.
A balanced team starts with one or two units from the top table, adds a money maker like Jeff (CEO) or Octo The Greedy, and uses the remaining slots for a buffer, a nuke, or a crowd-control unit that covers that carry’s weak spot.
