Five maze-building habits that win tower defence games

Most tower defence losses I've had came down to geometry, not firepower. When a game lets you shape the enemy path, the maze is the real weapon. Here are the habits that stuck after too many retries on Spire of Thornwood and friends.

First: lengthen the path before you buy damage. A longer route means more seconds inside your range, and that's effectively a free upgrade to every tower. Second: build your corners first, because enemies cluster there and area towers love a tight bend.

Third, leave yourself room to redraw. Flying enemies and shielded units show up later and will punish a rigid layout. Keep a gap you can block or open depending on the wave. Fourth, don't over-invest in one tower before a difficulty spike; spread coverage so a single lucky breakthrough doesn't gut you.

Last one is boring but true: pre-build a wave early. The game tells you what's coming. React to the next wave, not the current one, and most levels stop feeling unfair.