When I first started grinding levels in Desktop Tower Survivor, I had no idea what was waiting for me at each milestone. I kept hitting new levels and wondering whether the next one would finally open up Modules or just hand me more gems. If you’re in the same spot, this breakdown is for you — it’s the full unlock list by level, and knowing what’s coming makes it a lot easier to decide where to push next.
One quick thing before the tables: there’s no in-game level-up history log yet, which drove me a little crazy at first. Two workarounds helped me keep track. First, head into Options → Graphics and turn off Auto-close notifications — that way your level-up messages stay on screen until you dismiss them yourself, so you can actually read what you just unlocked. For reference, every single level also gives you 20 gems, with 100 gems on every 10th level.
Core Feature Unlocks
These are the big ones — the systems that change how the game plays. A huge thank you to developer Kalgator for supplying the original information that made this list possible. Most of these features arrive early, which I appreciated, since the game starts feeling much deeper once you’re past Lv 10.
| Level | Unlock |
|---|---|
| Lv 3 | Game speed x1.5, Auto-retry (to enable it, open Options → General and turn on Auto-retry on death) |
| Lv 4 | Missions |
| Lv 5 | Modules (first module slot) |
| Lv 6 | Game speed x2.0 (faster speeds come from the Lab) |
| Lv 10 | Laboratory |
| Lv 25 | Artifacts (the first one is free), Boss Rush mode |
That Auto-retry toggle at Lv 3 is easy to miss — I only realized it wasn’t on by default after a run ended and didn’t restart the way I expected. Worth flipping on right away.
Workshop Upgrades by Level
The Workshop is where your long-term power comes from, and the upgrade categories open up in a steady drip. I found this list handy for planning — if I saw a stat I wanted was still several levels away, I’d stop dumping resources into other things and just level up first.
| Level | Workshop Upgrades Unlocked |
|---|---|
| Lv 2 | Crit Chance, Crit. Damage |
| Lv 4 | Abs. Defense, Defense % |
| Lv 5 | Damage per Meter, Range |
| Lv 10 | Thorns |
| Lv 12 | Push Chance, Push Force, Multishot Chance, Multishot Targets |
| Lv 14 | Life Steal |
| Lv 18 | Bounce Shot Chance / Targets / Range, Orbs, Orbital Speed |
| Lv 24 | Free Upgrades (Attack, Defense, Economy, Utility) |
| Lv 25 | Package Chance, Recovery Amount, Max Recovery |
| Lv 27 | Enemy Attack Skip |
| Lv 30 | Enemy Health Skip |
Those Enemy Attack Skip and Enemy Health Skip entries at Lv 27 and Lv 30 are the ones I’d look forward to most if you’re pushing deeper runs.
Lab Research Unlocks
The Laboratory only opens at Lv 10, and its research options unfold at their own pace. Some of these overlap with Workshop categories, so don’t be confused if a name looks familiar — they’re tracked separately.
| Level | Lab Research Unlocked |
|---|---|
| Lv 10 | Thorns, Garlic Thorns |
| Lv 12 | Push Force |
| Lv 18 | Orb Slot, Orbital Speed, Orbs vs. Bosses |
| Lv 25 | Shield Reserve, Package After Boss, Recovery Amount, Package Chance, Max Recovery |
| Lv 27 | Enemy Attack Skip |
| Lv 30 | Enemy Health Skip |
| Lv 50 | Light Speed Shots |
Slot Unlocks
Slots are the quiet backbone of a good setup — more module slots, lab slots, and artifact slots mean more flexibility, and I always feel the difference the moment a new one opens. Here’s how they’re spaced out.
- Module slots: +1 at levels 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90
- Lab slots: +1 at levels 25, 45, 70, 110 and 150
- Artifact slots: the 1st of each category at 25; the 2nd at 75 (Offensive), 100 (Defensive) and 125 (Economic); the 3rd at 200, 250 and 300
Gem Rewards by Level
Don’t overlook the passive income here — it adds up fast and funds a lot of early upgrades. You earn 20 gems every level, plus 100 gems on every 10th level, and there’s an extra 500 gems waiting at levels 50, 100, 250 and 500.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
Balance patches in Desktop Tower Survivor come around fairly often, so a number or two on this list may shift over time. I’ll do my best to keep the page current whenever things change. If you want to compare notes with other players or catch update news early, there’s a community Discord for the game here: https://discord.gg/Cw5sRajupE.
Conclusion
Having the full level-by-level map in front of you takes a lot of the guesswork out of the grind — instead of wondering what’s next, you can plan around the milestones that actually matter to your build. Go grab your gems, flip on that Auto-retry toggle, and push for the next slot.
