Orcs Must Die! – Nightmare 5 Skull Guide

If you are new to the game I recommend playing it through fully on an apprentice, then war mage.
When nightmare is available play each level on War Mage first to get 5 skulls as a practice round, then switch to the nightmare for the same run.

Standard setup:

• Steel Weaver + first skill (Death Augmenter) to get more money from kills
  (update it for either traps or archers where appropriate)
• Lightning/fire (to be used where they enter and near traps)
• Ice + sword (for trolls/hunters)
• Fire ring for ice trolls

Standard wall setting:

• Barricade leaving one space (a kill zone)
• Tar
• Mace
• Grinders
• Brimstone in front
• Spring traps behind (sometimes) or archers (other times)

Level Guide

Lv 1 – The Hallway

• Arrow Walls at the start
• Brimstone – Tar – Lightning/Fire
• Mushroom for the Armoured Troll

Lv 2 – The Fork

• Arrow Walls at the start
• Brimstone – Tar – Lightning/Fire
• Mushroom for the Armoured Troll

Lv 3 – The Corner

• Arrow Walls under low ceiling near the start
• Brimstone – Tar – Lightning/Fire – Mace
• Mushroom for Trolls
• N.B. Keep an eye on the time

Lv 4 – The Baths

• Arrow Walls under low ceiling near the start
• Brimstone – Tar – Lightning/Fire – Mace
• Careful of orc archers
• N.B. Time is an issue so don’t use springs/wind belt

Lv 5 – Runner’s Alley

• Arrow Walls under low ceiling near the start
• Brimstone – Tar – Lightning/Fire – Mace
• Careful of orc archers and kobolds

Lv 6 – Overpass

• Barricade right path to stairs
• Arrow Walls under low ceiling near the start
• Brimstone – Tar – Lightning/Fire – Mace
• Wind belt works well before you retreat behind your traps, but it’s not necessary
• Careful of kobolds and sappers

Lv 7 – Twin Halls

• Block right path (beware announcement ‘a barricade has been destroyed’)
• Standard setting after stairs on the left path: barricade leaving one space – tar – grinders – spring traps behind
• Arrow Walls and spring traps near the start for extra help later on
• Careful of sappers on wave 8

Lv 8 – Lunch Break

• Barricade entrance at top of stairs + defend the end of the bridge
• Standard setting: barricade leaving one space – tar – grinders – spring traps behind
• Arrow Walls and spring traps near the start for extra help later on
• Careful of sappers on wave 8

Lv 9 – The Stream

• Archers up top and at the rift
• Standard setting after right gate: barricade leaving one space – tar – grinders
• Arrow Walls up high for fliers
• Use wind belt if you like
• Mushroom for trolls. Careful of kobolds and help archers with fliers.

Lv 10 – Sludge Hole

• Down: 4 Push Traps on each side, 1/2 Spring traps behind, 2 Arrow walls near the entrance
• Up: 3 arrow walls + a few paladins

Lv 11 – Chaos Chamber

• Standard setting on both floors (do lower first): mace in middle – tar – brimstone – arrow walls – spring traps (no barricades)
• Careful of kobolds, hunters, and trolls (fire and ice)

Lv 12 – Chokepoint

• On the bridge: tar – brimstone – springs traps
• Arrow walls covering the end of the bridge (and some archers behind)
• Careful of kobolds. Mushroom for the armored troll.

Lv 13 – The Arena

• Blockade from the north door (with staggered barricades to the first wall to avoid them being attacked) to create the usual trap set up just past the west door – then stay far away from the north door or the kobolds will attack you and blow the barricades.
• In the first two rounds, you’ll have to kill them all yourself.
• Careful of kobolds at the start, hunters, and sappers blowing your barricades the last 2 waves.

Lv 14 – The Balcony

• 5x archers on over path near rift (and then 5 under that bridge) – fully upgrade them
• Arrow walls low and high at end of bridge + brimstone
• Zapper above forwarding over path if you have it
• Careful of kobolds

Lv 15 – The Tower

• N.B. It’s very long and time is a problem
• Use brimstone and wall arrows at entrances and use the logs on the first 3 levels to speed things up
• Standard setting higher up: barricades – mace – tar – grinders – archers behind
• Don’t use swords on ogres as there are too many. Freeze them when they are under the mace

Lv 16 – The Library

• 3 barricades diagonally (so they don’t attack them) to block off one rift
• Standard setting on another side: mace – tar – grinder – brimstone
• Some wall arrows in front to help
• Freeze ogres under traps

Lv 17 – The Bridge

• Block right tunnel (replace if ‘a barricade is down’)
• Archers upgraded on the central ridge
• Mace + brimstone under archers
• Spring traps on bridges

Lv 18 – Killing Fields

• Block left tunnel after stairs and the central passage top of the stairs
• Set up under stairs right (no barricades): maces left to right (x4 eventually) – tar – wall arrows – brimstone
• Set wall arrows and brimstone on left entrance for extra protection

Lv 19 – Rebirth

• Maces + Tar + Arrow walls + shoot barrels above
• Paladins after tar

Lv 20 – Gateway

• 2 maces after bridge + tar + arrow walls + fire ring for ice trolls
• Archers above and at sides upgraded asap
• Zappers + arrow walls + brimstone at the bridge where they enter

Lv 21 – Hard Climb

• Blockade right entrance below stairs where they enter – stagger the last one so they won’t attack barricades.
• Blockade left entrance below stairs to rift
• Standard set up in gap: tar – grinders – brimstone (last 2 essential for kobolds)
• Then loads of archers fully upgraded up top between rifts (much better than zappers)
• Take out ogres fast then lay down a lightning shower at traps before going top to help with numerous fliers (including a couple that can sneak by on the first two levels before you get your archers set up) + defend archers from hunters

Lv 22 – The Squeeze

• Standard wall setting on both levels (upper first): barricade leaving one space – tar – maces – grinders
• Watch for fliers from the top – they can kill you in a flash even on the first wave
• Then archers at the rift and on top of stairs at the lower level
• Reinforce with arrow walls low and high

Lv 23 – Stairs of Doom

• Standard wall setting right: barricade leaving one space – tar – grinders (for kobolds)
• Jump left and kill orcs manually, then set up the same standard wall setting left
• Adding maces to both
• Beware sappers in wave 3 – eventually, place brimstone below to take care of them.
• Then place all archers above and at the top of the stairs.
• Watch for ogres and hunters. Use the 2 logs on each side if you need them

Lv 24 – Finale

• Fully upgrade all trap options first
• Walls arrows x3 at each entrance (waves start north and go clockwise)
• Then fully upgrade archers and place them around the rift.
• Then upgrade paladins and place them at each entrance to the rift.
• Brimstone below each rift entrance.
• There is a log above each entrance for last wave trolls.
• Use mushrooms on armored trolls if you wish.