Regular bloon
Rainbow Bloon
Daily challenges
Related bloons
Info
The Rainbow Bloon is the strongest regular bloon below the Ceramic in Bloons TD 6. It has no immunities of its own, but it packs a lot of layers: popping it releases two Zebra Bloons, each of which releases a Black and a White, which each release two Pinks, and so on down to Reds. That gives it an RBE of 47, and a leaked Rainbow costs 47 lives.
Rainbows move at 2.2x the speed of a Red, a little faster than Whites (2x) and slower than Ceramics (2.5x). They share the Red's hitbox even though they look larger. Any damage type pops the Rainbow layer itself, but its children carry the Zebra's immunity to explosions and freezing, so a Rainbow tests every part of your defense at once.
Where you meet them. Rainbows first appear on Round 35 (5 Rainbows). Round 39 has 18 plus 2 Regrow Rainbows, Round 43 has 10 with 7 Ceramics, Round 45 has 25, Round 48 has 40, and Round 52 has 25. Larger waves come later: Round 57 has 40 Rainbows with 4 MOABs, Round 65 has 70, Round 70 has 200, Round 78 has 150 and Round 79 sends 500 Regrow Rainbows with 6 BFBs. Every Ceramic Bloon also releases two Rainbows before Round 81.
Variants
- Regrow Rainbow: first on Round 39. Round 42 sends 6, Round 49 sends 10 and Round 79 sends 500.
- Camo Rainbow: first on Round 42 (5 Camo Rainbows), then 40 on Round 56. From Round 42 on, camo detection with real damage is no longer optional.
- Camo Regrow Rainbow: Round 62 sends 15.
- Fortified: does not apply to Rainbows.
Freeplay. From Round 81 a Rainbow releases only one Zebra, so its RBE falls to 8.
Alternate Bloons Rounds. In Alternate Bloons Rounds Rainbows appear on Round 26. Round 42 sends 11 Camo Regrow Rainbows, Round 70 sends 200 Rainbows and Round 79 sends 500 Camo Rainbows with 4 Fortified BFBs and a ZOMG.
How to pop Rainbow Bloon
Every damage type pops the Rainbow layer itself. What makes Rainbows hard is what comes out: two Zebras (immune to explosions and freezing), then Blacks, Whites and a flood of fast Pinks. A single Rainbow is 47 pops, so rounds with dozens of them are pierce and layer tests rather than immunity tests.
Which damage types work and fail
- The Rainbow layer: all damage types work, including explosions and ice.
- The Zebra children: explosions and freezing fail. Sharp, fire, energy, plasma, acid and normal damage work.
- Camo and frozen: Camo Rainbows need camo detection, and frozen Rainbows cannot be hit by sharp attacks.
The practical rule: a Rainbow is best handled by area damage that is not purely explosive or icy. Fire and sharp area attacks handle the whole bloon from top to bottom, since a Rainbow never contains a Purple.
Early answers: Rounds 35 to 45
- Tack Shooter 4-x-x Ring of Fire: 5 fire damage to up to 30 bloons per shot. Excellent against Rainbows and everything inside them.
- Wizard x-3-x Dragon's Breath: a constant stream of fire plus stronger Fireball and Wall of Fire.
- Boomerang 3-x-x Glaive Ricochet: glaives bounce between bloons, great for the many Pinks that spill out.
- Bomb Shooter 4-x-2 Bloon Impact with Frag Bombs: the bombs stun the Rainbow and the sharp frags pop the Zebras and Blacks.
- Dart Monkey x-x-3 Crossbow: 3 damage per bolt and camo detection, a cheap support for Round 42.
Round 42: the camo turning point
Round 42 sends 6 Regrow Rainbows and 5 Camo Rainbows. Up to now you could survive small Camo leaks; a single Camo Rainbow is 47 lives. Make sure your main area damage can see Camos: a Monkey Village x-2-x Radar Scanner, Etienne at level 8 (his UAV gives every tower camo detection), or a tower like Ice Monkey 2-x-x Cold Snap or Ice Monkey 3-x-x Ice Shards, which strips Camo and Regrow from bloons it damages.
Mid game: Rounds 48 to 62
- Round 48: 40 Regrow Pinks, 30 Camo Regrow Purples, 40 Rainbows and 3 Fortified Ceramics.
- Round 56: 40 Camo Rainbows and a MOAB. A strong camo damage check.
- Round 57: 40 Rainbows and 4 MOABs.
- Round 62: 250 Purples, 15 Camo Regrow Rainbows, 5 MOABs and 2 Fortified MOABs. Purple immunity plus Camo Regrow Rainbows. Fire alone fails here because of the Purples.
Late game: Round 70 and Round 79
- Round 70: 200 Rainbows, 120 Camo Regrow Whites and 4 MOABs. That is over 9,000 RBE of Rainbows alone. You need very high pierce and camo detection.
- Round 78: 150 Rainbows inside a wave with 80 Purples and 147 Ceramics.
- Round 79: 500 Regrow Rainbows, 4 BFBs and 2 Fortified BFBs. The Regrow Rainbows are the main leak risk. A Monkey Village x-1-x Grow Blocker near your damage stops them from rebuilding, and Ezili's Heartstopper blocks Regrow on the whole map for its duration.
Hero picks
- Gwendolin: her fire pops Rainbows and every layer inside them, and her level 10 Firestorm burns every non-Purple bloon on screen.
- Ezili: camo detection from level 1, Regrow blocking with Heartstopper (level 3), and from level 9 her curse strips Camo and Regrow.
- Etienne: global camo detection from level 8 makes Rounds 42, 56 and 62 much safer.
- Striker Jones: if you rely on bombs, his level 5 and level 19 bonuses let explosions pop the Zebras and Blacks inside Rainbows.
Knowledge and powers
- Glue Trap slows the first 300 bloons by 50% for 30 seconds, which is often enough to save Round 70.
- Camo Trap strips camo from up to 500 bloons, covering Round 56 by itself.
- Monkey Boost doubles attack speed for 15 seconds, timed for the densest part of Round 70 or 79.
None of these work in CHIMPS, where Monkey Knowledge and Powers are disabled.
Mode notes
- CHIMPS and Impoppable: Round 42 is the point where every leak is fatal, and Rounds 70 and 79 are two of the hardest non-MOAB rounds in the game.
- Alternate Bloons Rounds: Round 42 sends 11 Camo Regrow Rainbows and Round 79 sends 500 Camo Rainbows plus Fortified BFBs and a ZOMG, so camo damage must scale much harder than in standard play.
- Freeplay: after Round 80, Rainbows release only one Zebra, but bloons keep getting faster.
Common mistakes
- Using an explosive or icy defense that handles the Rainbow layer but leaks its Zebra children.
- Relying on single-target damage. Rainbows need pierce more than damage per hit.
- Not having camo damage before Round 42.
- Leaving Regrow Rainbows on Round 79 to rebuild while your towers chase the BFBs.
Frequently asked questions
What round do Rainbow Bloons appear in BTD6?
Round 35 in standard play and Round 26 in Alternate Bloons Rounds.
What is inside a Rainbow Bloon?
Two Zebra Bloons. In total a Rainbow is 47 pops (RBE 47). After Round 80 it releases only one Zebra.
Are Rainbow Bloons immune to anything?
No. The Rainbow layer has no immunities, but its Zebra children are immune to explosions and freezing.
What is the best tower against Rainbow Bloons?
High-pierce fire or sharp area damage, such as Ring of Fire, Dragon's Breath or Glaive Ricochet, handles the whole Rainbow from top to bottom.
How do I beat Round 79 in BTD6?
Round 79 is 500 Regrow Rainbows with BFBs. Use strong area damage, stop regrowth with a Grow Blocker Village or Ezili's Heartstopper, and keep separate damage for the BFBs.