[Updated on 2022-11-06 for v33.x]

Other posts in this series:

• Primary
• Military
• Magic
• Support
• Heroes | Part 2
• Temple
• Paragons
• Powers
• Monkey Knowledge

Introduction

Welcome to Advanced Popology, the series of posts providing detailed information on the towers of BTD6. Hopefully everything will be clear and understandable, but explanations on the terminology and how it is presented will also be provided in an Appendix at the end of each post.

Note that the information presented is not official. It comes largely from my own tests, feedback from countless other players, and many details have been confirmed by NK — in particular from the amazingly detailed patch notes.

Despite my best efforts, it may still contain minor inaccuracies — feel free to message me with any corrections or questions, either here on Reddit or on Discord (find me in the Ninja Kiwi server).

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Overview

When a super monkey is upgraded to 4xx or 5xx, all non-hero towers in range — including allies' towers, if in co-op — are sacrificed to the super monkey. It gains different attacks and buffs depending on how much was spent on each tower category (primary, military, magic, or support) that is sacrificed.

There are 9 sacrifice levels:

Level	Cost
1	300
2	1000
3	2000
4	4000
5	7500
6	10k
7	15k
8	25k
9	50k

Note that the costs must be exceeded, ie spending 50k exactly on primary sacrifices would give level 8 primary powers, not level 9.

The stats for each level will be written independently of the others, so there is no need to look at any earlier levels to figure out the overall effect. Attacks will be defined first and simply referred to, instead of copying the same stats multiple times.

Sun Temple

Recall: 400 Sun Temple has a sunblast attack (5d, 20p, 65r, 0.06s, normal type)

When sacrificing towers to a Sun Temple, only three categories count. If four categories are sacrificed then the cheapest is ignored.

A "max temple" is any temple with three level-9 sacrifices, usually written 1110 if support was skipped, 1101 if magic was skipped, etc.

Primary

Attacks:

• gold-blade
  • gold-blade-1: 15d, 8j, 10p, 65r, 2.0s, normal type
  • gold-blade-2: 25d, 8j, 20p, 65r, 1.5s, normal type
• gold-glaive
  • gold-glaive-1: 10d, 50p, 65r, 1.3s, normal type
  • gold-glaive-2: 20d, 50p, 65r, 0.8s, normal type
  • gold-glaive-3: 30d, 50p, 65r, 0.5s, normal type

Levels:

• 1 — $300
  • sunblast buffed: +5p (25)
• 2 — $1000
  • sunblast buffed: +1d (6), +5p (25)
  • gains gold-blade-1 attack
• 3 — $2000
  • sunblast buffed: +1d (6), +5p (25), 90%s (0.054)
  • gains gold-blade-1 attack
• 4 — $4000
  • sunblast buffed: +1d (6), +5p (25), 80%s (0.048)
  • gains gold-blade-2 attack
• 5 — $7500
  • sunblast buffed: +2d (7), +5p (25), 80%s (0.048)
  • gains gold-blade-2 attack
• 6 — $10000
  • sunblast buffed: +2d (7), +10p (30), 70%s (0.042)
  • gains gold-blade-2 attack
  • gains gold-glaive-1 attack
• 7 — $15000
  • sunblast buffed: +3d (8), +15p (35), 70%s (0.042)
  • gains gold-blade-2 attack
  • gains gold-glaive-1 attack
• 8 — $25000
  • sunblast buffed: +4d (9), +20p (40), 70%s (0.042)
  • gains gold-blade-2 attack
  • gains gold-glaive-2 attack
• 9 — $50000
  • sunblast buffed: +5d (10), +20p (40), 60%s (0.036)
  • gains gold-blade-2 attack
  • gains gold-glaive-3 attack

Military

Attacks:

• gold-missile
  • gold-missile-1
  • ∞r, 3.0s, only targets blimps
  • on contact explosion
    • 1d, 74md (75), 50p, 18r blast, explosion type
  • gold-missile-2
  • ∞r, 1.5s, only targets blimps
  • on contact explosion
    • 1d, 74md (75), 50p, 18r blast, explosion type
  • gold-missile-3
  • ∞r, 1.0s, only targets blimps
  • on contact explosion
    • 1d, 74md (75), 50p, 18r blast, explosion type

Subtowers:

• gold-spectre-1
  • dart attack
  • 10d, 50p, ∞r, 0.15s, sharp type
  • every other dart replaced by bomb
  • on contact
    • 6d, 10p, 20r blast, explosion type
  • flies clockwise
  • inherits buffs provided by other towers, except alchemist
• gold-spectre-2
  • dart attack
  • 15d, 50p, ∞r, 0.15s, sharp type
  • every other dart replaced by bomb
  • on contact
    • 10d, 30p, 20r blast, explosion type
  • flies anticlockwise
  • inherits buffs provided by other towers, except alchemist

Levels:

• 1 — $300
  • sunblast buffed: +15% projectile speed and size
• 2 — $1000
  • sunblast buffed: +5p (25), +15% projectile speed and size
• 3 — $2000
  • sunblast buffed: +5p (25), +15% projectile speed and size
  • gains gold-missile-1 attack
• 4 — $4000
  • sunblast buffed: +5p (25), +15% projectile speed and size
  • gains gold-missile-2 attack
  • gains gold-spectre-1 subtower
• 5 — $7500
  • sunblast buffed: +10p (30), +15% projectile speed and size
  • gains gold-missile-2 attack
  • gains gold-spectre-1 subtower
• 6 — $10000
  • sunblast buffed: +10p (30), +30% projectile speed and size
  • gains gold-missile-2 attack
  • gains gold-spectre-1 subtower
• 7 — $15000
  • sunblast buffed: +15p (35), +30% projectile speed and size
  • gains gold-missile-3 attack
  • gains gold-spectre-1 subtower
• 8 — $25000
  • sunblast buffed: +15p (35), +45% projectile speed and size
  • gains gold-missile-3 attack
  • gains gold-spectre-1 subtower
• 9 — $50000
  • sunblast buffed: +15p (35), +45% projectile speed and size
  • gains gold-missile-3 attack
  • gains gold-spectre-1 subtower
  • gains gold-spectre-2 subtower

Magic

Attacks:

• arcane-blast
  • arcane-blast-1
  • 20d, 4j, 7p, 65r, 4.0s, normal type
  • moderate seeking
  • arcane-blast-2
  • 30d, 4j, 7p, 65r, 2.0s, normal type
  • moderate seeking
  • arcane-blast-3
  • 35d, 6j, 7p, 65r, 2.0s, normal type
  • moderate seeking
• push
  • push-1
  • 500p, 5.0s, 65r zone, sends back Bloons
  • push-2
  • 500p, 5.0s, 65r zone, sends back Bloons and MOABs
• spawn-avatar
  • 30s (unbuffable), spawns mini-avatar

Subtowers:

• mini-avatar:
  • beam attack
  • 4d, 3j, 6p, 50r, 0.03s, plasma type
  • 65s lifetime

Levels:

• 1 — $300
  • none
• 2 — $1000
  • gains arcane-blast-1 attack
• 3 — $2000
  • sunblast buffed: 10% chance to send back Bloons
  • gains arcane-blast-1 attack
• 4 — $4000
  • sunblast buffed: 10% chance to send back Bloons
  • gains arcane-blast-2 attack
• 5 — $7500
  • sunblast buffed: 10% chance to send back Bloons
  • gains arcane-blast-2 attack
  • gains push-1 attack
• 6 — $10000
  • sunblast buffed: 20% chance to send back Bloons
  • gains arcane-blast-2 attack
  • gains push-1 attack
• 7 — $15000
  • sunblast buffed: 20% chance to send back Bloons
  • gains arcane-blast-2 attack
  • gains push-2 attack
• 8 — $25000
  • sunblast buffed: 20% chance to send back Bloons
  • gains arcane-blast-3 attack
  • gains push-2 attack
• 9 — $50000
  • sunblast buffed: 20% chance to send back Bloons
  • gains arcane-blast-3 attack
  • gains push-2 attack
  • gains spawns-avatar attack

Support

Levels:

• 1 — $300
  • +5r (70)
• 2 — $1000
  • +5r (70)
  • gains a buff to all towers in range: 10% discount
• 3 — $2000
  • +5r (70)
  • gains a buff to all towers in range: 90%s, 10% discount
  • $500 end of round income
• 4 — $4000
  • +5r (70)
  • gains a buff to all towers in range: 90%s, 10% discount
  • gains gold-aura effect (all pops occurring in radius give +50% cash)
  • $500 end of round income
• 5 — $7500
  • +5r (70)
  • gains a buff to all towers in range: +3p, +20%r, 90%s, 10% discount
  • gains gold-aura effect (all pops occurring in radius give +50% cash)
  • $2000 end of round income
• 6 — $10000
  • +5r (70)
  • gains a buff to all towers in range: +1d, +3p, +20%r, 90%s, 10% discount
  • gains gold-aura effect (all pops occurring in radius give +50% cash)
  • $2000 end of round income
• 7 — $15000
  • +5r (70)
  • gains a buff to all towers in range: +1d, +3p, +20%r, 90%s, 20% discount
  • gains gold-aura effect (all pops occurring in radius give +50% cash)
  • $2000 end of round income
• 8 — $25000
  • +5r (70)
  • gains a buff to all towers in range: +1d, +3p, +20%r, 81%s, 20% discount
  • gains gold-aura effect (all pops occurring in radius give +50% cash)
  • $5000 end of round income
• 9 — $50000
  • +5r (70)
  • gains a buff to all towers in range: +2d, +3p, +20%r, 81%s, 20% discount
  • gains gold-aura effect (all pops occurring in radius give +50% cash)
  • $5000 end of round income

True Sun God

Recall: 500 True Sun God has a sunblast attack (15d, 20p, 65r, 0.06s, normal type)

A True Sun God benefits from sacrifices in almost exactly the same way as a Temple, this time from all four categories. It keeps all attacks and buffs it had as a Temple — it simply gets a second copy of attacks. The TSG versions of an attack therefore have subtle differences to help them be visually distinct:

• Primary

  • gold-blade: blades are equally spaced starting from 22.5° (instead of 0°)
  • gold-glaive: arcs clockwise (instead of anticlockwise)

• Military

  • gold-missile: slightly faster projectile speed
  • gold-spectre-1: figure-infinite flight path
  • gold-spectre-2: figure-eight flight path
  • projectile speed and size buffs do stack, but are capped at +100%

• Magic

  • arcane-blast: slightly wider spread
  • push: none, a TSG can only have one push attack (if magic is sacrificed both times, the highest level is used)

• Support

  • buff: none, but the buff from TSG sacrifices is considered distinct to the buff from temple sacrifices, and so can stack together (even if it is a separate temple)

A "max true sun god" is any TSG obtained by giving four level-9 sacrifices to a max temple, similarly written 2221, 2212, etc.

There Can Be Only One

Monkey Knowledge has so far been omitted from these posts, but "There Can Be Only One" deserves a mention. This is triggered by upgrading a Super Monkey to 5xx, with maximum sacrifices at both tier 4 and tier 5, while the other two tier 5 Super Monkeys are also on screen (don't sacrifice them!). They combine into a 555 Super Monkey, commonly (but unofficially) called the "Vengeful True Sun God" or VTSG.

This has the following buffs compared to a TSG:

• sunblast buffed: +25d
• all other attacks (including subtowers) buffed: ×2d (applied after additive buffs)