Dark Castle

Why this map is hard

Dark Castle is one of the gentler Expert maps, but it still punishes lazy placement. Bloons come down four lanes at once, and the lanes stay apart for most of their length. The point where they finally group up is close to the castle, and from there the path into the gate is very short. If your damage only sits at the end, a dense rush gets only a second or two inside your defence before it reaches the drawbridge.

The other trap is the castle roof. It looks like the perfect spot, but its walls block line of sight for most attacking towers. Use it for support and for towers that do not need sight lines, and build your real damage on the fields at the centre-top or centre-bottom, next to where the lanes come together. Avoid building behind the convergence point, where towers only see bloons that have already slipped past.

Best towers

• Monkey Sub (2-0-4 and 2-5-0): Subs in the moat sit right next to the converged path. Advanced Intel (tier 2 top) lets them hit bloons on all four lanes as long as other towers see them. A Sub Commander army with Admiral Brickell is a classic Dark Castle win.
• Bomb Shooter (2-0-3 Cluster Bombs): spammed near the convergence with Striker Jones, Cluster Bombs shred the grouped bloons. Add 0-4-0 MOAB Assassins on Strong targeting for blimps.
• Boomerang Monkey (3-2-0 Glaive Ricochet): ricochet glaives bounce between lanes as they converge, which makes them very efficient here.
• Ninja Monkey (5-0-1 Grandmaster with Shinobis): seeking shurikens chase bloons across all four lanes. Buff it with 2-3-0 Shinobi Ninjas and an Alchemist.
• Druid (3-0-0 Druid of the Storm, later 4-0-0): placed above the castle entrance, its tornadoes blow bloons back up the track just before they escape. Several of them make a superb last line.
• Spike Factory: on the castle roof, Spiked Balls (3-x-x) or Perma-Spike (x-x-5) guard the exit without needing line of sight.
• Sniper Monkey (4-0-x Maim MOAB): stuns blimps as they enter. If you clear the top trees, Snipers can stall blimps much earlier.
• Glue Gunner, Ice Monkey or Ninja Sabotage: Glue Storm, Snowstorm or Bloon Sabotage combined with Cluster Bombs, Artillery Battery or Shell Shock in the middle is a very strong area setup.

Best heroes

• Admiral Brickell: the moat is exactly where she wants to be. Naval Tactics doubles water tower attack speed, she gains camo detection at level 7 and her Mega Mine removes a blimp on demand.
• Striker Jones: powers up Bomb Shooters and Mortars, which are excellent on the grouped section of track.
• Obyn Greenfoot: boosts Ninjas and Druids, and his Wall of Trees can block the exit to save a leak (empty it regularly or it fills up).
• Benjamin: for Impoppable and farming runs he fits on the roof and gives extra cash.

Easy and Medium

Build at the centre-top or centre-bottom, next to the convergence. A Dart Monkey and a Sub in the moat handle the opening rounds. From there, Subs with Advanced Intel, a couple of Bomb Shooters and a Druid of the Storm over the gate beat Medium comfortably. Remember camo detection for round 24 and lead popping for round 28.

Hard

For Hard, commit to one main damage source near the convergence, such as Cluster Bombs with Striker or Subs with Brickell, and add a stalling tower plus a 3-x-x Druid above the castle entrance. Rounds 76 and 78 are the main tests, so make sure your area damage covers the full width of the four lanes where they meet.

CHIMPS

Dark Castle CHIMPS is a good first Expert black border. The Brickell and Sub route is popular because the moat is so close to the exit path.

1. Rounds 1 to 6: Dart Monkey plus Sub start. Put the Dart where it sees the most lanes near the convergence and the Sub in the moat beside the shared path.
2. Rounds 7 to 15: place Admiral Brickell in the moat. Add Subs and take them to 2-0-0.
3. Before round 24: a 0-0-2 Dart gives camo range to your Advanced Intel Subs. Brickell herself gains camo detection at level 7.
4. Before round 28: 2-0-2 Subs so their darts pop lead.
5. Rounds 30 to 50: add a 3-0-0 Druid of the Storm above the castle entrance and a 2-0-4 First Strike Sub before round 40. More 2-0-2 Subs as cash allows.
6. Rounds 50 to 80: build a 2-5-0 Sub Commander to boost every Sub around it, and add a second Druid. Use Naval Tactics on 63, 76 and 78.
7. Rounds 80 to 100: more 2-0-4 Subs, a Spike Factory on the roof for leaks, and a 4-0-0 Druid if cash allows. Time First Strikes and Mega Mine for 95, 98, 99 and the BAD.

A popular alternative is Striker Jones with 2-0-3 Cluster Bomb spam, two 0-4-0 MOAB Assassins on Strong, a Village and a Glue Gunner for stalling.

Impoppable

Dark Castle is one of the best Expert maps for Impoppable. The roof has room for Banana Farms, and the same CHIMPS strategies work with extra income. It has even been beaten using only towers on the castle wall. See our Impoppable guide.

Dangerous rounds on this map

• Round 24: one camo green, which can arrive on any of the four lanes.
• Round 28: six leads.
• Round 40: the first MOAB, which gets very little time once it reaches the castle path.
• Rounds 63 and 76: ceramic rushes on the short converged section.
• Round 78: rainbows, ceramics, a BFB and camo ceramics.
• Round 90: camo regrow fortified leads and three DDTs.
• Rounds 95, 98 and 99: DDTs and fortified blimps.
• Round 100: the BAD.

The BTD6 Master YouTube channel has video guides for Dark Castle if you want to see the placements.

Frequently asked questions

Is Dark Castle the easiest Expert map?

It is usually considered the easiest, thanks to its single exit, large amount of space and mild line-of-sight blockers.

How do you beat Dark Castle CHIMPS?

Start with a Dart and a Sub, then build a Brickell and Sub army in the moat with First Strike Subs and a Sub Commander, plus Druids of the Storm above the castle gate.

What is the best hero for Dark Castle?

Admiral Brickell for water builds, Striker Jones for Bomb Shooter spam, or Obyn Greenfoot for Ninjas and Druids.

Should you cut the trees on Dark Castle?

Usually only the top pack, for $1,000, since the top lane always leads the round and your blimp stalls can then act earlier.

Can you place towers on the castle?

Yes. The roof is high ground, but its walls block line of sight, so use it for farms, Spike Factories and towers that ignore sight lines.

Do the lanes merge on Dark Castle?

They come together near the centre, but stay separate in game until the short final path into the castle.