Fortified

Fortified is a bloon modifier that adds armor to tough bloons, so they need more damage to pop. Fortified bloons are drawn with visible extra armor, so they are easy to spot. A Fortified bloon releases the same types of children as the normal version, but its outer layer is much harder to break, and Fortified blimps also release Fortified children.

Which bloons can be Fortified?

• Lead Bloons: 4 health instead of 1.
• Ceramic Bloons: 20 health instead of 10.
• MOAB-class bloons: MOAB, BFB, ZOMG, DDT and BAD, each with double health.
• Golden Bloons.

Boss Bloons are never Fortified, although Diamondback's rattle tail shield is treated as Fortified by attacks with bonus Fortified damage.

Fortified health and RBE

The list below compares normal and Fortified versions. RBE counts the bloon plus everything inside it.

• Lead: 1 health, 23 RBE. Fortified: 4 health, 26 RBE.
• Ceramic: 10 health, 104 RBE. Fortified: 20 health, 114 RBE.
• MOAB: 200 health, 616 RBE. Fortified: 400 health, 856 RBE.
• BFB: 700 health, 3,164 RBE. Fortified: 1,400 health, 4,824 RBE.
• ZOMG: 4,000 health, 16,656 RBE. Fortified: 8,000 health, 27,296 RBE.
• DDT: 400 health, 816 RBE. Fortified: 800 health, 1,256 RBE.
• BAD: 20,000 health, 55,760 RBE. Fortified: 40,000 health, 98,360 RBE.

Notice how the gap grows on bigger blimps. A Fortified MOAB releases Fortified Ceramics, a Fortified BFB releases Fortified MOABs, and so on, so the extra armor stacks all the way down. After round 80, Fortified blimps have roughly twice the RBE of normal ones.

The armor does not pass down to bloon types that cannot be Fortified. A Fortified Ceramic pops into two normal Rainbows, and a Fortified Lead into normal Blacks.

When do Fortified bloons appear?

• Round 45: the first Fortified Leads.
• Round 46: six Fortified Ceramics.
• Round 62: the first Fortified MOABs.
• Round 69: 40 Fortified Leads with Regrow Blacks and Ceramics.
• Round 79: the first Fortified BFBs.
• Round 89: 20 Fortified MOABs and 8 Fortified BFBs.
• Round 91: 100 Fortified Ceramics with 20 BFBs.
• Round 92: 50 Fortified MOABs and 4 ZOMGs.
• Round 97: two Fortified ZOMGs.
• Round 98: 30 Fortified BFBs and 8 ZOMGs, one of the hardest rounds before 100.
• Round 99: nine Fortified DDTs behind 60 MOABs.

Fortified-heavy late rounds such as round 98 are a classic place for CHIMPS runs to fail, and the Fortified Ceramics spilling out of Fortified blimps are a big part of the reason.

How to deal with Fortified bloons

Plan for the RBE, not the bloon count

A Fortified round looks smaller than it is. Round 97 is only two blimps, but they carry almost 70,000 RBE. Check the real numbers on each bloon page and build damage to match.

High damage per hit

Armor favors attacks that deal a lot of damage per hit. A 1-0-0 Sniper with Full Metal Jacket deals 4 damage per shot, which breaks a Fortified Lead in one hit, while a 1 damage explosion needs four. Against Fortified Ceramics, upgrades built for Ceramic damage shine.

Bonus damage to Fortified

Some upgrades deal extra damage to Fortified bloons. Examples include the Dart Monkey's Juggernaut and Ultra-Juggernaut, which excel at crushing Ceramic and Fortified bloons, and the Engineer's Deconstruction (0-2-0), whose nails and sentries do extra damage to MOAB-class and Fortified bloons. These bonuses help, but they rarely carry a defense alone.

Defortify

Removing Fortified lowers the RBE of a round instantly:

• Mortar Monkey Shattering Shells (0-0-4): strips special properties, including Fortified, from all but the biggest bloons. It is the main defortify option, but it is expensive.
• Ezili: at higher levels her curse strips Fortified, Camo and Regrow from non-MOAB bloons.

Common mistakes

• Treating a Fortified MOAB like a normal MOAB. It has double health and releases Fortified Ceramics, so your MOAB damage needs to be closer to double.
• Low-damage spam. Many 1 damage hits waste attacks on Fortified Leads and Ceramics.
• Overinvesting in defortify. Shattering Shells is pricey and mostly matters on a few rounds. More raw damage often works better.
• Forgetting the children. The real danger of a Fortified BFB is the stream of Fortified MOABs and Ceramics that follows.

Frequently asked questions

What does Fortified do in BTD6?

It adds armor. Fortified Leads need 4 damage instead of 1, and Fortified Ceramics and MOAB-class bloons need twice the damage to break their outer layer.

How much health does a Fortified MOAB have?

400 health, twice a normal MOAB. Its total RBE is 856 because it releases Fortified Ceramics.

What round do Fortified bloons start?

Round 45 introduces Fortified Leads, round 46 Fortified Ceramics and round 62 the first Fortified MOABs.

How do you remove Fortified?

The main way is the Mortar Monkey's Shattering Shells (0-0-4). Ezili can also strip it from non-MOAB bloons at higher levels.

Can Boss Bloons be Fortified?

No. Bosses are never Fortified, but Diamondback's tail shield counts as Fortified for bonus damage.

Can Lead Bloons be Fortified?

Yes. A Fortified Lead needs 4 damage instead of 1 to pop, and it releases normal Black Bloons.