Rocket Riders

The Rocket Riders are the first Artillery Tower to be introduced in Kingdom Rush: Vengeance.
== Description ==
Soar high and explode big is these rocket-riding goblins' motto. They keep this in mind as they crash against the ground, damaging all enemies caught in the explosion.
Tier 4: "Goblins that fly ride large rockets into the sky. Note: They don't know how to land."
"Ready for the big boom-boom?" the twitchy goblin lighting the fuse asked the one riding the rocket.
"To infinity and beyooooond!!!!" replied the rider as the rocket blasted off soaring higher and higher.
When the first rocket prototypes were introduced they were a big hit amongst the Dark Army, but they would always miss their mark, someone would have to control them, but who would be crazy enough to do so? There was only one answer, the reckless explosion loving Goblins!
"Soar high and explode big!" is their motto and the only thing they love more than a bunch of gunpowder is getting to light it up.
== Stats ==
 	Level	Damage (With Upgrades)	Fire Rate 	Range 	Cost
150px	1 	8-12
(8-13) 	Very slow (3.0s)	Average330	120
150px	2 	23-33
(25-36) 	Very slow (3.0s)	Average350	200
150px	3 	46-68
(50-74) 	Very slow (3.0s)	Long380 	280
150px	4 	74-104
(81-114) 	Very slow (2.8s)	Long400 	320
==Abilities==
===Minefield===
 "Watch your step!"
Places a land mine that explode as enemies pass over. Each mine lasts 50 seconds. (Area: 75, Cooldown: 8 seconds) 
Level	Cost 	Damage
1 	225 (191)	60
2 	225 (191)	125
3 	225 (191)	190
===Nitro Boosters===
 "Pedal to the metal!"
Fires a range-boosted rocket, hitting a far away target. (Cooldown: 12 seconds)
Level	Cost 	Range	Damage
1 	150 (127)	500 	100
2 	150 (127)	500 	180
===Defective Engines===
 "Witness me!"
Shoots a defective rocket that explodes mid-air and launches 5 debris that deal damage. 
(Cooldown: 20 seconds)
Level	Cost 	Damage/Debris
1 	150 (127)	22
2 	150 (127)	32
==Strategy==
*The Rocket Riders are the first artillery introduced in the game, and thus far the only "standard" artillery tower.
*Compared to the other artillery towers, Rocket Riders provide something the other sorely lack - range. Unlike their brethren, the Rocket Riders can deal with distant enemies, especially if Nitro Boosters is purchased. Their damage is also fairly significant, meaning they do not lose much for being able to attack at range.
*Nitro Boosters is the cheapest and likely most useful skill of the Rocket Riders, maximizing their range, and making sure that the rocket deals high damage. This is the bread-and-butter skill of the Riders, due to its reliability and cost.
*Defective Engines acts as a supplement to the AoE damage of the Rocket Riders, allowing them to hit a much greater area, shoring up their weakness as compared to the Melting Furnace or Rotten Forest.
*Minefield is the least usable skill of the riders, mainly due to its cost and unreliability. The cost is much greater than other abilities, and unfortunately, the triggering area for each mine is quite small, leading to an unreliable ability.
**As of 7/2/2024, they cooldown faster and have a wider explosion and response area, so the only thing unreliable about them now is their random area positioning.
==Range==
RRider_Range.PNG
==Related Upgrades==
* BIGGER BOMBS (1 soul): Infused with powerful alchemy, explosions now have a bigger range of effect. (20% additional area of effect)
* GUILD OF MERCHANTS (2 souls): Costs of towers' special skills is now reduced. (15% cost reduction)
* MASTER ARCHITECTS (2 souls):All towers gain extra bonus damage. (10% additional basic attack damage)
==Related Achievements==
 2FAST 2FURIOUS (30 gems) Launch 500 Nitro powered Rocket Riders.
==Quotes==
*"Riding High."
*"Want me to crash?"
*"Explosion and beyond!"
Tier 4:
*"Prepare for trouble!" (Building)
*"Haha! Watch your step!" (Minefield)
*"Ride or die!" (Nitro Boosters)
*"Witness me!" (Defectivd Engines)
==Trivia== 
*The Rocket Rider is based on the Goblin race from the first Kingdom Rush, but not a specific enemy. It does share a name with the Rocket Rider enemy, but appears to be unrelated in ability.
*"To infinity and beyond!"
**The catchphrase of Buzz Lightyear, from the 1995 animated film Toy Story
*"Prepare for trouble!"
**Part of the Team Rocket motto from the anime Pokémon. The motto begins "Prepare for trouble, and make it double!"
*"Ride or Die!"
** A song by The Knocks.
*"Witness me!!"
**The last words spoken by Morsov the War Boy in Mad max: Fury Road.
*The mask worn by the goblins for the Tier 3 tower may be a reference to the movie The Rocketeer.
==Gallery==
Category:Kingdom Rush: Vengeance
Category:Towers
Category:Artillery Towers