Primary Only

Primary Only is an Easy mode where you can only place Primary Monkeys and your hero. Everything else is Easy Standard: $650 starting cash, 200 lives, rounds 1 to 40 and prices 15% below Medium. On most land maps it is one of the easiest medals in the game, but camo, lead and water can trip you up if you do not plan for them.

Primary Only rules

• Allowed towers: Dart Monkey, Boomerang Monkey, Bomb Shooter, Tack Shooter, Ice Monkey, Glue Gunner and Desperado.
• Heroes: any hero is allowed.
• Rounds: 1 to 40, ending with a MOAB that has two thirds of its normal health.
• Lives and prices: 200 lives, Easy prices.
• Still allowed: Monkey Knowledge, Powers, selling and Continues. Insta Monkeys of other classes cannot be placed.

Unlocking and rewards

Primary Only unlocks after Easy Standard on the same map. Beating both Easy Standard and Primary Only unlocks Deflation. The reward is the Easy amount of Monkey Money: 75 on Beginner, 150 Intermediate, 225 Advanced and 300 Expert for the first win, plus a bronze Primary medal. Reaching round 100 in freeplay gives a Primary Insta Monkey.

Why Primary Only can be tricky

• Camo: Primary towers have few camo options. Dart Monkeys with Enhanced Eyesight (0-0-2) and heroes are the main answers.
• Lead: Dart, Tack and Boomerang Monkeys need specific upgrades to pop Lead.
• Water: no Primary tower can be placed on water. An Ice Monkey with Arctic Wind (0-3-0) freezes nearby water so you can build on it, but it is expensive. Maps that are mostly water get much harder.
• Line of sight: Primary towers have short range and need a clear view of the track.

Rounds to watch

• Round 24: the first camo Green.
• Round 26: Zebras, which ignore both explosions and freezing. Bombs and Ice alone will not pop them.
• Round 28: six Lead bloons.
• Round 33: camo Reds and Yellows.
• Round 36: camo regrow Greens inside a big Pink rush.
• Round 37: camo Whites and Leads together.
• Round 38: the first Ceramics.
• Round 39: Rainbows and regrow Rainbows.
• Round 40: the MOAB with reduced health.

Best towers and crosspaths

• Dart Monkey: your camo answer. Enhanced Eyesight (0-0-2) gives camo detection, Crossbow (0-0-3) adds damage and range, and Triple Shot (0-3-0) is a cheap early carry. Juggernaut (4-0-0) pops Lead and Ceramics well.
• Boomerang Monkey: Glaives (2-0-0) and Glaive Ricochet (3-0-0) clear crowds. Red Hot Rangs (0-0-2) lets boomerangs pop Lead.
• Bomb Shooter: pops Lead naturally. MOAB Mauler (0-3-0) handles the round 40 MOAB, and MOAB Assassin (0-4-0) can delete it with its ability.
• Tack Shooter: Hot Shots (3-0-0) pop Lead, Ring of Fire (4-0-0) shreds Ceramics, Blade Shooter (0-3-0) covers corners.
• Ice Monkey: slows rushes and lets you build on water with Arctic Wind (0-3-0).
• Glue Gunner: Glue Splatter (0-2-0) slows whole groups, and Corrosive Glue (2-0-0) adds damage.
• Desperado: a flexible Primary option with long range for maps where other Primary towers struggle to reach the track.

Best heroes for Primary Only

• Quincy: cheap and reliable early damage.
• Striker Jones: supports Bomb Shooters, the main Lead and MOAB answer in this mode.
• Gwendolin: strong early damage and a natural fit for Tack and fire builds.
• Sauda: camo detection from the start and huge early damage.
• Etienne: gives all towers camo detection from level 8, solving the camo problem for every Primary tower.
• Adora: shoots over line-of-sight blockers, which helps on awkward maps.

Step-by-step game plan

1. Place your hero and a Dart Monkey or Boomerang Monkey near the entrance.
2. Add Glaives or Triple Shot by round 15.
3. Upgrade a Dart Monkey to Enhanced Eyesight (0-0-2) before round 24.
4. Add a Bomb Shooter or a Hot Shots Tack before round 28.
5. Prepare a MOAB Mauler or a strong Glaive and Juggernaut combo before round 40.
6. Use remaining cash on a Ring of Fire or more Glaives to cover rounds 38 and 39.

Common mistakes

• Relying on Bomb Shooters and Ice Monkeys for round 26 Zebras.
• Forgetting that only Dart Monkeys and certain heroes see camo.
• Trying a water-heavy map without an Arctic Wind plan.
• Over-investing in MOAB damage that you only need for one round.

Which maps to start with

Any Beginner land map works. Water-heavy maps are the hardest; Flooded Valley is the toughest of all because almost no land can see the track, so players usually rely on Adora or a Blade Maelstrom. Spice Islands and Peninsula are also difficult. Our Primary Only videos on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel cover the awkward maps step by step.

Frequently asked questions

Which towers can you use in Primary Only?

Dart Monkey, Boomerang Monkey, Bomb Shooter, Tack Shooter, Ice Monkey, Glue Gunner and Desperado, plus your hero.

How do you pop camo in Primary Only?

Use a Dart Monkey with Enhanced Eyesight (0-0-2), a hero with camo detection like Sauda, or Etienne at level 8 for global camo detection.

How do you beat round 40 in Primary Only?

A MOAB Mauler Bomb Shooter or a few strong Dart and Boomerang towers are enough, because the Easy round 40 MOAB has only two thirds of its normal health.

Can you place Primary towers on water?

Not directly. An Ice Monkey with Arctic Wind freezes water around it, which lets you place towers on that ice.

What does Primary Only unlock?

Together with Easy Standard, it unlocks Deflation on the same map.