Almanacfor Wanderburg Unofficial

Beginner Guide

How a run works, what to do on your first runs, what to spend silver on, and what experienced players do differently. Advice marked likely or unverified comes from players rather than the game files. Much of the mechanics detail builds on the Steam guide "The Complete Wanderburg Reference".

How a run works

Eat to level: everything you swallow drops gold
  1. Eat to level. Drive over villagers and livestock, and later houses, mills and carts. Everything you swallow drops gold, and gold fills your level bar.
  2. Level to build. Each level offers upgrade cards for a mounted module. New modules arrive at player levels 3, 12 and 24.
  3. Kill bosses to grow. Bosses 1 to 3 each raise your castle's rank and offer a Defense or Movement card. Rank decides what you can eat.
  4. Beat the clock. Take too long on a stage and Overtime starts: spawns ramp up about five-fold and mortars appear until the stage boss dies.
  5. Spend silver between runs. Gold converts to silver at 10 to 1. Silver buys new options (modules, crews, captains, chassis, start artifacts), never raw stats.
Boss kills raise your rank, and your castle grows

Your first runs

  1. Stay on Green Plains until you clear all four bosses. It is the only map with no difficulty skulls, and it takes half damage.
  2. Keep moving. Your castle is the weapon. Circle crowds so your auto attacks and your mouth both work.
  3. Pick upgrades for what already kills. The module that is clearing enemies deserves the next card, not the newest toy.
  4. Stick to one or two damage types so that type artifacts (Iron or Golden Bullet, Bow, Sword, Gem) boost most of your damage.
  5. Spend rerolls when a level offers nothing for your main module.
  6. Beat Golden Dunes next to unlock Spiderburg, then Dusky Pines for Tankenburg.

Beating bosses

A boss fortress exploding in a huge fireball that knocks back nearby enemies
A boss going down
  • Fire is weak here. Every stage boss resists fire by 65 to 85%. Carry a second damage type.
  • Stun does nothing. Bosses have 100% stun resistance.
  • Drag the boss into a crowd. A boss death deals 75% of max HP to everything within 125 units. (unverified)
  • Targeting Scope takes 10% off the next boss's HP. Grab it before a hard boss.
  • Use the planner's time to kill to compare builds against the boss you're stuck on.

Surviving Overtime

A castle at night surrounded by a swarm of enemies and explosions
Night swarm: what Overtime feels like
  • Overtime starts roughly 5 to 7 minutes into a stage if the boss is still alive.
  • Mortars pre-aim. Zig-zag instead of driving straight. Force Mage, Teleporter and Dash all help you slip out.
  • Lightning Mage's stun lets you hunt mortar towers down.
  • Slow castles (Empress, Tankenburg) struggle here. Movement cards matter more than you'd think.

Choosing a captain

  • Norbert the Normal: no perk, no drawback. Fine while learning.
  • Huntress (auto attacks +50%, abilities 40% slower): used in most of the community builds collected here for auto-attack castles (player opinion).
  • Patchy the Pirate: +30% cannon damage, but enemy cannons hit you 25% harder. Pair with a cannon build.
  • Duelist: +50% melee while boosting. Pair with Ram and Arms.
  • Dieter the Drunk: +1 luck, which quadruples Epic card odds, at the cost of wobbly steering.
  • Empress: doubles your summons but costs 30% speed.
  • Kapitalistus Maximus and Time Witch are for farming silver and shortening runs, not for power.

See every captain →

Luck and card rarity

Luck only changes upgrade-card rarity. Each point of luck helps less than the one before, and Epic odds level off around 23% (22.6% at luck 20). The Steam reference guide suggests stopping at about 5 or 6.

LuckCommonUncommonRareEpic
-170.1%28.0%1.8%0.2%
040.0%48.0%10.0%2.0%
0.535.7%45.9%14.0%4.3%
128.4%42.4%20.9%8.3%
217.9%37.3%30.8%14.1%
312.6%34.7%35.8%16.9%
57.9%32.4%40.2%19.5%
104.3%30.6%43.6%21.5%
202.3%29.7%45.5%22.6%

Builds found by the planner

Instead of guessing, we searched the planner's own damage model for the strongest builds it can calculate. Remember what it can't see: area damage, summons, and how many shots actually land.

Anchored Broadside

theoretical maxTankenburg60 cards
Damage / sec11,486on paper
Time to kill2.1 sKanoningen, Sinister Swamp
Captain
Patchy the Pirate
Crew
Canoneer Crew
Modules
Top Mortar, Front Cannon, Teleporter, Side Cannon
Artifacts
Iron Bullet, Golden Bullet, Strong gem, Powerful gem, Top Module Booster, Sides Module Booster, Front Module Booster, Top Hourglass, Sides Hourglass, Front Hourglass, Frost Orb, Campfire, Extra Rations

Searched every combination of chassis, captain, crew and modules the planner can score: 409,500 builds, with every upgrade card maxed and Epic, every useful artifact, and best-case conditions. Nothing physically impossible: no boosting while standing still.

Out of reach in a real run: it assumes 60 Epic cards. It has to stand still for Campfire, has just 875 HP, and Patchy makes enemy cannons hit it 25% harder. Front Cannon and Teleporter fire bursts that won't all land, and the planner counts Top Mortar's area attack as single-target.

Spider Privateer

realisticSpiderburg24 cards
Damage / sec1,754on paper
Time to kill4.0 sBombardia, Green Plains
Captain
Patchy the Pirate
Crew
Wizard Crew
Modules
Cannon Tower, Top Mortar, Front Cannon, Dash
Artifacts
Iron Bullet, Golden Bullet, Frost Orb, Five Leaf Clover, Front Module Booster

The best build at 24 upgrade cards, about what a run gives by the time your fourth module arrives. Cards are placed where they add the most, rarity is the odds at the build's own luck, it carries 5 artifacts, and it keeps moving. Targets count as slowed only because Wizard Crew slows them.

It puts everything into Front Cannon and Top Mortar's auto attack. The back slot doesn't change the number, so Dash is there for escapes. Spiderburg needs two top modules to start a run: Cannon Tower is the second. Watch the low HP (310).

Spending silver: module unlock costs

Silver never buys raw power, only options, so unlock what fits a build you want to play. Unlocking lots of modules waters down your level-up offers.

ModuleSilverHow to unlock
DashBack600Purchase only
Turret LayerBack800Reach upgrade level 10 on Mine Layer
Front CannonFront800Quest route broken per reference guide (its quest grants Cannon Tower); playertome lists 'Reach upgrade lvl 10 for Side Cannons'
Side BarracksSides800Purchase only
Archer TowerTop800Reach upgrade level 5 on Archer Crew
Mine LayerBack1,000Purchase only
RamFront1,000Purchase only
TeleporterFront1,000Reach upgrade level 10 on Dash
Side CannonSides1,000Purchase only
Cannon TowerTop1,000Reach upgrade level 10 on Cannon (reference guide) / level 5 Cannon Crew (playertome text) - the quest wiring is disputed
Top MortarTop1,000Purchase only
Front BarracksFront1,200Reach upgrade level 10 on Side Barracks (quest text calls it 'Riders')
Side ArmsSides1,200Reach upgrade level 10 on Ram
Side BallistaSides1,200Purchase only
Force MageFront1,600Purchase only
Fire MageTop2,000Purchase only
CompanionBack2,500Quest 'Destroy 120 walking enemies overall' (playertome, 0.9.14); reference guide (0.9.8) says this quest was wired to a disabled object and mis-grants Front Barracks
CatapultBack3,000Quest 'Consume 300 cows overall' (playertome); reference guide says the counter never ticks in 0.9.8
Side FlamethrowerSides5,000Reach upgrade level 10 on Fire Mage
Lightning MageTop10,000Reach upgrade level 5 on Wizard Crew

Community builds

Huntress auto-cannon

Wanderturmunverified
Captain
Huntress
Crew
Canoneer Crew
Start with
Lightning Mage
Then add
Side Cannon, Front Cannon, Mine Layer

Player's favourite build; 'survives well into overtime'.

Sources: steamcommunity.com

Duelist melee ram

Wanderturmlikely
Captain
Duelist
Crew
Wizard Crew
Start with
Ram
Then add
Arms, Companion, Lightning Mage / Top Mortar

Have Stiletto, Reset Lever unlocked to seed pool. Video-backed player.

Sources: steamcommunity.com 1steamcommunity.com 2

Arrow autos

Wanderturmlikely
Captain
Huntress
Crew
Archer Crew
Start with
Archer Tower
Then add
Teleporter/Force Mage/Ram (front), Side Ballista, Turret Layer

Have Fast Quiver unlocked.

Sources: steamcommunity.com 1steamcommunity.com 2

Spiderburg magic autos

Spiderburglikely
Captain
Huntress
Crew
Wizard Crew
Start with
Lightning Mage (or Fire Mage)
Then add
Teleporter/Force Mage/Front Barracks, Cannon Tower/Fire Mage, Dash

Have Couldron unlocked. Lightning Mage widely called the strongest top module.

Sources: steamcommunity.com 1steamcommunity.com 2steamcommunity.com 3

Patchy cannon battery

Wanderturmlikely
Captain
Patchy the Pirate or Racer Ruth
Crew
Canoneer Crew
Start with
Side Cannon
Then add
Front Cannon, Cannon Tower / Top Mortar, Mine Layer / Dash

Lead Core described as game-changer; Magma Core, Quick Reload. 'Focus on 1, max 2 weapon types.'

Sources: steamcommunity.com 1steamcommunity.com 2

Tankenburg melee

Tankenburgunverified
Captain
Tankbert
Crew
Merchants
Then add
Arms, Ram, Front Barracks or Teleporter, Lightning Mage

Focus melee dmg/speed/cooldown artifacts; upgrade crew only at Rare/Epic.

Sources: steamcommunity.com

Field notes from players

  • Stage advances when you pick the post-boss card; picking it also despawns the army and resets cooldowns - usable as an escape. unverified
  • Drag the boss into crowds before the kill: boss death deals 75% max HP to enemies within 125 units. Since 0.9.14 some larger enemies no longer take this %-based damage. unverified
  • Fire is weak vs bosses (65-85% fire resistance on all stage bosses); carry a second damage type. Stun is useless on bosses (100% stun resistance). likely
  • Unlock route: Green Plains -> Golden Dunes (Spiderburg) -> Dusky Pines (Tankenburg). All four bosses must die in a single run. likely
  • Focus 1-2 weapon types; unlocking more items dilutes the pool (use rerolls: 2 artifact rerolls from the start since 0.9.14, and more unlocks grant more rerolls since 0.9.10). likely
  • Overtime mortars pre-aim: zig-zag; Force Mage active and Teleporter/Dash help; Lightning Mage stun lets you hunt them. likely
  • Front slots are weakest for kiting; Ram and Teleporter are the popular fronts; back slot is most valued. likely
  • Barracks units work best if you circle near targets or on slow chassis; take unit speed at level 5; use the active when swarmed. likely
  • Spiderburg requires owning two top-slot modules (Fire Mage, Lightning Mage, Top Mortar, Archer Tower, Cannon Tower); archer/fire crews are not top modules. confirmed
  • Silver farm: Waving Fields (1.5x silver, 1.2x damage). The slot-3 daily pays 2,500 and counts across every run that day. likely
  • 'Kill 25 Mortar Towers in one run' (Golden Dunes) is widely considered the hardest quest; mortars only appear in Overtime there. likely
  • Luck: diminishing returns; players stop at a few points. Revive artifacts work but give little feedback. likely

Formulas

Traced from the game code by the author of the WanderburgDamageStats mod.

cooldown = max(0.5 | 0.1, base × slotFactor ÷ (1 + cooldownRating)) stat = base + (max − base) × (1 − e^(−0.00693 × points)) ram hit = (balance × speedCurve(speed) × ammo + flat) × frontSlotFactor silver = (gold ÷ 10 × captain bonus + silver picked up + endless) × map multiplier

Cooldown cards add rating, not seconds, so each card is worth a little less than the one before. Size and speed points follow a curve: 100 points gets you halfway to the maximum and 200 gets you three quarters, so spread points across stats rather than stacking one.

Mechanics reference

Show all mechanics

Module slots

Six slot kinds: Front, Side (mirrored pair), Back, Top, Crew, Captain. Slot layout fixed per chassis (Wanderturm 1/1/1/1, Spiderburg 2 top/0 side, Tankenburg 2 front/0 back). 4 active abilities (Q/E/R/Space). New modules are offered in-run (player levels 3, 12, 24 per datamine); slots cannot be bought.

confirmed

Boss rank-up cards

Bosses 1-3 each grant DEFENSE or MOVEMENT (per-vehicle values in vehicles[]). Players debate: 'Defense is a noob trap' vs build-dependent; Chinese guide recommends 2 speed + 2 HP (note: only 3 picks exist per datamine).

likely

Slot boosters & hourglasses

Top/Side/Front/Back Module Booster +20% damage for that slot; Hourglass -10% cooldown for that slot (floor half base). Multiplicative vs additive stacking with type artifacts: unknown.

likely

Stage Overtime

If a stage runs past its deadline (~320-400 s) Overtime replaces normal spawning (30 s warning) until the stage boss dies: spawn interval ramps ~5x, Metzelman/mortar tiers escalate. Does not raise damage-taken multiplier.

likely

Endless Overtime (post-win)

Optional after boss 4: no boss, no neutral spawns, no health crates; damage multiplier steps up; ends on death; pays a separate silver line. Leaderboards track score (score legitimacy checker added 0.9.13). 'You Won!'/'All Lands Won!' achievements were bugged when entering overtime (fixed 0.9.9).

confirmed

Healing

Health crates 10%/25% max HP on a fixed schedule; repair fixture = full heal; boss kills don't heal; crates at full HP are pushed aside.

likely

Allied units

Summoned allies are invincible; since 0.9.14 also immune to fire, stun and knockback. Harvester/Caravan plough through them.

confirmed

Quests

58 quests: 27 stage quests (3 per map, 500-5,000 silver), 8 map unlocks, 9 dailies (3 a day from an easy, a medium and a hard pool, 250-2,500 silver), 12 module unlocks, 2 vehicle unlocks. Every quest is listed under Quests. Several quest texts mis-name modules or mis-state rewards; one reuses its count as the reward.

likely

Meta progression

Silver buys options (modules, crew, captains, vehicles, start artifacts), never permanent stats. Dev (tillf) confirmed this is intentional but is open to 'soft/fun meta progression' and admitted prices were too high.

confirmed

Eating / growth

Drive over edible targets to swallow them. Castle 'absorption rank' = vehicle rank (0-3, +1 per boss kill 1-3). Rank 0: people/livestock; 1: houses; 2: mills & small carts; 3: walkers/treasure carts. Eating gives gold; it does not heal (except via The Count/Vampire artifacts). The castle grows in size/rank, not in slot count.

likely

Damage types

Weapon damage families shown in the loadout/Ctrl stats screen: cannon, arrow, melee, magic, fire (player report). Type-scaled artifacts: Iron/Golden Bullet (cannonball), Bow (arrow), Sword (melee), Gem (magic). Burn damage is a separate type not boosted by Gems; fire impact of Fire Mage/Dash counts as magic; barracks units are melee; Front Barracks active is cannon damage (player testing).

likely

In-game numeric feedback

Optional floating damage numbers (0.9.13, settings). Ctrl opens a paused stats screen with per-module damage type icons and run statistics (Alt before 0.9.6; old overlay removed). Upgrade cards show numbers.

confirmed

Controls

WASD/point-to-steer, mouse aim, Shift nitro, Q/E/R/Space module abilities, Ctrl stats. Alternative controller driving style (0.9.8). No rebinding UI (as of 0.9.8).

likely