All Relics in Universal Tower Defense (June 2026 Guide)
Relics are special equipment items in Universal Tower Defense that provide powerful stat bonuses and set effects to your units. Each character can equip three relic pieces (one Head, one Body, and one Leg), and when you complete a matching set, you unlock powerful bonuses that can rival or even outclass trait effects. There are currently six relic sets in the game, with two sets available for each of the three main stages: Ninja Forest (Naruto theme), Marine Base (One Piece theme), and Hollowed Moon (Bleach theme).
Quick Reference: All Relic Sets Overview
| Relic Set | Stage/Theme | Head Bonus | Body & Leg Bonus | Overall Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laughing Captain | Marine Base (One Piece) | -10% Active Ability Cooldown | +5 Base Damage, -5% Attack Cooldown, +5% Range | S Tier |
| Ex-Captain Uraharo | Hollowed Moon (Bleach) | Refund 5% Yen spent on upgrades | +10 Critical Rate, +25% Critical Damage | S Tier |
| Sun God | Marine Base (One Piece) | Damage buff = unit’s Range (1% per 1 Range) for 7s after 6 attacks | +5 Base Damage, +10% Light/Water/Ice Damage | A Tier |
| Berserk Shinigami | Hollowed Moon (Bleach) | Every 6th attack deals 20% bonus True Damage | +5 Base Damage, +15% Armor Damage | A Tier |
| Master Ninja | Ninja Forest (Naruto) | 20% DoT increase for 10s after every 5 attacks | +5 Base Damage, +10% Dark/Rose/Fire Damage | B Tier |
| Junior Ninja | Ninja Forest (Naruto) | All buffs increased by 1.1x | +5% Base Damage, +10% Wind Damage | C Tier |
How to Obtain Relics?
Relics are obtained through different game modes depending on the piece:
Contents
- Body and Leg Relics: Drop from Story Mode stages in their respective areas (Ninja Forest, Marine Base, Hollowed Moon)
- Head Relics: Obtained from Virtual Realm matches
- Higher Difficulties: Increased chances of rarer relics with better stats and more perk rolls
- Best Farming Location: Act 1 Ninja Forest on Nightmare Mode at 1000% difficulty for the best drop rates
Complete Relic Sets Breakdown 2026
S Tier Relics: Best Overall Sets
Laughing Captain Set (Marine Base – One Piece)
Head Bonus: -10% Active Ability Cooldown
Body & Leg Bonus: +5 Base Damage, -5% Attack Cooldown, +5% Range
Why S Tier: This is the most versatile relic set in Universal Tower Defense, working excellently on almost any character without requiring specific conditions. The cooldown reductions allow characters to use abilities more frequently, while the attack speed and range bonuses improve overall performance. This set is particularly valuable for support units and characters that rely heavily on active abilities.
Best Units for Laughing Captain:
- Lulu: The cooldown reduction is perfect for his order-based abilities
- Rule (ROOM): Benefits from faster ability cycling for teleportation and damage
- Virtual Idol (Super Star): More frequent buff applications
- Scarlet Maid (World): Increased ability uptime for stuns and time gauge attacks
- Namo: Better ability rotation for hybrid support/DPS role
General Strategy: Laughing Captain should be your default choice for most support units and any character where you’re unsure which relic set to use. The lack of elemental restrictions makes it universally applicable.
Ex-Captain Uraharo Set (Hollowed Moon – Bleach)
Head Bonus: Refund 5% of Yen spent on upgrading this unit
Body & Leg Bonus: +10 Critical Rate, +25% Critical Damage
Why S Tier: This set provides massive critical hit bonuses that can dramatically increase damage output for crit-focused characters. The +10 critical rate ensures more frequent critical hits, while the +25% critical damage multiplier makes each crit significantly more powerful. The small Yen refund is a nice bonus that helps offset upgrade costs.
Best Units for Ex-Captain Uraharo:
- Jinoo (Monarch): Excellent scaling with critical hits for shadow damage
- Kriatu (Cheater): Perfect for his crit-based damage scaling (Note: Kriatu can only gain crit from Traits, so this set is less effective on him)
- Pebble: Great for critical hit builds on hill units
- High-rarity Duelist trait units: Maximizes the benefits of the Duelist trait
General Strategy: This set should be reserved for units specifically built around critical hits. The elemental damage bonuses aren’t as restrictive as some other sets, making it more versatile than elemental-specific sets.
A Tier Relics: Very Strong Sets
Sun God Set (Marine Base – One Piece)
Head Bonus: After every 6 attacks, gain damage buff equal to unit’s Range for 7 seconds (1% damage per 1 Range)
Body & Leg Bonus: +5 Base Damage, +10% Light/Water/Ice Damage
Why A Tier: This set rewards high-range characters with potentially massive damage bonuses. The Head effect scales directly with Range, making it incredibly powerful on units that naturally have high range or can be built for range. However, it requires specific investment in range to maximize effectiveness.
Best Units for Sun God:
- Kriatu (Cheater): High-range units benefit tremendously from the scaling damage buff
- Light, Water, or Ice elemental units: Benefit from the elemental damage bonuses
- Long-range carries: Any unit that naturally stacks range through upgrades and traits
General Strategy: This set requires careful planning and investment in range stats to be effective. It’s best used on units that you specifically build for range, and it excels in situations where you can position units to take advantage of their range.
Berserk Shinigami Set (Hollowed Moon – Bleach)
Head Bonus: Every 6th attack deals 20% bonus True Damage, ignoring all Resistance
Body & Leg Bonus: +5 Base Damage, +15% Armor Damage
Why A Tier: This set excels at dealing with armored enemies and bosses. The True Damage ignores all defensive stats, making it incredibly valuable against high-defense targets. The additional Armor Damage bonus makes it even more effective against heavily armored opponents.
Best Units for Berserk Shinigami:
- Berserker (Enraged): Excellent against armored enemies with his natural armor-shredding abilities
- Greybeard: Frontline DPS that repeatedly hits armored targets
- Units designed for boss fights: The True Damage is invaluable against high-health, high-defense bosses
General Strategy: This is a situational set that shines against armored content but is less effective against regular enemies. It’s best used for specific challenge modes, boss fights, or stages known for having heavily armored enemies.
B Tier Relics: Good for Specific Builds
Master Ninja Set (Ninja Forest – Naruto)
Head Bonus: Every 5 attacks, DoT damage increases by 20% for 10 seconds
Body & Leg Bonus: +5 Base Damage, +10% Dark/Rose/Fire Damage
Why B Tier: This set is specialized for damage-over-time focused characters. The periodic DoT increase can be significant, but it only benefits units that actually have DoT abilities. The elemental bonuses are also restricted to specific elements.
Best Units for Master Ninja:
- Admiral (Magma): Excellent Fire DoT unit that benefits greatly from the increased burn damage
- Spade (Donut): Top-tier Burn DoT unit (best with Astral trait)
- Cyborg (Fearless): Another strong Fire DoT unit
- Rogue Oni: Benefits from DoT increases for his status effects
- Sasku (Chakra): Good for DoT-focused builds
General Strategy: Only use this set on units that specifically rely on DoT effects. It’s highly effective on the right units but completely wasted on units without DoT abilities.
C Tier Relics: Situational Use Only
Junior Ninja Set (Ninja Forest – Naruto)
Head Bonus: All buffs increased by 1.1x
Body & Leg Bonus: +5% Base Damage, +10% Wind Damage
Why C Tier: This set has very limited use cases. The Head bonus only works if the unit receives buffs from teammates, making it useless without specific team composition. The Body and Leg bonuses are also the weakest among all relic sets.
Best Units for Junior Ninja:
- Wind-element DPS units: Benefit from the Wind damage bonus
- Units inside powerful auras: Such as teams built around Miku (Super Star) or other strong buffers
- Support units that receive multiple buffs: Can amplify incoming buff effects
General Strategy: This set should only be used in very specific team compositions where you have strong buff support and Wind elemental units. It’s generally not worth farming unless you have a specific build in mind.
Relic Stats System Explained
Every relic has two types of stats: Main Stats and Sub Stats. Understanding this system is crucial for optimizing your relic builds.
Main Stats
- Each relic has exactly one Main Stat
- Main Stats provide the largest bonuses
- You cannot change the Main Stat type on a relic
- Main Stats scale significantly with each upgrade level
Sub Stats
- Relics can have multiple Sub Stats
- Sub Stats provide smaller bonuses than Main Stats
- You can unlock more Sub Stats by upgrading relics
- Every 3 upgrades gives you a chance to add a new Sub Stat (this can fail)
Stat Breakdown by Relic Piece
Body Relic Stats
| Possible Main Stats | Possible Sub Stats |
|---|---|
| Damage | Damage |
| Crit Damage | Second Per Attack (SPA) |
| Hyper Armour Damage | Range |
| DoT | Crit Rate |
| Crit Damage | |
| DoT | |
| Buff Potency | |
| Effect Res |
Leg Relic Stats
| Possible Main Stats | Possible Sub Stats |
|---|---|
| Damage | Damage |
| Second Per Attack (SPA) | Second Per Attack (SPA) |
| Range | Range |
| Crit Rate | Crit Rate |
| Crit Damage | |
| DoT | |
| Buff Potency | |
| Effect Res |
Head Relic Stats
| Possible Main Stats | Possible Sub Stats |
|---|---|
| Buff Potency | Damage |
| Elemental Damage | Second Per Attack (SPA) |
| Range | |
| Crit Rate | |
| Crit Damage | |
| DoT | |
| Buff Potency | |
| Effect Res |
How to Upgrade Relics?
Upgrading relics is essential for maximizing their effectiveness. Here’s how the upgrade system works:
Step-by-Step Upgrade Process
- Open Your Inventory: Go to your inventory and select the relic you want to upgrade
- Use Power Ups: Click the Enhance button and consume Power Ups to upgrade the relic
- Unlock New Sub Stats: Every 3 Power Ups gives you a chance to add a new Sub Stat (this can fail)
- Continue Upgrading: Keep using Power Ups to improve both Main and Sub Stats
Upgrade Strategy Tips
- Prioritize S and A Tier Sets: Focus your Power Ups on Laughing Captain and Ex-Captain Uraharo sets first
- Consider Unit Role: Match Main Stats to your unit’s primary function (Damage for DPS, Buff Potency for supports, etc.)
- SPA is Often Best: Seconds Per Attack (SPA) is usually the best stat to increase as it helps trigger relic set bonuses more frequently
- Don’t Spread Too Thin: It’s better to have a few well-upgraded relics than many partially upgraded ones
Advanced Relic Optimization Strategies
Set Bonus Activation
Set bonuses only activate when you have three matching relics equipped on the same unit. The game automatically detects when you have a complete set and activates the bonuses.
Mixing and Matching
While you can mix relics from different sets, you won’t get any set bonuses. It’s generally better to complete a set unless you have very specific stat needs that require mixing.
Elemental Synergies
Pay attention to elemental damage bonuses on relics and match them to your units’ elemental affinities:
- Light/Water/Ice: Sun God set
- Dark/Rose/Fire: Master Ninja set
- Wind: Junior Ninja set
Game Mode Considerations
Different game modes may benefit from different relic approaches:
- Infinite Mode: Ex-Captain Uraharo for scaling crit damage
- Challenge Mode: Laughing Captain for ability uptime
- Virtual Realm: Sun God for range-scaling damage
- Story Progression: Master Ninja for DoT-focused clearing
Community Resources and Official Links
For the most up-to-date information and community discussions, check these official resources:
Official Resources
- Official Discord Server: Join for real-time discussions with developers and players, latest updates, and community tier lists
- Roblox Game Page: Official game page with updates and community features
- Official Twitter/X: Follow for developer announcements and update news
Community Resources
- UTD Wiki: Community-maintained wiki with detailed unit information and guides
- Reddit Communities: Active discussions, strategy sharing, and community tier lists
Frequently Asked Questions
What are relics in Universal Tower Defense?
Relics are special equipment items that provide stat bonuses and set effects to your units. Each unit can equip three relics (Head, Body, Leg), and completing a matching set unlocks powerful bonuses.
How do I get relics in Universal Tower Defense?
Body and Leg relics drop from Story Mode stages in their respective areas, while Head relics are obtained from Virtual Realm matches. Higher difficulties drop better quality relics.
What’s the best relic set in Universal Tower Defense?
Based on current meta analysis, Laughing Captain and Ex-Captain Uraharo are considered S-tier due to their versatility and powerful bonuses that work well on most units.
Can I mix relics from different sets?
Yes, you can mix relics from different sets, but you won’t receive any set bonuses. It’s generally recommended to complete full sets for the powerful set effects.
How do I upgrade relics?
Use Power Ups to enhance relics. Every 3 upgrades gives you a chance to unlock a new Sub Stat. Focus on upgrading S and A tier sets first for maximum effectiveness.
Do relic set bonuses stack?
No, set bonuses are per-unit. Each unit needs its own complete set to activate the bonuses for that unit.
What stats should I prioritize on relics?
Seconds Per Attack (SPA) is often the best stat as it helps trigger set bonuses more frequently. Damage is great for DPS units, while Buff Potency is ideal for supports.
Are relics better than traits?
Well-rolled relic sets can rival or even outclass traits in terms of power. However, the best approach is usually to use both relics and traits together for maximum effectiveness.
Conclusion
Mastering the relic system in Universal Tower Defense is essential for maximizing your units’ potential and tackling the game’s most challenging content. While Laughing Captain and Ex-Captain Uraharo sets currently dominate the meta due to their versatility and power, each relic set has its place in specific situations and team compositions.
Remember to focus on upgrading your best relics first, match elemental bonuses to your units’ affinities, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different combinations to find what works best for your playstyle and team composition. With the right relic setup, even mid-tier units can become powerhouse performers in your tower defense lineup.
Stay tuned to the official Discord and community resources for the latest balance changes and meta shifts, as the relic landscape may evolve with future updates to Universal Tower Defense in 2026.
