WatchTower

***""Watch Towers have longer range than cannons, and unlike cannons they can attack flying enemies.".''***

* **Summary**
	+ Watch Towers are extremely versatile structures. They are able to target both Ground and Air Units, and they have excellent range. This versatility means that they should form the cornerstone of every player's defense.

* **Defensive Strategy**
	+ Watch Towers can target both Ground and Air Units at an amazing distance. Therefore, it is generally a good idea to place them on the outer perimeter of the village. Doing so allows players to capitalize on the excellent range and provides good coverage for the rest of the defenses.
	+ As Watch Towers have the ability to target both Ground and Air Units, a good strategy would be to place all of the other defenses within range of at least one Watch Tower.
	+ It is typically a good idea to upgrade Watch Towers before you upgrade Cannons. Although they are more expensive and take longer to upgrade than similar-level Cannons, Watch Towers have more range and can target air units as well as ground units.
	+ It is typically wise to put an Watch Towers near a Cannon or Mortar due to the fact that neither of these two defenses can target air units.
* **Offensive Strategy**
	+ Their ability to target both Ground and Air Units makes Watch Towers formidable defenders. However, Watch Towers are only able to damage one unit at a time. This makes it very easy to overwhelm them with large groups of Archers or Barbarians.
	+ When deploying only a few Gasbags, it is advisable to keep them away from an Watch Towers, as their slow movement speed makes them an easy target. However, Gasbags deployed in large numbers will quickly destroy an Watch Tower while only losing one or two Gasbags. After the Watch Towers (and AirCrafts) are taken out, the Gasbags will proceed to destroy the rest of the village (although Magic Towers and time can still be a problem). You can also place a group of Rangers (around 15-25) and let them do the work.
	+ The best choices for attack are high health troops combined with low health, high attack Troops, as the high health troops will soak up all the damage, leaving the low health ones to attack.

* **Upgrade Differences**
	+ Watch Towers undergo significant visual changes at levels 6, 11,12 and 13.
		- When initially constructed, the Watch Towers has an open wooden lattice supporting a flat wooden platform; an exterior wooden ladder leads from the ground to the platform level. From levels 2 through 5, the lattice structure and wooden platform both receive additional reinforcement.
		- At level 2, the Watch Tower gets 4 short posts on the top and the wood gets thicker.
		- At level 3, the Watch Tower gets gray stone paddings on the legs and the short posts connect each other on the platform.
		- At level 4, the Watch Tower has the paddings turn into supports and a small green flag is added under the platform.
		- At level 5, the Watch Tower gets a solid stone base which connects each support.
		- At level 6, the lattice supports and exterior ladder are removed, and solid vertical supports are added. The wooden platform receives stone battlements and the green flag is extended to cover the interior.
		- At level 7, the stone battlements around the platform are reinforced and the solid stone base is taller to completely obscure the interior.
		- At level 8, the Watch Tower receives metal braces at the bottom of each leg.
		- At level 9, the Watch Tower's flags get shorter to reveal the interior again and the metal on each leg turns into spikes.
		- At level 10, the flags get larger again, golden plates get placed around the whole tower and the wooden supports gets darker.
		- At level 11, the color scheme completely changes as all the wood is replaced with dark iron, and the battlements receive dark iron shields on each corner with stone skulls in between them. The flag changes from green to orange.
		- At level 12, the tower gains golden guard shields on its bottom and golden spikes all over it with silver corners at the top. The flag is replaced with spikes and the battlement walls become highly polished metal. The archers shoot with fire arrows. The planks where the Rangers stand also switch directions.
		- At level 13, the 3 golden guard shields fuse together into 2, becoming thicker and the silver plating on the top becomes golden instead. The plating the lower spikes are attached to become a deep crimson, and the corner shields themselves turn red. The tower also gains a gold colored base at each leg and a lighter hue on the wood on top.

* **Trivia**
	+ You don't need to train an Ranger to have the Watch Towers, nor do you need to unlock the Ranger in your Barracks. Any upgrades to Rangers you have completed in your Researching Center have no effect on the Watch Towers whatsoever.
	+ The Watch Towers is the first defense that you unlock that can attack air troops.
	+ The number of Archers atop the tower is purely aesthetic. Watch Towers with three Rangers at the top have the same range and rate of fire as towers with only two Rangers at the top.
	+ The Watch Towers is one of the three defenses that has Troops on the top of it, the other two being the Magic Tower.
	+ When you upgrade an Watch Towers there are no Rangers on it. The Rangers on top also disappear while the tower is being moved.
	+ When upgrading, the tower appears in the war base as the previous level, with no Ranger on top, although it is completely functional. (The same also holds true for Magic Towers.)
	+ Even though you cannot upgrade Rangers to level 5 until you upgrade your Researching Center to level 6 (which requires a level 8 Stronghold), the Rangers atop a level 8 Watch Tower (The max level for Stronghold 7) resemble level 5 Rangers.
	+ From the 2014 Winter update, Watch Towers shoot twice as fast as before but still have the same damage per second. This will allow units to be potentially destroyed faster.
	+ A player can build up to eight Watch Towers, which outnumbers any other defenses (not counting Walls).