BFB

A BFB is slow, and that is exactly why players underestimate it. It gives your towers plenty of time to shoot, but 700 health is 3.5 MOABs of shell, and when it breaks you suddenly have four MOABs and sixteen Ceramics in the middle of the track. Most round 60 losses are not the BFB itself leaking, they are the MOABs that come out of it.

Why the BFB is dangerous

• Big shell, bigger payload. 700 health to break, then 4 x 200 more for the MOABs, then 16 Ceramics.
• Children spawn far down the track. BFBs are slow, but they still pop wherever they happen to be, often near the end of your kill zone.
• Stacks in late rounds. Rounds 75, 81, 94, 96 and 98 bring 7 to 30 BFBs at once. Large groups overwhelm single-target towers.
• Fortified BFBs (1,400 health) drop Fortified MOABs, doubling the work on rounds 79, 82, 86, 89 and 98.

Damage that works on BFBs

• Bonus MOAB damage is still king: MOAB Mauler, MOAB Assassin and Eliminator, Maim MOAB, Ballistic Missile, Dark Knight.
• Stuns, slows and knockback all work on BFBs. Maim MOAB stuns it, MOAB Glue slows it, MOAB Shove and MOAB Press push it back. Since it is already slow, stalling a BFB buys a lot of time.
• Percentage damage such as Ezili's MOAB Hex scales with the BFB's larger health pool.
• Instant removal: the Monkey Pirates ability hooks a BFB off the track whether it is Fortified or not, and it takes all four MOABs with it. That is the cheapest answer to an early single BFB.
• Attacks that only target up to MOABs, such as Pat Fusty's level 5 slap, do nothing to a BFB.

Best towers against the BFB

Early answers (round 60)

• Monkey Pirates (0-4-0 Monkey Buccaneer, any crosspath): the hook ability removes the round 60 BFB completely. Keep it off cooldown for that round.
• MOAB Assassin (2-4-0 Bomb Shooter): its ability plus a MOAB Mauler or two handles round 60. The Assassin missile is most efficient after the BFB has taken some damage, otherwise you are left with four fresh MOABs.
• Two MOAB Maulers (2-3-0) with a Ceramic answer behind them.
• Maim MOAB (4-0-2 Sniper): stuns the BFB and its MOABs and keeps chipping them from anywhere on the map.
• MOAB Press (2-0-4 or 0-2-4 Boomerang): strong knockback on BFBs. The 2-0-4 crosspath is better against dense groups.
• MOAB Glue (0-0-3 Glue Gunner) and MOAB Shove (2-0-3 Heli Pilot) are cheap ways to slow it further.
• Sticky Bomb (2-0-4 Ninja) puts a big chunk of damage on the BFB from range.

Mid and late game (rounds 75 to 100)

• MOAB Eliminator, First Strike Capability and Pre-Emptive Strike for burst damage on the lead blimp.
• Sun Temple or True Sun God, Tech Terror and The Anti-Bloon on the Super Monkey.
• Plasma Accelerator, Ray of Doom and M.A.D on the Dartling Gunner.
• Spike Storm to shred everything that leaks out of the BFBs.
• Giant Condor on the Beast Handler is more efficient on BFBs than on MOABs and can pick them up and carry them back along the track.

Heroes that help

• Ezili: MOAB Hex deals percentage damage, a great fit against 700 and 1,400 health targets.
• Striker Jones: boosts Bomb Shooter and Mortar setups built around MOAB Maulers.
• Admiral Brickell: strong blimp control on water maps alongside Buccaneers and Subs.
• Benjamin: pure economy, so you can afford Monkey Pirates or a second Mauler before round 60.

Powers and Monkey Knowledge

• MOAB Mine deals 5,000 damage to each MOAB-class bloon it hits, which kills a normal or Fortified BFB outright.
• Big Bloon Sabotage makes BFBs spawn already damaged.
• Mega Mauler, Cheaper Maiming and Hard Press all make the standard BFB answers better.
• Supersize Glue Trap lets a Glue Trap slow MOAB-class bloons, although big blimps use up a lot of its glue.

Dangerous BFB rounds

• Round 60: the first BFB. Plan for the shell and for the four MOABs it releases.
• Round 63: no BFB, but 122 tightly packed Ceramics right after round 60 punish defenses that only bought blimp damage.
• Round 75: 7 BFBs plus Fortified MOABs. You need more than one single-target tower.
• Round 78: one BFB inside a massive Ceramic and Camo Ceramic rush; area damage matters as much as blimp damage.
• Round 81: 17 BFBs back to back, a big jump in blimp RBE.
• Round 94, 96 and 98: 25 to 30 BFBs with ZOMGs. Round 98 sends 30 Fortified BFBs, so plan for 60 Fortified MOABs coming out of them.

Mode notes

• CHIMPS: no MOAB Mine and no selling. Monkey Pirates is a popular round 60 answer because its hook ignores the BFB's health. Make sure the Monkey Pirates ability is ready when the BFB appears.
• Impoppable: higher prices mean you should commit to your BFB answer earlier, around round 55.
• Double HP MOABs: BFBs have 1,400 health and their MOABs 400. Stalling tools like MOAB Press and MOAB Glue become much more valuable.
• Alternate Bloons Rounds: the first BFB arrives on round 54 with Regrow Blacks, and round 60 is a Fortified BFB.

Common mistakes

• Firing the MOAB Assassin ability at a full-health BFB. You waste most of the burst and get four untouched MOABs.
• Having no plan for the MOABs and Ceramics that come out after the BFB breaks.
• Spending the Monkey Pirates hook on round 59 and having it on cooldown when the round 60 BFB arrives.

Frequently asked questions

What round do BFBs first appear in BTD6?

The first BFB comes on round 60. In Alternate Bloons Rounds it appears on round 54, and round 60 sends a Fortified BFB instead.

How much health does a BFB have?

A BFB has 700 health, or 1,400 when Fortified. Its total RBE is 3,164 (4,824 Fortified).

What does a BFB spawn when popped?

Four MOABs, which each release four Ceramics. A Fortified BFB releases four Fortified MOABs.

What is the best tower for round 60?

Monkey Pirates is the simplest answer, because its hook removes the BFB and everything inside it. MOAB Assassin with a MOAB Mauler or a 4-0-2 Maim MOAB Sniper also work well.

Can Monkey Pirates hook a Fortified BFB?

Yes. The Monkey Pirates hook instantly removes a BFB regardless of fortification, but it cannot hook ZOMGs.

Is a BFB faster than a MOAB?

No. A BFB moves at a quarter of a MOAB's speed, which gives your towers more time but also means its children spawn wherever it finally dies.