Annihilator

⚠️TRIGGER WARNING!!!⚠️

⚠️The Annihilator's title card features flashing lights that may effect photosensitive viewers. You have been warned.⚠️

View the original Annihilator concept here.

It's time to bring out the big guns! Hold the line with a powerful assault rifle and shotgun, chew bosses, and punish anything that stands in your way with a burning retribution!
Unlock Cost	3,250
Level Requirement	Level 150
Role	Defense
Placement	Path
Placement Limit	1
Statistics
Base Cost	$4,250 > $8,500
Base Selling Cost	$1,417
Base Damage	12 (Assault Rifle) 4x8 (Shotgun)
Damage Method	Single (Assault Rifle) Pierce (Shotgun) Spread (Shotgun) Fire (Level 4B+)
Base Firerate	0.208 (Assault Rifle) 2.008 (Shotgun)
Base Range	15 (Assault Rifle) 7.5 (Shotgun)
Hidden Detection	Level 2+
Lead Detection	Level 4B
Flying Detection	Level 4T
Immunities	Stun (With Retribution)
Placement Footprint	Large (1.75)
Tooltips
Capable of detecting hidden enemies.
Capable of detecting lead enemies.
Capable of detecting flying enemies.

Overview

The Annihilator is a hardcore tower available in the store for 3,250. Specializing in path-only frontline defense, the Annihilator features unique mechanics that set it apart from conventional towers. It operates using two distinct attack modes, switching between a primary assault rifle and a secondary shotgun, each defined by their own ranges and behaviors.

When enemies enter its primary range, the Annihilator engages with an assault rifle, firing rapidly and dealing moderate damage until its magazine is depleted and requires reloading, similar to the operation of the Militant. Within its secondary range, it employs a shotgun that launches multiple pellets for potential high burst damage, inspired by the Shotgunner. The shotgun magazine is smaller but reloads faster. If an enemy is within both ranges simultaneously, the Annihilator fires both weapons together, maximizing damage output.

As a path-exclusive unit, the Annihilator possesses a health stat that varies by upgrade. If reduced to zero health during a wave, it ceases attacking and remains untouchable and unhealable until its health is fully restored at the end of each wave. Healing can be provided by support towers such as Medic and Field Medic. The Annihilator utilizes two upgrade paths: the top path boosts assault rifle damage and DPS, including flying detection; the bottom path enhances the shotgun's crowd control, burn damage, and maximum health, adding lead detection.

At its maximum level, regardless of the path, Annihilator unlocks the Retribution ability. Retribution's effects depend on upgrade path—top path grants a temporary 50% damage and firerate boost and infinite ammo (duration set by the adrenaline meter), but imposes double the reload time afterwards. Bottom path offers faster firerate, doubled shotgun pellets, bonus health, and a revival shockwave upon death during the effect: stunning, damaging, and knocking back enemies, then fully restoring Annihilator’s health and ending the ability. The Retribution buff also provides stun immunity while active.

Triggers for Retribution rely on the Adrenaline Meter passive at max level, with up to five charges gained by threshold damage. Top path gains one charge per 5,000 damage, granting an additional 3 seconds (up to 15 seconds duration); bottom path gains one per 2,500 damage and grants 1,500 health (up to 7,500 bonus health). At least one charge is required to activate Retribution, encouraging active, high-output play.

The Annihilator is a high-cost, versatile hybrid tower excelling in single-target DPS with top path or crowd control with bottom path. It requires micromanagement, featuring a 15-second placement cooldown and incremental placement cost increases—up to 100%—if replaced multiple times per round.

Upgrades

Improved Gear

Level 1 • Cost: Improved Gear - $1,250

+2 Assault Rifle Range

+3 Assault Rifle Damage

+1 Shotgun Damage

Sell Price changes to $1,833

Higher Caliber

Level 2 • Cost: Higher Caliber - $3,750

0.208 > 0.183 Assault Rifle Firerate

2.008 > 1.758 Shotgun Firerate

+0.5 Shotgun Range

+1 Assault Rifle Damage

40 > 35 Shotgun Spread

+Hidden Detection

+10 Assault Rifle Ammo

+3 Shotgun Ammo

3.5 > 3 Assault Rifle Reload Time

2.5 > 2 Shotgun Reload Time

Sell Price changes to $3,083

Duality

Level 3 • Cost: Duality - $12,500

+2 Assault Rifle Range

+4 Assault Rifle Damage

+7 Shotgun Damage

+300 Health

Sell Price changes to $7,250

Top Path

Bionic Enhancements

Level 4 • Cost: Bionic Enhancements - $22,250

0.183 > 0.108 Assault Rifle Firerate

+2 Assault Rifle Range

+0.5 Shotgun Range

+6 Assault Rifle Damage

+200 Health

+Flying Detection

+70 Assault Rifle Ammo

3 > 2.5 Assault Rifle Reload Time

Sell Price changes to $14,667

One−Man Army

Level 5 • Cost: One−Man Army - $68,000

0.108 > 0.058 Assault Rifle Firerate

+3 Assault Rifle Range

+11 Assault Rifle Damage

+500 Health

• Unlocks Retribution Ability

+300 Assault Rifle Ammo

2.5 > 3.5 Assault Rifle Reload Time

Sell Price changes to $37,333

Bottom Path

Infernal Shellshock

Level 4 • Cost: Infernal Shellshock - $19,500

+2 Shotgun Range

+8 Shotgun Damage

8 > 16 Bullets

+2 Max Hits

35 > 50 Shotgun Spread

+1075 Health

+10% Defense

+Lead Detection

+25 Burn Damage

•5 Max Stacks

+3 Shotgun Ammo

2 > 4 Shotgun Reload Time

Sell Price changes to $13,750

Judgement Day

Level 5 • Cost: Judgement Day - $42,500

1.758 > 1.508 Shotgun Firerate

+2 Shotgun Range

+15 Shotgun Damage

+2 Max Hits

0 > 2 Stun Time

+7.5 Knockback Force

+1375 Health

+15% Defense

+45 Burn Damage

1 > 0.5 Tick

• Unlocks Retribution Ability

+5 Shotgun Ammo

Sell Price changes to $27,883

Abilities

Retribution

Level 5T • 60s Cooldown

Grants the Annihilator a 50% damage and firerate increase, stun immunity, and infinite ammo. The duration scales with the current Adrenaline Meter charges, adding 3 seconds per charge up to a maximum of 15 seconds. Upon expiration, the Annihilator’s weapons overheat, imposing a reload time twice as long as normal.

Retribution

Level 5B • 60s Cooldown

Grants the Annihilator a 25% firerate increase, doubles pellets per shot, and stun immunity. The Annihilator also gains additional health based on Adrenaline Meter charges, receiving 1,500 extra HP per charge, up to a total of 7,500 additional health. If the Annihilator dies while this effect is active, it emits a shockwave dealing 500 damage to all enemies within range, stunning them for 3 seconds and knocking them back with 17.5 force before instantly reviving.

This effect lasts for 20 seconds.

Stats Table

To see all the previous statistics of this tower, see the Decimator page, while for the statistics without the Firerate Bug, visit the Firerate Bug page.

Neutral Stats
Level	Total Price	Health	Assault Rifle Damage	Shotgun Damage	Assault Rifle Ammo	Shotgun Ammo	Assault Rifle Firerate	Shotgun Firerate	Assault Rifle Reload Time	Shotgun Reload Time	Primary Range	Secondary Range	Shotgun Spread	Max Hits	Assault Rifle DPS	Shotgun DPS	Cost Efficiency
0	$4,250	125	12	4x8	20	4	0.208	2.008	3.5	2.5	15	7.5	40	3	57.69	15.94	$170.14
1	$5,550	125	15	5x8	20	4	0.208	2.008	3.5	2.5	17	7.5	40	3	72.11	19.92	$177.79
2	$9,250	125	16	5x8	30	7	0.183	1.758	3	2	17	8	35	3	87.43	22.75	$256.19
3	$21,750	425	20	12x8	30	7	0.183	1.758	3	2	19	8	35	3	109.89	54.61	$298.11

Top Path Stats
Level	Total Price	Health	Assault Rifle Damage	Assault Rifle Ammo	Assault Rifle Firerate	Assault Rifle Reload Time	Primary Range	Secondary Range	Assault Rifle DPS	Cost Efficiency
4	$44,000	625	26	100	0.108	2.5	21	8.5	240.74	$182.77
5	$112,000	1,125	37	400	0.058	3.5	24	8.5	637.93	$175.57

Bottom Path Stats
Level	Total Price	Health	Shotgun Damage	Burn Damage	Shotgun Ammo	Shotgun Firerate	Defense	Shotgun Reload Time	Secondary Range	Stun Time	Knockback Force	Spread	Stack Limit	Tick	Max Hits	Total Elapsed Damage	Shotgun DPS	Cost Efficiency
4	$41,250	1,500	20x16	25	10	1.758	10%	4	10	N/A	N/A	50	5	1	5	125	212.20	$194.39
5	$83,750	2,875	35x16	45	15	1.508	25%	4	12	2	7.5	50	5	0.5	7	225	371.35	$225.53

Skins

	Welcome, zombies! I've been expecting you all for a while now. Sit back, relax, and watch as I tear down the frontlines!
Skin	Pumpking
Rarity	Event
Obtained From	Haunted Harvest Season

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Neutral Reliable damage from multiple weapon types. Consistent ranged coverage, reaching +4.5 range by Level 3. Rapid firing speed at early levels; fires both rifle and shotgun simultaneously under optimal conditions. Moderate AoE potential from shotgun. Unlocks hidden detection relatively early. Upgrades allow quick power spikes for frontline defense. Retribution ability fills critical DPS gaps with stacking universal buffs. Lower cost efficiency compared to most DPS alternatives. Benefits from all universal support tower buffs, including Commander, DJ Booth, and Mercenary Base. Powerful synergy with the Hacker, capable of placing up to 6 additional Annihilators if timed correctly. Top Path Highest possible DPS for a single tower in the game, rivaling Accelerator and surpassing most meta units. Top-tier single-target focus: can shred bosses and easily handle high-HP enemies. Grants the Annihilator flying detection. Upgrades boost range and firerate while compensating with a faster reload. Can rapidly clear waves in high-pressure scenarios with burst offensives. Bottom Path Exceptionally high health pool throughout, reaching up to 12,875 HP with Retribution—frontline viability for tanking difficulty spikes. Built-in burn effect, AoE crowd control, knockback, and stuns: disables groups efficiently and softens bosses. Grants the Annihilator lead detection. Summons a powerful shockwave on death if Retribution is active, dealing 500 damage and stunning all enemies in range. Outstanding sustainability; shockwave revive allows clutch comebacks and wave skips. Bottom path excels against horde waves and slows tanky bosses thanks to crowd control.

Neutral Lack of innate crowd control and shotgun hit limit encumbers area denial until higher upgrades. Health pool remains low, vulnerable to bosses and tanky enemies like Breakers at earlier levels. Placement limit restricts massed defense; must be supported for full coverage. Extremely expensive, limiting the Annihilator's overall game viability. No burn, knockback, or stun until path upgrades; early game susceptible to spam waves. Replacement penalty of up to 100% the initial placement price may cause reconsideration when micromanaging. Top Path Low health pool, severely exposed to direct damage, high-impact abilities, and stuns. Crowd control is limited compared to bottom path; cannot knock back or burn enemies en masse, less at all. Reload time at max level can be quite punishing. Retribution at low charge has short duration, limiting buff uptime. Requires heavy micro-management and precise positioning, especially in gamemodes like Polluted Wasteland II and Hardcore Mode. Dependent on Retribution cycles for max DPS; downtime leaves tower exposed and underperforming. High upgrade investment needed to reach peak stats; can strain funds during difficulty spikes. Bottom Path Lower overall DPS compared to top path; trades burst for sustainability and crowd control. Requires full upgrades and charge management for peak performance; underwhelming if not actively supported. Revive mechanic is a one-off per Retribution cycle; leaves unit exposed if enemies overwhelm twice in a row. Placement limit and cooldown restricts mass unit spam compared to cheaper CC towers like Mortar. Resource-intensive to reach max potential; shockwave revive may require careful timing for best effect.

Tips

The Annihilator brings a multitude of unique strategies and advanced techs to any frontline defense. To maximize his potential, savvy players should master several specialized tricks exclusive to this tower.

One standout technique is the “Infinite Health” tech. Because the Annihilator acts as both a tower and a unit, he uniquely benefits from healing effects—especially the Field Medic’s support. Thanks to his Lethality modifier, he can be healed by the Medic as if the modifier is always active, dramatically extending his survivability. This interaction is especially potent along the bottom upgrade path, letting the Annihilator tank waves far longer than most units.

However, remember the Annihilator cannot be healed when inactive—timing is everything. A clever exploit involves wave management: since the Annihilator automatically regains full health at the end of each wave, players can “double” his effective health against powerful enemies by expertly reviving him as a wave is skipped or completed, as long as those enemies remain in his hitbox. Perfect execution not only restores his HP but also deals devastating ram damage upon revival. This advanced maneuver demands precise timing and cannot be performed during unskippable waves.

An undocumented passive further enhances his reliability: if the Annihilator refrains from attacking for 5 seconds, he will automatically reload both weapons. This ensures that every wave begins with a fresh magazine, optimizing initial damage output.

Due to his low placement limit and excellent cost efficiency, the Annihilator should usually take priority when selecting frontline DPS towers. In fact, his top upgrade path can reach the highest single-tower DPS in the entire game—even surpassing the Gatling Gun (excluding pierce)—with full buff synergy. When all available boosts are stacked, including Retribution, Call to Arms, DJ Booth’s Damage Track, Medic’s Ubercharge, Mercenary Base, Damage/Cooldown Flags, Sugar Rush, and the Easter Egg, the Annihilator achieves a staggering 2,902.58 DPS: outpacing Gatling Gun by over 100 DPS.

The synergy truly shines when paired with Hacker—two Hackers using Hologram Tower can clone the Annihilator up to six additional times, multiplying DPS and crowd control. At peak stacking, you can unleash up to 17,415.48 DPS with this frontline powerhouse.

In short, the Annihilator isn’t just a brute-force solution; he’s an advanced tactical asset for creative players seeking top-tier performance through expert micro, synergy, and timing.

Lore

Once a dedicated SWAT officer, the Annihilator patrolled the streets of Atlanta, Georgia alongside his younger brother, Rifleman. Their service ended abruptly when a routine operation to dismantle an illegal syndicate instead unleashed the horror of the first zombie outbreak. Overwhelmed and outnumbered, the Annihilator lost most of his squad, barely escaping with Rifleman as survivors.

Determined not to let the disaster repeat, both brothers sought out the T.D.S. Organization—a global force formed to relentlessly combat the undead. While Rifleman was assigned to mercenary battalions, Annihilator's tenacity, tactical expertise, and refusal to back down earned him a place among the Hardcore squadron, fighting alongside legends like Brawler, Accelerator, Necromancer, Engineer, and Hacker.

Despite his skill, Annihilator quickly gained a reputation for going rogue—choosing bold, unconventional methods and challenging authority even in the face of danger. His stubborn independence sometimes risked his teammates, resulting in disciplinary action; yet his unwavering mission is always clear: protect his family, especially Rifleman, alongside his nephew Decimator, and prevent another devastating loss.

Now, as the threat of Pumpking Ominous looms over Outpost 38, the Annihilator stands ready—torn between the duty to his team and the drive to fight his own way. For him, the real battle is survival: pushing back the darkness to ensure he returns to those who await him, or making the ultimate stand alongside his brother against TDS’s greatest foe.

Tonight, the Annihilator joins the organization in the final defense—but whether he puts the evil gourd back in the ground or lays everything on the line, his resolve will never be broken.

Original Concepts

Version 1

Inspired by Bman Shadow’s original vision, the first Annihilator design closely resembled the Hunter, featuring a straightforward approach: simultaneously upgrading both its assault rifle and shotgun modes. At this stage, the tower lacked any path system and was incapable of applying burn, knockback, or stun effects to enemies. Notably, Retribution and the Adrenaline Meter passive were absent, resulting in a fairly mediocre DPS tower overshadowed by other frontline options. This version was ultimately abandoned when Bman Shadow voiced their concerns, and the creator recognized the potential for a more dynamic and powerful DPS identity.

[View the original Version 1 design here.]

Version 2

The second, also scrapped, version saw the Annihilator reimagined with heavier SWAT-inspired gear and enhanced bionic features for both upgrade paths. While the overall stats remained unchanged, transitioning this design into 3D proved complex, leading to several visual downgrades. This iteration also introduced the concept of a unique ability: Tactical Reposition. This mechanic would have allowed players to move the Annihilator a set distance along the path each wave, scaling per upgrade. Top Path emphasized higher mobility, while Bottom Path incorporated a charging attack similar to the Riot Guard unit. After careful consideration, the creator felt Tactical Reposition would render micro-management obsolete and tip game balance, so the idea was ultimately shelved.

[For Top Path designs, click here. For Bottom Path designs, click here.]

Developing the Annihilator has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding tower projects I have ever attempted—each design phase pushed creative boundaries and sparked new debates. If this journey yields an enjoyable concept for you, then every moment spent was well worth it!

Trivia

• The Annihilator's design is based off Marvel's The Punisher.
  • This is the reason as to why the description states "And punish anything that stands in your way with a burning retribution!".
• The tower himself was inspired by the Vanguard from Critical Tower Defense.
• Additionally, the Annihilator was originally going to be Australian.
• The Annihilator's Pumpking skin is a direct reference to A Commander Cult Leader's Pumpking Annihilation skin, a submission from the official Haunted Harvest Art Competition.
  • Top Path was a reference to Pumpking Ominous, which can be seen here.
    • Bottom Path was a reference to Lord Sinister, which can be seen here.
      • Hilariously enough, the creator of this skin concept was originally going to name the piece "Pumpking Annihilator", but was misspelled due to a typo.
        • Additionally, the skin's description is a play on one of Pumpking Ominous' scrapped voicelines in which he would say "Welcome, miscreants! I've been expecting you for a while now. Sit back, relax, and watch as we tear the Paradoxm Army into shambles!"
• The Rifleman is the Annihilator's younger brother.
  • Additionally, the Annihilator has a kid nephew named Decimator.
    • This is a reference to Bman Shadow's non-canon Annihilator submission for the official Haunted Harvest Art Competition.
      • View the Decimator's design here.
• The Annihilator is extremely hotheaded and is known for his short-tempered personality.
  • Because of this, characters like the Dispatcher and Medic are not quite fond of him.
• Eliminating enemies like the Armored and Fallen Rusher bring the Annihilator discomfort.
  • This is because facing these enemies reminds him of his old SWAT team, which forces him to face his shortcomings.
    • However, encountering these foes usually causes him to "crash out", so the Organization tends to avoid bringing him to Easy, Casual, Intermediate, or Fallen operations.
• Interestingly enough, despite the Annihilator's tough facade, he tends to suffer from arachnophobia, the intense and irrational fear of spiders.
  • Thus, during the Haunted Harvest operation, Pumpking Ominous had decided to deploy Creepy Crawlers; a spiderlike enemy.
    • To this day, the Annihilator now takes therapy sessions from the Medic every week.
      • Quote: "Those crawlers...were so creepy..."

Update History

For previous cosmetic variations, see the Decimator page....again...

Aww, crap! Decimator's calling me again! Not now, little guy! I'm getting molywhopped by the Molten Warlord!!!

Notes