Tower upgrades are one of the most important progression systems in Kingdom Rush 6: Genesis. As you complete campaign stages, you earn upgrade points that can be spent on four different upgrade trees, with each tree improving a specific type of tower.
In this post, I’ll explain how the tower upgrade system works, how you earn upgrade points, what each upgrade does, and how the two branches in every tree work. I’ll also cover the Mage and Marksman upgrades in detail and explain what happens when you unlock the Ultimate upgrade.
If you are trying to build stronger towers and want to understand where your upgrade points should go, this guide will help you understand the system before you start spending your points.
Kingdom Rush 6 Genesis Tower Upgrades Guide
The Upgrades room contains four separate upgrade trees:
- Marksman
- Barrack
- Artillery
- Mage
Each tree is connected to a specific tower type and contains 7 upgrades.
Once you purchase an upgrade, its effect applies to every tower of that type.
For example, if you unlock a Mage upgrade that increases mage damage, the bonus applies to all Mage towers rather than just one tower.
The final upgrade in each tree also unlocks the Ultimate ability for all towers belonging to that tower type.
How to Get Tower Upgrade Points
Your tower upgrade points come from campaign progression.
The further you progress through the campaign, the more points you receive. Completing all 18 campaign stages gives you a total of 56 upgrade points.
The points you have earned are shared between all four upgrade trees, so you need to decide where you want to spend them.
Here is how the points increase as you complete campaign stages:
| Furthest Stage Completed | Stage | Upgrade Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linirean Castle | 0 |
| 2 | Arcane Academy | 2 |
| 3 | Raided Farmlands | 4 |
| 4 | Western Wall | 6 |
| 5 | Silveroak Village | 8 |
| 6 | Lozagon Tower | 10 |
| 7 | Three-Side Ambush | 13 |
| 8 | Fortress of Acaroth | 18 |
| 9 | Path of Peril | 21 |
| 10 | Abominable Lair | 24 |
| 11 | Frostbite Nest | 27 |
| 12 | Ha’kraj Village | 30 |
| 13 | Stormcloud Halls | 35 |
| 14 | Brightwick Town | 38 |
| 15 | Castle Blackburn | 41 |
| 16 | Golden Grove | 46 |
| 17 | Paladin Enclave | 51 |
| 18 | Vez’nan’s Tower | 56 |
So, once you complete Vez’nan’s Tower, you have the maximum 56 upgrade points available.
How the Two Branches Work
Each upgrade tree starts with two upgrades before splitting into two different branches.
After the first two upgrades, you can choose between Branch A and Branch B.
Each branch has a level III and level IV upgrade, and both branches eventually lead to the Ultimate.
You can only have one branch active at a time.
The nice thing is that you are not permanently locked into your first branch choice. If you purchase the level III upgrade from the other branch, the active branch is swapped.
If you already purchased the level IV upgrade on your current branch, that upgrade moves over to the newly selected branch.
This gives you some flexibility when experimenting with different tower builds.
Mage Upgrade Tree
The Mage upgrade tree affects all four Mage towers:
- Scholar Mage
- Sunray Master
- Light Priestess
- Arcane Forger
The tree improves things like Mage damage, construction costs, ability costs, ability cooldowns, and attack range.
The final upgrade unlocks the Mage tower Ultimate.
Mage Tier 1
The first tier of the Mage tree contains the four Mage towers:
Scholar Mage, Sunray Master, Light Priestess, and Arcane Forger.
Once you start spending points in the Mage tree, the upgrades apply across these towers.
Controlled Chaos
Cost: 1 upgrade point
Requires: Mage towers
Controlled Chaos increases the minimum damage of Mage towers by 15%.
This is the first upgrade available in the Mage tree.
If you are using Mage towers regularly, this gives their basic damage a useful boost right from the beginning of the tree.
Mystic Masonry
Cost: 2 upgrade points
Requires: Controlled Chaos
Mystic Masonry reduces the cost of building and upgrading Mage towers by 10%.
This can be particularly useful when you are trying to build several Mage towers because the discount applies to the towers rather than just one specific Mage.
Mage Branch A: Erudition
Cost: 3 upgrade points
Requires: Mystic Masonry
Erudition reduces the ability costs of Mage towers by 15%.
This is the first choice between the two Mage branches.
If you prefer using Mage abilities frequently, this branch can help you get more value from your abilities by reducing how much they cost.
Mage Branch B: Focused Blast
Cost: 3 upgrade points
Requires: Mystic Masonry
Focused Blast gives Mage towers:
- 10% increased basic attack range
- 10% increased basic attack damage
So instead of focusing on ability costs, this branch improves the Mage tower’s basic attacks.
If you prefer improving the standard attacks of your Mage towers, this is the alternative to Erudition.
Mage Tier 5: Hermetic Study
Cost: 3 upgrade points
Requires: Erudition
Hermetic Study reduces Mage tower ability cooldowns by 20%.
This applies to:
- Scholar Mage
- Light Priestess
- Arcane Forger
It does not apply universally to every Mage ability, so keep the affected towers in mind when planning around this upgrade.
Combined with Erudition, this branch focuses heavily on getting more value from Mage abilities.
Cost: 3 upgrade points
Requires: Focused Blast
Shared Knowledge increases Mage basic damage by 4% for every Mage tower you have built, up to a maximum of 32%.
So the more Mage towers you build, the larger the damage bonus becomes, up to the 32% limit.
This makes the upgrade particularly interesting if you like building multiple Mage towers across the map.
Mage Ultimate: Ultimate Conjurers
Cost: 5 upgrade points
Requires: Hermetic Study and Shared Knowledge
Ultimate Conjurers is the final Mage upgrade.
It unlocks the Ultimate ability for all Mage towers.
You need the required branch progression before you can reach this final upgrade.
Marksman Upgrade Tree
The Marksman tree applies to four towers:
- Archer Garrison
- Elven Elite Ranger
- Cursed Crossbows
- Sentry Watchtower
All of these towers deal physical damage.
Their Ultimate abilities are:
- Archer Garrison — Arrow Frenzy
- Elven Elite Ranger — Merciless Aim
- Cursed Crossbows — Spectral Knight
- Sentry Watchtower — Triple Tap
A complete path through the Marksman tree costs 14 upgrade points.
Hawk Eye
Cost: 1 upgrade point
Hawk Eye increases Marksman tower range by 10%.
This is the first Marksman upgrade and applies to all Marksman towers.
The extra range can help your towers reach enemies earlier and cover a larger portion of the battlefield.
Sharp Projectiles
Cost: 2 upgrade points
Sharp Projectiles increases Marksman base damage by 10%.
This is the second upgrade and improves the basic damage of your Marksman towers.
After this upgrade, the tree splits into two branches.
Marksman Branch A: Perfect Shots
Cost: 3 upgrade points
Perfect Shots increases Marksman base damage by 15% against blocked or stunned enemies.
According to the in-game behavior, this bonus applies to the arrows and bolts of:
- Archer Garrison
- Elven Elite Ranger
- Cursed Crossbows
However, the Cursed Bolt and Sentry Watchtower shots do not receive this bonus.
So the exact effect depends on which Marksman towers you are using.
Marksman Branch B: Rapid Fire
Cost: 3 upgrade points
Rapid Fire increases Marksman attack speed by 10%.
Rather than increasing the damage of individual attacks, this upgrade lets your Marksman towers attack more quickly.
This can be useful when you want your towers to fire more frequently instead of relying on larger individual hits.
Marksman Branch A: Deadeye
Cost: 3 upgrade points
Deadeye gives each shot a 12% chance to deal double damage.
However, this effect does not work on every Marksman tower attack.
In battle, the bonus works only for:
- Archer Garrison
- Elven Elite Ranger
Cursed Crossbows and Sentry Watchtower shots do not deal double damage from Deadeye.
There is also an interesting interaction with a Woodland Trick arrow. If the arrow deals double damage, its ricochets also deal double damage.
Marksman Branch B: Exposed Vitals
Cost: 3 upgrade points
Exposed Vitals makes Marksman attacks deal maximum damage to unarmored enemies.
This applies to the arrows and bolts of:
- Archer Garrison
- Elven Elite Ranger
- Cursed Crossbows
The Cursed Bolt and Sentry Watchtower shots do not receive this effect.
So, just like some of the other Marksman upgrades, the exact towers affected can differ from what the general upgrade description suggests.
Marksman Ultimate: Ultimate Sentinels
Cost: 5 upgrade points
Ultimate Sentinels is the final Marksman upgrade.
It unlocks the Ultimate ability for all Marksman towers.
This gives you access to the Ultimate abilities associated with the Archer Garrison, Elven Elite Ranger, Cursed Crossbows, and Sentry Watchtower.
How Many Points Does a Full Tree Need?
Each tower upgrade tree has enough upgrades for one complete path to its Ultimate.
A full path through one tree costs 14 upgrade points.
Since there are four trees, completing one full path in every tree costs:
14 × 4 = 56 upgrade points
That matches the maximum number of upgrade points you can earn after completing all 18 campaign stages.
So by the time you finish the entire campaign, you have exactly enough points to complete one full path through each of the four tower upgrade trees.
What About Classic Rush?
Classic Rush works differently from the normal tower upgrade system.
The classic towers used in Classic Rush do not have an upgrade tree in the Upgrades room.
Instead, Classic Rush introduces its own classic upgrades progressively as you advance through the mode.
These classic upgrades are added stage by stage, from Stage 3 through Stage 16.
So if you are playing Classic Rush, don’t expect your normal Marksman, Barrack, Artillery, and Mage upgrade trees to work in the same way.
The tower upgrade system in Kingdom Rush 6: Genesis gives you a lot of control over how your towers develop. You have four separate trees for Marksman, Barrack, Artillery, and Mage towers, and every upgrade you purchase affects all towers of that type.
The branch system is also worth understanding because you can switch between the two branches instead of being permanently locked into your first choice. This lets you experiment with different builds as you progress.
The biggest milestone is completing all 18 campaign stages, which gives you 56 upgrade points. That is exactly enough to complete one full 14-point path in each of the four tower trees.
I would recommend paying attention to the towers you actually use before spending your points. Some upgrades have special interactions that do not apply to every tower in the category, so reading the details can help you avoid spending points on an effect that does not benefit the towers you rely on most.