Beginner map

Middle of the Road

Info

Middle of the Road is a Wild West Beginner map added in Version 35.0 in February 2023, alongside the Expert map Dark Dungeons. Its name is a nod to End of the Road, and the signposts at the start of the map even point to "start" and "end". It has since become one of the Beginner maps pinned at the front of the map menu.

The map is a small desert town with an irregular road layout. Although the road splits around several buildings and looks like it has two lanes, it is a single-lane map: bloons enter from the top left, loop around the buildings, curve around a black tyre skid mark in the open, then loop around the buildings again before following the rest of the road to the exit. There is one entrance and one exit, and the track is 45.20 RBS long (about 1,243 range units).

Line of sight is the big factor here. All six buildings, the parked truck, the water tower and the windmill block line of sight, so towers that need a clear view have to be placed with care.

The map makes up for it with high ground. The top of the water tower is a high-ground spot that fits one large tower, such as a Super Monkey or Monkey Village (but not a Banana Farm), letting it see over the buildings. A barrel well also gives long-range towers like Snipers a useful vantage point.

There is a pool of water that fits several water towers, including Monkey Buccaneers, Monkey Subs and Admiral Brickell. There are no removable objects.

Open land is limited. The middle section only fits about two Banana Farms, so this is not a great map for heavy farming or a big Monkeyopolis. Compared with End of the Road, Middle of the Road is much more complex: more obstacles, awkward loops and fewer clean straights.

How to beat Middle of the Road

Map overview for strategy

Middle of the Road is one of the trickier Beginner maps. The road loops around buildings that block vision, the loops are awkward shapes rather than neat circles, and open land is limited. A tower that looks well placed can lose half its coverage to a building.

The good news is that the loops pass close to some open spots, and the high ground on the water tower and the barrel well let long-range towers ignore the buildings. Put a Super Monkey or Village on the water tower, a Sniper on the well, and keep short-range damage right beside the road where buildings do not matter.

The end of the track is also a good place for a MOAB SHREDR Spike Factory: it picks off MOAB-class bloons without wasting spikes on regular bloons that the rest of your defense should handle.

Best towers

Ninja Monkey 4-0-1 and 2-0-4: short range, camo detection and Sticky Bombs.
Alchemist 4-2-0: buff the Ninja and other close-range damage.
Dart Monkey 0-2-4 / 0-2-5 (Crossbow Master): the map has a few straight sections that suit straight-line attackers.
Sniper Monkey 4-0-2 (Maim MOAB) or 2-0-4 on the barrel well.
Super Monkey on the water tower: a Sun Avatar there sees over the buildings.
Monkey Sub 2-0-4 and Monkey Buccaneer 2-4-0 in the pool.
Spike Factory 2-3-0 or 0-3-2 (MOAB SHREDR) near the exit.
Monkey Village 2-2-0: also a good use of the water tower spot.

Best heroes

Sauda: the awkward loops are not great for Tack Shooters, but they suit Sauda well when she is placed right beside the road.
Admiral Brickell: the pool gives her a good spot.
Quincy: cheap and dependable.
Etienne: his drones fly over buildings and support towers that struggle with vision.

Easy and Medium

Start with Sauda or a Dart Monkey right beside the road, then a Ninja and a Sub in the pool. Add an Alchemist or Bomb Shooter for leads. Use the two farm spots in the middle early. A 4-0-1 Ninja, a Sun Avatar on the water tower and a Sniper on the well will finish Medium.

Hard

Farm the two middle spots. Build Sauda, a Ninja and an Alchemist next to the busiest loop, a 2-0-4 Sub and a Monkey Pirates boat in the pool, and a Sun Avatar on the water tower. Add Sticky Bombs and a MOAB SHREDR near the exit for rounds 76 to 80.

CHIMPS

Rounds 1 to 6: Sauda right beside the road where she sees two parts of a loop, plus a Dart Monkey.
Rounds 7 to 18: a Monkey Sub in the pool, then a Ninja for camo before round 24.
Rounds 19 to 30: an Alchemist next to the Ninja for the round 28 leads. Sub to 2-0-3.
Rounds 31 to 45: Ninja to 4-0-1, Alchemist to 3-2-0. A Sniper on the barrel well for extra single-target damage.
Rounds 46 to 63: Sub to 2-0-4, a 2-2-0 Village, and a 2-0-4 Sticky Bomb Ninja for round 60. A 4-2-0 Glaive near the loops helps on 63.
Rounds 64 to 80: Alchemist to 4-2-0, a Super Monkey on the water tower working towards a Sun Avatar, and a MOAB SHREDR at the exit.
Rounds 81 to 100: a Sun Temple on the water tower (it fits one large tower), Sniper to 4-0-2 Maim MOAB or 5-0-2 Cripple MOAB, and more Sticky Bombs for 98 and 99.

Impoppable

Farming space is limited, so get the two middle farms early and rely on pop income for the rest. Follow the CHIMPS core and finish with a Sun Temple on the water tower.

Other modes

Deflation: Sauda, Ninja and Alchemist beside the road, plus a Sub in the pool.
Military Only: Snipers on the high ground and boats in the pool.
Half Cash: limited farm space makes this mode harder here. Rely on Sauda and cheap Subs.

Dangerous rounds on this map

Round 24: one camo green. Make sure your camo tower actually sees the road past the buildings.
Round 28: six leads. Have acid or bombs near the start.
Round 40: the first MOAB. A Sniper on the well or a 2-0-3 Sub handles it.
Round 63: 122 dense ceramics. Buildings cut your coverage, so stack pierce at one loop.
Round 76: 60 regrow ceramics. Leaks can hide behind buildings where many towers cannot see them.
Round 78: camo ceramics and purples. Purples resist fire, energy and plasma.
Round 95: camo regrow purples and fortified leads, then MOABs and DDTs.
Round 98: 30 fortified BFBs and 8 ZOMGs. A Sun Temple on the water tower plus Sticky Bombs is a solid answer.
Round 99: 60 MOABs and 9 fortified DDTs.
Round 100: one BAD that ignores slows.