Transfer Creature: Where and Whom

This guide will tell you where to find the Transfer Creature Dungeon Specials in each level, and which creatures are the best ones you can take.

Introduction

Transfer Creature are Dungeon Specials that allow you to take a creature from a realm into another. The creature disappears in your current realm, and the next time you get into a realm, you'll start with an identical creature at the same level.

For the purposes of this guide, "Creatures" includes heroes too. This guide will also assume that you're using KeeperFX, since the base port can be nearly unplayable in certain devices. If you're not using KeeperFX, here's a quick guide on how to install it.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3174970975

You can activate a Transfer Creature at any time. Not only when you've conquered a realm. If you are sure that you can still beat a level but fear that your chosen creature will die in the battle, you can transfer your creature early and continue playing. Remember to save often, in case something goes wrong.

When you click on the Transfer Creature box a list will pop up with all of your creatures. Select the one you wish to transfer, and they'll disappear right away.

Transfer Creature Locations

You get introduced to the Transfer Creature in Level 4: Flowerhat.

Level 5: Lushmeadow-on-Down has no Transfer Creature, but starting in Level 6: Snuggledell, you'll find one in every subsequent level until Level 17: Mirthshire. (Where you'll need it most, trust me)

It's important to note that sometimes these might be retieved by enemy keepers first, and you'll have to claim their library first before attempting to use them.

Creatures: Part I

Here's a list of all the creatures you can recruit and a brief comment on how useful they are as a Transfer Creature. All of the creatures are assumed to be Level 10.

A Transfer Creature should ideally be useful to help you during the earlier stages of your dungeon by defending you from Hero raids, abrupt encounters with the enemy Keeper, researching rooms and spells and manufacturing doors and traps. While still retaining usefulness late in the game when you have other creatures at a similar level, or helping you deal with your enemies quickly before they could set up.

Fly

Everything the Fly does, another creature can do it better. If you want a creature that gets into fights while exploring, the Hound explores while it gets into fights. If you want a flying creature to possess and explore yourself, or a creature to spot invisible enemies, the Ghost can do that and still fight at a safe distance with Drain.

The Fly is cheap, I guess. But it won't protect you from an early raid from heroes or other keepers.

Beetle

Just like the Fly, If you want an early game creature that can fight well, or one that can use the rare Freeze spell, you can transfer a Demon Spawn or a Spider respectively.

Unless you really, really don't want to see any in-fighting with Flies and Hounds. In that case, sure, enjoy yourself.

Demon Spawn

An excellent pick all around. They train on their own, they can fight well and heal themselves during battle, they can research at a decent pace, they can even walk through lava and still harrass enemies at a distance.

By the time you reach Moonbrush Wood, you might want to switch to Dragons instead. But if you're afraid of being in a tight spot with your economy, consider keeping them as Spawns for a couple more levels.

Warlock

You'll get several Warlocks in every level except Tulipscent, and their level doesn't affect how well they research. A well-trained Warlock can deal with a couple low level opponents or some high-leveled ones if he can Heal and use his Word of Power and Wind to kite, but he'll get overwhelmed sooner or later unless you possess him.

You might want to transfer a creature that can actually take a blow and protect your other Warlocks while they research. Preferably one that won't kill your Imps or other minions because they accidentally walked into the library.

Troll

Very situational. Trolls deal and take as much damage as a Tunneller, and you've already fought many of those to get a good grasp of how much that is. Their speed and projectiles can be used in clever ways on a guard post or to kite enemies when possessed, though.

Remember that the Library has to research 5 spells/rooms before getting to the Workshop, so it'll be a while before you can take full advantage of their talents. But they're still Workshop Gods, so they're always welcome when you're planning to set up lots of traps.

Spider

They deal as much melee damage as Trolls and can take even less damage, they're lousy researchers, and they can't deal with many enemies at once unless possessed and kiting.

But their Freeze and Slow spells can be excellent supporting options for other creatures, and they're decent manufacturers. Keep them out of trouble and you could use them in many late levels for some creative fights, but I wouldn't recommend them over other options.

Bile Demon

They're bad researchers and will demand a big hatchery as soon as the level begins. But their excellent health and consistent AoE damage will keep you safe from most early-game threats, allowing you to build your dungeon in peace.

They're not bad creatures to transfer, but many others can also protect you during the early game and do something else, like research faster to outpace your opponent. Bile Demons are also the slowest creatures in this list capable of rushing an enemy Keeper as soon as the game starts, and their gassy attacks have an annoying tendency of killing your own Imps too.

Skeleton

Capable of researching and manufacturing; slightly sturdier than Trolls and dealing as much damage as Hounds, Skeletons are respectable picks because of how cheap they are.

They don't eat from the Hatchery, they barely need any gold, and if they're at Level 10 that Lightning spell can do most of the job in every battle, instantly killing Imps and low level creatures and letting the Skeleton deal damage over lava obstacles. Theoretically, since they're immune to gas, a possessed Skeleton could kite several Bile Demons and win.

Creatures: Part II

Dark Mistress

Their Speed spell makes them just as good as Warlocks and untrained Trolls at researching and manufacturing. Thanks to their drain and lightning, they can take out entire groups of enemies while kiting and healing themselves, and if they can teleport, they can quickly escape or engage combat at a blink.

They're expensive to keep, but you can just... not pay them. After all, if they get angry, you can just slap them to make them happy again, and they'll even work harder! Not to mention that they enjoy being in the Torture Chamber, which by default makes creatures more efficient. Every creature can reach their max potential with a speed spell, a slap and a fellow creature being tortured, but Dark Mistresses are the only ones that actually enjoy that situation.

Terrible creature to transfer if under Level 6, but literally the most consistent creature to transfer if they're near Level 10.

Ghost

Decent researchers and nothing else. They can be used to explore and bypass doors, but with barely more health than a fairy they risk instantly dying to a trap or a group of enemies when doing so.

They can be useful to stall magical opponents such as Vampires, Warlocks and Wizards, since their Rebound spell makes them unable to be hit by their magic spells. But they'll quickly die to Priestesses, Fairies, Dark Mistresses or any other creature that can use Lightning, since Lightning goes through the Rebound spell.

The ability to fly and cast Wind can open up some creative strategies with possession. But you can get Ghosts anytime you want as long as you can afford a Torture Chamber, and you can only get so many Transfer specials.

Orc

Decent bodyguards for your starting dungeon, since they'll be able to fend off early raids and scare off weaker opponents. But that's all they can do. They refuse to research, so they can only sit and wait until someone else researches the Workshop for them to be useful.

Very useful in maps where fighting happens early and often, such as Nevergrim, Hearth, Buffy Oak and possibly Tickle. Especially when possessed, since their grenades deal a lot of damage.

Hound

If you don't have Skeletons with Lightning, Hounds are better and cheaper. They can research and manufacture, and I advise you to give them something to do so they don't run off to kill the nearest opponent and get themselves killed in the process.

Hounds are suited for careless exploration, and if there's something to be learned from the Fairy trap in Tickle or the wandering Samurai in Woodly Rhyme, is that this game hates careless exploration. They can be situationally good if you're planning on possessing one and leading a Barracks full of slow creatures such as Bile Demons, Dragons and Heroes, but be careful not to die in the crossfire.

I suggest you transfer something else, unless you really want to rush the Keepers in Elf's Dance and the Blue Keeper in Buffy Oak.

Horned Reaper

Employing a Horned Reaper is like using a ladder. It's simple and easy if you know what to do, but if you're not careful all it takes is one misstep for an accident to happen.

Fun fact, Horned Reapers are decent researchers. When they have their speed spell applied, they're just as good as ghosts, and having something to do keeps them busy enough to not get angry. When you research the Temple or the Guard Post, keeping them there is a good way to keep them under control. And of course, they eat up enemy Imps and all other creatures and heroes for breakfast.

Just make sure you always have a generous amount of gold ready for whenever Pay Day arrives, pause the game everytime you pick them up so they spend the least amount of time in your hand, and never slap them even once.

If all goes wrong, just possess that mad psycho and drive them right into the enemy's base, and then sit back and watch how much suffering they can cause. But whatever you do, do not sacrifice them at the Temple. They're a gift from the Dark Gods, and you do NOT want to anger the Dark Gods.

Dragon

A Dragon would be the best creature to transfer if it wasn't for how stingy they can be. They're not as expensive as Vampires or Knights, but they'll quickly get annoyed if not paid in time, and might even steal your gold if left unattended. This puts you on a timer: As soon as the level starts, you better get a reliable source of gold, you better conquer the realm before it runs off, and you better make sure you don't accidentally run out during Pay Day because you were too careless with your Training Room, your spells, or your Imp count.

They're excellent researchers and fighters. They're naturally tanky, and their capacity to walk on lava, heal themselves repeatedly and cast Word of Power means that if the enemy cannot outpace their sustain, a Dragon will eventually win every fight. Not to mention that when possessed you gain access to two types of projectiles and an endless fire breath. Just remember that Dragons cannot take prisoners, since all of their attacks kill them in the process.

Vampire

A candidate for the strongest creature in the game. Vampires can teleport, fly, heal, use magic armor and drain, making them both excellent frontliners and supporters in battle. The fact that they respawn whenever they die is algo pretty good. They refuse to manufacture, but they're good researchers and can fend off enemies for a long time until you set up a proper dungeon.

However, they are ridiculously expensive and quite easy to annoy. Training them and paying their wages can quickly leave you broke, so you might want to consider another alternative if you don't know if you'll have an accessible and infinite gold or not in the next map. Not to mention that their tendency to kill Warlocks can be quite annoying when you want to advance in your research.

Tentacle

My favorite creature. They deal as much damage as Demon Spawn and take as much damage as an Orc or a Dark Mistress. They can barely research or manufacture, they recover health VERY slowly, they're very hard to come by and their only saving grace is the Freeze spell they learn at level 5.

Seriously, this is a terrible creature, don't waste your Transfers on it. Unless you're like me and really like them, you do you.

Heroes: Part I

Whenever you're able, it's usually a better idea to bring Heroes with your Transfer Creature instead of regular creatures. They're generally cheaper to keep overall, can't be scavenged by enemy Keepers, might scavenge enemy heroes into joining your side... and more diverse skillsets for your army can never be a bad thing.

Tunneller

A somewhat decent fighter but overall the worst hero you can have. Tunnellers can do most things Imps can do, but worse, and they'll stop caring about it a little after you tell them to work. They can make doors and traps poorly, and they refuse to research at all.

If a Tunneller is the only Hero you have to transfer, just take the L and transfer something else. Even a Skeleton is better, so letting them starve on the Prison might be a good idea.

Thief

Thieves are some of the easiest creatures to convert, but they're worse in combat than Tunnellers (and Tunnellers are worse than Demon Spawns!) A thief wouldn't really be able to protect your dungeon should you face enemies during the early game, but with their speed spell they can be okay researchers and manufacturers. Their speed and invisibility makes them good infiltrators, but do you really need to explore other Keeper's dungeons that badly? Even Ghosts can go through doors, so they're better for that.

You always have the option to continue training them further to become Knights. But, well...

Knight

The famous Lord of the Land isn't actually that impressive. They can only do the bare minimum of researching and manufacturing, since they lose the speed spell they once had as Thieves. They lack any projectiles and their generally slow pace makes them vulnerable to enemies with Lightning spells such as Fairies, Dark Mistresses, Priestesses and Samurai.

Imagine a Dragon that can reflect most spells, can't cross lava, is even more expensive and has no projectiles. That's the Knight. By the time you can actually Transfer, there are far better heroes to take with you.

Archer

A surprisingly decent pick for a creature. Archers can't take much damage and will be quickly overrun if they have to deal with several creatures at once, especially if they have projectiles as well.

However, with all of their abilities unlocked, Archers become Warlock-level researchers and (untrained) Troll-level manufacturers, as well as good guard posts against enemy Imps trying to claim your territory, making them quite handy for Dungeon building. Their Slow skill is also very useful to support your other creatures in combat.

Mountain Dwarf

Extremely situational. They can barely research, but they're almost as good as untrained Trolls when it comes to the Workshop. They can't really protect your Dungeon from early breaches or early skirmishes. The unique talent Mountain Dwarfs have is their speed. Almost as fast as a Hound, you can put one on the Barracks, and then torpedo your way to the enemy base. This is particularly effective if you put other strong yet slow creatures in the Barracks as well, like Bile Demons, Dragons or other Heroes, since they'll match the speed of your possessed unit, and their Armor and Rebound skills can make it so your Dwarf survives until reaching the desired destination.

But other than that, just get another hero. Or turn him into a Skeleton.

Barbarian

Orcs. but worse. Barbarians are good combatants who can put up quite a fight even early on, but they can't research, and they're worse than Orcs at the Workshop too. Most levels with heroes will have plenty of Barbarians, so this makes them particularly useful in the Scavenger Room.

Remember, your opponents might try to scavenge your Orcs, but they can't scavenge your Barbarians.

Fairy

The main issue with fairies is how hard it is to keep them alive. Converting and training a Fairy can take forever, and since they're so fragile, it's quite easy for them to die in the Torture Chamber or to die from the crossfire during battles. However, Fairies are excellent researchers, they're immune to gas, have permanent flight, and most importantly: They have the most diverse and powerful repertoire of magic spells in the game.

With Rebound, they're protected from most of the Warlocks' and Wizards' attacks, as well as being immune to Vampires' and Ghosts' drains. With Lightning and Meteor, they can hit all other Heroes with Rebound, and Freeze can help you against specific creatures that your army is having trouble taking down. A possessed Fairy can take on hordes of Bile Demons, Giants, Barbarians, and Vampires on her own, but will fall quickly to anyone who can quickly overpower their defenses like speeding Orcs, or several Meteor-shooting Dragons and Warlocks.

Still, with some practice, Fairies become some of the most formidable creatures in the game.

Heroes: Part II

Giant

Slow and hard-hitting. Aside from Reapers, this is the strongest creature you can transfer, but they can take even less hits than an Orc. While they do learn a speed spell at lvl 10 that makes them as efficient as untrained Trolls in the Workshop, they refuse to research to get to said Workshop, and they can't do anything against ranged attackers and kiting opponents.

They're an okay pick, but even Archers could be more useful.

Wizard

The most consistent Hero to transfer. Wizards are the best researchers in the game, and their unique list of spells makes them much more suited for combat than Warlocks. With Freeze, Rebound and Slow, they can keep themselves safe, while healing with Heal and Drain, and causing severe damage with Meteor, Hailstorm and Fireball.

A single Wizard is powerful enough to keep you safe and bring significant help when starting out, but being able to scavenge multiple Wizards basically guarantees your win, as long as you have someone else to take the hits for them.

Monk

Slow but versatile, Monks can be very useful if you know how to use them well. They're as good as Vampires when researching, and they're decent at manufacturing as well. Their low health is compensated by their use of the Armor, Heal and Drain spells to give them enough sustain, and their projectiles can keep enemy Imps from claiming your territory for a long time.

Slow and Word of Power are good spells to support your creatures during battle, and when possessed, Monks can be quite fun to play as. There are better Heroes to pick, but Monks are a surprisingly decent choice.

Samurai

Probably the best Hero you could pick. When properly trained, their speed can make them just as good as Warlocks and untrained Trolls at the Library and Workshop respectively. They hit hard, they're super fast, and their Lightning spell deals with weak opponents easily.

However, they lack any sort of sustain, and will die in the crossfire if left unattended. Samurai are also quite easy to anger, especially if they can't train and have no other job to do, which can make them kill your other units or even defect to the enemy side. And with how much damage they can inflict in a short amount of time, they might actually kill some important creatures before you can stop them.

Not to mention that they hate Dark Mistresses, and will engage with them everytime they cross paths in a Lair. Which is frustratingly often, since both are extremely mobile creatures who join in every battle they can, and will quickly return to rest when damaged. Dark Mistresses are very useful, and having to keep your Samurai on a leash to stop their potential rampage becomes a Horned Reaper-like task.

But the sheer amount of power and utility they bring should always be considered, if you dare.

Priestess

Priestesses are fragile and shouldn't engage in much combat. Luckily, their tendency to cast the Wind spell whenever it's available means that she can either stall or disrupt fights completely. Their ability to fly, heal themselves, rebound all projectiles and their offensive spell such as lightning, gas clouds and hailstorm makes them dispatch Imps and low level enemies quickly.

They can research just as well as Vampires and can manufacture traps if needed, all for a tenth of a Vampire's salary. Priestesses are good when left alone, and absolutely excellent when possessed, as their combination of spells makes them near-untouchable except by Horned Reapers or Samurai.

tl;dr / Conclusion

When in doubt, follow these rules. Everything above "Decent pick" is good. The best creatures are in High Risk, High Reward, while the ones above that are always consistently good.

But you don't have to always bring the most efficient creature at all times. Bring your favorite everytime you can. I used to consistenly take Level 10 Tentacles from Tulipscent to any other level if possible, because that made me happy. I hope you can enjoy your game to the fullest, too.

Now go out there and Keep those Dungeons.

[N3UR0D3RM!T!S]

For levels 17-20, you can use the transfer creature of one of the secret levels (repeatedly).
Especially for level 20 a vampire is golden (but use is fast to scavange)

[AlphaQuacken]

"Seriously, this is a terrible creature, don't waste your Transfers on it. Unless you're like me and really like them"
Same honestly, tentacles are just little goobers, i keep them for creature transfer even though i know they suck at research and manufacturing

[LordOctaaf]

Thx for sharing :) I used to pick the Dark Mistress 9 out of 10 times! Never though of picking heroes and then scavenge! :D

[brevisdiem34キツネ]

I used to main a L10 Wizard, it made the game suber:ez

[Candlestone]

Good Picks, and info all around.
Except for Knights I think.
With A Single lvl 10 Knight, You can do Enemy Keeper levels Before Woodly Rhyme Within a few Minutes,
Just have your Imps Dig to the enemy Keeper, and they wont have anything that can beat a Knight..