Benjamin

Benjamin is a farming hero. He does not defend for you, so the question is always whether the money he makes is worth a slot that could have been a damage hero.

When to pick Benjamin

Pick Benjamin when:

• The mode pays out cash normally. Standard games, Impoppable and Boss Events all reward his income, Bank Hack and Skimming.
• You plan to farm. He makes Banana Farms pay off earlier, and Bank Hack boosts Monkey Banks, IMF Loans and Monkey-Nomics.
• Lives are the issue. Cyber Security heals after every round and can stack up to 100 bonus lives from level 14.
• Early MOABs are a problem. Bloon Trojan stops MOABs from spawning their children, which is a big help around round 40.

He is even usable in Half Cash, mainly for Trojan against early MOABs, but his price takes a big bite out of the reduced starting money, so place him only once your first defence is stable.

Do not pick him for CHIMPS or Deflation, where his cash features give nothing. He also adds no damage of his own, so your towers must hold every round without help.

Leveling and power spikes

He uses a moderately slow XP scale (1.5x). His value scales mostly with income levels:

1. Level 1 to 2: $90 then $140 every round. Place him early so this adds up.
2. Level 3: Biohack.
3. Level 4 to 7: Cyber Security, Bank Hack, Skimming and Bloon Trojan. This is when he starts paying for himself quickly.
4. Level 8: $250 per round.
5. Level 10: Syphon Funding.
6. Level 11: $1,000 per round, the biggest jump.
7. Level 15 and 17: $2,500 and $5,000 per round.
8. Level 18 to 20: camo detection, Trojan on BFBs and DDTs, stronger Biohack and a 20-second, triple-cash Syphon Funding.

Every round he is on the map earns money, so place him as early as your defence allows. Monkey Education, Self Taught Heroes and Monkeys Together Strong speed him up, and an Energizer (Monkey Sub 5-0-0) gives heroes in range 50% faster XP. Buying levels with cash can pay for itself when it unlocks a big income tier, for example level 11.

Best tower combos

• Banana Farms. The classic pairing. His end-of-round income funds more farms earlier, and farms fund everything else.
• Monkey Bank, IMF Loan and Monkey-Nomics (Banana Farm x-3-x to x-5-x). Bank Hack adds 5% (12% from level 9) to the bananas they produce.
• Fast-attacking damage towers near him. Biohack gives the closest towers +1 damage per attack (up to +3 at level 19), so towers that attack very often get the most out of it. Keep his position next to your main damage.
• Perma-Spike (Spike Factory x-x-5). A known pairing when you want his RBE reduction: Trojan and Syphon Funding cut down what reaches the spikes.
• Line-of-sight blockers. Trojan cannot see through obstacles. If it is eating cash from Monkey Town, Bloon Trap or Rubber to Gold pops, place him behind an obstacle to stop it.

Best maps

Benjamin does not attack, so map shape matters less than for other heroes.

• Long beginner maps such as Logs, Resort and Spa Pits, where your defence can hold with fewer towers while he builds money.
• Maps with good farm space, since most of his value comes from what you build with the extra cash.
• Maps with line-of-sight obstacles if you want to switch off Trojan.

Place him close to your main damage towers so Biohack reaches them. Biohack picks the towers closest to him, so a cheap tower standing right next to him will steal a slot from the tower you actually want to boost.

Benjamin in CHIMPS

He is a poor CHIMPS pick. End-of-round income, Skimming, Bank Hack, Syphon Funding cash and Trojan cash are all removed by the mode's rules, and you only have one life, so Cyber Security does nothing useful either. What remains is Biohack, Trojan's no-children effect and Syphon Funding's downgrade. Those can help niche strategies such as Perma-Spike, but almost every other hero gives more value.

Benjamin in Impoppable and boss events

In Impoppable he costs $1,440, but with Monkey Knowledge active he levels quickly and his income is still paid. Many players use him on Impoppable to fund an early farm economy, then switch to heavy defence.

In Boss Events he is one of the best heroes when allowed. Boss runs are won by economy, and his income lets Banana Farms grow sooner. When Benjamin is banned, look at Geraldo for income or Pat Fusty for support.

Abilities: when to use them

Biohack (level 3). The closest towers (4 at first, 6 from level 13, 8 from level 19) deal +1 damage per attack (+2 from level 13, +3 from level 19) for 6 seconds (8, then 9 seconds). Afterwards those towers cannot attack for 2 seconds. Cooldown is 30 seconds. Use it while a dense group or a blimp is inside your main towers' range, and never just before a big wave arrives, or the 2-second downtime may cause a leak.

Syphon Funding (level 10). For 10 seconds (20 at level 20) every newly spawned bloon is downgraded by one rank and pays double cash (triple at level 20). It works up to ZOMGs, on DDTs from level 18, but not on BADs or Bosses. Cooldown is 65 seconds. Fire it right before the strongest part of a round spawns, such as a wave of BFBs or ZOMGs, to make the round easier and richer at the same time.

Skins

Benjamin's skins are cosmetic only and do not change his stats.

Common mistakes

• Taking him into CHIMPS. His income is disabled there.
• Under-building defence. He does no damage. Money only helps if your towers survive the round.
• Biohack at the wrong moment. The 2-second downtime afterwards can cause leaks.
• Letting Trojan eat income. With strong cash-per-pop towers, block his line of sight.
• Placing him late. Every round he misses is lost income.

For farming setups with Benjamin, see our videos on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel.

Frequently asked questions

Is Benjamin good in CHIMPS?

No. CHIMPS disables his cash features and you only have one life, so his healing does not help. Pick a damage or support hero instead.

How much money does Benjamin make per round?

$90 at level 1, $140 at levels 2 to 7, $250 at 8 to 10, $1,000 at 11 to 14, $2,500 at 15 and 16 and $5,000 from level 17, plus Skimming and Bank Hack bonuses.

Does Benjamin pop bloons?

Not directly. His Bloon Trojan stops infected bloons from spawning children, but your towers still have to pop them.

When does Benjamin get camo detection?

At level 18, which also lets Trojan target BFBs and DDTs.

Is Benjamin good for boss events?

Yes, he is one of the best boss event heroes when allowed, because a faster economy is the key to high boss tiers.

What does Syphon Funding do?

For 10 seconds it downgrades every newly spawned bloon by one rank and doubles its cash. At level 20 it lasts 20 seconds and triples the cash.