Mastering the Bloon Crush: A Crosspath Guide to Bloon-Popping Power
The best Bloon Crush crosspath largely depends on the intended use. However, the 5-2-0 crosspath (Bloon Crush with Faster Barrel Spin and Larger Service Area) is often the preferred choice for general use due to its improved stun reliability when dealing with dense waves of Bloons. While the 5-0-2 crosspath (Bloon Crush with Larger Service Area and Advanced Intel) offers significantly stronger fragments for damage output, it can compromise the primary role of the Bloon Crush: perma-stunning high-priority targets. The 5-2-0 crosspath ensures consistent stuns, making it ideal for supporting other damage dealers.
Diving Deep into the Bloon Crush: Why Crosspath Matters
The Bloon Crush, a Tier 5 upgrade of the Bomb Shooter in Bloons TD 6, is renowned for its ability to perma-stun even the mightiest MOAB-class Bloons. This stunning power is what makes it such a valuable asset in many late-game strategies, particularly against fortified rounds and boss events. However, optimizing the Bloon Crush requires careful consideration of its crosspath options.
Path 2 offers the Faster Barrel Spin and Larger Service Area upgrades, boosting attack speed and range. In contrast, Path 3 offers Advanced Intel and Recursive Cluster, affecting the behaviour and power of its shrapnel bombs. The choice of crosspath dramatically alters the Bloon Crush’s performance, shifting the focus from reliable stunning to increased damage output. To learn more about game strategies and educational insights, visit the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.
Understanding the Crosspath Options
5-2-0: The Stun Locking Specialist
The 5-2-0 Bloon Crush prioritizes the Faster Barrel Spin upgrade. This increased attack speed directly translates into a more reliable stun effect. Even when facing high-density waves of Bloons, the 5-2-0 Bloon Crush is more likely to maintain its perma-stun capability on key targets, such as BFBs, DDTs, and ZOMGs. The Larger Service Area also ensures a wider range of coverage, increasing the chance of hitting those important targets.
Key Advantages:
- Superior Stun Reliability: Consistently stuns MOAB-class Bloons, even under pressure.
- Increased Attack Speed: Allows for faster application of the stun effect.
- Wider Coverage: The larger range ensures more targets are affected.
Situational Use: Ideal for maps with long, winding tracks or when supporting other high-damage towers that require consistent stun support.
5-0-2: The Damage-Focused Variant
The 5-0-2 Bloon Crush focuses on the Advanced Intel upgrade, which grants the tower global range, and the Recursive Cluster upgrade. The Recursive Cluster Upgrade changes the shrapnel bomb into a recursive cluster bomb, increasing damage output at the expense of pierce. This makes the fragment explosions more potent, significantly increasing the overall damage potential. This crosspath is best used in conjunction with an M.A.D for an explosive combination.
Key Advantages:
- Increased Damage Output: The Recursive Cluster deals more damage to groups of Bloons.
- Global Range: Advanced Intel allows the Bloon Crush to target Bloons anywhere on the map.
Situational Use: Best used on maps with multiple entry points or when raw damage is prioritized over consistent stunning.
Why 5-2-0 is Generally Preferred
While the 5-0-2 Bloon Crush offers higher damage potential, it often falls short in its primary role of perma-stunning. The increased fragmentation can cause the main explosion to hit later, reducing the stun uptime on high-priority targets. The 5-2-0 crosspath, on the other hand, ensures that the Bloon Crush consistently stuns the most dangerous Bloons, allowing other towers to focus on dealing damage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Bloon Crush
1. Can the Bloon Crush stun BADs?
No, the Bloon Crush cannot stun BADs (Big Airship of Doom). It is highly effective against all other MOAB-class Bloons, including MOABs, BFBs, DDTs, and ZOMGs.
2. Is the 4-2-0 crosspath viable for Bloon Impact?
Yes, the 4-2-0 Bloon Impact crosspath is considered better than the 4-0-2 crosspath when prioritizing consistent stunning. The increased attack speed helps to maintain the stun effect more reliably.
3. Does the Advanced Intel upgrade affect the main explosion of the Bloon Crush?
Yes, Advanced Intel provides the tower with global range, allowing it to target Bloons anywhere on the map. This can be useful for targeting specific threats, but it doesn’t directly affect the damage or stunning capabilities of the main explosion.
4. How important is the perma-stun effect of the Bloon Crush?
The perma-stun effect is crucial for the Bloon Crush’s effectiveness. It allows other towers to deal consistent damage to high-priority targets without them moving, especially against fortified rounds and boss events.
5. What is the best support tower to pair with the Bloon Crush?
Towers that excel at dealing high single-target damage, such as the Plasma Monkey Fan Club or the M.A.D are excellent choices, as they can take full advantage of the Bloon Crush’s stun effect. Also good choices are AoE damage dealers like the Inferno Ring.
6. Does the Bloon Crush benefit from buffs like Overclock?
Yes, the Bloon Crush benefits significantly from buffs like Overclock (Engineer Monkey) and Call to Arms (Monkey Village). These buffs further increase its attack speed, making the perma-stun even more reliable.
7. Is the Bloon Crush effective against DDTs?
Yes, the Bloon Crush is very effective against DDTs (Dark Dirigible Titans), particularly with the 5-2-0 crosspath. Its stunning capability prevents them from reaching the end of the track, giving other towers time to eliminate them.
8. How does the Bloon Crush perform on CHIMPS mode?
The Bloon Crush can be a viable option on CHIMPS mode, especially on maps with long tracks. However, its high cost and reliance on support towers make it a more niche pick compared to other strategies.
9. Does the Bloon Crush require a Monkey Village for camo detection?
No, the Bloon Crush itself does not require camo detection. However, supporting towers that benefit from the stun effect may need camo detection, which can be provided by a Monkey Village or other camo-detecting towers.
10. What is the ideal placement for the Bloon Crush?
The Bloon Crush should be placed strategically to maximize its range and target high-priority targets effectively. Ideally, it should be positioned near the middle of the track or at a point where it can target multiple lanes.
11. Is the Bloon Crush a good option for boss events?
Yes, the Bloon Crush is often a valuable asset in boss events, particularly for stunning the boss and its minions. Its ability to perma-stun MOAB-class Bloons makes it a key component of many boss strategies.
12. Can the Bloon Crush pop lead Bloons?
Yes, the Bloon Crush can pop lead Bloons due to its explosive damage type.
13. Is the Bloon Crush affected by line of sight (LOS) limitations?
No, the Bloon Crush is not affected by line of sight limitations. Its projectiles can travel over obstacles and through walls.
14. How does the Bloon Crush interact with the Cripple MOAB?
The Cripple MOAB (Sniper Monkey) debuff stacks well with the Bloon Crush’s stun, further reducing the movement speed of MOAB-class Bloons and making them even easier to eliminate.
15. What are some alternative strategies to using the Bloon Crush?
Alternative strategies include focusing on high-damage towers like the M.A.D, Apache Prime, or Dart Monkey Plasma Fan Club, combined with other crowd control options like MOAB Glue or Ice Monkey to slow down Bloons.
By understanding the nuances of the Bloon Crush and its crosspath options, players can effectively utilize this powerful tower to conquer even the most challenging maps and game modes in Bloons TD 6.