KNOW THE WOODS. HOLD YOUR GROUND.

A defender’s field guide.

Every creature has a weakness. Every defense has its place.

WELCOME TO HEARTWOOD HOLLOW

A little preparation.
A fighting chance.

The woods are waking. Build a line of defenses, keep your supplies coming, and protect Tara’s route home. She follows building edges and can use the narrow access gaps between adjacent structures. Hold Shift and click to walk to a spot behind a visible structure. Timber and Vertical Barricades provide both wall orientations for corners and side defenses.

Tara does the work herself. Choose a defense and click a clear site; she’ll walk there and build it. Moving away cancels the job and returns the supplies. Towers fight on their own. Click an enemy to mark it for focus fire. Press F during a wave to cast Bramble Pulse: damage, slow and push back enemies within 4.5 metres of Tara. It recharges in 18 seconds; champions resist its control.

Make the most of the quiet.

Take as long as you need before calling wave 1. Two Scout Bows, each covering a starting wall, a woodcutter and a quarry are already in place. Add a defense near your firing line. Income and survival score begin with the first wave.

Clear every creature to earn supplies and an 18-second breather. Creatures arrive at scattered positions along the western edge and always pursue Tara. Move behind structures to make enemies attack them; sheltering brings the siege to the bunker. The next wave never overlaps a living wave. Read its forecast, check the creatures and their counters, then call it when ready.

Shape the approach.

Barricades buy time. Roots and frost keep enemies in range. Leave gaps so Tara can reach a damaged defense and retreat when she needs to.

Click a structure to inspect it. Repairs restore 12% of maximum health (at least 65) for 10 wood and 10 stone. Demolishing takes two seconds and returns 60% of your investment.

Know when to fall back.

Press E near the bunker to enter. Tara heals inside, but enemies still attack the walls. Step outside to build, repair and upgrade.

Tara has two rescues per run. Each brings her back with 70 health and costs the bunker 100 health. If the bunker falls, the run ends.

Keep growing.

New defenses unlock while preparing for their wave. Most weapons reach tier II at wave 4, tier III at wave 9 and tier IV at wave 14. Upgrade the bunker at waves 5, 10 and 14.

Champions and heavy creatures grant essence. Clearing a wave delivers a small supply bonus, heals Tara by 35 and repairs 60 bunker health. Producers supply most of your wood and stone. Weapon capacity starts at ten and grows by two each wave; eight fortification slots grow by one every second wave.

Choose the right answer.

PiercingQuick bows catch runners and flyers. Small hits struggle against armor.

CrushingStone engines break shells and crowded ground formations.

Nature & fireMagic ignores armor. Poison fails against mushrooms; fire thrives against them.

Lightning & lightChain lightning punishes groups. A sunbeam is strongest when it stays on a boss.

Playing on a phone or tablet.

Tap open ground to walk. Use the movement stick to steer in any direction, including through crowded defenses. Drag the clearing to look around, pinch to zoom, and use the compass to return to Tara.

Tap Build, swipe through the defenses, then choose one. Tap a clear site to preview it and press Build here to confirm. A red marker explains why a site is blocked. Tap a structure to upgrade or repair it; its details scroll independently.

Pulse pushes back nearby enemies during combat. Shelter walks Tara toward the bunker; tap again when she arrives to enter. Tap the next-wave arrow to inspect the approaching enemies before starting.

At your fingertips.

WASD / ARROWSMove Tara

CLICK GROUNDWalk to a spot

CLICK STRUCTUREInspect and upgrade

CLICK ENEMYInspect and focus fire

FBramble Pulse during combat

1–9Select a visible defense

ARROWS + ENTERAim and confirm a selected build

CReset the camera

EEnter / leave bunker

RRepair selected structure

UUpgrade selected structure

XDemolish selected structure

QCancel current work

ESC / PPause / resume

SCROLLZoom the battlefield

SPACECall the next wave early

Scores and sound settings stay in this browser. The game pauses when you leave its tab. Endless waves grow steadily; read the next forecast.