1-1: Hold the Line
The tutorial: waves alternate lanes, gates grow your squad, and the Bone Giant waits at the end.
Boneward: game guide
Boneward is a free fantasy lane-defence game for your browser. The undead horde marches down the lanes toward your castle wall. You command a warband of archers, mages, barbarians and clerics, protecting your king, and your only order is which lane to stand in.
Play free nowHow to play
Switch lanes. That's the only control. Tap the left or right half of the screen, or use A / D or the arrow keys. Your squad fights on its own: archers and mages shoot the nearest enemy in range down your lane, barbarians hold the front line, and the king cuts down anything that gets past them.
Waves alternate lanes. You're always choosing between finishing the wave in front of you and grabbing the gate in the other lane. A wave you ignore keeps marching, and when it reaches the end of its lane it damages the wall.
Two ways to lose. The wall (20 HP) takes damage from enemies that walk the full length of a lane you're not defending. The king (100 HP) takes damage from enemies that get past your squad in your own lane. If either falls, the level is lost. Clear every wave to win.
Pick your squad. Before each level you fill 3 squad slots. Gates add more of each type as you play, so your starting picks set the direction of your army.
Units
Your army is counted per unit type. Damage is per unit, per second; each type does more or less against each enemy, so no single type beats everything.
| Unit | Role | Damage/s | Counters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archer | Rapid shots down the lane. Shreds minions, bounces off armour. | 2 | Weak against warriors, the Bone Giant, lichs and death knights |
| Mage | Fire splashes the whole front of a wave. Best against swarms. | 1.6 | Weak against the Bone Giant |
| Barbarian | Holds the line so nothing walks past, and cleaves through the horde. | 5 | Strong against minions, warriors, skeleton archers and necromancers; weak against golems |
| Cleric | Blesses the squad (+15% damage each; 8 at most) and heals the king and front line. | – | Support: deals no damage itself |
| Druid | Roots the front of the wave every few seconds, slowing it to a crawl (6 at most). | – | Support: deals no damage itself |
| King | Your hero, at the back of the squad. Fights in melee; if he falls, the level is lost. | 12 | Hits everything evenly |
Druids join once you've beaten World 6. They don't fight: every 3 seconds they root the front of the wave in your lane (5 enemies per druid, nearest first), slowing it to 25% speed for 2 seconds. That holds a fast rush in your archers' and mages' range for longer, and keeps a boss's escort back while you deal with the boss. Bosses tear free of roots. The squad holds at most 6.
Mages splash: each blast hits every enemy within 3 units behind the front of a wave. Barbarians stand 4.5 units ahead of the squad and hold enemies there (each has 80 HP); without barbarians, enemies walk straight to the king. Each cleric heals 3 HP a second (the king first, then the front line) and blesses the whole squad (and the wall turrets) for +15% damage. Your squad holds 8 clerics at most: past that, a cleric gate reads "(full)" and adds nobody. Archers and mages can only reach enemies within 35 units: the glowing line across the lanes.
Enemies
The horde is undead. Enemies march in formation and can't walk through each other, so fast minions bunch up behind slow warriors.
| Enemy | HP | Speed | Wall damage | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minion | 6 | 7 | 1 | 10 |
| Warrior | 45 | 4 | 3 | 50 |
| Skeleton Archer | 20 | 5 | 2 | 30 |
| Necromancer | 50 | 3.5 | 3 | 150 |
| Bone Giant | 1000 | 2.5 | 10 | 1000 |
| Lich | 900 | 1.6 | 10 | 1200 |
| Death Knight | 550 | 3.6 | 10 | 900 |
| Necromancer Lord | 650 | 1.8 | 10 | 1100 |
| Golem | 850 | 2.4 | 10 | 1000 |
Skeleton archers
From World 3 the dead shoot back. In your lane, a skeleton archer stops 24 units away, out of the barbarians' reach, and shoots down your squad. Barbarians take the bolts on their shields (each lasts 30 damage); once they're gone, every 10 damage costs you a unit from the back line (archers, mages and clerics). With no squad left, it shoots the king. Your archers and mages outrange it (35), so ranged squads deal with it; barbarians can't. In a lane you're not defending, it walks on to the wall like everyone else.
Necromancers
From level 1-4 a necromancer may walk at the back of a wave. It has no attack of its own: in your lane it stops 28 units away and, every 4 seconds, raises 3 of its wave's fallen back to their feet. Each body rises only once, and the risen climb out of the ground no nearer than your range line, so there's always time to meet them. It hides behind its own wave, so cut through to it quickly: mage splash reaches it sooner than arrows do. From World 7 they come in packs of up to 4, each raising the fallen on its own clock.
Bosses
The Bone Giant
A towering, heavily armoured skeleton that ends a level. It has 1000 HP, moves slowly (2.5), fills its whole lane so nothing walks past it, hits the king for 12 a second, and costs the wall 10 HP if it gets through. Arrows barely scratch it (archers deal ×0.3, mages ×0.4); barbarians are the counter (×0.9), held up by clerics. Its escort marches behind it, and its bulk shields them from mage fire: when the giant falls, they surge onto your front line all at once, so keep your barbarians standing. From World 3, some lanes bring two giants in single file: a wall of bone that takes a garrison, or a healer, to outlast.
The Lich
A skeletal sorcerer (World 5). It walks slowly (1.6) and stops 30 units away, out of the barbarians' reach. From there it hurls magic at your squad (8 damage a second) that goes straight through the barbarians' shields, and every 8 seconds it raises 6 minions in front of itself, wherever it is, until it falls. It has 900 HP. Your archers and mages outrange it (35), but its own minions soak your shots: push damage through them, and don't leave it unattended in another lane.
The Death Knight
A fallen knight in blackened armour (World 5). It's fast for a boss (3.6) and its two-handed sword cleaves through barbarians, dealing ×3 damage to the front line and garrisons. Barbarians alone won't hold it (they deal ×0.6). Mage fire is the answer (×1.2): burn it down before it reaches the line. It has 550 HP.
The Necromancer Lord
A necromancer grown into a boss (from level 2-2). It has 650 HP. Face it in its lane and it stops and hurls death magic at your squad, 4 damage a second straight through barbarians' shields. Every 5 seconds it raises 4 of the fallen in every lane, not just its own, so lanes you've cleared start filling up again. Kill it fast.
The Golem
A walking fortress of bone and stone (from level 4-1). Barbarians can't hold it: it smashes straight through the line, killing 3 barbarians as it breaks through (garrisons too), and walks on to the king. It has 850 HP and takes only ×0.4 from barbarians; archers and mages (×0.8) are the answer, so shoot it down before it arrives.
Gates
Gates march down the lanes with the horde. Walk through one (be in its lane as it reaches you) and it changes your army. Blue gates are good, red gates are bad.
| Gate | Effect |
|---|---|
| +5 Archers | Adds that many of one unit type (a plain +5 adds archers). |
| x2 | Doubles every unit type (or just one, e.g. x2 Mages). Rare and powerful. |
| −5 | Removes units, from your biggest groups first. |
| ÷2 | Halves every unit type. |
| ⚑ Garrison (purple) | Raises that many new barbarians to hold the gate's lane on their own; your squad is untouched (see Garrisons). |
| Turret (teal) | Builds a turret on the wall in the gate's lane (or upgrades the one there): it shoots everything coming down that lane (and helps the next lane when its own is clear), 5 damage a second per point, blessed by your clerics, for the rest of the level. A plain ×2 gate doubles your turrets too. From level 1-3. |
| ♛ Champion (purple) | Raises a champion to hold the gate's lane: one huge barbarian (see Garrisons). Champions stack: each gate adds another. |
| Charge gate (green) | Starts low, often negative. Every 6 damage your squad shoots into it adds +1, up to its maximum, shown by the bar under its number. It turns gold when full. |
Charge gates are a trade-off. Shots hit whatever is first down the lane, gate or enemy, so a charge gate in front of a wave soaks up fire meant for the wave. Barbarians also chop at a charge gate as it passes their line, when they aren't holding enemies.
Garrisons and the banner
From World 4 you can split your army. A garrison is a group of barbarians left behind to hold a lane on their own. They stand 14 units up the lane under a gold ⚑ banner, stop everything that comes down it, and fight until the last of them falls. Each has 80 HP and deals 5 damage a second; your clerics' blessing doesn't reach them out there.
Garrison gates (purple, "+4 Garrison") come first: walk through one and that many fresh barbarians are raised to hold its lane, without touching your squad. Then, from level 4-4, the banner is yours: tap the ⚑ button (or press W, ↑ or Space) to plant all your barbarians as a garrison in your current lane, and tap it again there to call them back. Leave a lane that keeps getting hit in their hands, and take your ranged squad where it's needed.
From World 7, champion gates (♛ Champion) raise a champion: one huge barbarian with 900 HP who deals 22 damage a second. Champions stand at the front of the garrison in that lane (or hold it alone) and take every blow before their barbarians do, one champion at a time. Each champion gate adds another, and they all fight. Even a Golem can't smash past a champion: it has to stop and fight him, and only once the last champion falls does it break through the barbarians behind. Champions never leave their post: the banner plants your barbarians in a rank behind them, and recalls only the barbarians.
Scoring and stars
- Kill points: minion 10, warrior 50, skeleton archer 30, necromancer 150, bone giant 1000, lich 1200, death knight 900, necromancer lord 1100, golem 1000.
- Combo: every wave you wipe out without a leak raises your multiplier by ×0.1, up to ×2.0. It multiplies your kill points and speed bonus. Anything reaching the wall resets it to ×1.0.
- Speed bonus: wipe out a wave quickly without a leak and earn up to its kill points again; the faster, the bigger.
- Wall bonus: 500 points for every wall HP left at the end.
- Stars: one for winning, one for beating the level's target score, one for finishing with the wall untouched. Each level unlocks when you win the one before it.
Levels
Every level is hand-made and the same every time you play, so you can learn it and master it. Each world adds one new idea.
World 1
1-2: Shields Up
Armoured warriors from the start, and your first charge gate. Barbarians and clerics earn their place.
1-3: The Swarm
Ever-bigger minion swarms. Mage fire splashes the whole front of a wave.
1-4: Two Fronts
Every wave comes as a pair, one per lane, a second apart. Clear fast or bleed.
1-5: Bone Twins
The World 1 finale: two Bone Giants, one in each lane.
World 2
2-1: The Breach
A third lane, barricaded, until the horde bursts through it mid-level.
2-2: Crossroads
Waves rotate left, middle, right. Hold the middle and you are never more than one move away. At the end, the Necromancer Lord raises the fallen in every lane.
2-3: Pincer
Both outer lanes at once, two moves apart. Clear one fast, then run for the other.
2-4: Iron Tide
Armoured warriors in every wave. Barbarians and mages earn their place; archers alone will not.
2-5: Giants' March
The World 2 finale: three Bone Giants, one down each lane, twelve seconds apart.
World 3
3-1: Arrows in the Dark
Skeleton archers stop in range and shoot down your squad. Barbarians cannot reach them: bring archers or mages.
3-2: Volley
Skeleton archers in packs, flanks made of nothing else. Mage fire splashes a whole pack at once, before the Necromancer Lord raises them again.
3-3: Shield Wall
Armoured warriors march in front, soaking your arrows while the skeleton archers shoot from behind them.
3-4: Four Winds
Three lanes become four: the barricade on the right gives way mid-level, and the horde pours through.
3-5: Last Stand
The World 3 finale: four lanes, skeleton archers in every wave, and a lane with two Bone Giants marching in single file.
World 4
4-1: Hold Fast
Garrison gates in earnest: walk through one and fresh barbarians are raised to hold that lane. The far lane will need them, but not against the Golem: it smashes straight through.
4-2: Outposts
The main waves come down the middle; the outer lanes are hit on both sides. Hold the middle, and garrison the flanks.
4-3: Long Night
Four lanes and two garrisons: keep the outer lanes manned while your army fights the middle. A Golem ends the night.
4-4: Raise the Banner
The banner is yours: tap ⚑ (or W / ↑ / Space) to leave your barbarians holding your lane, and again to call them back.
4-5: The Siege
The World 4 finale: four lanes, the banner, skeleton archers, a Golem, and two Bone Giants in one lane. Garrison wisely.
World 5
5-1: The Lich
The Lich stops out of reach, hurls magic through your shields, and raises minions until it falls. Push damage through to it.
5-2: Dark Rider
The Death Knight: fast, armoured, and its great sword cleaves through barbarians. Mage fire burns it down best.
5-3: Twin Titans
Four lanes, and two of them bring a pair of Bone Giants marching in single file. Garrison those lanes before the giants arrive.
5-4: Unholy Alliance
The Lich and the Death Knight together: one raises the dead while the other cuts through your line.
5-5: Crown of Bone
The finale: the Lich, the Death Knight and a pair of Bone Giants, across four lanes. Hold the line.
World 6
6-1: Iron Watch
Turret gates build a turret on the wall in their lane: it shoots everything coming down that lane for the rest of the level, and another one upgrades it. Hold the middle and let the turrets watch the flanks.
6-2: Crossfire
Four lanes, and turret gates only in the middle two. A turret with its own lane clear shoots into the lanes beside it: build them where they cover the most.
6-3: The Phalanx
The banner returns. Plant your barbarians under a turret and it fires over their heads: together they hold what neither could alone, even three Bone Giants.
6-4: Restless Dead
Three lanes become four, and the Necromancer Lord raises the fallen in every lane until it dies. Turrets keep the cleared lanes clear.
6-5: The Last Wall
Every boss the horde has, across four lanes. Turrets, garrisons and your army all have to hold. This is the last wall.
World 7
7-1: Wildwood
Druids join the army: they root the front of a wave and slow it to a crawl. The rushes here are fast and keep growing, and the necromancers come in pairs.
7-2: Champion
The main waves come down the middle. A champion gate raises one huge barbarian to hold the left lane: he takes every blow first, and another champion gate heals him.
7-3: The Raising
Necromancers come in packs now, up to four to a wave, and a Necromancer Lord walks the left flank. Cut through to them, or every wave comes twice.
7-4: Thornwall
Death Knights, four of them, the last two side by side. Their swords cleave barbarians: burn them with mage fire, and let your champion hold the left flank.
7-5: Heartwood
The Wildwood finale: a champion on each flank and a Necromancer Lord walking each, while packs, the Death Knight, the Lich and two Bone Giants come down the middle.
Endless mode
Endless is open from the start, next to the campaign. The waves never stop: two lanes at first, then the third breaks open at wave 8. A boss leads a wave every 10 waves, every 5 from wave 30 and every 3 from wave 60, when they come two at a time. A wave grows to at most 100 enemies; after that, each wave is tougher instead, with 6% more health than the last (compounding), while their attack grows about half as fast. Every run is a fresh set of waves and gates, and druids are in your squad choice from the start.
Army cap and veterans. Your army tops out at 150 (counting the king), and a wall turret at 30. Recruits a gate brings past the cap aren't wasted: they make your army veteran, each one adding +0.6% damage to the whole army and 1.5 HP to the king (up to 25 from one gate). The ★ beside your army shows its veteran bonus. Once your army is full, gates read "(veterans)", so picking the best gate still counts deep into a run.
Score. Runs rank by the wave you reach, then by score. Your top 10 runs are kept, with the squad and boons you took.
The King's boons
Boons are earned in the campaign and worn only in Endless, so the campaign plays the same for everyone. Complete a world to earn its boon, and 3-star every level of that world to upgrade it. The king wears 1 active and 2 passive boons; 105/105 stars earns the Crowned King, a third passive slot. Choose them on the King's screen in the Endless menu. An active boon gets its own button, bottom right (or press E), and recharges after each use. Damage boons add to the clerics' blessing.
| World | Boon | Type | Effect | Upgraded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rallying Cry | Passive | +10% squad damage | +20% squad damage |
| 2 | Stonemasons | Passive | The wall mends 1 HP every 3 clean waves in a row | The wall mends 1 HP every 2 clean waves in a row |
| 3 | Shield Wall | Passive | 35% fewer squad losses to skeleton archers | 60% fewer squad losses to skeleton archers |
| 4 | Call to Arms | Active | Raise 6 barbarians to hold your lane. Every 45s | Raise 10 barbarians to hold your lane. Every 35s |
| 5 | Royal Standard | Active | +100% squad damage for 8s. Every 40s | +100% squad damage for 12s. Every 30s |
| 6 | Master Engineers | Passive | Wall turrets +50% damage | Wall turrets +100% damage |
| 7 | Redeem the Fallen | Active | Up to 30 of the fallen rise as spirit archers for 15s. Every 60s | Up to 50 of the fallen rise as spirit archers for 20s. Every 60s |
Frequently asked questions
What is Boneward?
A free fantasy lane-defence game that runs in your browser on phone or desktop. An undead horde marches down 2 to 4 lanes toward your castle wall; you switch lanes to grow your army through gates and to meet each wave before it reaches the wall.
How do I play?
The only control is switching lanes: tap the left or right half of the screen, or use A / D or the arrow keys. Your squad fights automatically. Walk through good gates to grow your army, and keep every lane defended.
How do I lose?
Two ways: the wall falls (20 HP; enemies that walk the full length of a lane you're not in damage it) or the king falls (100 HP; enemies that get past your squad in your own lane attack him).
Which squad should I pick?
You fill 3 squad slots before each level. A mix wins more often than one type: archers for swarms of minions, barbarians to hold the line and break armour, mages for big crowds, clerics to heal and bless. The level's title is a hint.
What are the green gates?
Charge gates. They start low (often negative), and every 6 damage your squad shoots into them adds +1, up to the number on the bar. Shots hit whatever is first in the lane, so charging a gate means not shooting the wave behind it.
How is the score worked out?
Kill points, plus a speed bonus for wiping out a wave quickly without a leak, multiplied by your combo (up to ×2.0), plus 500 points for every wall HP left at the end.
How do I beat the Bone Giant?
Barbarians. The giant has 1000 HP, shrugs off arrows (archers deal ×0.3) and fills its whole lane. Barbarians deal ×0.9 to it and stop it reaching the king; clerics keep them alive.
What do skeleton archers do?
They stop in range of your squad (24 units away) and shoot it down, one unit for every 10 damage, back line first. Barbarians can't reach them, so bring archers or mages: your range (35) is longer than theirs.
What do necromancers do?
They hang back behind their wave and raise its fallen, 3 every 4 seconds, each body once. The Necromancer Lord, a boss, raises the fallen in every lane. Cut through to them quickly: mage splash reaches them first.
How do I beat the Golem?
With ranged fire. It smashes through barbarians (3 fall each time it breaks a line, garrisons included) and walks on to the king, so archers and mages must bring it down before it arrives.
How do I beat the Lich and the Death Knight?
The Lich stops out of reach and raises minions every 8 seconds: push archer and mage damage through its minions, and never leave it alone in another lane. The Death Knight cleaves through barbarians: burn it with mage fire before it reaches your line.
How do garrisons work?
A garrison is a group of barbarians left to hold a lane on their own, 14 units up it, under a gold banner. Purple garrison gates raise new ones for you; from level 4-4 the ⚑ button (or W / ↑ / Space) plants all your barbarians in your current lane, and recalls them if you press it there again.
Is there an endless mode?
Yes. Endless is open from the start, next to the campaign: waves without end, a boss every few waves, and every wave 6% tougher than the last once the horde reaches full size. Your army tops out at 150; recruits past that make your army veteran, so the whole army hits harder and the king gets tougher. Runs rank by the wave you reach, and your top 10 are kept.
What are the King's boons?
Powers for the king in Endless mode, earned in the campaign: complete a world to earn its boon, and 3-star every level in it to upgrade the boon. The king wears 1 active and 2 passive boons, plus a third passive for 105/105 stars. Boons never apply in the campaign, so every campaign level plays the same for everyone.
Is it free? Do I need to download anything?
Yes, it is free, and no: it plays in any modern web browser.
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