Geraldo

Geraldo is the most flexible hero in the game and one of the hardest to use well. He does not win rounds by himself; he gives you a toolbox of items, and the skill is spending them at the right moment.

When to pick Geraldo

Pick Geraldo when:

• You know the rounds well and can plan which item solves which problem.
• Your defence needs small, cheap fixes: camo on one tower (See Invisibility Potion), extra pierce for sharp towers (Sharpening Stone), emergency stall (Amaz-o-Glue, Creepy Idol) or a burst of damage on the track (Blade Trap).
• You want extra income. Rare Quincy Action Figure gains value every round and can be sold for profit, and Fertilizer adds 20% to a Banana Farm's bananas.
• You plan a Paragon. Paragon Power Totems add power to your next Paragon, and Rejuv Potion resets every ability on screen.
• Benjamin is banned in a boss event and you still want an economy hero.

Skip him if you want a simple hero that defends by itself, or in Deflation, where you get no money to spend in his shop after the start.

Leveling and power spikes

He uses the fastest XP scale (1.0x). Each level unlocks or improves items, so the key ones are:

1. Level 1: Shooty Turret, Stack of Old Nails, Creepy Idol and Jar of Pickles from the start.
2. Level 2 to 3: Rare Quincy Action Figure and See Invisibility Potion. Buy the action figure as soon as it appears.
3. Level 4 to 7: Amaz-o-Glue, Sharpening Stone, Worn Hero's Cape and Blade Trap.
4. Level 8 to 12: Gerry's Fire, Fertilizer, Pet Rabbit, Rejuv Potion and Genie Bottle.
5. Level 13 to 19: upgraded items: stronger turrets and nails (13), longer, range-boosting potions (14), better Sharpening Stone and Blade Trap (15), Nail Mines and longer Gerry's Fire (16), MOAB-gluing Amaz-o-Glue (17), stronger Genie and Creepy Idol (18).
6. Level 20: Paragon Power Totem and a single full restock of his shop.

Note that upgrades only apply to items bought after the level up. Monkey Education, Self Taught Heroes, Monkeys Together Strong and an Energizer (Monkey Sub 5-0-0, 50% faster hero XP) all speed him up.

Best tower combos

• Sharp towers with Sharpening Stone. Dart Monkeys, Tack Shooters, Boomerangs and Ninjas whose default damage is sharp gain pierce for 10 rounds.
• Dart Monkey plus Worn Hero's Cape. Turns a tier 2 or lower Dart Monkey into a Super Monkey (capped at tier 3), an early Sun Avatar on a budget in the right situation.
• Banana Farms with Fertilizer. +20% bananas for 4 rounds per bottle.
• Ability-heavy late game. Rejuv Potion resets every tower and hero ability on screen, including Overclock, Homeland Defense and strong tier 5 abilities (not Paragon abilities).
• Paragons. Paragon Power Totems give 2,000 power each toward the next Paragon's degree.
• Monkey Village. Village buffs on Geraldo carry over to his Shooty Turrets, and See Invisibility Potion or Jar of Pickles on Geraldo also reach the turrets.

Best maps

• Long beginner and intermediate maps such as Logs, Resort and Spa Pits, where track items like Blade Trap and nails have more room and you have time to use the shop well.
• Maps with chokepoints for Amaz-o-Glue, Blade Traps and Creepy Idols.
• Any map in the extreme late game where you plan a Paragon.

His own attack has short range, so place him near the track if you want him to fight early, or somewhere central if he is just a shop.

Geraldo in CHIMPS

At $810 on Hard he comes after your opener. Geraldo is one of the more flexible CHIMPS heroes because his items are bought with in-game cash, which CHIMPS still gives you from pops. Shooty Turrets and nails help early, See Invisibility Potion covers single camo problems, and Blade Traps and Amaz-o-Glue save tough rounds.

Two things to keep in mind: you have one life, so Rejuv Potion's healing does not matter, but its cooldown reset still does. And because selling is disabled in CHIMPS, the Rare Quincy Action Figure's profit cannot be cashed out, so skip it there and spend that money on items that defend.

Geraldo in Impoppable and boss events

In Impoppable he costs $900 and works like in normal games. Item prices also scale with difficulty, so expect to pay more. Rare Quincy Action Figure and Fertilizer help the economy.

In Boss Events he is a strong pick when Benjamin is banned, and Rejuv Potion is a powerful burst tool: activate your strongest abilities, then reset them all and use them again.

Abilities: when to use them

Geraldo has no activated abilities. His shop is opened with the ability button and each item has limited stock that restocks after a set number of rounds, so treat items as cooldowns:

• Rare Quincy Action Figure: buy it as soon as it appears and sell it later for profit. Only one can be owned at a time.
• See Invisibility Potion: apply to your main damage tower before camo rounds. It lasts 5 rounds (10 from level 14).
• Sharpening Stone and Jar of Pickles: Jar of Pickles slows attacks by 33%, so use it only on towers where +1 damage per hit matters more than speed.
• Amaz-o-Glue, Creepy Idol and Blade Trap: place them before hard rounds, not during a leak.
• Rejuv Potion: use it right after your big abilities are spent, to fire them a second time.
• Paragon Power Totem: place before buying your Paragon to raise its degree.

Skins

Geraldo's skins are cosmetic only and do not change his stats or items.

Common mistakes

• Spending items as soon as they restock. Save them for rounds that need them.
• Stocking up right before a key level. Items bought before an upgrade level keep their old stats, so if level 13 or 16 is one round away, wait.
• Using Jar of Pickles on fast-attacking towers where the slowdown costs more than the damage gains.
• Expecting his zap to handle Lead, Purple or camo. It cannot.
• Forgetting the action figure. It is free money on most modes.

For shop-by-shop examples, see our videos on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel.

Frequently asked questions

Is Geraldo good in CHIMPS?

Yes, if you know the rounds. His items are paid with pop cash, so they work in CHIMPS, but the action figure cannot be sold and Rejuv Potion's healing is irrelevant.

Does Geraldo have activated abilities?

No. He has Geraldo's Shop instead, with items that unlock as he levels.

What does Rejuv Potion do?

It resets every tower and hero ability cooldown on screen and restores 50 lives. It does not reset Paragon abilities.

How does the Rare Quincy Action Figure work?

You buy it from level 2 and it gains value each round. Sell it later for a profit.

What does the Pet Rabbit do?

One to three rabbits do nothing, but buying the fourth merges them into a killer rabbit that attacks bloons from anywhere for heavy damage.

Is Geraldo good for Paragons?

Yes. Paragon Power Totems at level 20 add 2,000 power each to your next Paragon.