Beginner map

The Cabin

Info

The Cabin is a Halloween-themed Beginner map added in Version 28.0, released together with the Gravelord Lych boss. It is a spooky forest clearing by a river, with graves, cobwebs, glowing eyes in the dark and an "abandoned" cabin in the bottom right that somehow still has a red light in the window and smoke coming from the chimney. The scene is a clear nod to the Evil Dead films.

Bloons follow a single lane that does not cross itself, with one entrance and one exit. At 34.47 RBS (about 953 range units) the track is short, among the shortest Beginner maps alongside Monkey Meadow, End of the Road and Town Center. The combination of a short, non-overlapping path and limited open space makes The Cabin one of the hardest Beginner maps, usually ranked alongside Lotus Island.

The river counts as water, so Monkey Subs, Buccaneers and Admiral Brickell can be used. Trees, graves and other scenery block line of sight in places, so check range circles before placing towers that need vision. There is no high ground.

The map has one removable obstacle: an old car parked just to the bottom left of the cabin. It blocks both tower placement and line of sight. Paying $500 removes it in style: the car is struck by lightning, its lights come back on and it drives away. Along with Skates and Three Mines 'Round, The Cabin is one of the few Beginner maps with a removable obstacle.

There is also a small Easter egg. Tap the cabin door, then the right, middle and left parts of the bridge, then the bat on the black tree, the black tree near the house and the axe in the log, and finally remove the car. Instead of driving off on its own, the car is chased away by a monkey dressed as a horror movie slasher.

How to beat The Cabin

Map overview for strategy

The Cabin is harder than most Beginner maps because the path never crosses itself and it is short. Each tower usually gets a single pass at the bloons, and bloons reach the exit quickly. There is also less open land than on maps like Monkey Meadow or Four Circle.

To make up for it, use towers that hit a lot of bloons in one pass: high pierce, splash damage and straight-line attacks. Put your main damage where the path bends, since a bend gives a tower slightly more track in range. The river lets you add Subs and boats, which helps a lot.

Removing the car for $500 opens up a good spot near the cabin and clears line of sight there. In CHIMPS, do it once your early defense is stable.

Best towers

Ninja Monkey 4-0-1 and 2-0-4 at a bend.
Alchemist 4-2-0.
Monkey Sub 2-0-4 in the river, with Advanced Intel.
Monkey Buccaneer 3-2-0 / 2-4-0 in the river.
Boomerang Monkey 4-2-0: glaives bounce between bloons, which is valuable on a single-pass track.
Dart Monkey 4-0-2 (Juggernaut) or 0-2-5 (Crossbow Master) on straights.
Spike Factory 2-0-5 (Perma-Spike) near the exit as a safety net.
Monkey Village 2-2-0.

Best heroes

Admiral Brickell: the river gives her and her boats a strong position.
Quincy: cheap and reliable on straights.
Striker Jones: strong with bombs and Mortars that hit groups.
Obyn Greenfoot: good with a Ninja build.

Easy and Medium

Start with a Dart Monkey at the first bend and a Sub in the river. Add a Ninja for camo, an Alchemist for leads, and farms where space allows. A 4-0-1 Ninja and a Destroyer will win Medium.

Hard

Farm two Banana Farms. Build a Ninja, Alchemist and Glaive at the best bend, a 2-0-4 Sub and a Destroyer in the river, and a 2-2-0 Village. Remove the car when you have spare cash, and add a Perma-Spike near the exit for rounds 76 to 80.

CHIMPS

Rounds 1 to 6: a Dart Monkey at the first bend and your hero.
Rounds 7 to 18: a Monkey Sub in the river, 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, Sub to 2-0-4.
Rounds 46 to 63: remove the car for $500 if it helps your layout, then a 2-2-0 Village, a 4-2-0 Glaive and a Sticky Bomb Ninja by round 60.
Rounds 64 to 80: Alchemist to 4-2-0, a Destroyer or 2-4-0 Monkey Pirates boat, and a Spike Factory near the exit working towards Perma-Spike.
Rounds 81 to 100: a Sun Temple, Sub Commander or Carrier Flagship as your anchor, plus more Sticky Bombs for 98 to 100.

Because the track is short and single-pass, expect to need more total damage than on easier Beginner maps. If you are losing lives on a specific round, add pierce at your main bend rather than spreading new towers along the track.

Impoppable

Farm early where space allows, then build the CHIMPS core. A Perma-Spike at the exit is especially valuable here.

Other modes

Deflation: Subs, a Ninja, an Alchemist and a Glaive.
Military Only: Subs and boats in the river, Mortars on land.
Half Cash: the short track punishes slow starts, so build defense before farms.

Dangerous rounds on this map

Round 24: one camo green. A single-pass track gives camo towers only one chance.
Round 28: six leads.
Round 40: the first MOAB. The short track makes it more dangerous than on most Beginner maps.
Round 63: 122 dense ceramics. Without overlaps you need lots of pierce.
Round 76: 60 regrow ceramics that move through quickly.
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. This is where most runs on this map fail.
Round 99: 60 MOABs and 9 fortified DDTs.
Round 100: one BAD that ignores slows.

The BTD6 Master YouTube channel has video guides for The Cabin.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to remove the car on The Cabin?

$500. The car is struck by lightning and drives away.

How do you trigger the Easter egg on The Cabin?

Tap the cabin door, the right, middle and left parts of the bridge, the bat on the black tree, the black tree near the house and the axe in the log, then remove the car. A slasher-costumed monkey chases the car away.