Monthly Quests Guide - Retro Tower Defense

How Monthly Quests Work

Monthly Quests are Retro Tower Defense's long-form progression track. Each calendar month brings a fresh quest line tied to a featured Heroic tower reward. Complete objectives across normal matches, boss clears, and summon milestones to earn progress toward that month's exclusive unit.

Quest progress persists for the entire month and resets when the next cycle begins. You do not lose partial credit mid-month, but anything unfinished carries over only within the active period. Check the Monthly Quests panel from the lobby to see your current stage, remaining tasks, and the reward preview.

Unlike daily missions, monthly quests are designed for steady play over weeks rather than a single grind session. Spread your effort across map variety and difficulty modes to hit every objective type without burning out.

Stage 1, 2, and 3 Unlocks

The quest line splits into three stages that unlock in sequence. Stage 1 opens immediately with 6 quests when the month starts. These are introductory tasks—win a few rounds, summon a handful of times, defeat basic wave counts—that most active players finish within the first week.

Stage 2 unlocks after you complete all Stage 1 quests and adds 26 additional objectives. This is the bulk of the monthly grind: harder wave thresholds, specific map requirements, and summon volume targets. Plan your Tix spending around Stage 2 summon quests so you are not scrambling on the final weekend.

Stage 3 unlocks once Stage 2 is fully cleared and contains the final 28 quests. These are the toughest checks—extended win streaks, high-wave survival, and endgame map clears. Finishing Stage 3 claims the monthly Heroic reward. Missing Stage 3 means waiting for a future banner or trading opportunity.

Past Monthly Heroic Rewards

Plaything Games has rotated several iconic Heroic towers through the monthly quest system. Early cycles featured Mage, one of the game's defining AoE casters, and Jeff, a fan-favorite damage dealer with strong single-target scaling. Visitor followed as a limited monthly reward with unique path-control utility.

Seasonal months brought Jolly Elf during the winter event window and Cupid around the Valentine period, each with themed abilities that still see niche use in specialized builds. Forest Mage is the current July 2026 reward—a nature-themed Heroic with poison AoE and stun that also returned to the standard summon banner during the Summon Overhaul update.

Past monthly units do not disappear from the game entirely. Older rewards occasionally reappear on returning banners or through trading. Collectors should finish each month's quest line when possible, because re-runs are never guaranteed on a fixed schedule.

Efficient Completion Tips

Start Stage 1 on day one even if you are busy. Those six quests are quick Tix and momentum, and Stage 2 unlock timing matters more than raw speed. Pair monthly objectives with daily missions so every match counts toward multiple progress bars.

For summon-related quests, save Tix in bulk rather than single-pulling throughout the month. A focused summon session on a weekend lets you hit Stage 2 and Stage 3 pull targets efficiently while tracking pity and banner changes from the Summon Overhaul pool.

If you are stuck on a high-wave quest, switch maps rather than forcing the same failed route. Crossroads teaches fundamentals, Doomspire tests mid-game scaling, and Chaos Canyon punishes weak AoE—pick the map that matches your loadout instead of repeating losses.

July 2026: Forest Mage Month

July 2026 centers on Forest Mage as the monthly Heroic reward. Complete all three quest stages to claim the tower directly without relying on the roughly 0.31 percent Heroic pull rate on the standard banner.

Forest Mage also returned to the summon pool during the Summon Overhaul update, giving players two paths to ownership: finish the monthly quest line for a guaranteed copy, or pull from the refreshed banner if you prefer summon RNG. See our Forest Mage tower page and Summon Overhaul event guide for ability breakdowns and banner details.