Sir We Have an Orc Problem Gunner Turret - Sir, We Have an Orc Problem

What the Gunner does

The Gunner is the first turret most players unlock in Sir, We Have an Orc Problem, Mumpitz Games’ incremental tower defense release on Steam. It fires direct shots at individual orcs - straightforward single-target damage without splash or burn. That simplicity is the point. Gunners give you reliable DPS while you learn build phase, choke placement, and how orc hordes spread like fluid across the map.

Gunners never disappear from good runs. They scale with meta upgrades to damage and fire rate, gain extra placement slots through the upgrade tree, and cover jobs burst towers ignore: runners leaking past burn, stragglers on wide lanes, and early waves before Flamethrowers, Mortars, or Cannons unlock. The Turret Tier List ranks Gunner as B for late-game role because other towers define kill zones - not because you should skip Gunners.

Strengths and limits

Strengths:

• Available from the first meaningful meta unlocks
• Predictable targeting on single enemies
• Strong return on fire-rate and damage nodes early
• Flexible placement on any lane with line of sight
• Cheap way to test map geometry before committing AOE rows

Limits:

• Single-target DPS falls behind dense hordes without choke support
• No pierce or splash - clumped orcs need partners
• Outscaled on final missions if you treat Gunners as your only damage line

Community debate focuses on Flamethrowers and Cannons because Gunners look boring on damage charts. Boring is useful when an orc slips through fire and would end your run.

Unlock and upgrade path

Follow Upgrade Priority for a full tree walkthrough. For Gunners specifically, prioritize in this rough order:

1. First Gunner unlock - enables placement during build phase (shortcut 1 on keyboard).
2. Maximum Gunner count - each slot is more coverage; often beats small percentage damage early.
3. Gunner damage - percentage nodes compound once multiple towers fire.
4. Fire rate - raises sustained DPS without needing perfect choke doubles.
5. Secondary caps - after Flamethrower and AOE unlocks, stop over-investing unless leaks persist.

Losing runs still grant meta currency. Bank Gunner count upgrades before retrying the same map with identical failure - incremental TD rewards persistence, not single-run perfection.

Placement basics

Gunners need line of sight and time on target. Place them where orcs stay visible longest: straight segments, inner corners of bends, and rear lines that catch leaks from forward Flamethrower cones.

Early campaign: cluster two or three Gunners on the first serious choke. You are learning range and rotation, not building a final layout.

Mid campaign: move Gunners to side lanes while Flamethrowers own the funnel mouth. Gunners punish split paths mirrored maps introduce.

Late campaign: keep a small nest behind your AOE finish row. When Cannon bursts leave wounded orcs or fast units slip through splash gaps, Gunners clean up without wasting Bombing Runs.

Avoid stacking every Gunner on open field approaches. Without compression, single-target fire spreads thin across tens of thousands of orcs. Pair with choke design from the Choke Points guide before blaming the tower.

Targeting and build-phase habits

Placement uses click-and-hold during build phase; you can add, move, or remove towers before waves start. Windows players report occasional double-click skips on targeting setup - pause briefly between placements if your turrets ignore priority settings.

Rotate Gunners when a map reverses flow. Incremental progress unlocks more types, but Gunners remain the fastest reposition tool when you need five minutes of testing before spending on Mortar rows.

Gunner vs other turrets

Situation	Prefer Gunner	Prefer partner tower
First unlock, sparse waves	Yes	-
Dense choke, many orcs	Support only	Flamethrower softening
Stacked clump after burn	Leak cleanup	Mortar or Cannon finish
Open field, no funnel	Temporary	Mortar lobs until chokes built
Emergency spike	No	Bombing Runs

Gunners overlap functionally with Cannons in forum posts - both shoot at orcs - but Cannons add explosion and pierce for groups. Use Gunners when you need steady shots, not when you need a kill box detonation.

Sample progressions by map type

Tutorial-style narrow lane: three Gunners, one forward angle change, save meta for first Flamethrower unlock.

Wide approach with eventual choke: minimal Gunners on side leaks, rush Flamethrower count, backfill Gunners after burn row exists.

Late high-density mission: one Gunner nest (four to six slots if unlocked) behind double Flamethrower pass plus Mortar and Cannon rows. Gunners should not top damage charts here; if they do, burst placement likely failed.

Common mistakes

• Maxing Gunner damage while still at base tower count
• Using Gunners as the only answer on final waves
• Ignoring reposition after mirror layouts
• Firing abilities to fix Gunner leak lines instead of moving one tower
• Skipping Upgrade Priority fire-rate nodes for flashy ability unlocks

Related pages

• Turrets Hub - all four towers
• Turret Tier List - Gunner role ranking
• Flamethrower - softening partner
• Mortar - splash behind Gunner lines
• Cannon - burst finish
• Choke Points - placement geometry
• Upgrade Priority - meta spending order
• Bombing Runs - spike damage timing