I and my entire family are shamelessly addicted to Dungeon Defenders on the XBox 360. I've easily put in 150+ hours. And yet I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. This is great, of course, because I'm getting a ton of value out of the game in exchange for very little money (in my opinion). However, it's also a bit frustrating, as I feel I should be progressing further based on the amount of time and attention I've put into the game. I'd appreciate the input from some of your veterans on what I may be doing wrong.

After leveling my first character to 70, I attempted some of the campaign missions and challenges on Hard and Insane. It was immediately evident that I didn't stand a chance. So I started reading some character build guides and some level guides online. I realized that, aside from just the character's level, I had to allocate skill points to certain areas and effectively "specialize" my characters. So I began building and leveling new characters. Here is what I have so far. (Apologies for not including actual stat numbers, but I am at the office away from my XBox.)

Tower Monk: All points in Aura Health/Damage/Radius/Rate with leftovers in Hero Speed/Casting

Tower Apprentice: All points in Tower Health/Damage/Radius/Rate with leftovers in Hero Speed/Casting

Tower Huntress: All points in Trap Health/Damage/Radius/Rate/ with leftovers in Hero Speed/Casting

Tower Squire: All points in Defense Health/Damage/Radius/Rate with leftovers in Hero Speed/Casting

DPS Squire: All points in Hero Health/Damage/Speed/Blood Rage with leftovers in Circular Slice

DPS Huntress: All points in Hero Health/Damage/Speed/Piercing Shot with leftovers in Casting

(NOTE: "All points" obviously means a max of 70 hero points, as the XBox version has not been patched to increase this.)

So there I have six level 70 characters with points properly allocated to their specialities. I have been able to solo many of the campaign missions on insane, eventually hitting a wall with Ramparts. After that, I start having trouble with the later campaign missions and bonus/DLC missions on insane. Also, I cannot solo any of the challenges on Hard or Insane. I have tried partnering up with my wife and/or kids for two-, three-, and four-player coop on these, but the added enemies and increased enemy health make it impossible.

I have NOT yet started to allocate appropriate points strategically in my hero items (armor, pets, weapons). This, I feel, is maybe my biggest failing. But I'm not really sure where my item points should go. Should I use the items just to further increase my character's specializations? For instance, should I just level up all of the items for the DSP Huntress to further increase her Hero Health/Damage??

How important is elemental resistance? I understand that a lot of people put high stock in this area, but it seems like for the mana I spend I get very little return on the investment.

Finally, what is the secret to beating the challenges on Insane? I don't want to simply watch a YouTube video and then repeat what I see there. I'd like to have one or two character builds that are tough enough to experiment and find my own way through these. So what else do I need to focus on?

I realize this is a lot of questions. But after reading through other forums, it's obvious that the DunDef community is very willing to help. So I'd appreciate some of you experts giving me your thoughts. Thanks a bunch, guys!

-Book

I and my entire family are shamelessly addicted to Dungeon Defenders on the XBox 360. I've easily put in 150+ hours. And yet I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. This is great, of course, because I'm getting a ton of value out of the game in exchange for very little money (in my opinion). However, it's also a bit frustrating, as I feel I should be progressing further based on the amount of time and attention I've put into the game. I'd appreciate the input from some of your veterans on what I may be doing wrong.

After leveling my first character to 70, I attempted some of the campaign missions and challenges on Hard and Insane. It was immediately evident that I didn't stand a chance. So I started reading some character build guides and some level guides online. I realized that, aside from just the character's level, I had to allocate skill points to certain areas and effectively "specialize" my characters. So I began building and leveling new characters. Here is what I have so far. (Apologies for not including actual stat numbers, but I am at the office away from my XBox.)

Tower Monk: All points in Aura Health/Damage/Radius/Rate with leftovers in Hero Speed/Casting

Tower Apprentice: All points in Tower Health/Damage/Radius/Rate with leftovers in Hero Speed/Casting

Tower Huntress: All points in Trap Health/Damage/Radius/Rate/ with leftovers in Hero Speed/Casting

Tower Squire: All points in Defense Health/Damage/Radius/Rate with leftovers in Hero Speed/Casting

DPS Squire: All points in Hero Health/Damage/Speed/Blood Rage with leftovers in Circular Slice

DPS Huntress: All points in Hero Health/Damage/Speed/Piercing Shot with leftovers in Casting

(NOTE: "All points" obviously means a max of 70 hero points, as the XBox version has not been patched to increase this.)

So there I have six level 70 characters with points properly allocated to their specialities. I have been able to solo many of the campaign missions on insane, eventually hitting a wall with Ramparts. After that, I start having trouble with the later campaign missions and bonus/DLC missions on insane. Also, I cannot solo any of the challenges on Hard or Insane. I have tried partnering up with my wife and/or kids for two-, three-, and four-player coop on these, but the added enemies and increased enemy health make it impossible.

I have NOT yet started to allocate appropriate points strategically in my hero items (armor, pets, weapons). This, I feel, is maybe my biggest failing. But I'm not really sure where my item points should go. Should I use the items just to further increase my character's specializations? For instance, should I just level up all of the items for the DSP Huntress to further increase her Hero Health/Damage??

How important is elemental resistance? I understand that a lot of people put high stock in this area, but it seems like for the mana I spend I get very little return on the investment.

Finally, what is the secret to beating the challenges on Insane? I don't want to simply watch a YouTube video and then repeat what I see there. I'd like to have one or two character builds that are tough enough to experiment and find my own way through these. So what else do I need to focus on?

I realize this is a lot of questions. But after reading through other forums, it's obvious that the DunDef community is very willing to help. So I'd appreciate some of you experts giving me your thoughts. Thanks a bunch, guys!

-Book

Awesome, I love the game and have put in tons of hours myself. I've mainly been soloing stuff, but I am currently stuck as I can't beat Summit or Glitter on insane. Also would like to team up with someone to complete all the challenges on Insane. Looking for an S-Rank! Interested?