TrenchLine:Tower Defense TrenchLine Troops Roster
Every major troop role explained—from Conscripts and Farms to Shilka, barges, and Battle Tank.
How to read this roster
TrenchLine:Tower Defense fields a wide military fantasy roster: infantry, machine guns, artillery, armor, AA, naval craft, and economy buildings. This page explains what each major troop is for so you can fill loadouts intelligently. For live rankings see the Troop Tier List. For kits see Best Loadouts. For what they shoot at see Enemies.
Unlock order varies by account progress and research. Focus on jobs first: early clear, economy, armor, AA, naval.
Infantry and early clear
Riflemen
Baseline road infantry. Affordable, honest DPS on shamblers and runners. Place them where waves enter and upgrade a few pads deeply rather than sprinkling level-one rifles everywhere.
Conscripts
Cheap mass infantry that scales when armor-piercing investment is maxed. Early they hold lines; late they become a serious AP option if you commit upgrades. Great for players who like progressive power curves.
Assault Squad
Buffed in early game relative to older metas. Excellent opener for Easy/Medium and still useful as front clear on harder votes. Prefer Assault Squad over outdated Marksman openers when both are available.
Marksman
Longer-range infantry identity that was nerfed. Still usable on long straights, but no longer the autopilot carry. Pair with MG/PKM instead of stacking Marksman only.
Spec Ops
Halloween-leaning special infantry. Fun flex and event flavor. Do not delete your Farms or Shilka slot to force Spec Ops into Hardcore Tidefall.
Machine guns and sustained DPS
MG
Workhorse sustained fire for road coverage. Seat MG on long sightlines. Core of almost every serious land kit.
PKM
Heavier MG identity frequently recommended into armored targets. If Brutes walk your lane, PKM upgrades should be high on the shopping list. Community armor advice often starts here.
KPV
Heavy gun presence that shines with good pier or overlay placement. Treat as skilled sustained DPS/naval-adjacent support depending on map geometry.
Artillery, cones, and splash
Mortars
Splash for packed shambler/runner clumps. Support piece, not a full anti-armor plan. Place where arcs catch bends.
SPG-9
Cone damage specialist. High skill ceiling—learn facing and tile choice. Devastating into grouped armor when aimed well; disappointing when placed like a decoration. Practice on Easy before trusting it on Hardcore.
Rocket Battery
Longer-range rocket artillery for pressure lanes that infantry cannot efficiently cover. Pair with spotters in spirit—give it time on target.
Armor
Tanks
General armored DPS breakthrough units. Use to crack heavier waves once economy exists.
Battle Tank
Premium tank presence. Strong breakthrough potential with an ongoing community debate about multi-tile footprints (including four-tile discussions). Measure the pad before you brick a chokepoint. A misplaced Battle Tank is worse than a well-upgraded PKM line.
Anti-air
Shilka
Primary AA spine. Mandatory thinking on Flood maps and Hardcore Tidefall. Upgrade on schedule; level-one Shilka into late flyers is a paperweight.
MANPADS Team
Portable AA angles. Bring to cover vectors Shilka might miss. Redundancy wins flyer overlaps with landing craft.
Gunships
Airborne flex with ground/air utility depending on use. Helpful, but do not treat gunships as your only AA package when Shilka exists.
Economy and support
Farms
Foundational income. Protect from panic sells. Most wipe reviews that start with “we ran out of upgrades” end with “we never built Farms.”
FOB
Forward support/economy identity for mid-game power. Strong partner to Farms when you want denser team value.
Signaler
Team-oriented economy/support piece. Excels when the lobby plays together instead of solo racing DPS counts.
Troop Spawner
Support spawner heavily touched in v0.23.0 rework. Powerful when used with current rules; misleading if you follow pre-rework guides. Read Patch Notes before infinite-mode macros assume old behavior.
Naval roster
Boats
Baseline water DPS. Required thinking on Flooded Ruins, Breakwater Port, Tidefall Beach, and similar channels.
Rocket Barge
Heavy naval punch for offshore clumps and craft pressure. Anchor harbor loadouts around barge upgrades when waves densify.
Rocket Barge / boat synergy
Always pair harbor fire with shore cleanup troops so landings die. Water-only egos fail when craft beach.
Fleet Command (system)
Strategic layer fed by Naval Tokens. As of v0.25.0, tokens are Hardcore-only. See Flood Event and Hardcore Tidefall.
Quick role matrix
| Troop | Primary job | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Riflemen | Early/mid road DPS | Honest baseline |
| Conscripts | Cheap clear → AP | Invest to unlock AP identity |
| Assault Squad | Early clear | Buffed opener |
| Marksman | Long road DPS | Nerfed; situational |
| Spec Ops | Event flex | Not a Flood plan |
| MG | Sustained road | Core |
| PKM | Armor + sustain | Point at armor |
| Mortars | Splash | Support |
| SPG-9 | Cone anti-armor | Aim matters |
| Rocket Battery | Long punch | Sightlines |
| Tanks / Battle Tank | Breakthrough | Watch tiles |
| Shilka | AA | Priority on Flood/HC |
| MANPADS | AA angles | Redundancy |
| Gunships | Flex air/ground | Not sole AA |
| Farms / FOB / Signaler | Economy | Do not skip |
| Troop Spawner | Support | Post-0.23 rules |
| Boats / Rocket Barge | Naval | Flood maps |
| KPV | Heavy gun | Placement skill |
Building a first complete understanding
- Master Riflemen/MG/Farms on Easy — Getting Started.
- Add SPG-9 or PKM before Hard — How to Play.
- Add Shilka before Flood ports.
- Add boats/barge before Tidefall Hardcore.
- Re-check tiers after each major patch — Tier List.
Related reading
Counters and boss context: Enemies. Hub navigation: Players Hub. Update cadence: Updates.
Know the job, then chase the skin. Troops are tools—loadouts that respect roles clear maps that vanity bars cannot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common TrenchLine questions.
Which troop should beginners unlock first?
Prioritize Farms or FOB for economy, then reliable MG/Riflemen or Assault Squad clear, then an armor answer such as PKM or SPG-9.
What does SPG-9 do better than mortars?
SPG-9 specializes in cone damage into packed armored threats when aimed well. Mortars provide general splash but are not a complete armor plan.
Why do people say bring Shilka?
Shilka is the primary AA spine. Flood maps and Hardcore Tidefall punish ground-only kits when flyers overlap other pressure.
Are Naval Tokens tied to a troop?
Tokens feed Fleet Command as a system resource. As of v0.25.0 they are Hardcore-only, used alongside boats and barges—not a replacement for placing naval units.
Where is the tier list?
See the Troop Tier List under Tier List for S–C role rankings, and Best Loadouts for complete kits.