Does buying with skulls compete with story unlocks?

Question

I was under the impression that skull-unlock traps and the like were independent of the unlocked abilities gained from progressing in the story. However, a friend claims that he bought the dwarven defenders with skulls before he later unlocked them through story.

Can anyone confirm or deny this, as I would like to make sure I plan out my purchases accordingly if this is the case. Again, I was under the impression that the items marked with what appears to be a shield were only unlock-able via story and the skulls were there to be bought.

Any and all opinions or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much in advance!

Answer 1

You can't buy any traps or weapons that are naturally unlocked through the story with skulls. You can see what is and isn't available for purchase in your spellbook. Where most traps have the number of skulls needed to purchase them, story unlocks have a little shield that will show what is needed to unlock them upon mouseover.

Your friend is either lying or he's mis-remembering something. Perhaps he purchased an upgrade for them, seeing as how they are unlocked very early in the story.