This game implements everything that a normal tower defense game has, like setting up traps to stop incoming waves of enemies but also lets players fight head-on those hordes of enemies through third-person combat. And with Orcs Must Die! 3, players now have access to dozens of new weapons, trinkets, traps, and a couple of new heroes. But, not all traps are built the same, so players must know which ones are worth using to complete the various game modes.
7 Confusion Flower
Acquisition:
Purchased with 6 Skulls
One of the most potent status effects in Orcs Must Die! 3 is that of Distracted since it makes enemies walk back towards their initial spawn portal. And in that way, it gives players time to re-group or have more formidable enemies pass through traps again. The Confusion Flower is among the top-tier trap in Orcs Must Die! 3 because it releases a cloud of spores that Distracts enemies for 3-seconds with a 12-second cooldown (can be reduced to 8).
Moreover, once players upgrade this trap (which should always be a priority), they will increase the cloud radius to 7 and can affect 100 enemies simultaneously. But the downside of the Confusion Flower is that it can’t affect flying enemies until players max it out with Skulls (7).
6 Gravity Pillar
Acquisition:
Unlocks After North Wing is Completed
The Orcs Must Die! game series is well-known for unleashing hordes after hordes of orcs, giving players barely any room to catch a breath. But, with the Gravity Pillar, players can effectively stop enemies in their tracks while dealing some damage. And that’s because the Gravity Pillar lifts all enemies (except boss-type enemies) and smashes them into the ground dealing 16 damage to every enemy.
Players that invest in upgrading this trap will be able to increase the duration enemies are suspended in the air and lower its cooldown to 9-seconds. The Gravity Pillar is a must-have trap for any set-up and merits being in the trap tier list since it can help players deal with large groups of orcs without breaking a sweat.
5 Flip Trap
Acquisition:
Purchased with 4 Skulls
The Flip Trap is one of the original traps that has continued to appear in every Orcs Must Die! game and continues to be one of the best “flip-type” traps players can use to defeat hordes of orcs and score a 5 Skull win. And while it hardly damages enemies (5-10), it can launch huge groups of foes toward deadlier traps.
The Flip Trap will launch light enemies over 28 tiles, while very heavy boss-type enemies will be launched only 2 tiles away, which can turn the tide in any game mode. Players should focus on maxing the Flip Trap since, at max level, it’ll have a 6-second cooldown and the ability to flip large enemies (and some bosses).
4 Deep Freeze
Acquisition:
Purchased with 6 Skulls
Apart from the Distracted status effect, Frozen is one of the most valuable status effects since it not only slows down enemies but also makes enemies take +30% more damage from Physical and Ice weapons. And the Deep Freeze trap is perfect for slowing down enemies, allowing players to crush them with an AOE weapon or trap.
Once players max the Deep Freeze trap, it’ll also deal Acid damage to enemies, further increasing its damage potential. The major downside of this trap is that it costs 850 coins to place, which can be expensive in the early stages of a level. Players can create a trap combo by placing the Confusion Flower in front of a Deep Freeze Trap, so enemies pass through it a second time.
3 Haymaker
Acquisition:
Purchased with 5 Skulls
The Haymaker has one of the shortest base cooldowns (10-seconds) in Orcs Must Die! 3 and has an active duration of 4-seconds, meaning the Haymaker will repeatedly throw and knock around orcs. Apart from hitting orcs, the Haymaker deals 48 damage per second once maxed.
The short cooldown and high damage output is why this trap is ranked high on this tier list, but there are some downsides to the Haymaker. The worst downside is that heavy and flying enemies cannot be knocked down even at max level (perhaps a future mod will change that), so players should use this trap in the early stages of their playthrough since the later ones have plenty of them.
2 Arrow Wall
Acquisition:
Unlocked from the Start
Another OG trap that continues to be used in the entire game series is the Arrow Wall since it’s one of the best DPS traps. Even without being upgraded, the Arrow Wall deals eight damage per arrow, meaning a single volley will deal 288 damage to enemies that pass in front of it.
But, fans should prioritize maxing this trap out since it’ll increase the damage of each arrow to 12 and will deal fire/pierce damage to enemies. The best set-up for the Arrow Wall is placing several of them in a corridor with several Confusion Flowers or Deep Freeze traps. And it only costs 600 coins to place, making them very affordable for the entire stage.
1 Barricade
Acquisition:
Unlocks After Hidden Dock is Completed
Despite dealing no damage or status effect, the Barricade is hands down the best trap in Orcs Must Die! 3. The main reason this is a top-tier trap is that once players fully upgrade it, it’ll have a massive hit-point pool of 250. That gives players plenty of time to wipe out hordes of enemies without risking being killed or having enemies reach The Rift.
And Robot Entertainment didn’t stop there since each upgrade buffs its durability (the amount of damage it needs to take to lose a hit-point) for a maximum of 33%. Moreover, the final upgrade increases the Barricades size by two tiles, which means only light enemies can pass through it. But, to counter its OP mechanics, Robot Entertainment increased its final cost (once fully upgraded) to 1,200 coin.
Orcs Must Die! 3 is available now for Xbox One/ Series X/ Series S, PlayStation 4/5, Microsoft Windows, and Google Stadia.
More: Orcs Must Die 3 Review Roundup
