Ultimate Orcs Must Die Deathtrap Beginner’s Guide

The orc swarms are bigger than ever in Deathtrap, and you'll have to put your A-game on to defeat them all. Now, if you don't know all the tricks of the orc-slaying trade, we've got something to help you out. Here is our ultimate beginner's guide to Orcs Must Die Deathtrap!

All War Mages in Orcs Must Die Deathtrap

There are currently 7 War Mages (playable characters) in Orcs Must Die Deathtrap, 6 available by default, and Maximilian, which you obtain by collecting 5 Broken Mirror Fragments. Here is the rundown of all the War Mages and what they specialize in:

War Mage	Basic Kit	Active Skills	Pros & Cons
Vaan	Crossbow (Primary): Very high rate of fire with a wide spread and high ammo capacity. Rift Protection (Overdrive): Creates a temporary barrier on the Rift that prevents Rift Point loss from enemies. Rift Teleport (Trap): Teleports War Mages back to the Rift. Interact to use.	Charge Beam (Secondary): Locks Vaan in place and shoots a powerful beam that slows, penetrates, and damages enemies. Rift Orb (Special): Summons a Rift-powered orb that buffs the damage of traps in its area of effect. Rift Lightning (Trait): Vaan's presence empowers the Rift to periodically shoot lightning at nearby enemies.	+ Rift Protection is insanely clutch + Rift Teleport is a great mobility tool for the whole party – The crossbow spread can be too much at long range
Wren	Crossbow (Primary): Moderate rate of fire with high damage per shot. Mirror Images (Overdrive): Summons two invulnerable magic clones that copy all of Wren's movements and abilities. Time Crystals (Trap): Reduces the reset time of adjacent traps while there are crystals. Crystals are consumed when a trap is triggered and restored between waves.	Trap Blast (Secondary): Lobs an orb from the wand that immediately triggers all traps in its area of effect. Hold to aim. Proximity Orb (Special): Summons an orb that floats in the air until an enemy comes in range. Homes in at a nearby target, dealing massive damage. Perfect Recharge (Trait): A bonus window appears while reloading. Hitting reload with accurate timing will grant extra ammo for the next magazine.	+ Trap Blast is a life-saver against big swarms + Time Crystals offer a substantial boost to trap DPS + Proximity Orb is an OP ability – Requires timing while reloading for optimal DPS
Harlow	Blunderbuss (Primary): Low rate of fire; burst of multiple projectiles per shot. Treat Time (Overdrive): Feeds Henry a treat that turns the cute little guy into a large, ferocious beast. Henry lobs large fireballs at enemies that explode for massive damage. Boom Barrel (Trap): Exploding barrel that can be placed on top of other traps. Explodes when a player shoots it. Does not explode from being hit by traps. Exploded barrels replenish between waves.	Pretty Lights (Secondary): Fires a cluster grenade that deals continuous damage in a small area. Hold to aim. Wind Blast (Special): A gust of wind blasts out of the Blunderbuss, launching small enemies. Henry (Trait): Harlow's companion, Henry, passively fires at nearby enemies.	+ Easy to play + Great sustained AoE DPS – Does not have that much utility – Very low range
Mac	Wrench Staff (Primary): Low rate of fire with high damage per shot and very wide spread. Scan Weak Points (Overdrive): Applies a debuff to a number of enemies that causes them to take more damage from the Wrench Staff. Scanned enemies are highlighted. Gravity Lift (Trap): War Mages are lifted into the air while the trap is active before slowly falling back to the ground. Interact to use.	Zoom (Secondary): Zoom in with the scanner to get a closer look. Damage is greatly increased, and spread is eliminated, but the rate of fire is slowed. Hold to aim. Gravity Blast (Special): Fires a grenade that launches small enemies into the air in slow motion and slows large enemies. Hold to aim. Head Count (Trait): The Headshot damage multiplier increases with each successful Headshot in a magazine.	+ Pure DPS-orriented War Mage – Very little utility – Requires good aim
Kalos	Hammer (Primary): A Powerful melee combo with slow, wide-sweeping attacks. Rage Ward (Overdrive): Places a large ward on the ground that regenerates health and buffs all damage of War Mages standing in its radius. Healing Berries (Trap): Grows fruit over time that restores the health of War Mages. Interact to use.	Slam Jump (Secondary): Leaps forward and high into the air, then slams his hammer on the ground, dealing damage in an area and launching small enemies. While used during a combo, Kalos slams the ground, launching small enemies and himself into the air. Calling Stone (Special): Summons a floating stone totem from the ground that rotates slowly and emits a sound, attacking nearby enemies to destroy it. Nature's Protection (Trait): Grants Kalos a second health bar that depletes before his base health and regenerates after not taking damage.	+ Excellent utility and buffs/heals + Can tank for the base – Lackluster damage
Sophie	Daggers (Primary): A quick melee combo with a barrage of sweeping attacks. Summon Bartholomew (Overdrive): Summons Bartholomew, a large skeleton soldier who fights for Sophie. Lasts until his health is depleted. Vampiric Jaws (Trap): Stuns an enemy and inflicts Rend. All War Mage damage dealt during Rend is a Critical Hit.	Knife Trow (Secondary): Throws a knife straight ahead. When used during a combo, Sophie throws a fan of knives around her. Shadow Form (Special): Turns into a shadowy form that increases Sophie's movement speed and makes her immune to all damage. Leaves a trail of shadow magic behind her that explodes to damage all nearby enemies when the duration ends. Can be left early with a Primary Attack. Bloodthirsty (Trait): Critical Hits restore health.	+ Extremely high damage + Self-sustain through her passive + Excellent for dealing with single high-HP entities – High skill floor
Maximilian	Max Crossbow (Primary): High rate of fire with a wide spread and very high ammo capacity. Unchained Bladestaff (Overdrive): Swap out the Crossbow for a Bladestaff. The Primary attack becomes a melee combo with wide-sweeping attacks. The Secondary becomes a ground slam that launches enemies into the air. Also grants increased movement speed and health regen. Friendly Flip Trap (Trap): Sends War Mages flying through the air. Interact to use.	Stun Bolt (Secondary): Fires a projectile that Stuns all enemies in an area around the point of impact. Nade Spam (Special): Quickly pull out a classic Blunderbuss and fire a barrage of frag grenades that bounce and explode independently. Double Jump (Trait): Jump while in the air to get a second, higher jump.	+ Can be both melee and ranged + Very versatile + Excellent utility + Double Jump is great for dealing with flying enemies

How Skill Trees Work in Orcs Must Die Deathtrap

Skills are passive bonuses that you can unlock and which will carry over into all of your runs in Orcs Must Die Deathtrap. To access them, go to the Master Gabriella NPC in the southwest corner of Order Fortress. To unlock skills, you'll need to spend Skulls, which are earned through missions.

The skills are separated into universal (right side) and War Mage-exclusive (top left corner). All skills have their use, and you'll unlock them eventually. However, there are a few universal skills that you should prioritize, as well as the best orders for unlocking each War Mage's skills. Here is the full list:

Type	Skills
Universal	Utility Belt: Gain one additional Loadout Slot. Anti-Boss: Deal 50% additional War Mage damage to Bosses. Cheaper Wall Traps: Reduce the cost of all Wall Traps by 100. Cheaper Floor Traps: Reduce the cost of all Floor Traps by 100. War Mage Strength: Increase all War Mage damage by 10%. Stronger Barricade: Barricades have an additional 500 health. Faster Overdrive: Overdrive requires 10% fever combos.
War Mage: Vaan	Crossbow Ammo: Increases maximum Crossbow ammo by 5. Crossbow Ammo: Increases maximum Crossbow ammo by 5. Crossbow Ammo: Increases maximum Crossbow ammo by 5. [Low-Priority] Bigger Rift Orb: Rift Orb radius increased by 20%. Rift Lightning Boost: Rift Lightning does 100% more damage. Duplicator: Rift Point Drops are worth double for the team.
War Mage: Wren	Reload Bonus: Accurate reloads grant 3 additional bonus ammo. Proximity Orb Power: Proximity Orb does 100% more damage. Headshot Power: Headshots deal an additional 50% bonus damage. [Low-Priority] Reload Bonus: Accurate reloads grant 3 additional bonus ammo. Proximity Orb Power: Proximity Orb does 100% more damage. Mirror Mirror: Two additional clones spawn during Mirror Images.
War Mage: Harlow	Henry Damage: Henry deals 100% more damage. Extra Boom Barrel: Gain 1 extra Boom Barrel and increase damage by 100%. Henry Damage: Henry deals 100% more damage. [Low-Priority] Longer Pretty Lights: Pretty Lights stays active for twice as long. Extra Boom Barrel: Gain 1 extra Boom Barrel and increase damage by 100%. Favorite Treat: Treat Time stays active for twice as long.
War Mage: Mac	Bonus Headshot Multiplier: Headshot Multiplier increases by an additional 5% per Headshot count. Bonus Headshot Multiplier: Headshot Multiplier increases by an additional 5% per Headshot count. Bonus Headshot Multiplier: Headshot Multiplier increases by an additional 5% per Headshot count. [Low-Priority] Extra Gravity Grenade: Gain 1 additional Gravity Grenade. Critical Wrench Staff: Wrench Staff chance to critically hit is increased by an additional 10%. New Model Scanner: Scan twice as many enemies during Scan Weak Points.
War Mage: Kalos	Improved Nature's Protection: Nature's Protection is increased by 500. Hammer Damage: Hammer damage is increased by 25% and Enrage limit is increased by 25%. Rage Ward: Rage Ward increases War Mage damage by an additional 100%. [Low-Priority] Improved Nature's Protection: Nature's Protection is increased by 500. Hammer Damage: Hammer damage is increased by 25% and Enrage limit is increased by 25%. Super Fruit: Healing Berries will fully heal War Mages.
War Mage: Sophie	Knife Throw Critical Chance: Knife Throw has an additional 15% Critical Chance. Stronger Skeleton: Stronger Skeleton has 50% more health. Stun Duration: Vampiric Jaws stun duration is increased by 100%. [Low-Priority] Knife Throw Critical Chance: Knife Throw has an additional 15% Critical Chance. Stronger Skeleton: Stronger Skeleton has 50% more health. Lethal Strike: Critical Hits now deal 3x damage.
War Mage: Maximilian	Ammo Growth: Killing blows with the Bladestaff add a 5% chance to increase Crossbow maximum ammo by 1. Unstable Rift Damage: Damage to an Unstable Rift is increased by 50%. Ammo Growth: Killing blows with the Bladestaff add a 5% chance to increase Crossbow maximum ammo by 1. [Low-Priority] Bladestaff Damage Increase: Bladestaff damage is increased by 10% for each Mission in a run. Unstable Rift Damage: Damage to an Unstable Rift is increased by 50%. Not Today: Max has a 50% chance to not cost any Rift Points on death.

How Traps Work in Orcs Must Die Deathtrap

Traps are the most important mechanic in Orcs Must Die Deathtrap, and they'll be the main way you deal damage and slow down the orcs. To purchase (each new trap is 1 Skull) and upgrade them, you'll have to visit the two NPCs in the northwest corner of Order Fortress.

There are three categories of traps: ceiling, wall, and floor, and comboing them so they target the same squares where the enemies will pass is crucial to dealing the most damage possible. Here is the list of the overall best traps to use in OMDD:

Trap	Description	Pros & Cons
Poison Gas Emitter	Effect: Creates a large cloud of gas that deals Poison Damage and applies Poisoned to enemies walking through it. Type: Ceiling Price: 1,000 Reset Time: 20s Cloud Duration: 6s Status Effect Damage: 20 Status Effect Duration: 20s Critical Hit Chance: 0%	+ Excellent total DPS + Wide AoE + Cheap placement – Long reset time
Tar Pit	Effect: Enemies are slowed while on it. Type: Floor Price: 800 Slow Duration: 2s Slow Percentage: 40%	+ Cheap placement + Very good utility – Useless against flying enemies
Ceiling Laser	Effect: Fires lasers straight down that deal continuous damage to enemies passing through them. Type: Ceiling Price: 1,200 Damage: 60 Reset Time: 14s Activation Duration: 6s Critical Hit Chance: 0%	+ Relatively cheap placement + Good damage area length + Excellent DPS – Narrow damage area – Relatively long reset time
Flip Trap	Effect: Deals damage and launches small enemies through air. Cannot launch large enemies. (Physics Trap) Type: Floor Price: 800 Damage: 50 Reset Time: 14s Critical Hit Chance: 0%	+ Excellent utility + Cheap placement – Very bad damage – Relatively long reset time
Brimstone	Effect: Deals Fire Damage and applies Burning to any enemy that walks over it. Type: Floor Price: 1,200 Damage: 50 Reset Time: 12s Status Effect Damage: 25 Status Effect Duration: 4s Charges: 4 Critical Hit Chance: 0%	+ Solid DPS + Relatively cheap placement + Short reset time – Worse than the Poison Gas Emitter – Useless against flying enemies
Arrow Wall	Effect: Fires four volleys of arrows that can each damage enemies. Type: Wall Price: 1,500 Damage: 40 Reset Time: 10s Critical Hit Chance: 0%	+ Insane DPS + Very short reset time – Relatively expensive placement
Briar Patch	Effect: Deals continuous damage to enemies on top of it. Grows additional Briar Patches after dealing enough damage. (Organic Trap) Type: Floor Price: 2,000 Damage: 20 Growth Threshold: 1,200 Critical Hit Chance: 0%	+ Extremely good scaling throughout the run + Solid AoE DPS + Doesn't require much investment – Useless against flying enemies – It takes time to ramp up
Saw Blade Launcher	Effect: Fires a sawblade that bounces off terrain and damages enemies it passes through. (Bounce Trap) Type: Wall Price: 1,000 Damage: 200 Reset Time: 14s Projectile Lifetime: 6s Critical Hit Chance: 0%	+ Cheap placement + Solid DPS + Projectile lifetime is good – A bit RNG
Wall Charger	Effect: Deals a burst of Lightning Damage and applies Electrified to enemies in front of it. Type: Wall Price: 1,600 Damage: 600 Reset Time: 14s Status Effect Duration: 5s Critical Hit Chance: 0%	+ Insane DPS + Solid status effect duration – Relatively expensive placement cost

How Threads Work in Orcs Must Die Deathtrap

Threads are upgrades that you will get to choose after each wave during a mission. These upgrades offer powerful bonuses that can often increase your power substantially. To see the Threads library, Thread Quests, and buy new Threads that will be added to your pool of potential mid-game choices, visit the weaver NPCs in the northernmost part of Order Fortress.

Orcs Must Die Deathtrap Gameplay Tips & Tricks

Here is a short list of useful tips and tricks that will help you out while playing Orcs Must Die Deathtrap. Naturally, make sure to experiment yourself and find better strategies that we might have overlooked. Anyway, here are the tips:

• Use barricades to funnel as many enemies as possible down a single path where you've laid out traps.
• Connect barricades diagonally (only corners connected) to maximize barricaded space. Watch the in-game tutorial video for an example.
• Sentinels are spread out on each map and can provide immense DPS for a relatively low Rune Coin cost.
• Layer traps in such a way that they generate combos, which will fill your Overdrive meter and extra game rewards.
• Combos last longer on enemies launched with physics traps.
• Take a look at the minimap every few seconds to confirm enemy positions.
• It's completely okay to lose Rift Points while challenging a level. You can win with only one remaining.
• Go around the Order Fortress often spend your Skulls at each vendor, and upgrade your gear.
• If the orc ghosts are red, it means they will try to destroy the barricades to go through.
• Flying enemies completely ignore barricades.
• You can place and manipulate traps during a wave. Be sure to use that to your advantage.
• Use your abilities when they are off cooldown to maximize your character's potential.

Orcs Must Die Deathtrap FAQ

• What platforms is OMD Deathtrap on?
  • OMDD is on Steam, Epic Games Store, and the Xbox Series X|S.
• Is OMD Deathtrap on Game Pass?
  • Yes, OMDD is available on Game Pass.
• What are the OMD Deathtrap PC system requirements?
  • Minimum:
    • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
    • Processor: Intel i5 4690 / AMD FX 8350
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 / RX 480 (4GB+ VRAM)
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Storage: 15 GB of storage (SSD recommended)
  • Recommended:
    • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
    • Processor: Intel i7 8-Core / 16-Thread
    • Memory: 16 GB RAM
    • Graphics: Nvidia RTX 3060 / AMD Radeon 6700 XT (12GB VRAM)
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Storage: 15 GB of storage (SSD recommended)
• Can you play OMD Deathtrap solo?
  • Yes, the game difficulty scales with the number of players in the party.
• Can you play OMD Deathtrap in split-screen co-op?
  • No, OMD Deathtrap doesn't support split-screen co-op.
• Can you play OMD Deathtrap without internet?
  • Yes, you can play OMDD while offline.
• How do you replay the tutorials?
  • There is a Tutorial Videos NPC in the central/eastern section of Order Fortress. Interact with him to preview tutorials.

That does it for our Orcs Must Die Deathtrap (OMDD) beginner's guide, and with all that info, you should be able to make the most out of each of your runs. Also, if you found this guide helpful, make sure to bookmark Pro Game Guides for more such content!