Conquest: Now Gauntlet, Slow Endless Branch
What this page helps you decide: whether the slow Endless branch (Conquest at launch, Gauntlet since) is worth the extra real time compared with Regular Endless
The Endless area splits into Regular and a second branch that the 15 August launch guide called Conquest and that the game, the community wiki and every guide since 18 August call Gauntlet. The difference that matters is not difficulty on paper - it is that the slow branch removes fast-forward: the launch guide says no 2X or 3X, and the wiki lists it at a fixed 1.5X against up to 3X in Regular. The same wave count therefore costs you a much larger share of the evening. This page covers what you get for that.
No fast-forward is the whole design
Regular Endless can be played at up to 3X, and most grinding routes assume it. The Conquest/Gauntlet branch cannot: the launch guide reports no 2X or 3X, and the community wiki lists a fixed 1.5X, so a run of the same length takes roughly twice as long in real minutes, and up to three times if you take the launch guide's description literally. Any comparison of rewards between the two modes that counts per run rather than per hour is therefore misleading. Before deciding the slow branch is worth it, work out how many Regular runs fit in the same wall-clock time, because that is what you are actually giving up. The mode is designed as a longer, more deliberate experience, not as a more efficient one.
Choices arrive as you reach certain waves
At intervals the slow branch offers choices that change the rest of the run: buffs for your units, stronger enemies, and occasionally increased damage for your troops. Later guides describe the same system as Gauntlet curses - the wiki has a modifier choice every three waves, and a 20 August curse guide notes the available options change every 25 waves. The same rule sorts them: anything that improves your units compounds over the remaining waves, anything that strengthens enemies compounds against you, and the deeper you are the worse that second trade becomes. Since these runs take longer in real time, a bad choice costs more than it would elsewhere: you cannot fast-forward through the consequences.
What it pays back
The launch guide says the slow branch can reward more crates than Regular and carries a chance at the Secret Urn, which it lists only for that branch; Regular's headline reward in the same guide is the Mythical Urn. Four days later a reward table named different urns at its thresholds - the Watcher Urn at 0.08% for Gauntlet past wave 75 and the TombStone Urn at 0.03% for Regular past wave 50 - so treat the urn names as a dated snapshot rather than a fixed ladder. What is stable across both guides is the shape of the trade: the slow branch is about access to a rarer tier, not throughput. If you want volume of ordinary rewards, Regular at 3X wins per hour; the 19 August comparison argues the slow branch only pays better once you can consistently pass wave 75 in it.
Shrooms and the Featured Unit
Regular Endless sells Shrooms on the back-left of the map, providing faster attack speed, increased damage and additional range - bought during the run, so they compete with unit placement for the same money. The Endless area also sells a Featured Unit for Gardening Coins, the currency you earn by playing Endless. That gives Endless a second purpose beyond crates: it is where that currency comes from, so even a player who runs the slow branch for rewards has a reason to run Endless deliberately rather than incidentally.
Step-by-Step
- Remember the slow branch (Conquest at launch, Gauntlet now) disables 2X and 3X - compare rewards per hour, not per run.
- Take choices that buff your units; refuse ones that strengthen enemies.
- Play the slow branch specifically for the rarer urn tier, which the launch guide lists only there.
- Play Regular at 3X for volume of everything else unless you can consistently pass wave 75 in Gauntlet.
- Spend Gardening Coins from Endless on the Featured Unit.
Data Tables
| Feature | Regular | Conquest / Gauntlet |
|---|---|---|
| Fast forward | Up to 3X available | No 2X or 3X per the launch guide; fixed 1.5X per the wiki |
| Run length in real time | Baseline | Roughly two to three times longer |
| Mid-run choices | None | Buffs, stronger enemies, occasional damage boosts |
| Headline urn in the launch guide | Mythical Urn | Secret Urn |
| Named urn in the 19 August table | TombStone Urn, 0.03% at W50+ | The Watcher Urn, 0.08% at W75+ |
| Crates | Baseline | Can reward more |
| Shrooms | Sold on the back-left of the map | - |
Mechanics are player-reported in community video EUmC22K1HTw (2026-08-15, uses the name Conquest) by Rubenakayoshii; the rename and the urn rows come from 0YtNQwrUIS4 (2026-08-19) and the community wiki; not developer-published.
Tips & Notes
- Any comparison of the slow branch counted per run rather than per hour is misleading - the mode removes fast-forward.
FAQ
What is Conquest in The House TD 2?
The launch-day name for the slow branch of Endless, called Gauntlet since 18 August 2026. It removes 2X and 3X speed, adds run-altering choices at certain waves, and the launch guide lists the Secret Urn only for it.
Is Conquest the same as Gauntlet?
Yes. The 15 August launch guide says Conquest, while the community wiki and every guide from 18 August onward say Gauntlet for the same fixed-speed, choice-driven branch.
Is the slow branch better than Regular Endless?
Only for the rarer urn tier, or once you can consistently pass wave 75 in it. Without fast-forward, runs take roughly two to three times longer in real time, so Regular at 3X wins on anything measured per hour.
What are Shrooms in Endless?
Purchasable boosts on the back-left of the Regular Endless map, giving faster attack speed, more damage and additional range.
Sources
- Community Endless Mode Guide by Rubenakayoshii
- Community Gauntlet vs Endless comparison by Rubenakayoshii
- Community Gauntlet curses guide by Rubenakayoshii
- Community The House TD 2 Wiki - Endless update