Expert map

Tricky Tracks

Info

Tricky Tracks is an Expert map added in version 52.0, the update that also brought the Ice Monkey Paragon, Herald of Everfrost. It is a community map, one of three winners of the 7th Anniversary Map Competition alongside Ship Capture and Mushroom Grotto, designed by _XLGamer10 and VillainSeven. It was first built in the Challenge Editor before being added to the game.

Layout and speed

The map is a grimy train station with three train tracks, and bloons use all of them every round, entering and leaving through six entrances and six exits in total. What makes the map special is the speed: like a train pulling into a station, bloons arrive very fast, slow down sharply in the middle of each track, and then speed off again towards the exit. Version 52.1 made the exit sections faster still, which shortened the map. The slow middle is where almost all of your damage should land.

Trains you can send

Three station lights can be tapped. For $2,500, a light sends a train along its track, which pops any non-blimp bloon it hits outright, deals 10 damage to blimps and stuns any blimp that can be stunned for 10 seconds. After any train, all three lights share a 60-second cooldown (they turn yellow; an active train turns its light red; ready lights are green). Each use also raises the price by $2,500. In practice the train is too expensive for most rounds, with round 98 being the main exception.

Space, obstacles and high ground

There is lots of land, and Banana Farms take up less space than usual here, so you can fit many of them. Farms can even squeeze slightly onto the tracks, which other towers cannot.
A stationary train on an unused fourth track in the bottom-right is the only high ground, ideal for Snipers.
The light poles and station walls block some sight lines and can make small towers harder to tap.
There is no water and there are no removable objects.

How it compares

Tricky Tracks feels like a three-lane version of a normal map with a speed gimmick, and it is more forgiving on space than most Expert maps. Its difficulty comes from how quickly bloons cross the first and last parts of each track, which leaves only the middle as a reliable killing zone.

How to beat Tricky Tracks

Why this map is hard

All three tracks are used every round, and bloons cross the start and end of each track very quickly. Anything that does not die in the slow middle section has only moments before it escapes, and towers placed near the exits see bloons for a fraction of a second. That makes cleanup towers at the end far less reliable than on normal maps.

Range is the other concern. To hit all three tracks you need either big range, global attacks or several separate groups. The good news is that space is generous, so you can build multiple clusters, and Banana Farms are unusually compact, which helps a lot outside CHIMPS.

Best towers

Spike Factory (Spike Storm and Carpet of Spikes): since every track is active every round, a Spike Storm (x-4-x) or Carpet of Spikes (x-5-x) spreads spikes across all three tracks. That also means some spikes are wasted on blimp-only rounds like 40, 60, 80 and 100, so do not rely on it for blimps.
Area towers in the slow middle section: 2-0-3 Cluster Bomb Shooters, Tack Shooters with Ring of Fire (4-x-x) or Blade Shooter (x-3-x), and Ice Monkeys all get extra hits while bloons are crawling.
Sniper Monkey: the stationary train is the map's only high ground, and Snipers there cover every track. Maim MOAB and Elite Defender are both strong.
Monkey Village and Alchemist: set up a central cluster that reaches the middle of two tracks and buff it heavily.
Glue Gunner and Ice Monkey: slowing bloons that are already slow in the middle stretches their time in your killing zone even further.
Heli Pilot and Monkey Ace: they can reach any track; useful for blimps and for leaks near the exits.
Banana Farm: outside CHIMPS, the compact farm footprint makes heavy farming very attractive.

Best heroes

Psi: his attacks reach any bloon, so three tracks are no problem.
Etienne: drones cover the whole map, and at level 8 he gives every tower camo detection.
Benjamin: for Impoppable and farming games, he pairs perfectly with the cheap farm space.

Easy and Medium

Build your first towers so they reach the slow middle of at least two tracks. A Dart Monkey or two there handles the opening. Add Bomb Shooters or Tack Shooters in the middle, a Sniper on the train, and camo and lead coverage before rounds 24 and 28. Farms fit easily, so farm early on Easy and Medium.

Hard

For Hard, make sure every track's middle is covered by strong area damage, add a Spike Storm for leaks on all three tracks, and Maim MOAB Snipers on the train for blimps. Rounds 76 and 78 are dense ceramic rounds that must die in the middle; a Glue Storm or slowing Ice Monkey helps.

CHIMPS

Tricky Tracks is a newer map, so strategies are still developing. A solid outline:

Rounds 1 to 6: start with Dart Monkeys placed to see the slow middle of two tracks each, so all three are covered.
Rounds 7 to 20: place your hero (Psi or Etienne), then a Sniper on the stationary train.
Before round 24: camo detection, for example Night Vision Goggles on the Sniper or Etienne at level 8.
Before round 28: lead popping in the middle, such as a Bomb Shooter.
Rounds 30 to 50: build area damage in the middle sections (Cluster Bombs or Tack Shooters) with a Village and Alchemist, plus a Maim MOAB Sniper before round 40.
Rounds 50 to 80: start a Spike Factory towards Spike Storm for coverage of all three tracks, add more Snipers on the train and a Heli Pilot for leaks.
Rounds 80 to 100: add strong single-target damage for blimps, since the Spike Storm spreads its spikes over every track. Round 98 is the one round where the $2,500 train is usually worth it, because it stuns blimps for 10 seconds. Save it and any abilities for that round, plus enough damage for 99 and the BAD.

Impoppable

Impoppable is where this map shines for farming. Banana Farms fit in large numbers thanks to their reduced footprint, and Benjamin adds even more cash. Use the extra money for a few strong tier 5 towers in the middle. See our Impoppable guide.

Dangerous rounds on this map

Round 24: one camo green on one of the tracks.
Round 28: six leads.
Round 40: the first MOAB; Spike Storm spikes are spread thin.
Rounds 63 and 76: dense ceramic rushes that must die in the slow middle.
Round 78: rainbows, ceramics, a BFB and camo ceramics.
Round 90: camo regrow fortified leads and three DDTs.
Round 98: the best moment to use the train.
Rounds 95 and 99: DDTs and fortified blimps.
Round 100: the BAD.

Video guides for Tricky Tracks are on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel.

Frequently asked questions

Is the train on Tricky Tracks worth it?

Usually not. It costs $2,500, the price rises by $2,500 per use and all lights share a 60-second cooldown. Round 98 is the main exception, because it stuns blimps for 10 seconds.