Bay Harbour — Map Guide
Bay Harbour is the first map in Tangy TD and the one most players remember longest — not because it's beautiful, but because it handed them their first hard loss. A dual-path layout, elevated catapult platforms, and the game's most notorious boss make it the steepest introduction to the game's real mechanics. This guide covers every wave, every chokepoint, and exactly how to run the map clean from start to Butcher kill.
Map Overview & Terrain
Bay Harbour is a coastal map set around a working harbour district. The terrain features stone walls, elevated platforms along the harbour's edge, and water sections that function as impassable barriers — channelling enemy movement into two distinct ground paths that converge toward your base.
The map's defining characteristic is its dual-path layout. Enemies enter from two separate spawn points and travel along two routes before converging at a central junction near your base. A single Defender cannot cover both paths simultaneously. Either you split your defences, or you use Tangy's mobility to intercept the secondary path while your main party holds the primary.
The elevated platforms along the harbour edge serve a dual purpose. During the boss fight, two catapults spawn on these platforms — meaning the platforms aren't just scenery. Understanding their positions helps you anticipate catapult fire angles when the Butcher reaches 65% HP.
Map Layout Diagram
The diagram below represents the core Bay Harbour terrain. Two enemy spawn points (top-left and top-right) feed into two separate paths that merge before reaching your base (bottom-centre). Chokepoints A and B mark the two best tower placement positions.
Best Chokepoint Positions
Bay Harbour has two natural chokepoints — one per path. Neither is optional if you want to stop all enemies before they reach your base. Understanding which one demands more resources is the core strategic decision of the map.
The narrowest tile on the left enemy path, two tiles south of Spawn Point 1. This is where the terrain walls create a single-tile gap that a Defender fills completely. This is your main Defender position for the entire map. The path geometry here is ideal — walls on both sides, enough space behind the chokepoint for the Healer to sit laterally without entering the boss arena. Place your Fortress Defender here and don't move it except to reposition during the boss fight.
A narrowing on the right enemy path, mirrored from Chokepoint A. Wider than the left path — a single Defender doesn't fully block it. You have three options: place a second Defender here, cover it with a second Archer positioned on the right flank, or use Tangy herself to intercept enemies that slip through while your main party handles the left path. Most players use a second Archer in isolation on the right flank — it keeps the Lone Ranger bonus active on both Archers.
Wave-by-Wave Breakdown
Bay Harbour has 6 enemy waves before the boss encounter. Waves 1–3 are straightforward. Wave 4 introduces flying enemies. Waves 5–6 are the last opportunity to finish your item loadout and position before the Butcher.
| Wave | Enemies | New Threat | Priority Action | Danger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basic ground units · Single path | — | Establish Chokepoint A. Cauldron any stat-only Common immediately. | Low |
| 2 | Ground units · Both paths active | Secondary path opens | Cover Chokepoint B. If running one Defender, position Archer #2 on the right flank now — don't wait until Wave 3 to discover the gap. | Medium |
| 3 | Heavier ground units · Increased HP | Ork enemies first appear | Ork HP was reduced in v1.0.3 but they're still tankier than basic units. Ensure your Archer's attack speed is sufficient to kill them before they reach the merge zone. Cauldron a weak Rare if you have one. | Medium |
| 4 | Ground + first aerial units | Flying enemies | Flying enemies bypass both Defenders entirely. Your Archer must have line of sight to the aerial path. Reposition Archer #2 if it's positioned purely for ground coverage — aerial threats are faster and go directly to your base. | High |
| 5 | Dense ground + aerial mix | Faster ground units | Last full shopping window before the boss. Use this inter-wave to visit the Cauldron and shop. Ensure every tower has at least one ability item. Verify your Defender is at full HP and the Healer is in lateral position. | High |
| 6 | Heaviest pre-boss wave | Elite ground units | This is deliberately the hardest wave before the boss — designed to stress your setup. If you survive Wave 6 cleanly, your party is capable of the Butcher. After Wave 6 ends: heal all towers, use the Cauldron one final time, set up the pre-boss positioning checklist, then approach the arena slowly. | Pre-Boss |
Managing the Dual Path
The dual-path layout is what makes Bay Harbour genuinely hard for new players. Single-path tower defense intuitions don't apply — you cannot just put everything at one chokepoint and win.
Option 1 — Two-Archer split (recommended)
One Defender + Healer + Archer on the left path. One isolated Archer on the right flank, positioned to cover both the secondary path and aerial routes. Both Archers maintain Lone Ranger bonuses independently. The right-flank Archer doesn't need a Healer — it dies to attrition eventually, but by then you've cleared most of the wave. Reposition the right Archer between waves if it took heavy damage.
Option 2 — Second Defender at Chokepoint B
More defensive, lower damage output. A second Defender at Chokepoint B stops all ground enemies on the right path. No Healer coverage on the second Defender is fine for Waves 1–5 — enemy damage hasn't scaled enough to kill a fresh Defender quickly. By Wave 6, the second Defender will be hurting. Top it up with Tangy's movement between waves.
Option 3 — Tangy interception (advanced)
Run the standard three-tower party entirely on the left path. Use Tangy herself to intercept the right path manually — attacking enemies directly, throwing them backward, buying time for your Archers to extend their fire range to the secondary path. This works on Waves 1–4 and falls apart on Waves 5–6 when enemy density on the right path exceeds what Tangy can handle solo. Not recommended unless you're very comfortable with Tangy's direct combat kit.
Recommended Tower Setup
This is the configuration that handles all 6 waves and leaves you positioned correctly for the boss fight.
Item Priorities for This Map
Bay Harbour's dual-path layout and aerial wave in Wave 4 create specific item demands that differ from later single-path maps.
Must-have abilities for this map
Ultra Vision Goggles on your primary Archer is more important on Bay Harbour than on any other map. The extended range lets Archer #1 on the left path fire into the secondary path merge zone, reducing the total work Archer #2 needs to do on the right flank. It also extends Archer #1's engagement range during the boss fight, letting them deal damage from further behind your Defender setup.
Ivy Bow is particularly valuable here because of Wave 4's aerial enemies. A root that holds a flying enemy in place for 0.8 seconds gives your Archer a clean fire window on a fast-moving target. It's also the root that can stop the Bay Harbour Butcher's Phase 3 charge — a mechanic that becomes very relevant in the boss fight.
Iron Fortress + Healing Circle together are the survivability combo that makes the boss fight manageable. Without both, the Butcher's Phase 2 catapult fire and Phase 3 Spike Attack can deplete your Defender before you kill the boss. With both, the rotation of shield absorption and continuous regen sustains through even the hardest boss phases.
Bay Harbour Butcher — Boss Phase
Once Wave 6 is fully cleared, the boss becomes pullable. The Butcher sits in an arena zone at the far end of the map. Do not approach it until the setup checklist below is complete.
Pre-pull checklist
Confirm Wave 6 is 100% cleared
Every enemy must be dead. One straggler during the boss pull is a distraction that costs you the fight.
Heal all towers to full HP
Wait for the Healer to restore everything. The boss starts dealing damage immediately on pull — you want every tower starting from maximum. Use pause (v1.0.3+) to check HP bars without time pressure.
Position Defender at the arena entrance chokepoint
The boss arena has a narrow entry corridor on the map. Place your Defender at this entry — not inside the arena itself. The Defender blocks the Butcher from freely advancing into your backline setup.
Move Archer #2 to the diagonal position from the arena
Archer #2 that was covering the right flank can now fire into the boss arena from the diagonal. Position it southeast of the arena entrance — diagonal to the boss's starting position. This pre-positions it for Phase 3 Spike Attack safety.
Last Cauldron use — fix any dead item slots
A stat-only item in any slot before this fight is a wasted opportunity. Cauldron it. You have time — the boss has no enrage timer.
Walk Tangy slowly toward the arena from the side
Approach from the flank, not head-on. The aggro meter fills more slowly from the boss's side vision than its forward cone. Watch the red meter above the boss. Stop and retreat if it reaches the Danger zone before you're ready. The meter drains if you leave the boss's sight.
Heavy Swing has a 1.5-second wind-up. Ground Stomp only damages towers in close range. Both are survivable with Defender + Healer support. This is your free damage window — push the boss from 100% to 65% as fast as possible before catapults spawn. Don't waste this phase.
Two catapults spawn on the elevated harbour platforms. They fire at tower positions — not the towers themselves. Move a tower out of the position before the shot lands and it takes zero damage. Key rule: ignore the catapults, focus on the boss. Catapults die automatically when the boss dies. Every second you spend approaching a catapult platform is a second the boss doesn't die. Use Tangy to move your Archer and Healer out of targeted positions when you see shots incoming, then immediately return to DPS mode.
At 30% HP, the Butcher enrages. Speed increases. Spike Attack introduced — sends spikes along all four cardinal directions (N/S/E/W) from the boss. Any tower in a cardinal line takes lethal damage. Move your Archer and Healer to diagonal positions immediately at 30% HP — before the first Spike Attack, not during it. Keep them diagonal for the rest of the fight. Your Defender stays frontal and survives spike hits. Catapult fire rate also increases — prioritise the boss above all else, this phase needs to end fast.
Common Mistakes on This Map
Ignoring the secondary path in Waves 1–2
Bay Harbour veterans know the secondary path activates in Wave 2. New players assume it won't matter until they see enemies flowing directly to their base on the right side with no Defender to stop them. Set up Chokepoint B coverage before Wave 2 starts — not after you realise it's needed.
Clustering Archers to "double the DPS" in one lane
Two Archers side by side on the same path cancel each other's Lone Ranger bonuses. The combined damage of two Lone Ranger Archers on separate flanks is higher than two proximity-adjacent Archers in the same lane. Split them. The map's dual-path layout is designed exactly to reward this split.
Repositioning Tangy into the boss's forward vision cone mid-wave
Wave 5 and Wave 6 require active management — you're repositioning towers, using the Cauldron, visiting the shop. The boss arena is nearby. Every time Tangy walks toward the arena zone while enemies are alive, the aggro meter fills. By Wave 6, if you've been careless about proximity, the meter may already be in the Caution range before you've even decided to pull. Treat the aggro meter as a sixth resource to manage during the pre-boss waves.
Attacking the catapults during Phase 2
Pre-patch behaviour. Catapults die when the boss dies — this has been true since v1.0.1. Any time spent running Tangy toward the elevated platforms during Phase 2 is time the boss spends at 65% HP dealing increasing damage to your Defender. Focus the boss. Let the catapults fire. Move towers out of targeted positions if needed, then return to DPS. The catapults resolve themselves the moment the boss falls.
Failing to move to diagonal positions before 30% HP
The Spike Attack is lethal to non-Defenders. Players who wait until they see the Spike wind-up animation to reposition are too slow — the spike can fire before the throw and landing sequence completes. Watch the boss's HP bar. At 35%, start moving your Archer and Healer to the diagonal. Give yourself the buffer. It's the single most common cause of failed Phase 3 runs on Bay Harbour.