Defense Grid 2 Achievement Guide & Road Map

Defense Grid 2
Defense Grid 2 Achievement Guide

Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty:1/10
- Offline: 63 [980]
- Online: 2 [20]
- Approximate amount of time to 1000: 20-30 hours
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1 playthrough + 80 individual missions
- Missable achievements: None
- Does difficulty affect achievements: No
- Unobtainable/glitched achievements: Multiple achievements unlock late
- Extra equipment needed?: No

Introduction:
"Defense Grid 2 is a strategy game where you place defensive fortifications (towers) to stop invading aliens from stealing your power cores. It's up to you to select the towers, placement, and timing to best protect your base. If you can make it through the alien invasion and finish the mission with one or more cores remaining, you will succeed in pushing back the aliens. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded for protecting more cores and spending the least amount of resources possible to win." -Defense Grid 2 manual

Most maps permit you to modify the path the aliens take by placing towers on their current path, and as you progress through the game more tower types and customizable features become available. There is a Story mode (although the actual story is a bit incomprehensible) and then each map used in the Story mode is available to replay in ten or so variants. There are four difficulty levels available and you can earn all achievements on Easy, so if you find anything challenging feel free to turn down the difficulty. The game supports co-op both via LIVE and sharing the screen with two controllers, and has a multiplayer mode tacked on as well that predictably enough is largely bereft of players.

Abbreviated Walkthrough:
Initially, you will want to simply go through the game in Story mode so that you can unlock all of the maps. If you can get gold on the levels that reduces the replays you will need to do, but if you are struggling wait until you unlock more tower items and come back. After the Story mode is complete, I suggest going through each map on Practice mode ensuring you get gold on each level. At this point you should have enough tower items unlocked to beat any map for a gold medal in any mode on any difficulty level (although the higher difficulties are quite skill dependent as well).

You will need 100 gold medals across all the maps, which works out to an average of five golds per map (the Prologue can only be played in Story mode). You will need to get gold on each map in Story mode for Alien Tears, leaving 79 remaining. The five easiest modes are:

Practice (large initial starting resources and much faster generation of resources in-game)
Grinder (only opponents are walkers, and many maps can be won with 4-6 Concussion towers and a Temporal tower)
Super Grinder (lots of opponents, but strung out nicely and lots of time to build defenses in depth)
Out of Bullets (no Cannon or Gun towers, so use Lasers and Concussion towers instead)
Fixed Resources (you get all your resources at the start of the game)

Note that multiple people have reported issues with achievements not unlocking when they should. The developer's forum has several posts from employees pointing the finger at the Xbox achievement detection system rather than their code, so this may or may not get patched in the future. Typically, they all do unlock at some point, it just may require getting 150+ golds instead of 100...

All achievements unlock at the end of missions rather than in-game.

Multiplayer:
You will need to play and win one DG Fighter multiplayer game which can be easily done by inviting a friend. You will also need to get a gold medal in co-op, either with a second controller (and this can be easily done with one person using both controllers) or over LIVE with a friend.

Mop-Up:
There are several miscellaneous achievements that you can get along the way or by specifically focusing on them at some point. See the guide for specific details for each achievement after you have completed the Story mode.

Cautionary Note:
If you share your Xbox One with other local players, Defense Grid 2 seems to share a single save file with all players on the console. This may interfere with easily tracking which missions you have gold in, affect achievements unlocking correctly, etc. It is strongly recommended that you complete the game before sharing it with others on the same console to avoid these problems.

Conclusion:
Overall this is a very well done tower defense game, and a worthy successor to the Xbox 360 Arcade title. It has great replay value and the developer has a history of releasing quality additional content. The issue with achievements not unlocking on time seems reasonably rare but does not appear likely to be patched as of this writing.

[XBA would like to thank Creech for this roadmap]

Alien Tears

10
Earn a gold medal on every mission in Story mode.
(3)
This requires obtaining a gold medal on the Prologue and all 20 maps in the Story mode. You can choose Easy difficulty if you find a map challenging, and the game comes with a rewind feature tied to the button so if you make a mistake you don't have to completely start over.

A gold medal is awarded based on your score, which is accumulated with each alien killed. The points are calculated based on the difficulty of the alien (boss aliens are worth more, obviously), the value of your turrets on the map, the amount of resources you have in your bank, how many orbs are in the core, and how many orbs are on the map but not in the core. To maximize your score you will want to ensure that no orbs are ever removed from the core and that you spend as little money as possible. On most maps, however, it is quite possible to get far more points than are needed for a gold medal, so your primary focus should be on protecting the orbs rather than keeping a higher resource balance. The developer has stated that it is possible to beat each mission in more than 1 million ways, and having played it enough I would tend to agree with that statement.

If you really get stuck (especially on level 7, which I feel is the hardest map to get gold on) go unlock other tower items and come back, or try it a few times in Practice mode to get a feel for different tower layouts that may work for you. After selecting the map and mode you will be on a screen to assign your Command Team and tower items...ensure that you actively choose your tower items as you play each map as they can dramatically increase your combat abilities. The items you unlock seem to be somewhat random, but all of them result in more effective towers.

JimmySwizzle87 has prepared videos showing how he obtained gold on each level in this thread. Note that he has no commentary and at times acts very quickly, so you may need to pay close attention.
Annihilator

10
Kill 10,000 aliens.
(1)
You will unlock this after killing 10,000 aliens. This will unlock naturally as you play the game. Depending on the exact approach you take and how many times you rewind or replay missions, this should unlock before you have completed the first Story mode playthrough.
Arsenal

10
Build 20 towers of any type in one mission.
Most maps will have you building 20+ towers, so this should come naturally as you play through the game. If you want to aim specifically for this achievement early instead of waiting, play Mission 1 in Practice mode. You can place 22 Gun towers right at the start and complete the mission to unlock the achievement.
Base Defender

100
Complete the single player campaign in Story Mode.
(3)
This requires winning on the Prologue and all 20 maps in the Story mode. You can choose Easy difficulty if you find a map challenging, and the game comes with a rewind feature tied to the button so if you make a mistake you don't have to completely start over.

You don't need a particular score or even to keep all the orbs in the core or on the map, merely to end the game with at least one orb still on the map. The developer has stated that it is possible to beat each mission in more than 1 million ways, and having played it enough I would tend to agree with that statement.

If you really get stuck ensure that you actively choose your tower items as you play each map as they can dramatically increase your combat abilities. The items you unlock seem to be somewhat random, but all of them result in more effective towers.

JimmySwizzle87 has prepared videos showing how he obtained gold on each level in this thread, which may give you some pointers on how to beat the map. You also can play co-op (using the DG Coordinated Defense mode) with someone via LIVE to get some good strategies for the Story mode.
Boot Camp

10
Finish all the missions in Chapter 1 in Story Mode.
This requires winning on the Prologue and Chapters 1-3 in Story mode. You can choose Easy difficulty if you find a map challenging, and the game comes with a rewind feature tied to the button so if you make a mistake you don't have to completely start over.

You don't need a particular score or even to keep all the orbs in the core or on the map, merely to end the game with at least one orb still on the map. The developer has stated that it is possible to beat each mission in more than 1 million ways, and having played it enough I would tend to agree with that statement.

If you really get stuck ensure that you actively choose your tower items as you play each map as they can dramatically increase your combat abilities. The items you unlock seem to be somewhat random, but all of them result in more effective towers.

JimmySwizzle87 has prepared videos showing how he obtained gold on each level in this thread, which may give you some pointers on how to beat the map. You also can play co-op (using the DG Coordinated Defense mode) with someone via LIVE to get some good strategies for the Story mode.
Brothers In Arms

10
Earn a Bronze (or better) medal in a Coordinated Defense Multiplayer mission.
(3)
This can be earned on any map other than the Prologue, and can be obtained locally with two controllers or via LIVE with a friend or a random using matchmaking. The tower placement locations get split between the two players so it will take some coordination to ensure that resources are not wasted, especially right at the beginning of the game.

Once you are comfortable with the game mechanics, this can easily be done with two controllers used by the same player. Threshold (Chapter One) is particularly easy since it is so small. When you start the game, the tower placement locations will be outlined in either light blue or tan. Use one controller to identify which color is associated with it (just press to see if you can select the location; nothing will happen if you cannot) and start placing towers until you run out of resources. Switch controllers and do the same with it, and at that point it is merely a matter of upgrading and placing towers as each controller accumulates enough resources.

You will need to earn enough points individually to surpass the bronze medal requirements. You only earn points for kills made by your turrets, and it is possible for one player to meet the requirements for a bronze medal and the other player to not meet them.
Burn Baby Burn

10
Build 100 Inferno towers.
From the Tower Encyclopedia: The Inferno tower can take out many enemies at once, but is fairly limited in its range. it is especially effective against swarmers or any aliens which clump together. its constant damage output on a target make it extremely useful against regenerating aliens. Because it is fire based, it is weaker against shields.

This achievement requires that you build 100 Inferno towers across all of your games. Your particular playing style may mean that this unlocks naturally without any particular effort. However, if you don't tend to use Inferno towers, or simply want it to unlock more promptly, you can play Chapter 19 in Practice mode on easy and play only Inferno towers. You can easily place 100 towers on this map and unlock the achievement at the end of the game, win or lose.
Close Call

10
Save a core that is less than 10 seconds away from the map's exit point.
This may occur naturally while playing the Story mode. If not, it can be easily obtained on Chapter 1 in Practice mode on any difficulty level. Start the game and let the first wave of aliens reach the first turn. Build a single gun tower on the outside of the path, as close to the exit as possible, and upgrade it to a level 3. The initial wave of walkers should be back in range right about the same time the second wave of swarmers are entering the map. Your single gun turret should kill the walkers as they come into range, which is about 10-15 seconds from the exit. The swarmers should pick up some of the dropped orbs and since they are much faster, they will already be within ten seconds of the exit. Your gun will kill them also, and the achievement will unlock at the end of the game, win or lose.
Confident

10
Use the speed up control at 3x for a total of 60 seconds in any mission.
The speed of the game has two settings, normal and 3x. It is toggled by pressing at any point in a mission. To unlock this achievement you need only use it for a total of 60 seconds (does not have be consecutive) in any one mission. Once you are comfortable with the game, using the 3x speed can greatly reduce the time required to earn the 100 gold medals required for the "Master Strategist" achievement.
Death From Above

10
Use the Orbital Laser Special Weapon (General Cai).
Both the and the are mapped to the special weapon you choose at the Tower Items loadout screen. General Cai is available on all missions and modes except the Prologue, Mission 5, and Mission 16, and is required to use the Orbital Laser. The Orbital Laser does vast amounts of damage to all aliens in a marked circular area and can be used once every five minutes. Note that increasing the speed using also affects the recharge time for the special weapon you have selected, if any.

Select any mission and mode that you choose where General Cai is available and select her to be your Command Team Tower item. Start the game up, place any tower to start the game, and then simply hold the down for about two seconds until the Orbital Laser fires.
Diversity

10
Build at least 1 of each tower type in any single mission.
If you start out playing Story mode games, this achievement cannot be unlocked until you reach Split Decision (Chapter 7) as that is when the Missile tower first becomes available. However, as soon as you beat Chapter 1 you can replay it in a non-Story mode and choose Fully Loaded, enabling you to unlock this as quickly as your second mission if you so desire.

There are 10 tower types and you will need to build at least one of each in the same game to unlock this achievement. You can keep them, sell them, or upgrade them without impacting the achievement, and they do not all need to exist at the same time. The 10 tower types available are:
- Boost
- Gun
- Inferno
- Laser
- Cannon
- Temporal
- Concussion
- Meteor
- Missile
- Tesla
The achievement will unlock at the end of the mission, win or lose.
Eradicator

10
Kill 100 aliens.
You will get this your first game. It is unlikely that you can complete all achievements in Defense Grid 2 without killing 100,000+ aliens.
Exterminator

10
Kill 1000 aliens.
You will get this your second or third game. It is unlikely that you can complete all achievements in Defense Grid 2 without killing 100,000+ aliens.
Field Promotion

10
Earn a silver (or better) medal.
You will need to earn enough points on any mission in any mode to surpass the requirements for a silver medal. The scores required vary by map and mode. See the guide for "Master Strategist" for details on how to unlock this achievement.
Filthy Rich

30
Win a mission with at least 10,000 resources remaining.
This is easier in the later chapters, but can also be easily done in the Grinder or Super Grinder game modes on any map they are available as they last so long you get a lot of resources over the course of the game. Practice mode also gives you so many resources that it makes this achievement a breeze.

To unlock the achievement you need to win a mission by having at least one core on the map after the last alien dies, and have 10,000 resources available. If you are close, you can sell unneeded towers and the resources from those will go towards the total needed for this achievement.
Firebug

10
Using only Inferno towers, Win any Chapter 4 (or later) mission.
(3)
This achievement requires that you win any Chapter 4 or later mission using only Inferno towers. While most of the maps can be won this way, the easiest approach is likely to play Chapter 19 in Grinder mode on easy and play only Inferno towers. Ensure you create a long path and consistently upgrade your towers for an easy win. Note that you do not need to get a gold (or any) medal to unlock the achievement, you merely need to finish the game with at least one core still on the map.
First Blood

10
Kill 1 alien.
(1)
You will get this your first game. It is unlikely that you can complete all achievements in Defense Grid 2 without killing 100,000+ aliens.
Flawless Victory

10
Earn a Gold Medal.
You will need to earn enough points on any mission in any mode to surpass the requirements for a gold medal. The scores required vary by map and mode. See the guide for "Master Strategist" for details on how to unlock this achievement.
Full Defense

10
Build 50 towers of any type in one mission.
This achievement requires that you build any 50 towers during the course of a single mission. You can sell them without impacting the achievement and they don't all need to be in existence at the same time. This is easily done in Practice mode on any of the Chapter 4 or Chapter 5 maps, although it can be done on any map in the game if you don't mind selling the towers.
Full House

10
Build and fully upgrade each tower type in one mission.
If you start out playing Story mode games, this achievement cannot be unlocked until you reach Split Decision (Chapter 7) as that is when the Missile tower first becomes available. However, as soon as you beat Chapter 1 you can replay it in a non-Story mode and choose Fully Loaded mode, enabling you to unlock this as quickly as your second mission if you so desire.

There are 10 tower types and you will need to build at least one of each in the same game and then upgrade each to level 3 to unlock this achievement. You can keep them or sell them without impacting the achievement, and they do not all need to exist at the same time. The 10 tower types available are:
- Boost (no upgrades available)
- Gun
- Inferno
- Laser
- Cannon
- Temporal
- Concussion
- Meteor
- Missile
- Tesla
The achievement will unlock at the end of the mission, win or lose.
Full Potential

10
Win a chapter 4 (or later) mission with level 3 towers only and no selling.
This achievement requires that you win any Chapter 4 or later mission with only level 3 towers on the map at the end of the game, and without having sold any towers along the way. While most of the maps can be won this way, the easiest approach is likely to play Chapter 19 in Grinder mode on easy and play only Gun towers. After you reach wave 10 and have a stable path, upgrade all of your towers to level 3. From that point on, don't place any towers unless you have 700 resources available, and immediately upgrade them to level 3. Note that you do not need to get a gold (or any) medal to unlock the achievement, you merely need to finish the game with at least one core still on the map.
Go Team!

10
Earn a Gold medal in a Coordinated Defense Multiplayer Mission.
(3)
This can be earned on any map other than the Prologue, and can be obtained locally with two controllers or via LIVE with a friend or a random using matchmaking. The tower placement locations get split between the two players so it will take some coordination to ensure that resources are not wasted, especially right at the beginning of the game.

Once you are comfortable with the game mechanics, this can easily be done with two controllers used by the same player. Threshold (Chapter One) is particularly easy since it is so small. When you start the game, the tower placement locations will be outlined in either light blue or tan. Use one controller to identify which color is associated with it (just press to see if you can select the location; nothing will happen if you cannot) and start placing towers until you run out of resources. Switch controllers and do the same with it, and at that point it is merely a matter of upgrading and placing towers as each controller accumulates enough resources.

You will need to earn enough points individually to surpass the gold medal requirements. You only earn points for kills made by your turrets, and it is possible for one player to meet the requirements for a gold medal and the other player to not meet them.
Go To Your Home

10
Use the Core Teleport special weapon (Professor Taylor).
Both the and the are mapped to the special weapon you choose at the Tower Items loadout screen. Professor Taylor is available on all modes in missions 17-20, and is required to use the Core Teleport. The Core Teleport takes any loose cores and immediately teleports them back to the core housing, and can be used once every five minutes. Note that increasing the speed using also affects the recharge time for the special weapon you have selected, if any.

Select any mission and mode that you choose where Professor Taylor is available and select him to be your Command Team Tower item. Start the game up, place any tower to start the game, and then simply hold the down for about two seconds until the Core Teleport fires. The achievement will unlock at the end of the game, win or lose.
Great Ball of Fire

10
Build 100 Meteor towers.
From the Tower Encyclopedia: The Meteor tower targets aliens at very long range. It fires a superheated fireball that inflicts heavy area damage on impact. The meteor tower can't target units close to it, but it has the longest range of any tower make it an ideal second row tower. It is less effective against fast aliens.

This achievement requires that you build 100 Meteor towers across all of your games. Your particular playing style may mean that this unlocks naturally without any particular effort. However, if you don't tend to use Meteor towers, or simply want it to unlock more promptly, you can play Chapter 19 in Practice mode on easy and play only Meteor towers. You can easily place 100 towers on this map and unlock the achievement at the end of the game, win or lose.
Gun Crazy

30
Using only Gun towers, Win any chapter 4 (or later) mission.
This achievement requires that you win any Chapter 4 or later mission using only Gun towers. While most of the maps can be won this way, the easiest approach is likely to play Chapter 19 in Grinder mode on easy and play only Gun towers. Ensure you create a long path and consistently upgrade your towers for an easy win. Note that you do not need to get a gold (or any) medal to unlock the achievement, you merely need to finish the game with at least one core still on the map.
Happy Returns

10
Recover a loose core.
To recover a loose core, first an alien must reach the core housing and capture one. You must subsequently kill the alien and have the core returned to the housing. The core indicator in the upper left corner of the HUD will indicate a captured core by turning one of the dots orange. It will go back to blue when the core is recovered, and the achievement will unlock at the end of the game.

This achievement will unlock simply by playing the story mode as there are aliens that spawn at the core housing and instantly grab a core. It can be obtained in any map and in mode other than Frozen Core. If you equip the Core Teleport Special Weapon, it likely could also be obtained in a Frozen Core game but I did not test this approach.
Head Trauma

10
Build 100 Concussion towers.
From the Tower Encyclopedia: The Concussion tower fires explosive grenades in all directions, decimating everything nearby. There is no better solution when enemies are concentrated in a large dense area, but it is not as effective against single strong aliens or shields.

This achievement requires that you build 100 Concussion towers across all of your games. Your particular playing style may mean that this unlocks naturally without any particular effort. However, if you don't tend to use Concussion towers, or simply want it to unlock more promptly, you can play Chapter 19 in Practice mode on easy and play only Concussion towers. You can easily place 100 towers on this map and unlock the achievement at the end of the game, win or lose.
Hey! That's mine!

10
Kill an alien carrying a power core.
First an alien must reach the core housing and capture one. You must subsequently kill the alien that is carrying the core. The core indicator in the upper left corner of the HUD will indicate a captured core by turning one of the dots orange. The achievement will unlock at the end of the game, win or lose.

This achievement will unlock simply by playing the story mode as there are aliens that spawn at the core housing and instantly grab a core.
High Voltage

10
Build 100 Tesla towers.
From the Tower Encyclopedia: The Tesla tower fires a powerful energy bolt. It is the most effective tower against the alien energy shields. The energy bolts will chain between targets causing reduced damage to aliens further down the chain. Higher upgrade levels increase the length of the lightning chain.

This achievement requires that you build 100 Tesla towers across all of your games. Your particular playing style may mean that this unlocks naturally without any particular effort. However, if you don't tend to use Tesla towers, or simply want it to unlock more promptly, you can play Chapter 19 in Practice mode on easy and play only Tesla towers. You can easily place 100 towers on this map and unlock the achievement at the end of the game, win or lose.
If At First You Don't Succeed, Retry Again

10
Use the reload checkpoint option five times in a single mission.
(2)
The reload checkpoint command is mapped to the and reverses the scenario completely to the start of the prior wave of aliens. This includes returning all money spent, removing towers built since that checkpoint, etc. This feature makes it very difficult to lose any given mission because if you make a mistake you can rewind as many times as you would like, including all the way back to the beginning of the game.

To unlock this achievement, you simply need to rewind five times in the same mission.
Indecisive

10
Sell 10 towers or more in a single mission.
To unlock this achievement, you need to sell a total of ten towers in a single game. To sell a tower, first you must build it, then select it by pressing and scroll down to the "Sell Tower" option and press again. On any map near the end of the game you should have some extra resources. Simply place a boost tower and immediately sell it. Repeat this 9 more times.

The achievement will unlock at the end of the game, win or lose.
Kaboom!

10
Build 100 Cannon towers.
From the Tower Encyclopedia: The Cannon tower is powerful but slow, inflicting heavy damage at a low rate of fire. It works very well against strong and shielded enemies although its power can be wasted on weak or heavily damaged units. it is not very effective at stopping tight groups, but its range makes it a fine second row tower if it can see over the towers in front of it.

This achievement requires that you build 100 Cannon towers across all of your games. Your particular playing style may mean that this unlocks naturally without any particular effort. However, if you don't tend to use Cannon towers, or simply want it to unlock more promptly, you can play Chapter 19 in Practice mode on easy and play only Cannon towers. You can easily place 100 towers on this map and unlock the achievement at the end of the game, win or lose.
Leadhead

10
Build 100 Gun towers.
From the Tower Encyclopedia: The Gun tower is the all-purpose work horse of the Defense Grid arsenal. it is a capable weapon against all alien types and is the most cost effective of all of the towers. It is not as efficient against fast moving aliens as the Laser tower. It is not as effective as the Inferno tower versus large groups of swarmers. And lastly, it doesn't have the range of Cannon, Missile, and Meteor towers, but it gets the job done.

This achievement requires that you build 100 Gun towers across all of your games. Your particular playing style may mean that this unlocks naturally without any particular effort. However, if you don't tend to use Gun towers, or simply want it to unlock more promptly, you can play Chapter 19 in Practice mode on easy and play only Gun towers. You can easily place 100 towers on this map and unlock the achievement at the end of the game, win or lose.
Liquidator

10
Sell 10 towers.
To unlock this achievement, you need to sell a total of ten towers across all games played. This does not need to be done in the same game. To sell a tower, first you must build it, then select it by pressing and scroll down to the "Sell Tower" option and press again.

The achievement will unlock at the end of the game in which you have sold your tenth tower.
Master Builder

10
Use the command shuttle to move 6 map sections in Mission 6.
The command shuttle is used on some missions to alter the layout of the playing field. You need to move the selector to the command shuttle and press and any available map sections will be shown. You are required to pay resources to move the map sections, so if you are trying to maximize your score typically this is not a good idea. However, if you are struggling on a map it may make it much easier for you to win as some of the map sections offer significant tactical advantages.

To unlock this achievement, choose Mission 6 (Rapid Collapse) in Practice mode. Any mode will work, but you have the most spare resources in Practice mode. The command shuttle lands on the pier at the beginning of the mission and you can immediately select it. There are six map sections available and you simply need to pay the resources to raise them all out of the water and into usable positions:
- Sentry 01 - 400 resources
- Sentry 02 - 400 resources
- Watchtower 01 - 200 resources
- Watchtower 02 - 200 resources
- Watchtower 03 - 200 resources
- Watchtower 04 - 200 resources
The achievement will unlock at the end of the match, win or lose.
Master Strategist

100
Earn 100 Gold Medals on any missions.
(8)
For this achievement you need to earn a gold medal on 100 (or more) map and mode combinations. There are more than 200 in the game and the medals are displayed on the mission select screen, so it is easy enough to see which ones you have already earned gold in. It is fortunate that there are so many, because this achievement often does not unlock after 100 golds. If it doesn't, keep earning golds and it will eventually unlock, although it may be 180+ before it does so.

You will need 100 gold medals across all the maps, which works out to an average of five golds per map (the Prologue can only be played in Story mode). You will need to get gold on each map in Story mode for Alien Tears, leaving 79 remaining. The five easiest modes are:
- Practice (large initial starting resources and much faster generation of resources in-game)
- Grinder (only opponents are walkers, and many maps can be won with 4-6 Concussion towers and a Temporal tower)
- Super Grinder (lots of opponents, but strung out nicely and lots of time to build defenses in depth)
- Out of Bullets (no Cannon or Gun towers, so use Lasers and Concussion towers instead)
- Fixed Resources (you get all your resources at the start of the game)
Minimalist

10
Using only level 1 towers, Win any Chapter 4 (or later) mission.
This achievement requires that you do not upgrade any towers while winning a mission on maps 12-20. Most of the maps are amenable to this in Practice mode as they tend to be large and can afford to build tons of towers. For one approach that works, you can choose Practice mode on mission 12 (Incursion) and build only Gun and Concussion towers. Create a long convoluted path for the aliens to follow and fill all available spaces with towers. If you accidentally upgrade a tower, you can use the rewind feature to go back to the prior checkpoint and undo the upgrade without voiding the achievement. You need to win the mission to unlock this achievement, so you must have at least one core still on the map at the end of the game.
More Please

10
Use the Resource Reinforcement Special Weapon (Professor Briel).
Both the and the are mapped to the special weapon you choose at the Tower Items loadout screen. Professor Briel is available on all modes in missions 4-20 (except 16), and is required to use the Resource Reinforcement special weapon. The Resource Reinforcement special weapon generates extra resources for you to use, based on the number and type of aliens in the target area, and can be used once every five minutes. Note that increasing the speed using also affects the recharge time for the special weapon you have selected, if any.

Select any mission and mode that you choose where Professor Briel is available and select her to be your Command Team Tower item. Start the game up, place any tower to start the game, and then simply hold the down for about two seconds until the Resource Reinforcement special weapon fires. The achievement will unlock at the end of the game, win or lose.
No Fast Blast

10
Use the Temporal Cannon Special Weapon (Colonel Rissler).
Both the and the are mapped to the special weapon you choose at the Tower Items loadout screen. Colonel Rissler is available on all modes in missions 8-20 (except 16), and is required to use the Temporal Cannon special weapon. The Temporal Cannon special weapon generates an energy pulse similar to those from a Temporal tower, slowing down any aliens in the affected area, and can be used once every five minutes. Note that increasing the speed using also affects the recharge time for the special weapon you have selected, if any.

Select any mission and mode that you choose where Colonel Rissler is available and select him to be your Command Team Tower item. Start the game up, place any tower to start the game, and then simply hold the down for about two seconds until the Temporal Cannon fires. The achievement will unlock at the end of the game, win or lose.
No Sale

10
Win any mission without selling any towers.
This is straight forward enough that you may unlock it your first mission. Generally, selling towers wastes resources, so most games you won't be selling any. Simply put you need to win any mission in any mode without selling anything.
Not So Fast

10
Build 100 Temporal towers.
From the Tower Encyclopedia: The Temporal tower emits an energy pulse that disrupts nearby aliens, slowing their movement to a crawl. It is expensive to build, but cheaper upgrades extend its range.

This achievement requires that you build 100 Temporal towers across all of your games. Your particular playing style may mean that this unlocks naturally without any particular effort. However, if you don't tend to use Temporal towers, or simply want it to unlock more promptly, you can play Chapter 19 in Practice mode on easy and play only Temporal towers and Gun towers. Temporal towers themselves don't do any damage, so unlike the other tower specific achievements you will need to intermingle them. You can easily place 100 towers on this map and unlock the achievement at the end of the game, win or lose.
Now With Sprinkles

10
Enable a Tower Augmentation item on any tower.
As you earn medals in the game you will be rewarded with tower augmentations that enhance the combat abilities of the various towers. When starting a game there are three screens to go through: Mission Select where you choose which map to play on, Mission Options where you choose the game mode, type, and difficulty, and and the Loadout screen where you can assign tower augmentation items to the various tower types.

To unlock this achievement you will need to choose any one tower augmentation item on any tower while on the Loadout screen.
Penny Pincher

10
Win a mission with at least 5,000 resources remaining.
This is easier in the later chapters, but can also be easily done in the Grinder or Super Grinder game modes on any map they are available as they last so long you get a lot of resources over the course of the game. Practice mode also gives you so many resources that it makes this achievement a breeze.

To unlock the achievement you need to win a mission by having at least one core on the map after the last alien dies, and have 5,000 resources available. If you are close, you can sell unneeded towers and the resources from those will go towards the total needed for this achievement.
Pew Pew

10
Build 100 Laser towers.
From the Tower Encyclopedia: The Laser tower is extremely efficient, burning aliens and causing damage long after they've moved out of range. It works very well against fast enemies but it is practically useless against shields.

This achievement requires that you build 100 Laser towers across all of your games. Your particular playing style may mean that this unlocks naturally without any particular effort. However, if you don't tend to use Laser towers, or simply want it to unlock more promptly, you can play Chapter 19 in Practice mode on easy and play only Laser towers. You can easily place 100 towers on this map and unlock the achievement at the end of the game, win or lose.
Planet Defender

30
Earn a silver medal (or better) on all missions in the Story mode.
(1)
See the guide for "Alien Tears" for full details and advice on this achievement. It will unlock after you have earned at least a silver medal on each mission in Story mode.
Pumped Up Towers

10
Use the Tower Overcharge Special Weapon (Advisor Zacara).
Both the and the are mapped to the special weapon you choose at the Tower Items loadout screen. Advisor Zacara is available on all modes in missions 3-19 (except 16), and is required to use the Tower Overcharge special weapon. The Tower Overcharge special weapon enables affected towers to do extra damage to aliens they attack, and can be used once every five minutes. Note that increasing the speed using also affects the recharge time for the special weapon you have selected, if any.

Select any mission and mode that you choose where Advisor Zacara is available and select her to be your Command Team Tower item. Start the game up, place any tower to start the game, and then simply hold the down for about two seconds until the Tower Overcharge special weapon fires. The achievement will unlock at the end of the game, win or lose.
Retry

5
Use the Reload Checkpoint option.
(2)
The reload checkpoint command is mapped to the and reverses the scenario completely to the start of the prior wave of aliens. This includes returning all money spent, removing towers built since that checkpoint, etc. This feature makes it very difficult to lose any given mission because if you make a mistake you can rewind as many times as you would like, including all the way back to the beginning of the game.

To unlock this achievement, you simply need to use the rewind feature once.
Salvage Rights

10
Kill an alien boss creature. (Juggernaut, Rumbler, Turtle, or Crasher)
Boss aliens first appear in Story mode missions at Chapter 6 (Rapid Collapse) with the Rumbler. You can unlock this achievement earlier if you wish by playing an alternate game mode, but you will kill thousands of boss creatures throughout the game if you are going for a full completion.
Shell-shocked

10
Using only Cannon towers, Win any Chapter 4 (or later) mission.
This achievement requires that you win any Chapter 4 or later mission using only Cannon towers. While most of the maps can be won this way, the easiest approach is likely to play Chapter 19 in Grinder mode on easy and play only Cannon towers. Ensure you create a long path and consistently upgrade your towers for an easy win. Note that you do not need to get a gold (or any) medal to unlock the achievement, you merely need to finish the game with at least one core still on the map.
Shoot That Guy

10
Use the Precision Targeting Special Weapon (Rear Admiral Phillips).
Both the and the are mapped to the special weapon you choose at the Tower Items loadout screen. Admiral Phillips is available on all modes in missions 12-20 (except 16), and is required to use the Precision Targeting special weapon. The Precision Targeting special weapon tags an alien for all towers in range to target, and can pick multiple targets until the weapon is exhausted. It can be used once every five minutes. Note that increasing the speed using also affects the recharge time for the special weapon you have selected, if any.

Select any mission and mode that you choose where Admiral Phillips is available and select him to be your Command Team Tower item. Start the game up, place any tower to start the game, and then simply hold the down for about two seconds until the Precision Targeting special weapon fires. The achievement will unlock at the end of the game, win or lose.
Surplus

10
Win a mission with at least 1,000 resources remaining.
This is easier in the later chapters, but can also be easily done in the Grinder or Super Grinder game modes on any map they are available as they last so long you get a lot of resources over the course of the game. Practice mode also gives you so many resources that it makes this achievement a breeze.

To unlock the achievement you need to win a mission by having at least one core on the map after the last alien dies, and have 1,000 resources available. If you are close, you can sell unneeded towers and the resources from those will go towards the total needed for this achievement.
10 Items No less

10
Enable a Tower Augmentation Item on 10 Towers.
(5)
As you earn medals in the game you will be rewarded with tower augmentations that enhance the combat abilities of the various towers. When starting a game there are three screens to go through: Mission Select where you choose which map to play on, Mission Options where you choose the game mode, type, and difficulty, and and the Loadout screen where you can assign tower augmentation items to the various tower types.

To unlock this achievement you will need to choose any one tower augmentation item on ten different towers while on the Loadout screen.
Thanks for Playing!

5
Earn a Bronze (or better) medal in a Single Player Mission.
You will need to earn enough points on any mission in any mode to surpass the requirements for a bronze medal. The scores required vary by map and mode. See the guide for "Master Strategist" for details on how to unlock this achievement.
The Not-So-Friendly Skies

10
Build 100 Missile towers.
From the Tower Encyclopedia: The Missile tower fires a powerful warhead from very long range that inflicts maximum damage to a single target. The further the missile travels the higher the damage inflicted upon its target. It can't hit nearby targets and it fires slowly, but upgrading it will add multiple missiles per firing sequence. it is effective against most alien types and its ultra-long range makes it the perfect second or even fourth row tower.

This achievement requires that you build 100 Missile towers across all of your games. Your particular playing style may mean that this unlocks naturally without any particular effort. However, if you don't tend to use Missile towers, or simply want it to unlock more promptly, you can play Chapter 19 in Practice mode on easy and play only Missile towers. You can easily place 100 towers on this map and unlock the achievement at the end of the game, win or lose.
The Path Most Traveled

10
Win a Gold medal on Mission 19 without using the Command Shuttle.
The Command Shuttle enables changes to the map to be purchased in-game, and on Mission 19 it can be used to add 50% more area to the map, extending the possible path of the aliens by an immense amount. However, to unlock "The Path Most Traveled", you need to get a gold medal on Mission 19 without using the Command Shuttle at all. The starting map is so massive that this should not be a problem. The easiest method to earn this achievement is to play Practice mode and build a lot of Concussion towers near the entrance and lasers near the core, with a small helping of Cannon and/or Missile towers scattered around the map to ensure the alien path is nice and long.
Tower Expert

10
Build every tower and every upgrade for each tower.
If you start out playing Story mode games, this achievement cannot be unlocked until you reach Split Decision (Chapter 7) as that is when the Missile tower first becomes available. However, as soon as you beat Chapter 1 you can replay it in a non-Story mode and choose Fully Loaded, enabling you to unlock this as quickly as your second mission if you so desire.

There are 10 tower types and you will need to build at least one of each and then fully upgrade them to level 3 to unlock this achievement. You can keep them or sell them without impacting the achievement, and they do not all need to exist at the same time. The 10 tower types available are:
- Boost (no upgrades available)
- Gun
- Inferno
- Laser
- Cannon
- Temporal
- Concussion
- Meteor
- Missile
- Tesla
The achievement will unlock at the end of the mission in which you upgrade your final tower type to level 3, win or lose.
Warning Shots

10
Play a DG Fighter Multiplayer mission.
(4)
DG Fighter is a competitive multiplayer game mode accessible from the main menu by choosing Multiplayer -> DG Fighter. You can invite a friend by pressing or search for an available random player by pressing . You will not see the other player or their towers, but any time you kill an alien it spawns on their map, and vice versa. The winner is the one who survives the longest or if you both survive the winner is the one with the highest point totals.

To unlock "Warning Shots" you need to play and complete the match, but do not need to win.
What IS that?

10
Inspect 10 aliens.
To inspect an alien, hover the pointer over them and press . This can be 10 different aliens or 10 aliens of the same type, and can be done across multiple games. It is easier to do so accurately if you are playing on Normal speed. The achievement will unlock at the end of the game in which you have inspected your tenth alien.
Winning Shots

10
Earn a Victory in a DG FighterMultiplayer mission.
(30)
DG Fighter is a competitive multiplayer game mode accessible from the main menu by choosing Multiplayer -> DG Fighter. You can invite a friend by pressing or search for an available random player by pressing . You will not see the other player or their towers, but any time you kill an alien it spawns on their map, and vice versa. The winner is the one who survives the longest or if you both survive the winner is the one with the highest point totals.

To unlock "Winning Shots" you need to win the match. If you are going to boost this, you can have your opponent simply do nothing and you should win in two-three minutes if you build enough towers to defend your tower from the first few walkers. If you are playing competitively, it helps if you have practiced the game and are familiar with the nuances of each tower and map.
Would you like a boost with that?

5
Build 100 Boost towers.
(1)
From the Tower Encyclopedia: The Boost is less of a tower and more of an elevated platform. It is inexpensive to build making it a great blocking tower that can lay out the foundation for your defenses. An additional tower can be built on top of it. Once a tower has been built on a Boost tower, upgrade options will become available providing improvements to damage output, alien stealth and shield deactivation, and bonus evaluation score.

This achievement requires that you build 100 Boost towers across all of your games. Your particular playing style may mean that this unlocks naturally without any particular effort. However, if you don't tend to use Boost towers, or simply want it to unlock more promptly, you can play Chapter 19 in Practice mode on easy and play only Boost towers with Gun towers built on top of them. Boost towers themselves don't do any damage, so unlike the other tower specific achievements you will need to use another tower to actually interact with aliens. You can easily place 100 towers on this map and unlock the achievement at the end of the game, win or lose.
Xenocide

30
Kill 50,000 aliens.
(1)
You will unlock this after killing 50,000 aliens. This will unlock naturally as you play the game. Depending on the exact approach you take and how many times you rewind or replay missions, this should unlock before you have completed earning 100 gold medals. If you want to aim for it specifically, Grinder mode has the most aliens per game.
Yellow Beats Green

5
Upgrade a level 1 tower to a level 2 tower.
You should get this in your first mission. Simply highlight an existing green tower and press , then press again if you have enough resources (the box that says "Upgrade Tower" will be bright orange if you have enough). The tower will slip underground and re-emerge as a yellow level 2 tower, and the achievement will unlock at the end of the game.
Master Siege Breaker

55
Survive 100 waves on any Super Grinder challenge mode.
(1)
While not as easy as Grinder mode, Super Grinder can be generally won with the same approach since the vast majority of the aliens are going to be walkers and swarmers. Build Concussion towers and scatter some Temporal towers in the mix to ensure that the aliens stay in range of the Concussion towers for as long as possible. You will need some Cannon towers also to take out the boss aliens, and all towers should be on Boost towers so that you can use the Shield disrupter and Score Boost options. Upgrade all towers to level 3 and make sure that as much of your path as possible is covered by the Temporal towers.
Siege Breaker

55
Survive 100 waves on Grinder challenge mode on any mission.
(1)
Other than practice mode, Grinder mode is the easiest game mode because all of your enemies are walkers. The same approach works well for pretty much every map: build Concussion towers and scatter some Temporal towers in the mix to ensure that the walkers stay in range of the Concussion towers for as long as possible. Upgrade all towers to level 3, and if you want to maximize your score ensure that they are all on Boost towers with the Score boost option chosen.
Untouchable

30
Beat a Chapter 4 mission or higher with zero cores captured.
(1)
A core is captured when an alien escapes off the map with a core. You will need to beat any mission in Chapter 4 or Chapter 5 without an alien capturing a core. Typically if you are aiming for gold, you should do this on every mission in every mode, so it should come as part of working on "Alien Tears" and "Master Strategist". If you are struggling, try lowering the difficulty to easy, play on Practice mode, and watch the videos linked in the guide for "Alien Tears" for pointers on the particular mission you are playing.