Sir We Have an Orc Problem How to Play Sir, We Have an Orc Problem

Core loop at a glance

Every map in Sir, We Have an Orc Problem follows the same rhythm: prepare defenses during build phase, survive the orc wave during battle phase, then spend meta currency on the upgrade tree before selecting the next attempt. Wins and losses both feed progression, which is why the game feels like an incremental title wrapped around tower defense rather than a strict pass-or-fail puzzle. The campaign spans roughly four to six hours of single-player content, with enemy counts and move speed scaling sharply on later levels.

Understanding that loop separates players who quit after one leak from players who farm a map four times and then clear it cleanly. This page explains the on-screen phases, placement rules, and how the meta screen connects back to the trench.

Build phase: place before you press Space

When a level loads, you enter build phase by default. Orcs are waiting off-map, and the UI shows how many enemies the wave contains - from a few hundred on tutorial-style maps to six figures on the finale. You cannot place turrets you have not unlocked yet; early runs rely on Gunners and your starter missile until the meta tree opens Flamethrowers, Mortars, and Cannons.

Tower placement works by selecting a turret type, then clicking and dragging along allowed trench segments. The Gunner is selected with 1 or from the bottom toolbar. Dragging creates a contiguous line of turrets; release to confirm. Right-click removes the segment under the cursor while you are in placement mode. R recalls all deployed towers so you can redraw without leaving the level. Placements from a previous attempt on the same map often persist when you return, which saves time on repeat farms - but always verify the line still matches current pathing after a patch or first scout run.

Press Space only when you are satisfied with layout and ability readiness. Starting early does not grant bonuses; it simply begins the spawn. If you are learning a new map, consider one deliberate scout battle with minimal towers just to watch how the horde flows before investing in a final layout. Choke Points and Kill Zones explains how to turn that observation into a funnel.

Battle phase: missiles, cooldowns, and leaks

Once battle starts, orcs stream toward the base along pathing that behaves like a dense fluid. Gunners fire along their trench segment; Flamethrowers apply damage-over-time to everything passing their arc; Mortars lobs shells into zones you aim separately from the trench line; Cannons deliver localized explosions. Your starter missile ability fires manually (or via hold-to-fire upgrades later) and provides early area burst - save it for clumps rather than stragglers.

As you unlock abilities, strafing runs, orbital lasers, and nukes join the toolbar. Each has a cooldown and shines when orcs stack in a kill zone. Firing a strafing run into an empty lane is a common early mistake; wait until the stream thickens mid-wave or when a secondary path overloads. On repeat attempts of the same map, note which second of the wave produces the highest density and align cooldowns to that spike.

Leaks occur when orcs reach the base. You have a finite HP pool upgradeable through meta nodes. Any run that ends with base HP remaining still awards kill-based currency; a clean clear that kills every orc typically pays bonus resources used for higher-tier unlocks. Both outcomes advance your account, which is why incremental players treat losses as farming tools rather than failures.

The meta screen between runs

After battle resolves, you return to the upgrade tree - a large persistent graph of nodes costing different currencies. Common early purchases include increased end-of-battle payouts, Gunner damage and fire rate, maximum Gunner count, missile radius, and base HP. Mid-campaign branches unlock new turret types and abilities; late nodes add penetration, golden-orc chance, and explosive death procs.

Currency types can differ: some nodes cost resources earned from surviving with base HP intact, others from total kills or perfect clears. Read tooltips before buying; chasing an expensive combat node when you still lack economy multiplier nodes slows the whole account. Economy and Meta Progression breaks down when to prioritize payout upgrades versus tower caps, and Upgrade Priority lists a stage-by-stage route.

Nothing in the meta tree resets when you change maps. That global persistence is the heart of the game: a loss on a brutal level still buys the penetration that makes the next attempt viable.

Turret roles once unlocked

Turret	Role in battle
Gunner	Steady single-target DPS along a trench segment; scales with fire rate and penetration
Flamethrower	Front-line DoT on every orc passing the arc; strongest when placed first in the flow
Mortar	Aimable area shells into kill zones behind the front line
Cannon	Burst explosion damage; complements Mortar coverage on wide lanes

Gunners and Cannons overlap somewhat in role - both delete targets in their lane - but Flamethrowers reduce count while the back line reduces HP pools. The Turret Tier List ranks them by campaign phase if you want a quick reference.

Repeat attempts and map memory

The same level can be played multiple times in a row. Tower positions may carry over, which is ideal when you are one upgrade away from clearing. Use farm runs to buy fire rate, then push for a clean win when DPS crosses the threshold. On maps with multiple ingress routes, recall towers with R and redraw after watching which lane overfills - static placements from level two rarely survive level five without adjustment.

Orc move speed increases per level in the campaign, so a layout that comfortably cleared an earlier map may leak when speed jumps. If leaks appear suddenly despite unchanged placement, check whether you need meta speed-counter upgrades or a wider Flamethrower front instead of more Gunners deep in the base.

Related guides

New players should read Getting Started first, then return here for phase detail. When build/battle fundamentals feel comfortable, continue to Choke Points for placement theory, Beat Hard Levels for 100k-orc strategies, and the Controls page for the full shortcut list.