Tower defence placement: the rules that never change

After enough tower defence games you start noticing the same lessons repeating. Placement almost always beats upgrades in the early game, and the players who understand chokepoints win maps the rest of us struggle with. The first rule is coverage. A tower that touches a long stretch of path does far more work than one covering a single corner, even if the corner feels safer. Look for the longest visible curve and build there. Second, layer your damage types. Enemies that shrug off one tower fall fast to a second. In Ironhold Siege this saved me repeatedly once armoured units appeared. Mix slowing towers with heavy hitters and you multiply both. Finally, hold some gold back. The temptation to spend everything is strong, but a single emergency tower placed mid-wave has won me more maps than any grand opening build.