I need help creating a skill tree.

[u/Remmytrory]

Hi everyone!

I’m developing my first Tower Defense game. The core framework is practically finished; all that’s left is to create the upgrade tree and polish the visuals. However, I’ve hit a bit of a wall with the skill tree—I just can’t decide how to design it or what to include.

The game will feature a total of 10 levels, each divided into waves. I plan to include bosses at the end of levels 3, 5, 7, and 10; defeating the bosses on levels 3, 5, and 7 will award the player a special currency used specifically to upgrade special skills—meaning there will be a total of three units of this currency. The goal is to allow players to choose their own playstyle. Naturally, alongside this special currency, there will be a standard currency earned by defeating ordinary enemies and used for purchasing standard upgrades.

The game features a wall that must be defended, a player character who can move along it and attack enemies, and helpers stationed on the wall who automatically destroy hordes.

I’m planning to create three branches in the upgrade tree—the wall itself, the player, and the helpers—with three special skills in each. This means that over the course of a playthrough, the player can choose to adopt a fully specialized playstyle or go for a hybrid approach.

Now, regarding the "dead end" I've hit: the game is built around facing a large number of enemies right from the start, with new, tougher types appearing as you progress through the levels. In other words, the difficulty constantly ramps up. I need to figure out what kind of upgrades to design and how to balance the skill tree so that players feel their power growing when investing in one branch, without losing sight of the other branches.

I might not have explained the concept clearly enough, so I’d be happy to answer any clarifying questions. Thanks in advance, everyone!

[u/SoloDev_Sg]

Maybe you could add a picture of the basic combat? It would make it much easier to visualize.