1. For a standard playthrough, does it make sense to make specialized builds within a class or just buy up things semi-randomly as psi allows? (Obviously I understand a need to respec for boss fights. DAT SHEEP.)

2. Archers = awesome, but armored mobs are a problem. Should I buy up knights (so far I only have the default dude) and use them instead of berserkers (I'm pre-emptively annoyed by the perspective of trading weapons to and fro) or just wait until the ladies get armor piercing?

3. Dragons and ice mages. (Okay, I kind of see ice mages being useful in a hypothetical setup when melee fighters need to be boosted to the max and thus cannot be moved cheaply AND there's plenty of space to place support). What use are dragons? They eat up psi like there's no tomorrow, and psi, unlike scrap, actually matters.

(I'm currently about level 12, stuck at the first boss extreme-wise)

1. Before you engage a battle, think about the optimal level a unit should be. My archers and zerks tend to be about Boost 3 most of the time in Extreme, at least for the first 2/3 of the game. I rarely make specialized builds, except in the case of Healers. Here's what I do per class:

Archer - try to max out Rapid Shot first
Zerk - try to max out Flurry
Ice Mages - give 3 points to Chill, and try to max out Sleet
Knights - max out Swing, then Smash; also put in at least 3 points into Armor Break
Healers - this is where I have specialized builds. 4 pure healers, 2 to max out Holy Light
Dragons - I also don't see the use for them lol :P

2. Yes buy more Knights. You should have 6 by the end of the game. Armour piercing can only take you so far. Your zerks need to be able to attack armoured foes at maximum damage, and this is where knights are handy. I usually place Knights next to enemy entrances, where possible.

3. Ice mages are very important!!! I cannot stress their usefulness enough, especially when you start fighting Monstrosities and Fetid Corpses. Goddamn bastards.

Btw don't underestimate scrap. At one point in the game, if you don't have enough scrap, you'll curse and swear.

Thanks!

Ice mages: I don't have much of a use for them currently, and there's a single ice mage (and, inexplicably, three dragons) in the promotional screenshots. That made me go "huh".

Scrap can be - what's the word? - ground. So the bonus for human characters is limited by what weapons are available at open towns, and how much patience I have (so far, scrap rewards have been exponential). Dragons are powered by psi, which is scarce.

What is a penalty for "failure"? Do I actually get (diminished) rewards for a failed mission? (Haven't failed a single one yet, I restart or quit if things go pear-shaped, but turned it down to -100 just in case. Very thoughtful as an accessibility option, but no.)

No penalty for failure except less scrap received.

I recommend having 6 Ice Mages. Actually I recommend filling up all your classes but dragons, but that's just me.

Trust me man, don't anyhow spend all that scrap!

Whoa, that other guy folded like a chump on Normal. He's being sneaky on Advanced though, I'll need substantially more people.

FFFUUUUUUU
DAT HAND
DAT PRIEST
THOSE ASSHOLES TURNED TAIL AND FLED
WITH MY BEST WEAPONS
ASSHOLES

Ahem. I'm level 19, found the exit, left, couldn't go the other way because my strike force fled (ASSHOLES), bought six of those +40 swords and the unique armor, killed the sheep and the second boss on Advanced, and hired two noob zerks (for a total of six). Extreme-wise, I'm stuck at dat sheep. I'm going to hire and level up more people and clean up what I can on Advanced between the second boss and the exit, then proceed further.

Edit: aaaand they came back. No new bows for you, traitors - should have been there with the rest when new weapons were given out.

Lol trick to second last boss is to ignore him completely first. Build up Psi with a good defence, and victory will come naturally. Placing a dragon and a healer next to where he spawns is a good idea too. Just don't delay too long, since enemies increase in level as time passes.

As for dat sheep, you'll want to respec Azra to max out Frenzy. Also, max out your rangers' Rapid Shot and your berserker's Flurry. Keep frenzying every second of the way when possible.

Stick a fork in it!

Level 21, killed dat sheep. Bleed at 25% from rangers and zerks + unboosted ice mages along the way plinking it with 54% chill + 13% zeal from two priests (one for each ranger group).

I'm level 25 now, sitting at, respectively:
normal: what looks like the final boss;
advanced: final tunnel;
extreme: Zelemir take 1 (actually I should just kill the sucker)
bonus: endless 1 / challenge 4

6 of each class, 1 dragon.

I now know what good dragons are... :\

What, are they actually useful in New Game+ ?

Verily. Especially on Extreme :P

Hey guys! There's been a lot of strategy swapping on our own forums and wiki, too.

There's a lot of competing theories at high-level play, but here's a decent (and opinionated) guide by one of our forum veterans:
http://defendersquest.wikia.com/wiki/DefenderBuilds

Generally, dragons don't really come into their own until New Game+, at which point they start becoming really useful. What makes dragons really shine is that they have the highest raw attack and defense, without the need for equipment, which means they make really great tanks/meat shields when you're playing against aggressive enemies that keep destroying your party members.

Additionally, Roar and Nom are two of the best abilities in the game - roar stuns everything around them, and Nom insta-kills anything below a certain % of health. Level both of those up and you have an excellent goal-tender, for instance.

As for the specialization vs. generalist thing, that's actually a pretty controversial debate. My take on it as the developer, and a semi-okay player (yes! devs often suck at their own games), is that if you know exactly what you are doing, specialization is the way to go. Otherwise, stick with generalists with some differentiated high points.

High level players who know all the nuances of the game will be able to squeeze a ridiculous amount of benefit out of super-special builds placed and boosted correctly (see coyot's guide above).

But, if you're not that uber-skilled at the game, an over-specialized team can be a detriment because you won't be able to deploy the characters correctly and actually do worse than with a generalized build that doesn't need be laser-targeted for a specific purpose.

In general, though, here are some tips:

1) Think about what a build's ideal boost level is. Don't put points in level 5 techs unless you routinely expect to boost that character that high.

2) Specialize your weaker characters in debuffs and/or skills that don't depend on level. A low-level berserker with 9 points in bleeding still gives you the max 60% boost to damage, and it doesn't matter how strong he is or even if he has a good weapon.

3) Learn how to use the advanced targeting options, and adjust the speed of the game when you're in trouble. This will let you squeeze the most DPS and benefit out of your builds.

Aaaand I'm almost done with the main game. Level 32, 180k scrap, all stars. Hardest map so far was Zelemir's Army. All that remains is to grind enough scrap to buy DAT SWORD (I'm going to just run Endless 2 repeatedly).

Looking at Steam achievements: dafuq? How is that even possible?