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Defenders

Wave Complete!

Prepare your defenses...

Coral Puzzle

Match the symbols to earn bonus pearls!

🌊

Reef Guardians

Defend the Pearl of Knowledge from invading crab swarms, crack open cargo lobsters, solve puzzles for bonuses, and build toward the legendary Apex Platypus.

Select World

Level Complete!

The Reef Has Fallen!

The Pearl of Knowledge was taken...

How to Play Reef Guardians

  • Select a defender from the side panel and click anywhere on the reef to place it (not on the enemy path).
  • Click "Start Wave" or press Enter to send the next swarm of enemies along the reef path.
  • Towers auto-attack enemies in range. Earn pearls for each defeated enemy.
  • Between certain waves, solve a quick puzzle for bonus pearls, shields, or upgrades.
  • Click a placed tower to upgrade or sell it. Each tower has three upgrade stages, and each new stage replaces the previous upgrade effect.
  • Don't let enemies reach the Pearl of Knowledge—each leak costs a life!

Tower Roster

Defenders are revealed as you unlock them in-game.

Enemy Bestiary

Green Crab

Wave starter. HP: 1 | Speed: 1 | S.E.W.D.: 1

Yellow Crab

Fast scout. HP: 1 | Speed: 2 | S.E.W.D.: 1

Orange Crab

Balanced bruiser. HP: 2 | Speed: 2 | S.E.W.D.: 1

Red Crab

Fast striker. HP: 2 | Speed: 3 | S.E.W.D.: 2

Cyan Crab

Heavy runner. HP: 3 | Speed: 3 | S.E.W.D.: 2

Purple Crab

Endless deep menace. HP: 4 | Speed: 4 | S.E.W.D.: 3. Purple waves do not begin until far into the run.

Cargo Lobster

Carrier enemy. It stores crabs inside, bursts them all out when destroyed, and leaks its own damage plus every stored crab if it slips through.

Shell Baron

Wave 15 boss. Massive front armor that becomes vulnerable when cracked open.

Shock Knuckle

Wave 30 boss. Dash attacks and nearby tower stuns test your control and shielding.

Burrow Regent

Wave 45 boss. Tunnels forward and spits elite crabs into the lane.

Tide Sovereign

Wave 60 boss. Alternates between armored crawl and exposed rush phases.

School Synergies

  • Shock School (Tempest Eel, Apex Platypus): Chain pressure and stun-heavy cleanup.
  • Shell School (Blast Puffer, Thorn Urchin, Conch Mortar): Splash, traps, and armor cracking.
  • Support School (Pearl Sage, Dread Lantern, Kraken Grip, Aegis Turtle): Buffs, pull, root, and late-game protection.
  • Hunter School (Torrent Archer, Harpoon Marlin, Prism Manta, Riptide Dolphin): Precision fire and priority target removal.

Puzzle Bonuses

  • Symbol Match: Find matching pairs of sea creatures for bonus pearls.
  • Number Chain: Chain numbers to reach a target sum for a wave buff.
  • Pattern Recall: Remember and repeat a coral pattern for a free upgrade.

Tips

  • Place towers anywhere on the reef—just not on the enemy path!
  • Group towers of the same school together for synergy buffs.
  • Dread Lantern plus Blast Puffer is one of the cleanest choke-point combos in the game.
  • Harpoon Marlin and Kraken Grip are built to pin down and crack Cargo Lobsters.
  • Conch Mortar now fires at a movable target marker, so retarget it whenever the lane shape changes.
  • Don't skip puzzles—the rewards stack up over time.
  • Thorn Urchin is strongest where burst-open lobsters dump a pile of crabs into the lane.
  • Prism Manta is now a lock-on laser. Keep its beam on one target to get full value from its later upgrades.
  • Purple crabs and repeated boss modifiers arrive late. Build enough splash, control, and anti-carrier damage before endless mode deepens.
  • Sell towers for full price if you need to reposition your defenses.