Stonewards Resource Priority Checklist

Ore in Stonewards is only valuable when converted before the next horn. Teams return from procedural caves with full pockets yet still lose runs because spending followed excitement instead of priority: random forge upgrades while primary walls stayed breached, or flashy consumables while quivers were empty. This interactive checklist turns post-mining spending into a repeatable sequence you can run solo or read aloud in co-op between waves.

Default Ore Priority Order

Use this order unless a live breach forces exceptions:

1. Emergency repairs on lanes currently threatening the King.
2. Primary lane wall integrity to functional levels monsters cannot walk through freely.
3. Baseline ammunition for every defender expecting to shoot next horn.
4. Secondary lane patches that saw traffic last wave.
5. Stockpile deposits triggering run upgrades when thresholds matter this horn.
6. Forge upgrades and luxury consumables after steps 1–5 are satisfied.

Exceptions: if monsters are already assaulting during your economy window, stop at ammo plus the single repair that prevents immediate King access—defer upgrades entirely.

Interactive Checklist

Open this section after depositing ore at the bastion stockpile or forge. Check items off locally as you complete them; refreshing the page resets boxes.

Why Walls Beat Upgrades Early

Monsters win by converting structure into King access. A knockback upgrade does not matter if grunts walk through a zero-integrity primary lane unopposed. Bastion Layout helps identify which segments are primary versus cosmetic—repair traffic lanes first.

When outer walls already fail every horn, shift ore toward inner choke repairs and control consumables—pair with Bastion Fallback tactics.

Why Ammo Beats Luxury Craft

Empty quivers at horn start force defenders to melee or reposition while breakers chunk walls. Public demo patches increased arrow stack caps specifically because sustained fire matters during density spikes. Craft to a full comfortable stack, not the minimum you barely survived with last time.

Co-op groups should call out ammo status before checking upgrade boxes—one empty archer collapses lane coverage.

Stockpile Deposits vs Immediate Crafts

Some runs gate randomized power-ups on stockpile totals. Deposit when:

• Horn timer still generous.
• Walls and ammo already secure.
• The offered upgrade addresses your known weakness (control, knockback, King buffs).

Skip deposits when horn audio begins or when repairs remain incomplete—threshold upgrades never trigger if the King dies first.

Co-op Spending Etiquette

• One player reads checklist while others craft to avoid duplicate purchases.
• Agree forge vote outcomes before spending shared ore on conflicting upgrades.
• Miners do not craft until confirming surface anchor has ammo unless role-swap called.

Solo Adjustments

Solo merges miner and crafter roles—run checklist immediately upon surfacing, never mid-cave. Shorter mining trips make this page easier to follow because you return with less ore but more time to spend it correctly.

When Priorities Flip

Flip order only for explicit reasons:

Situation	Temporary priority change
King lane open mid-economy	Emergency repair before all ammo
Full ammo, walls stable, horn far	Deposit or upgrade earlier
Known boss horn next	Control consumables after baseline ammo
Team forced fallback last horn	Inner choke repair before outer cosmetics

Related Reading

Timing: Mines and Caves and Wave Defense. Geography: Bastion Layout. Loadouts: Builds as forge pages expand. Hub meta purchases: Hub.