Badge Dojo Rock stage 3

Chapter 3 is where the Rock Dojo stops accepting base forms. Every unit in Lineup 1 is evolved, Rockshell is a third form, and the board still has no healer.

The grid leaves row 1 empty and builds a spine down the middle. Rockshell stands in row 2 of lane 2 with Rockfu in row 3 and Watchroo in row 4 behind it. Cragolin holds row 2 of lane 1 and Puncharoo holds row 2 of lane 3, each with nothing behind them.

Rockshell is the core. It throws a spinning shell that pierces down the lane and shields every ally the shell flies past. Standing at the head of the middle, its shell goes straight into the enemy instead of past teammates, so here it acts as a tough blocker with piercing damage rather than a shield source. Rockfu behind it swings a club and can call a clone, and Watchroo at the back fires mud with two bodies ahead of it, so it seldom needs to burrow.

The edges are the risk. Cragolin's heavy claws can stun and shove, Puncharoo's charged punches leave enemies fragile, but neither has backup. An alternative layout moves the weight to the right instead, with Turtuff, Rockwu and Rattlecoil stacked in lane 3 and Cobbledon at the front of the middle.

Here Rockshell finally gets to do what it is best at. It stands in row 3 of lane 1, directly behind Cobbledon in row 2, so every shell it throws flies past Cobbledon on the way out and gives it a protective shell shield.

That pairing is the heart of the stage. As the evolved form of Rubblet, Cobbledon has no healing of its own, but with a shield from Rockshell refreshed from behind it can hold the left side far longer, and its splitting beams keep thinning the groups that pile up against it.

The middle is the weak spot. Rockfu stands in row 3 of lane 2 with no one ahead of it, so it is the first thing enemies in that lane reach. It hits a small area with its club and may call a clone, which buys a little time, but it cannot hold the middle for long by itself.

Lane 3 pairs Puncharoo in row 2 with Watchroo behind it in row 3. Puncharoo softens targets with its charged punches, and Watchroo can keep firing mud because Puncharoo stops enemies first.

The alternative layout replaces the right pair with Turtuff, Rockwu, Rattlecoil and Humbleetle down lane 3, and puts Cobbledon at the front of the middle instead.

This board leaves the middle lane completely empty and puts its strength on the left. Lane 1 runs Cobbledon in row 2, Rockshell in row 3 and Rockfu in row 4, while lane 3 has Watchroo in row 3 and Gemsnail in row 4.

The left column is the safest place on the board. Rockshell's shell flies past Cobbledon and keeps it shielded, and Rockfu at the back adds a clone that can step in if anything slips through.

The right side is where the stage is lost. Watchroo stands at the head of lane 3 with nothing ahead of it, and when enemies get close it stops firing and burrows. That keeps it alive but leaves Gemsnail, the evolved form of Shardsnail, doing the lane's damage. Gemsnail plants a crystal block at the start, and its shards ring out for area damage as they fly past it. With lane 2 empty, extra enemies also drift into lane 3.

The alternatives fix the empty middle. One puts Turtuff at the head of lane 2 with Humbleetle and Rattlecoil behind it, and Rockwu in place of Rockshell. Another stacks Turtuff, Rockwu, Rattlecoil and Humbleetle down lane 3 instead, with Cobbledon moved to the middle front.

With Lineup 1, levels on Gemsnail keep the right side alive.

Rock Dojo 3-4 spreads the team over every lane again. Here, Cobbledon in row 2 and Rockshell in row 3 hold lane 1, Rockfu sits in row 4 of lane 2, and lane 3 has Watchroo in row 2 with Gemsnail in row 4.

The tricky lane is 3, because Watchroo is now at its front. It fires mud continuously while the lane is quiet, but the moment enemies reach it, it burrows and goes silent, right when the lane is busiest. It survives contact well thanks to the damage reduction, yet it does not stop anyone. Gemsnail two rows back keeps working through that phase with its crystal block and ringing shards, so in practice it carries lane 3.

Rockfu in the middle is a late blocker. Enemies in lane 2 walk three empty cells before they reach it, and its club swings and clone are there to hold them at the back rather than at the front.

The left pair works exactly as on 3-2 and 3-3, with Rockshell's shell keeping Cobbledon shielded.

The alternative layout swaps the right side for a full lane 3 stack of Turtuff, Rockwu, Rattlecoil and Humbleetle instead, with Cobbledon at the head of the middle. With Lineup 1, level Gemsnail first.

The fix for 3-4's weak right side arrives on the board itself. Rockfu leaves the middle and moves into row 3 of lane 3, directly behind Watchroo in row 2, with Gemsnail still at the back in row 4. Lane 1 keeps Cobbledon and Rockshell, and lane 2 is now empty.

Rockfu behind Watchroo is what makes lane 3 work. When Watchroo burrows and stops firing, Rockfu's club and its clone keep something fighting in that lane, and Gemsnail's shards ring through from the back. The lane no longer goes silent when the first enemies arrive.

The new risk is the empty middle. Enemies that would have walked down lane 2 now spread into the outer lanes, so both sides face heavier waves than before. The left side has the sturdier pair, because Rockshell's shell keeps Cobbledon shielded while its split beams hit groups.

The alternative layout keeps the middle occupied instead, with Cobbledon at its head, and stacks Turtuff, Rockwu, Rattlecoil and Humbleetle down lane 3. Rockwu is the third form of the Punchimp line, so it is a straight upgrade on Rockfu's role if you have it.

Whichever side loses first, put levels into its front unit.

This is the most stacked lane in the chapter. Lane 1 is filled from row 1 to row 4 with Cobbledon, Rockshell, Watchroo and Gemsnail, lane 2 has Rockhog at the back in row 4, and lane 3 is empty.

The left column covers every job. Cobbledon blocks and spreads split beams, Rockshell right behind it keeps it shielded, Watchroo fires mud with two bodies ahead so it rarely burrows, and Gemsnail adds its crystal block and ringing shards from the back. Very little gets through that side.

The open right lane is the whole difficulty. Enemies coming down lane 3 meet nobody at all, and the nearest answer is Rockhog in the middle. Rockhog is the next form of Mudrump; its quick mud slows what it hits, and from row 4 of lane 2 it is the last line before enemies reach the back of the board. If you lose here, the right side is almost always the reason.

The alternative layout spreads things out instead: Rockwu takes the head of lane 1, Turtuff stands behind it, Humbleetle and Rattlecoil fill the rest of that column, and Cobbledon moves to the front of the middle. That version at least gives lane 2 a blocker.

With Lineup 1, levels on Rockhog help more than extra power in lane 1.

The stack moves to the middle on this stage. In lane 2 sit Cobbledon in row 1, Rockshell in row 2 and Rockhog in row 3. Watchroo sits in row 3 of lane 1, and Gemsnail sits in row 4 of lane 3.

The middle is the strongest lane on the board. With Rockshell directly behind Cobbledon, its first shell already shields the blocker, so the front of lane 2 holds from the opening wave. Rockhog then slows whatever survives the split beams, which keeps enemies inside Cobbledon's reach longer.

Neither outer lane has a blocker, and that is where the difficulty is. On the left, Watchroo fires mud until enemies close in, then burrows; it survives, but it will not hold lane 1 by damage alone. On the right, Gemsnail has its crystal block out from the start and fires shards from row 4, but three empty cells lie ahead of it.

The alternative layout fills lane 1 instead: Rockwu at its head, Turtuff behind, Humbleetle in place of Watchroo, and Rattlecoil at the back, with Cobbledon still leading the middle. That moves the soft side over to lane 3.

With Lineup 1, put levels into whichever outer shooter falls first.

The middle column from 3-7 stays, but the outer shooters trade places: Gemsnail now stands in row 3 of lane 1 and Watchroo in row 3 of lane 3. Together with Rockhog in row 3 of the middle, that puts a full line of shooters across the third row behind the Cobbledon and Rockshell pair.

Watchroo deserves the closer look here. It is the evolved form of Gopher and keeps the same habit: it fires mud steadily, then burrows for damage reduction once enemies reach it. On the right side, with no blocker ahead, it goes quiet exactly when lane 3 gets busy, so that lane is the weaker edge on this stage. Rockhog's slowing mud from the middle is the closest help, holding enemies a little longer before they reach Watchroo.

Gemsnail on the left is steadier, since its crystal block and ringing shards keep working whether enemies are close or not.

The alternatives both add blockers. One puts Rockwu in row 1 of lane 1 with Shardsnail behind it, and Turtuff at the head of lane 3 with Rattlecoil behind, replacing Watchroo. The other stacks Rockwu, Turtuff, Humbleetle and Rattlecoil down lane 1 instead.

With Lineup 1, levels on Watchroo let it shoot longer before it hides.

Lane 1 gets a front unit again: Rockfu stands in row 2, with nothing else in that lane. The middle keeps Cobbledon, Rockshell and Rockhog from row 1 to row 3, and Watchroo holds row 3 of lane 3.

Rockfu is the piece that matters on the left. It is the evolved form of Punchimp, swinging a club for light area damage and calling a clone to fight beside it. On a board with no healer, that clone is the only thing that shares the hits Rockfu takes, so the left side lasts exactly as long as the clone keeps showing up.

The middle is again the strongest lane, with Rockshell keeping Cobbledon shielded and Rockhog slowing what comes through.

Once more, the soft side is lane 3. Watchroo fires mud until enemies get close, then burrows and stops; it survives but does not stop the lane. Rockhog's slow from the middle buys it time.

No alternatives were found for this stage, so Lineup 1 is the plan to work with. If the left falls first, level Rockfu; if the right falls, level Watchroo so it keeps firing longer before it digs in. If you own the evolved form of Rockfu, Rockwu, it is the natural upgrade for that cell.

The chapter ends with Rockshell at the very front of lane 2, in row 1, with Rockhog in row 3 and Gemsnail in row 4 behind it. Rockfu sits in row 3 of lane 1 and Watchroo in row 3 of lane 3. Cobbledon, the usual front unit of this chapter, was replaced here.

With that replacement, Rockshell changes jobs. Leading the middle, its spinning shell flies straight at the enemy instead of past teammates, so it shields little; instead it is the sturdy blocker of the lane, piercing groups while Rockhog slows them and Gemsnail's shards ring out from the back.

The outer lanes are both thin. Rockfu on the left has its clone, while Watchroo on the right goes quiet when enemies close in.

The alternative layout targets exactly that. It puts Snoozebo in row 1 of lane 3 instead of Watchroo, a self-healing blocker that keeps firing thorns while it dozes, where Watchroo would burrow and stop. That same alternative brings Cobbledon back to the head of the middle, places Rockwu at the front of lane 1, and fills the left column with Humbleetle and Rattlecoil.

If lane 3 is the side that breaks with Lineup 1, the Snoozebo swap is the first thing to try. Chapter 4 then pairs Rockshell with the third form of the Taptail line.