Hunter — Tower Defense Simulator Guide
Category: DPS
Unlock: 1,000 Coins
Detection: Hidden, Flying
Placement Limit: 10 per player
Tier Rating: D
Total Upgrade Cost: $34,600
The Hunter Tower Defense Simulator tower is a long-range, slow-firing marksman built for chipping away at tough single targets. It requires a brief aim-up delay before each shot, but rewards that wait with a heavy hit: 225 damage per shot at max level. It detects Flying enemies from Level 0 and gains Hidden detection at Level 3, making it a simpler, cheaper alternative to the Ranger for players who have not unlocked cliff-based towers yet.
Hunter Stats Per Level
The table below shows all Hunter Tower Defense Simulator upgrade levels and stats. Click any column header to sort. All values are sourced from the TDS Fandom wiki (checked August 3, 2026).
| Level | Upgrade Cost | Damage | Cooldown | Range | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1625 | 45 | 3.45 | 22 | 13.04 |
| 1 | 725 | 45 | 2.45 | 22 | 18.37 |
| 2 | 2850 | 96 | 2.45 | 24 | 39.18 |
| 3 | 9400 | 156 | 2.1 | 26 | 74.29 |
| 4 | 20000 | 225 | 1.8 | 27.5 | 125 |
Note: Upgrade title: Hunter In The Night; max level
How to Get Hunter
The Hunter Tower Defense Simulator tower is purchased directly from the in-game Store for 1,000 Coins. There is no level requirement listed for this tower, so it is available to any player who has saved up enough Coins.
Coins are earned through normal gameplay, so the Hunter Tower Defense Simulator unlock is realistic even for newer players. It was reclassified from the Starter to the Intermediate tower category in the v1.84.0 update, reflecting its role as a mid-game DPS pick rather than an opening-wave tower.
Is Hunter Worth It?
The Hunter's DPS scales sharply with upgrades, going from about 13 at Level 0 to roughly 125 at Level 4. The total cost from placement to max level is 34,600 in-game cash, which is a meaningful but not extreme investment compared to premium late-game towers like the Accelerator or Engineer.
The main downside is the Hunter Tower Defense Simulator tower's slow base firerate and the aim-up delay before each shot, which makes it a poor fit for waves with many fast, low-health enemies. Hidden detection only arrives at Level 3, so using the Hunter Tower Defense Simulator unit against Hidden-heavy waves before that level means it cannot even target the enemies causing trouble.
Because of its slow firerate, the Hunter benefits heavily from firerate-boosting support like the Commander. Concentrating multiple Hunters on one spot, especially at loops or bends, lets them share buffs efficiently and makes up for the individually slow attack speed.
Hunter Tier Rating by Mode
Best Loadouts With Hunter
A practical mid-game loadout pairs the Hunter Tower Defense Simulator tower with Farm for income and Commander for the firerate buff that offsets its slow base speed. Placing several Hunters together at a choke point lets them all benefit from the same Commander radius.
For late-game setups, Hunter works alongside Ranger as a second long-range anchor, or alongside Militant and Minigunner for closer-range coverage against faster enemies that the Hunter's slow firerate cannot keep up with on its own.