Five Key Tower Footprints and Upgrade Paths (PC 1.66)

The perfect blueprint appears, your Supply is ready, and the platform has three useful squares plus one rude little gap. We have all eaten that loss. Check the footprint, firing shape, and later upgrades before committing. A tower that merely fits can still spend ten waves staring heroically at a wall.

This reference covers five PC buildings in version 1.66, checked July 13, 2026. It is not a complete Codex. Supply, Recon, and Tech are separate in-run currencies, and Tech pays for only some upgrades. Height effects are tower-specific: Farsight adds range per height level, High Ground Expertise adds damage per height level, and Easy Access doubles its listed bonuses at height 0. If your game shows a newer version, recheck every cost and percentage in the live Codex.

Check the Placement Before Paying

Select the blueprint and move its placement ghost over the platform. Do not confirm yet.
Rotate a directional or uneven building. Check every occupied square and the highlighted firing area.
Use the placement overlay for the base range edge, then inspect the upgrade paths in the in-game Codex. The fixed range changes for these five buildings are listed below.
Back out if the footprint or arc is wrong. Once Air Command is confirmed, its build cannot be cancelled and the finished structure cannot be sold.
Keep a small platform near the Headquarters, or HQ, open until detection, anti-air, and shield damage are covered. Filling every square is how the aliens acquire free parking.

PC version 1.66; costs, footprints, targeting, range limits, and effects checked July 13, 2026.
Building	Cost, footprint, and height	Targeting and range limits	Main jobs
Sturdy Bunker	200 Supply; 1×1; no height restriction	Fixed 90-degree firing arc. The Heavy Vencedor keeps its current target, then uses closest-to-HQ priority. It has Anti-Air, which adds 50% damage against air units. Second Heavy Vencedor changes priority to air. Reaper Cannon favors the foe with the most HP.	Anti-air, focused damage, high-HP target handling, HQ defense
Warwolf Position	300 Supply; 1×1; no height restriction	Circular area coverage. The GM8 targets the foe closest to the HQ and can damage up to 15 targets per blast. Heavy Shells adds 1 range. Warden Protocol adds 1 range, with its range and damage effects doubled beside the HQ.	Area damage, slowing, long-lane coverage, HQ defense
Scout Hideout	55 Recon; 1×1; no height restriction	The Eminus M4 has Detection, meaning it can target camouflaged foes. It favors full-HP targets, then foes closest to the HQ. C2 mines target the path and can hit up to 4 targets. Farsight Target System adds 2 range per height level.	Detection, slowing, mines, Recon-funded coverage
Super Heavy Pulse Defense	1,400 Supply; 2×2 square; no height restriction	Circular pulse coverage. Shield-break adds 200% damage against shields. The cannon favors the foe with the most HP and can hit up to 2 targets per impact before upgrades. Guided Charge adds 5 range.	Shield removal, high-HP target handling, area damage, shield support
Air Command	1,500 Supply; five squares in a line plus one attached offset square; no height restriction	The Air Command itself has no normal firing ring. Its Smoke Signal marks a straight bombing line on the path. T8 bombs favor full-HP targets, have Detection, and can hit up to 4 targets per blast.	Detection, bombing support, Recon income, Supply income, global anti-air support

Armor note: None of these five has a listed armor-specific damage effect. Reaper Cannon and Super Heavy Pulse Defense are the high-HP answers in this group, but that is focused target handling, not armor bypass.

Reserve the Large Footprints

Air Command
[A][A][A][A][A]
      [A]

A = one occupied square

Reserve a five-square strip plus the attached offset square. Rotate the placement ghost to make the building fit. The Air Command footprint does not set the bombing line; position the Smoke Signal so its straight line follows the route.

Super Heavy Pulse Defense
[P][P]
[P][P]

P = one occupied square

Reserve one legal 2×2 pad. If the placement ghost does not light all four squares, keep the blueprint and use a 1×1 counter tower until another pad appears.

If a large building refuses to fit, do not bulldoze a working kill zone just to force it in. Reinforce the lane with a 1×1 tower and save the larger blueprint for another platform. That delay is cheaper than planting a 1,400-Supply shield cannon where half its reach watches the desert.

How the Upgrade Stages Work

Each upgradable building has three sequential stages. Buy one Stage 1 choice to open Stage 2, then one Stage 2 choice to open Stage 3. The columns are not locked branches, so you may cross from Choice A to Choice B at the next stage. The numbers below are baseline PC 1.66 values and may change in later patches.

PC version 1.66; Sturdy Bunker and Warwolf upgrade costs and effects checked July 13, 2026.
Building and stage	Choice A	Choice B
Sturdy Bunker — Stage 1	Reinforced Pivot — 110 Supply: +50% rate of fire and reload speed.	Short-Range Comlink — 125 Supply: +50% damage and rate of fire for each adjacent Sturdy Bunker.
Sturdy Bunker — Stage 2	Second Heavy Vencedor — 150 Supply: adds one Heavy Vencedor and changes target priority to air.	Reaper Cannon — 300 Supply: replaces the current weapon with strong single-target fire that favors the most-HP foe.
Sturdy Bunker — Stage 3	Solid Foundation — 600 Supply: +100% damage, +50% rate of fire, and +15% reload speed.	High Ground Expertise — 1,250 Supply: +100% damage per height level.
Warwolf — Stage 1	Easy Access — 180 Supply: +30% rate of fire and reload speed, doubled at height 0.	Heavy Shells — 270 Supply: +75% damage and +1 range.
Warwolf — Stage 2	Shrapnel — 300 Supply: +50% explosion radius and +3 targets, raising the GM8 cap from 15 to 18.	Cybernetic Loader — 2 Tech: +100% damage and rate of fire.
Warwolf — Stage 3	Warden Protocol — 600 Supply: +100% damage and +1 range; both effects double beside the HQ.	Overcharged Ammunitions — 2,000 Supply: +300% damage and applies Slow.

Point the bunker's 90-degree arc down a straight approach before buying its expensive finish. Use Second Heavy Vencedor when flyers are the blocker. Use Reaper Cannon when one high-HP brute keeps strolling through the traffic jam; this is concentrated damage, not a claimed armor-bypass effect. Low ground favors Warwolf's Easy Access, while Warden Protocol is the clean recovery choice beside the HQ.

Detection, Shield, and Support Upgrades

PC version 1.66; Scout Hideout, Super Heavy Pulse Defense, and Air Command upgrade costs and effects checked July 13, 2026.
Building and stage	Choice A	Choice B
Scout Hideout — Stage 1	Large Squad — 55 Recon: adds 2 Eminus M4 weapons.	Farsight Target System — 10 Recon: +2 range per height level.
Scout Hideout — Stage 2	C2 Mine Launcher — 55 Recon: adds one detecting area-attack mine launcher.	Local Supply — 30 Recon: +5% damage per activated neutral building.
Scout Hideout — Stage 3	Compact Charges — 60 Recon: +2 range and applies Slow.	Special Comlink — 110 Recon: +3 range; while no building is adjacent, gain +50% damage and rate of fire.
Super Heavy Pulse — Stage 1	Solid Frame — 450 Supply: +50% rate of fire, or +70% while adjacent to an Ammo Depot.	Guided Charge — 350 Supply: +5 range.
Super Heavy Pulse — Stage 2	Shattering Charge — 2,200 Supply: hits up to 3 targets behind the initial target.	Shared Energy — 400 Supply: adjacent buildings deal +50% damage to shields.
Super Heavy Pulse — Stage 3	Underground Plant — 2 Tech: +75% damage and +1 target per impact.	Overloading Cells — 4,500 Supply: +300% damage.
Air Command — Stage 1	Topographical Surveys — 350 Supply: +15 Discovery.	Aerial Reconnaissance — 100 Supply: +10 Recon production.
Air Command — Stage 2	Air Supply — 5 Tech: +150 Supply production.	Early Warnings — 300 Supply: all buildings gain +10% damage against air units.
Air Command — Stage 3	Aerial Coordination — 350 Supply: adjacent buildings gain +15% rate of fire and Detection.	Second Command — 1,500 Supply: gain 1 Smoke Signal.

Detection belongs where cloaked foes must die, not on a scenic platform behind the HQ. Give the Scout Hideout height for Farsight, or leave its neighboring squares empty for Special Comlink. Put the Super Heavy Pulse Defense before the main damage cluster so it can break shields early. Shared Energy is the support choice when several adjacent towers can use the shield bonus.

Air Command is an economy and support building wrapped in a hungry runway. Take Aerial Reconnaissance or Air Supply only after the next threats are covered. Early Warnings is the direct anti-air choice. Aerial Coordination can give neighboring defenses Detection, provided those squares were kept open.

Advanced and Commander Variants

PC version 1.66; advanced blueprints and commander effects checked July 13, 2026.
Variant	Exact effect	Restriction or requirement
Advanced Sturdy Bunker	Deals 75% more damage than the regular version and uses the same three-stage upgrade path.	Separate blueprint gained through Tier II doctrine T45 — Advanced Sturdy Bunker.
Advanced Scout Hideout	Gains +4 range, deals 20% more damage, and uses the same three-stage upgrade path.	Separate blueprint gained through Tier II doctrine V47 — Advanced Scout Hideout.
Siege Master Obivim	Starts with 5 Sturdy Bunkers; all buildings gain +1 range.	Pargan Assault Group commander.
Major Delcia	Starts with 2 Scout Hideouts and gains +15 Recon production.	Pargan Assault Group commander.
Air Marshal Trevia	Starts with 1 Air Command and 1 Smoke Signal.	Iron Dragoons commander.

All five standard blueprints can be used by every faction and are not tied to one commander. The advanced forms are separate blueprints, not hidden fourth upgrade stages. Warwolf Position, Super Heavy Pulse Defense, and Air Command do not have advanced forms in this five-building reference.

How Fixed Targeting Causes Leaks

For the Heavy Vencedor, Keep current target is the first listed priority. Closest to HQ matters when the weapon needs another valid target. Area caps are also hard limits: a huge blast graphic does not mean every foe inside it takes the hit.

Flyers leaking: aim a Sturdy Bunker down the final approach and buy Second Heavy Vencedor for air priority.
Cloaked foes leaking: move Detection forward with a Scout Hideout, or reserve an Air Command neighbor for Aerial Coordination.
Shields surviving: put Super Heavy Pulse coverage before the main damage cluster. Shared Energy lets adjacent towers help remove shields.
High-HP foe surviving: use Reaper Cannon or Super Heavy Pulse Defense instead of asking a Warwolf blast to perform delicate surgery.
Swarms surviving: use Warwolf Shrapnel for an 18-target cap, then add Overcharged Ammunitions if Slow creates useful firing time.

If the needed blueprint never appears, protect the HQ first. Aim an existing bunker down the last straight approach, keep Detection on that route, and upgrade a working tower instead of filling another awkward platform. The run is still alive. It just wants a slightly more improvised alien traffic jam.

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