The current state of Monsters are Coming! Rock & Road can feel punishing, especially when we’re talking about the more difficult levels, but the game itself is not impossible.
As long as you understand the mechanics – and the RNG gods work in your favor – you will do just fine. While we have no control over the latter, let’s focus on the former in today’s article, where I will share strategies and tips for doing better in Monsters Are Coming Rock & Road.
How Progression Works
The first thing that you should master in the game is its economy, otherwise you can end up ruining your current run even before it truly begins.
I think that the most important rule is related to the “x3 Building” bundles. When you level up, you sometimes get the choice to take three buildings (or six in Mirror City) for free.
ALWAYS take it!
But if the same combos appear in the shop, I recommend skipping them, because they are too expensive (at least for the early game stages). In that case, you are better off buying single 5g buildings and relying on level-up rewards for bulk expansion.
As I said – the RNG gods must be in a good mood to have a truly flawless run.
Another important thing to keep in mind in regards to progression is how you manage your gold.
In the early game, purchasing economy buildings like the Bookstore (Water to Gold) or Wandering Market (Wood to Gold) is vital.
Later on, and especially in Nightmare difficulty, however, your gold cap is tighter. Rerolling beyond 9 gold is way too expensive. You must learn to play with the hand RNG deals you, ideally prioritizing economy buildings early so you can steamroll the later waves.
Strategies that work for Hard, Expert & Nightmare
All these difficulty levels are… well… difficult, but each has some specific building, units or approaches that make your life easier. Here’s how to tackle each of these difficulty modes for an easier run.
If you are stuck on Hard, one approach you can take is focusing on the Mirror City. As it lets you duplicate every building you place, you will win easier through quantity over quality.
Still, you need some of the latter, and the best options are the Sappers and the Necromancy Tower. Your goal is to have as many units on the map as possible, and this is exactly what these two help you achieve (combined with Mirror City).
And since you have the quantity, you shouldn’t focus as much on upgrading these towers. Since you get double the output anyway, 10 towers (or more) of level 1 are better (and cheaper) that 3-4 towers of Level 3.
Instead, use the limited gold available on expanding your army and spend the said gold carefully. For example, investing in % damage multipliers early on doesn’t give you huge benefits early on.
As things get more difficult, you must change your approach (usually the later stages, but especially in the more difficult game modes).
Specific unlocks and challenges can help your progress overall (for example, getting the Slime Vat for beating the first Expert level with just one tower) – this can prove extremely useful, just like any unlockable.
But this particular building seems created for Expert and Nightmare, since it heals your hero, which becomes your ace in the late game stages.
From this moment on, you should also switch focus to towers that debuff your enemy (like Ice Ray or Drill).
You can also try different approaches for these advanced difficulty levels, like the Royal Mausoleum. It’s a matter of testing and seeing what works better for your play style.
But keep in mind that in Expert and especially in Nightmare, tower damage is nerfed. As a result, you need to be very careful about tower placement – and carefully choose any tower you place or upgrade.
Out of all, I would say that the Fire Dragon is the important one, as it deals with the fast enemies without a problem. Also, you can add a Saw to the frontline to clear the trees and prevent enemies from taking cover.
I would recommend avoiding towers that are usually solid in easier game modes (like the Cursed Ballista, as you are very unlikely to max its potential). Other towers that I found less useful on Expert and Nightmare were Fragmentation Mortar (requires too much gold) or the Blizzard Bellows (becomes obsolete against fast-moving enemies)
Advanced Boss Tactics
Here are a few specific tips for dealing with the Wood Boss or the Spider one.
The Wood Boss
This boss is a run-killer if you’re not ready for it. He fires projectiles that can three-shot your city. The trick is relatively simple and probably straightforward, but I’m mentioning it just in case you haven’t figured it out.
Since the boss targets your hero’s position, you must stand outside and away from your city so that when he fires, the projectiles fly harmlessly into the void rather than hitting your base. If you try to hide in your city, you will lose over and over again.
The Spider Boss
While less immediately lethal than the Wood Boss, the Spider requires micromanagement to destroy.
It lays eggs that will hatch into additional enemies, swarming your defenses eventually. You do not need to focus the boss down instantly, but you must occasionally manually target and destroy the eggs.
If you ignore them, the sheer volume of enemies will overwhelm your push-back capability.
This would be it! What other tips and tricks would you share with fellow Monsters are Coming! Rock & Road players?
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