Sir We Have an Orc Problem Campaign Maps and Difficulty Walls
How the full release structures twelve stages, where players stall, and which maps to farm before pushing forward.
How many maps the full release has
Launch-week players count twelve campaign maps in the July 28, 2026 Steam release. Mumpitz Games still targets four to six hours for a first clear, so each stage is a meaningful gate rather than filler. Enemy counts on level select climb from hundreds on the opening map to six figures on finale waves - the incremental loop expects you to revisit earlier stages when a wall appears, not brute-force the same underpowered layout forever.
This page explains how maps are numbered, where community difficulty spikes land, and how to route farm sessions. Pair it with Walkthrough Hub, Beat Hard Levels, and Meta Farming Runs.
World.stage numbering
The full campaign does not use a flat “Level 7” label everywhere. Players describe stages in a world.stage format - for example 3.2 or 6.1 - where the first number is the campaign band and the second is the sub-stage within that band. Wiki walkthrough pages use plain names like Level 3 Walkthrough and Level 4 Walkthrough because those match how most guides discuss choke rebuilds, but your in-game level select may show the dotted notation.
Treat dotted stages as checkpoints, not optional side content. Skipping farm loops before 3.2 often wastes currency on stat crumbs that do not fix speed scaling. After 6.1 the tree should already include orbital tools and economy payout nodes from Upgrade Priority.
Early band: maps 1 through 2.x
Opening maps teach Gunner lines, Space to start, and spend-after-every-run rhythm. Orc counts stay in the hundreds to low thousands. Priority unlocks: Gunner caps, first economy percentage, missile radius if leaks are clump timing rather than raw DPS.
Start on Early Levels Walkthrough and Getting Started. Level select enemy icons added in June demo patches matter here - pick farms with visible counts instead of guessing from map art alone.
Mid band and the 3.2 wall
Stage 3.2 is the first major community difficulty wall. Orc move speed increases per level (June 12 patch), so a layout that held 3.1 may leak on 3.2 even if your Gunner damage barely changed. Forum advice converges on three fixes:
- Farm earlier maps for crystals until unlocks outpace scaling - see Meta Farming Runs.
- Unlock Flamethrower fronts and test cone coverage per Turret Arcs and Placement.
- Progress orbital laser branches before treating the wall as a placement-only problem - SlashSkill-style guides call lasers the mid-tree piece that cracks 3.2 for many accounts.
Read Level 3 Walkthrough for the Flamethrower pivot, then Level 4 Walkthrough when speed and split paths punish lazy chokes. Enemies and Scaling explains why velocity matters as much as body count.
Mid-to-late band: maps 4.x through 5.x
These stages introduce dual kill zones, Mortar timing, and ability discipline. Mid-Game Walkthrough covers velocity climbs; Level 5 Walkthrough covers demo-famous pressure and automation goals. Developers publicly flagged levels 4 and 5 for scaling revisits in post-launch patches - bookmark Post-Launch Roadmap when notes land.
Tower-only challengers use Level 5 as a benchmark - Tower-Only Challenges and Perfect Clear Guide define community rules.
Late band and the 6.1 check
Stage 6.1 behaves like a late-game competence check. Community consensus: turrets alone rarely carry unless your tree is deep; you need stocked active abilities - bombing runs, orbital lasers, nukes - timed on merge clumps rather than opening trickles. Read Late-Game Walkthrough and Orbital Laser and Nukes before blaming tower choice.
Finale maps advertise 100,000+ orcs on level select. Penetration upgrades, forward Flamethrowers, and Mortar circles on stall pockets separate clears from leak cascades. Use Damage Statistics Guide after two instrumented attempts if forum tier lists disagree with your layout.
Farm routing by wall type
| Symptom | Likely wall | Farm target | Buy next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed leaks mid-wave | 3.2 band | Maps 1-3.x | Flamethrower unlock, payout nodes |
| Split path overload | 4.x | Prior map with high enemy count | Mortar radius, second choke Gunners |
| Ability-empty final third | 6.1 | Mid band dense map | Cooldown reduction, orbital unlock |
| Low income per minute | Any | Highest count map you can finish | Bonus Resources (finish runs - no surrender) |
Flat Bonus Resources requires a finished win or loss; surrender skips the flat payout per June demo rules. Bonus Resources explains the split with Bonus Resources 2.
Scout every new stage once
Regardless of map number:
- Run a scout with minimal towers.
- Recall with R (Controls).
- Drag Gunner lines and rotate Flamethrower cones across the stream.
- Spend all currency before retrying.
Holding drag on placed turrets adjusts sweep arcs on Gunners and aim on Flamethrowers - easy to miss if you only place once. Right-click removes misbuilt segments during build phase.
How maps relate to demo content
Demo veterans saw fewer stages and lower ceilings. Full release adds maps, upgrade icons, tooltip totals, and systems like Headhunter and Damage Statistics. Demo habits that break on map 3.2: surrender farming for flat bonuses, static layouts copied from Level 2, and ignoring enemy count labels. Demo vs Full Game lists carryover explicitly.
Community requests not in the twelve maps
Steam threads ask for endless mode, community map editors, and harder modifiers. None ship as part of the July 28 build. Track wishes on Post-Launch Roadmap and First Week Community without treating requests as current mechanics.
Recommended map progression checklist
- Clear tutorial band with economy nodes online.
- Pause at 3.2 until Flamethrower fronts and one payout node feel stable.
- Push 4.x with Mortar unlock and dual choke scouting.
- Use Level 5 as farm or automation benchmark before 6.x.
- Enter 6.1 with abilities off cooldown plan and penetration bought.
- Optional: revisit any map for perfect clears or tower-only rules.
Related pages
- Walkthrough Hub - stage-by-stage writeups
- Beat Hard Levels - 100k+ farm mindset
- Price and Value - campaign length vs cost
- FAQ Hub - endless mode and map editor questions
- Changelog - speed and Flamethrower patch history
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
How many maps are in the full game?
Launch-week players count twelve campaign stages in the July 2026 Steam release, using world.stage style labels like 3.2 and 6.1.
What is the 3.2 difficulty wall?
A mid-campaign spike where per-level orc speed and counts outpace starter layouts. Farm earlier maps and unlock Flamethrowers or orbital tools before pushing.
What does 6.1 expect from my build?
A late check that assumes active abilities plus a deep turret tree - not Gunners alone. Stock bombing runs, lasers, or nukes for merge clumps.
Should I surrender to farm maps faster?
Surrender skips flat Bonus Resources. Finish losses on the result screen or use Bonus Resources 2 scaling if you must quit early.