Sir, We Have an Orc Problem walkthrough: Choke Points

This Sir, We Have an Orc Problem walkthrough begins with the most important habit in the game: watch how orcs move before spending crystals. Enemy groups behave like a flowing mass. They press against walls, gather at corners, and often follow the shortest available route toward your base.

A strong defense is not built by covering every part of the map equally. It is built by identifying where the largest number of enemies becomes vulnerable at the same time. These locations are your choke points, and nearly every successful setup depends on them.

Use the following map-reading priorities:

• Find the first point where several enemy streams meet.
• Check whether enemies favor the left or right wall.
• Identify corners where units slow down or form a dense line.
• Look for routes that split after a major crowding point.
• Place temporary defenses first, then refine the layout after observing results.

Do not assume that the center of a room is automatically the best location. A tower with excellent range can still lose value if its shots strike walls or if enemies spread before entering its firing arc. Aim for overlap: one defensive line should soften the wave, while another finishes survivors at the next bend.

The first waves reward a simple setup. Prioritize reliable Gunner Tower coverage, then use the early crystal income to improve the tools that are already hitting the largest groups. Avoid buying every new option immediately if doing so leaves your main lane underpowered.

The early upgrade order should match the pressure you are facing. If enemies are dying but a few survivors leak through, increase range or fire rate. If the wave reaches the tower line in large groups, invest in Mortar damage or explosion radius. If armored or dense groups remain difficult, bullet penetration becomes more valuable.

Missiles should not replace your tower network. They are best used to remove a dangerous cluster, stop a fast straggler, or protect the base while a new upgrade becomes available. Holding the firing input for repeated missile attacks can help during heavy pressure, but continue improving permanent defenses between waves.

Each tower solves a different part of the orc problem. Gunners provide dependable lane control, Mortars punish groups, and Cannons deliver powerful shots through dense formations. The strongest layouts combine these roles instead of expecting one tower type to handle every situation.

Gunner Tower

Gunners are the foundation of most defensive layouts. Place several close together when the route forces enemies through a narrow space. Crossfire is especially useful when one group hugs the wall and another drifts toward the center.

Prioritize:

• Shots per second for constant pressure.
• Range when enemies travel through long approaches.
• Damage when targets survive the firing line.
• Penetration when several enemies stack together.
• Additional gunner slots after the core line is already effective.

Watch for wasted shots. A gunner that repeatedly fires into a wall may look active while contributing little damage. Small adjustments to its position or aim can improve the entire defense.

Mortar Tower

Mortars are strongest where orcs gather naturally. Corners, turning points, and narrow exits make better targets than open areas. Their explosions can also push or scatter enemies, so avoid placing every mortar directly beside the same group if that movement causes survivors to escape the intended kill zone.

Prioritize shell rate, explosion damage, and explosion radius. Fragment effects become more useful when waves contain large numbers of enemies and the initial blast can reliably reach several targets.

Cannon Tower

Cannons become increasingly valuable once large waves start forming at entrances or compressed corridors. Their piercing shots can remove several enemies in a line, making them effective at thinning a wave before it reaches your gunners.

Place cannons where enemies are forced into a predictable approach. A cannon in a wide open room may struggle to find a valuable firing angle, while one positioned at the mouth of a corridor can repeatedly hit dense traffic.

Later waves are less about finding one perfect hallway and more about managing several streams at once. Some maps send orcs from multiple directions, while others begin with a single mass that later divides. Your layout should reduce the wave before the split and maintain enough coverage afterward to handle survivors.

A practical ability sequence looks like this:

• Use a Strafing Run across a large formation before it reaches the first split.
• Fire missiles at dense groups that escape the main firing lane.
• Keep one ability available when multiple routes begin leaking.
• Reposition or add towers between waves rather than during a crisis.
• Spend newly earned crystals on the defense that is currently failing.

When a defense fails, do not rebuild everything immediately. First identify the failure point:

1. Did enemies avoid the tower range?
2. Did a mortar blast push them into another lane?
3. Did a gunner waste shots against a wall?
4. Did the main choke point split the crowd too early?
5. Did you spend crystals on utility before increasing damage?

This diagnosis helps preserve the parts of the layout that are already working. Often, moving one tower, adding penetration, or increasing shell rate is enough to turn a near-loss into a clear.

Once the basic defense is stable, shift from survival to efficiency. Killing more orcs produces more crystals, which accelerates tower slots, ability improvements, and penetration upgrades. A strong farming wave is often more useful than forcing immediate progress through a map that your current layout cannot support.

Compact Choke Build

This build concentrates Gunners and Mortars around one narrow route.

• Use three or more gunners when the lane is highly predictable.
• Place mortars behind or beside the largest crowding point.
• Upgrade fire rate and penetration for the gunner line.
• Use missiles to remove only the groups that pass the main defense.

Split-Lane Build

This setup prepares for maps where enemies divide into upper and lower routes.

• Use Cannons near the approach before the split.
• Keep gunners near each route rather than placing all of them at one side.
• Use a wide Strafing Run before the wave divides.
• Move Mortars toward the lane with the greater enemy density.

Heavy-Wave Build

This approach is designed for extremely large enemy counts.

• Build a layered defense instead of one firing line.
• Combine Cannon piercing with Mortar explosions.
• Increase ability radius and frequency when tower placement cannot cover every lane.
• Continue improving gunner penetration so stacked enemies do not pass together.

Use the following milestone plan to keep upgrades focused:

• Milestone 1: Establish a reliable Gunner firing lane.
• Milestone 2: Unlock enough range and fire rate to clear standard groups.
• Milestone 3: Add Mortars at corners and crowding points.
• Milestone 4: Improve penetration for stacked enemy lines.
• Milestone 5: Add Cannons when heavy waves begin reaching the main defense.
• Milestone 6: Expand ability radius and frequency for multi-lane maps.

For current availability and future updates, check the official Steam search listing for Sir, We Have an Orc Problem as of 2026-07-29. Store information can change, so confirm the current page details before relying on them.