Etienne

Etienne is one of the best value heroes in the game once he reaches level 8 and 10. Before that he is weak, so the plan is always to survive the early game with towers that do not depend on him.

When to pick Etienne

Pick Etienne when:

• Camo is a problem across the whole map. His level 8 UAV gives every tower on screen camo detection. That can replace several Radar Scanners on multi-lane maps.
• You want burst damage on hard mid game rounds. UCAV is one of the strongest hero abilities for rounds in the 40s to 70s.
• Your towers need range. His range buff (+10%, then +20%) helps towers that want to reach extra lanes, such as MOAB Domination, Popseidon and Desperados.
• The map has line-of-sight blockers. His drones fly over them.

Skip him when you cannot defend the early rounds without your hero, and always plan a Lead answer. He is also less useful against the Phayze boss, whose Radar Jam works against his camo support.

Leveling and power spikes

He uses the fastest XP scale (1.0x), which helps him get to his key levels quickly.

1. Level 3 (Drone Swarm): useful for tough early rounds such as 15, 22 and 23, and for softening the first MOAB on round 40.
2. Level 5: camo detection for his drones and faster attacks.
3. Level 7: second drone and Divide and Conquer targeting.
4. Level 8 (UAV): global camo detection. His single most important level.
5. Level 10 (UCAV): big burst damage.
6. Level 11 to 14: third drone, Zone Defense targeting, more pierce and damage, shorter UCAV cooldown.
7. Level 15 to 17: stronger UCAV and an 80-range buff zone at +20%.
8. Level 19 to 20: fourth drone and the permanent UCAV.

Place him early. Monkey Education, Self Taught Heroes and Monkeys Together Strong all help, an Energizer (Monkey Sub 5-0-0) gives heroes in range 50% faster XP, and buying a level or two with cash to reach level 8 before the first dangerous camo rounds is often worth it.

Best tower combos

• Any defence that needs camo. From level 8 you can skip Radar Scanners and camo upgrades entirely, as long as Etienne stays alive and on the map.
• Range-hungry towers near him. MOAB Domination (Boomerang x-x-5), Popseidon (Mermonkey x-5-x) and top or middle path Desperados can use his range buff to cover extra lanes.
• Lead answers. Bomb Shooters, Mortar Monkeys, Wizard Monkeys or a Monkey Intelligence Bureau Village (x-3-x) for the Lead rounds, including the Lead flood on round 63.
• Area damage for groups. His drones hit few bloons per dart early on, so pair him with a Tack Shooter, Bomb Shooter or similar for dense early rounds.
• Strong single-target towers for the late game. UCAV is burst, not constant DPS until level 20, so build a steady blimp answer alongside him.

Best maps

• Multi-lane maps where global camo detection saves the most money, such as Quad, Dark Castle and Sanctuary.
• Maps with line-of-sight blockers, since his drones fly over them. Dark Path and Midnight Mansion are examples.
• Any map where he can sit centrally, because drones only chase bloons inside his range. A spot that covers most of the track lets them do the most work.

Etienne in CHIMPS

At $700 on Hard he is slightly too expensive for round 6, so place him after your opener. His early game is weak and he cannot pop Lead, so you need early towers that hold on their own until UCAV comes online at level 10.

Once he has the UAV, the camo rounds stop being a problem for your whole defence, and UCAV helps on the hard ceramic and MOAB rounds in the 60s and 70s. On round 63 it can usually handle two of the three ceramic groups, so keep frontal Lead protection. Treat his cooldowns as limited resources and save UCAV for the rounds that need it most.

Etienne in Impoppable and boss events

In Impoppable he costs $780, but Monkey Knowledge (especially Empowered Heroes and the XP boosts) gets him to level 8 much sooner. Global camo detection is great safety on a run where one leak ends the game.

In Boss Events his range buff and camo support are useful, and UCAV adds burst. He is weaker against Phayze, whose Radar Jam interferes with camo detection. He is also a useful option in Contested Territory tiles that lack other camo sources.

Abilities: when to use them

Drone Swarm (level 3). Summons four extra drones that target First, Last, Strong and Close regardless of his setting. They last 18.5 seconds at level 3, plus half a second per level (27 seconds at level 20). Cooldown is 70 seconds, 55 from level 6 and 50 from level 16. Save it for the early rounds that would leak, and for the first MOAB on round 40.

UCAV (level 10). Turns his surveillance drone into a combat drone that fires swarms of homing missiles for 18 seconds (20 from level 15). Missiles deal 2 damage at level 10, 4 at level 15, 7 at level 17 and 10 at level 20. Cooldown is 90 seconds, 75 from level 13. Fire it at the start of the hardest part of a round so the whole duration counts. At level 20 the UCAV stays out permanently with level 10 stats, and the ability temporarily boosts it to level 20 strength and lets it pop every bloon type.

Skins

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

Common mistakes

• No Lead answer. His drones never pop Lead on their own.
• Relying on him too early. His early game is weak until UCAV.
• Forgetting he supplies your camo. If your whole defence relies on his UAV, do not lose track of what happens on Phayze or other camo-disrupting events.
• Wasting UCAV. It has a long cooldown. Use it on the round that needs it.
• Bad placement. Drones only chase bloons inside his range.

For Etienne strategies, see our videos on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel.

Frequently asked questions

Is Etienne good in CHIMPS?

Yes, once he reaches levels 8 and 10. Global camo detection and UCAV are both very strong, but you need early towers and a Lead answer.

When does Etienne give camo detection to all towers?

At level 8, when his UAV starts circling the map. It gives camo detection to every non-Paragon tower on screen.

Can Etienne pop Lead Bloons?

His drones cannot. Pair him with a lead-popping tower or a Monkey Intelligence Bureau.

What does UCAV do?

It turns his drone into a missile platform for 18 to 20 seconds. At level 20 the UCAV becomes permanent, and the ability powers it up and lets it pop every bloon type.

Does Etienne buff other towers?

Yes. From level 2 nearby towers get +10% range, rising to +20% at level 16, and from level 8 every tower gets camo detection.

Which targeting should Etienne use?

First early on. Divide and Conquer (level 7) splits drones between First and Strong, and Zone Defense (level 11) spreads them across First, Strong, Last and Close.