Orcs have served as classic fantasy villains since Tolkein first wrote about Middle Earth. Whether the setting is a vaguely European Medieval kingdom or a post-apocalyptic city on an alien world, orcs always seem to pop up, only to be driven back by a wave of arrows, spells, explosives, and occasionally laser fire.
Tower defense gameOrcs Must Die! 3makes orc-killing its primary business, tasking the player with stopping wave after wave of these monsters from reaching the Rift. To accomplish this mission, players will need all the help they can get, which is why many turn to the Special Upgrades that can make their defenses all the more powerful. Getting these upgrades can be confusing, however. Here’s everything the player needs to knock about unlocking Special Upgrades inOrcs Must Die! 3.

RELATED:The Best Games From The Biggest Video Game Franchises
What Do Special Upgrades Apply To?
A common mistake regarding Special Upgrades is misunderstanding which items these upgrades apply to and which ones they don’t. Since it’s a waste of time to try and unlock down upgrades that don’t exist, it’s important to know thatonly Trinkets have Special Upgrades,so looking for Special Upgrades to makethe best towers even betteris a waste of time.Trinketsare items that enable the player to expend mana for various effects. These include casting spells as well as buffing the character or the Rift itself.
RELATED:The Biggest Video Game Franchises, Ranked By Number Of Titles
All good tower defense gameshave a variety of buildings, traps, and other means of keeping things interesting, andOrcs Must Die! 3is no exception. The sevenTrinketsand their Special Upgrades are as follows:
How To Unlock Special Upgrades
Special Upgrades are unlocked usingSkulls,the currency that players receive for performing well on levels. The number of Skulls that the player is awarded after a level depends upon the number of Rift Points and time remaining upon completion. In short,the fewer orcs that break through the player’s defenses, and the faster the player completes their objective and clears the level, the more Skulls they receives.Having the right weaponcan make a big difference here.
RELATED:The Best Video Game Bosses And Enemies Of 2021

Every player should know that Skulls are spent to upgrade Traps,but they are also spent to purchase Special Upgrades for Trinkets. Players interested in farming Skulls as quickly as possible in order to unlock Special Upgrades are best served farming so in the game’s earlier levels, as they are considerably easier than later levels and even come equipped with pre-installed traps that further simplify things for the player.
Players receive between 1 and 5 Skulls upon completing a level,with5 Skulls being a perfect score. Bonus Skulls are awarded if specific conditions on the level are met.Playing well and playing fast are the two keys to earning Skulls and thereby unlocking Special Upgrades. The better the player does, the sooner they will have their prize.