Expert map
Quad
Daily challenges
More Expert maps
Info
Quad is an Expert map added in version 6.0, the same update that introduced the Mortar Monkey and the map Moon Landing. It is set in a park with stone paths, a pond in the middle and open grass all around the outside.
Layout and lanes
Four paths are arranged around the central pond in a diamond shape. Every round, bloons spawn on all four paths at the same time. Each group follows its path around the park and leaves through the exit on the opposite side, so the four streams cross each other several times on the way. There are four entrances and four exits, with no alternating pattern: every path is busy every round. The routes are fairly long, between about 12.7 and 14 seconds for a red bloon, but bloons coming from four directions make it chaotic.
The trusses
Four floral trusses sit over the track where the paths connect. They block line of sight, and bloons passing underneath them cannot be hit by most attacks. Each truss costs $1,500 to remove, and a monkey in a bulldozer clears it away. While bloons are under a truss:
- Pre-Game Prep spikes are not used up.
- Spirit of the Forest vines deal no damage.
- Pre-emptive Strike's passive damage is wasted.
Removing trusses is expensive, but in the late game it is often necessary to get more time on the blimps.
Water and space
The central pond takes water towers, and there is a lot of open land on the outside of the diamond. There is no high ground. Space is not the issue on Quad; coverage is.
How it compares
Quad is one of the hardest maps in BTD6. For a while it was the hardest map to have been beaten on CHIMPS, taking that title from #Ouch, and players still rank it alongside Bloody Puddles and Dark Dungeons. Compared to #Ouch, it has longer paths but they twist around each other, and the trusses add both line-of-sight and invulnerability problems. Like other Expert maps, it unlocks after you have won on 20 different maps.
How to beat Quad
Why this map is hard
Quad sends bloons from four directions at once, and the four streams cross each other repeatedly. That sounds like it should make central towers great, but the crossing points are where the trusses sit, and bloons under a truss cannot be hit. Your towers need to cover all four paths, from angles that are not blocked, and still have enough single-target damage for late blimps.
The trusses cost $1,500 each to remove. In the early game that is far too expensive, but by the late game you usually want at least two of them gone so blimps spend more time in range. The other big trap is the Monkey Sub: Subs can technically reach every path from the pond with Advanced Intel, but they shoot across the paths instead of along them, so they waste a lot of their pierce in the late game.
Best towers
- Bomb Shooter (2-3-0 MOAB Mauler): for a long time Maulers have been a favourite black border approach on Quad. They are cheap, you can keep adding them, and they handle blimps without a huge save-up.
- Spike Factory (3-2-0 or 3-0-2 Spiked Balls): pairs perfectly with Maulers, cleaning up ceramics and children on every path.
- Ice Monkey (4-1-0): place Embrittlement Ice Monkeys at all intersections no later than the first ZOMG round. They weaken blimps, and since blimps pass another intersection before the exit, their children get hit by the next Ice Monkey too.
- Monkey Sub (early only, plus Reactors): 0-2-0 Airburst Subs are a strong early option for rounds 15, 22, 27, 35 and 36. In the mid game, two 3-x-x Bloontonium Reactors covering adjacent paths, with Village and Alchemist range buffs, handle dense rounds and MOAB children well.
- Monkey Buccaneer (0-4-x Monkey Pirates, later 0-5-x Pirate Lord): with enough range buffs, a Pirate ship covers nearly the whole map and fires cannons from both sides. Pirate Lord's Takedown ability removes one ZOMG per use.
- Ninja Monkey: a Grandmaster Ninja can reach all four paths if you place it correctly with an Arctic Wind Ice Monkey freezing the pond.
- Beast Handler (Giant Condor or Golden Eagle): these can move bloons to a single point, effectively turning Quad into a one-lane map for the creatures they carry.
- First Strike Sub with a nearby Reactor: the Reactor's cooldown reduction lets First Strike fire twice during round 100, which is enough to help kill the BAD if the left and right trusses are removed.
Best heroes
- Striker Jones: the natural partner for MOAB Mauler spam.
- Admiral Brickell: works with a pond-based Sub and Buccaneer build, doubling water tower attack speed with Naval Tactics.
- Psi: his attacks reach every path, and trusses do not stop him from choosing targets elsewhere.
Easy and Medium
Build around the pond first. Three Dart Monkeys at the corners of the diamond handle the opening, then Airburst Subs in the pond carry you through the early and mid game. Add a Bomb Shooter or two with Striker Jones for leads and the first MOABs. Get camo detection before round 24, for example a 0-0-2 Dart next to Advanced Intel Subs.
Hard
On Hard, start your Mauler and Spiked Balls group, and put Ice Monkeys at the intersections before round 80. Rounds 76 and 78 come from all four paths, so make sure each path has ceramic damage.
CHIMPS
Quad CHIMPS is one of the hardest black borders. A Mauler-based route:
- Rounds 1 to 6: the only reliable start is three Dart Monkeys. Put two in the side corners of the diamond and the third in either the top or bottom corner.
- Round 7: switch one Dart to Strong targeting. If your third Dart is in the top corner, switch the right Dart; if it is in the bottom corner, switch the left Dart.
- Rounds 8 to 20: add Subs in the pond and take them to 0-2-0 Airburst, then Advanced Intel (2-2-0). Place Striker Jones.
- Before round 24: a 0-0-2 Dart gives the Advanced Intel Subs camo range.
- Before round 28: Bomb Shooters for leads near the busiest crossings.
- Rounds 30 to 60: build 2-3-0 MOAB Maulers in groups and Spiked Ball factories along the paths. Rounds 35 and 36 are tough early tests; Triple Guns with an Alchemist buff help there.
- Rounds 60 to 80: keep adding Maulers and Spiked Balls, add a Village for camo and attack speed, and place 4-1-0 Ice Monkeys at every intersection before the first ZOMG.
- Rounds 80 to 100: remove the left and right trusses, build a First Strike Sub with a nearby Reactor, and save its ability for the BAD. More Maulers and Spiked Balls as cash allows, with camo coverage for DDTs on all four paths.
Impoppable
Impoppable keeps Monkey Knowledge and farms, and the outer fields have room for Banana Farms. Note that Pre-Game Prep spikes placed under a truss are not used up, so place them on open track. See our Impoppable guide.
Dangerous rounds on this map
- Rounds 6 and 7: the CHIMPS three-Dart start must be placed precisely, with Strong targeting on round 7.
- Rounds 15, 22 and 27: early dense rounds coming from four paths; Airburst Subs help.
- Rounds 35 and 36: strong early tests before you have much damage.
- Round 40: the first MOAB.
- Rounds 63 and 76: ceramic rushes on four paths.
- 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 on every path.
- Round 100: the BAD, which hides under trusses if you have not removed them.
The BTD6 Master YouTube channel has video guides for Quad.
Frequently asked questions
Is Quad the hardest map in BTD6?
It is one of the hardest. Most players put Bloody Puddles first, with Quad, Dark Dungeons and #Ouch close behind.
How do you start Quad CHIMPS?
Three Dart Monkeys: two in the side corners and one in the top or bottom corner. On round 7, switch the right Dart (top-corner start) or the left Dart (bottom-corner start) to Strong targeting.
Should you remove the trusses on Quad?
Not early, since each costs $1,500. In the late game, removing at least the left and right trusses gives you more time on blimps, especially the BAD.
Why can't my towers hit bloons on Quad?
Bloons passing under the trusses are protected from most attacks, and the trusses block line of sight. Move towers to open stretches or remove the truss.
What is the best strategy for Quad?
MOAB Mauler spam with Spiked Balls and Striker Jones is the classic approach, backed by Ice Monkeys at the intersections.
Are Monkey Subs good on Quad?
Early, yes: Airburst Subs handle many early rounds. Late game they waste pierce because they fire across the paths, so switch to Reactors or other towers.
