Apopalypse

Apopalypse is a Medium mode where bloons never stop coming. Rounds are built from random groups of bloons, and the next round starts as soon as the previous one has finished sending, whether you popped it or not. You still need to clear round 60, with 150 lives and base prices. It rewards defences that are strong ahead of time rather than ones that scramble to catch up.

Apopalypse rules

• No breaks: a new round starts the moment the current round has sent all its bloons. Rounds overlap whenever your defence is slow.
• Random waves: each round is assembled from preset bloon groups, mostly taken from the normal rounds and a few from Alternate Bloons Rounds. The mix changes every game, so you cannot memorize it.
• Instant start: after the rules message, the game starts as soon as you press Play. This also applies when you load a saved Apopalypse game.
• Round counter: the displayed round is the highest round where every bloon has been popped or leaked. If a tough bloon from an earlier round survives a long time, the counter can jump several rounds when it finally pops.
• Cash: pops pay as normal, and you receive end-of-round cash once all the waves of a round are popped.
• Rounds, lives and prices: win by clearing round 60, with 150 lives and Medium prices. Starting cash is $650.

Unlocking and rewards

Apopalypse unlocks after Military Only on the same map. The reward is the Medium amount of Monkey Money: 125 Beginner, 250 Intermediate, 375 Advanced and 500 Expert for the first win, plus a silver Apopalypse medal.

Why Apopalypse is hard

• No setup time: in Standard you can place and upgrade between rounds. Here you build while bloons are on screen.
• Overlapping rounds: a slow defence lets two or three rounds stack, which turns easy rounds into rushes.
• Unpredictable order: camo, lead or regrow groups can appear at moments you are not used to. Plan for what the round number suggests, then watch the screen.
• Less safety from round knowledge: you know roughly when bloon types arrive, but not exactly which group shows up when.

When to expect each threat

The random groups still follow the normal difficulty curve, so use the standard milestones as deadlines:

• Before round 20: you need real area damage, not just one or two single-target towers.
• Around round 24: camo groups start to appear. Have camo detection ready a little early.
• Around round 28: Lead groups.
• Rounds 35 to 40: Rainbows, the first Ceramics and the first MOAB-class groups.
• Rounds 45 to 55: fortified Leads, camo Purples, camo Ceramics and groups of MOABs.
• Round 59 and 60: camo Leads with Ceramics, then BFB-level threats to finish.

Remember that the counter lags behind what is on screen. If you see a MOAB while the counter says 34, treat the game as further along.

Best towers and crosspaths

Area damage and stalling matter more here than anywhere else at Medium.

• Tack Shooter: Ring of Fire (4-0-0) and Blade Shooter (0-3-0) clear dense groups.
• Boomerang Monkey: Glaive Ricochet (3-0-0) handles crowds through the mid game.
• Wizard Monkey: Wall of Fire (0-2-0) is cheap, strong area denial, and Monkey Sense (0-x-2) adds camo.
• Ninja Monkey: natural camo detection and good early damage.
• Druid: Heart of Thunder (2-0-0) and Druid of the Jungle (0-3-0) pop large groups.
• Glue Gunner and Ice Monkey: Glue Splatter (0-2-0) and Arctic Wind (0-3-0) slow overlapping waves so your damage can catch up.
• Support: an Alchemist with Berserker Brew (3-x-x) and a Monkey Village with Radar Scanner (0-2-0) or Monkey Intelligence Bureau (0-3-0).
• MOAB damage: MOAB Mauler Bomb Shooters (0-3-0) and Maim MOAB Snipers (4-0-0).

Farming is possible, but keep it modest. Two farms bought early are fine; a heavy farm build often collapses when rounds start stacking.

Best heroes for Apopalypse

• Quincy and Sauda: fast, cheap starts. Sauda's camo detection covers early camo surprises.
• Gwendolin: strong area damage that fits the mode.
• Obyn Greenfoot: pairs well with Druids and Ninjas.
• Benjamin: steady income if your map allows a safe greedy start.

Step-by-step game plan

1. Decide your opening before pressing Play, because the first bloons arrive immediately.
2. Place your hero and an area tower near the entrance on the first second.
3. Build a second area tower by round 10 and an Alchemist or Village by round 20.
4. Add camo and lead coverage a few rounds before 24 and 28.
5. Add a MOAB answer before round 40, then keep upgrading your area damage.
6. Use abilities and Powers when rounds start to stack, not after they leak.
7. Slow down fast forward whenever the screen fills up.

Common mistakes

• Pressing Play before you know what to build first.
• Greedy farming in the early game.
• Reading the round counter literally while later groups are already on screen.
• Relying on single-target towers.

Which maps to start with

Long Beginner maps give you the most time to react, so start there. Short maps and maps with several entrances are far harder, because overlapping waves reach the exit quickly. For examples, see our Apopalypse videos on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel.

Frequently asked questions

How does Apopalypse work in BTD6?

Rounds are made from random bloon groups and play back to back with no breaks. You win by clearing round 60 on Medium.

Do you get end-of-round cash in Apopalypse?

Yes. You receive the end-of-round bonus once every wave of a round has been popped.

Why did the round counter jump in Apopalypse?

The counter only shows rounds that are fully cleared. When a tough bloon from an earlier round finally pops, all the rounds behind it count as cleared at once.

How do you unlock Apopalypse?

Beat Military Only on the same map.

Is Apopalypse random every time?

Yes. Each game builds its rounds from a random seed, so the order of bloon groups changes from game to game.