Lead

Lead is a bloon property that blocks most basic attacks. A Lead Bloon cannot be damaged by sharp darts, tacks, shurikens, shards, cold attacks or energy attacks, so many early towers simply bounce off it. It is the reason a strong early defense of Dart Monkeys and Tack Shooters suddenly leaks on round 28.

The Lead property belongs to the Lead Bloon itself, and two tougher enemies share it: the DDT, a fast Camo blimp with Lead and Black properties, and the boss Dreadbloon.

Lead Bloon stats

• Health: 1 (4 when Fortified).
• RBE: 23, or 26 when Fortified.
• Speed: the same as a Red Bloon, so it is slow and easy to hit once you have the right damage.
• Children: two Black Bloons. From round 81 onward it releases only one.

Which damage types pop Lead?

Every attack in BTD6 has a damage type, and that type decides what it can pop.

Can pop Lead: Explosion, Fire, Plasma, Acid, Normal, Glacier and Frigid damage.

Cannot pop Lead: Sharp, Shatter, Cold and Energy damage.

The quick rule: anything pointy, frozen or electric fails against Lead, while explosions, fire, plasma and acid work.

Towers and upgrades that pop Lead

Without upgrades

• Bomb Shooter and Mortar Monkey: their explosions pop Lead from the start.
• Alchemist: its acid potions pop Lead.

With upgrades

• Sniper Monkey: Full Metal Jacket (1-0-0) switches to Normal damage and raises damage to 4 per shot. One of the best early Lead answers on any map.
• Boomerang Monkey: Red Hot Rangs (0-0-2).
• Tack Shooter: Hot Shots (3-0-0).
• Dart Monkey: Juggernaut (4-0-0) and Ultra-Juggernaut.
• Ice Monkey: Cold Snap (2-0-0) lets it freeze and pop Lead. Embrittlement (4-0-0) makes hit bloons lose their Lead immunity for a short time, so other towers can pop them.
• Glue Gunner: Corrosive Glue (2-0-0) damages glued Lead over time.
• Spike Factory: White Hot Spikes (2-0-0).
• Monkey Sub: Heat-tipped Darts (0-2-0).
• Monkey Buccaneer: Hot Shot (0-2-0) for burning grape shot.
• Monkey Ace: Exploding Pineapple (0-1-0).
• Wizard Monkey: Fireball (0-1-0).
• Dartling Gunner: Hydra Rocket Pods (0-3-0).
• Super Monkey: Plasma Blasts (2-0-0).
• Engineer Monkey: Cleansing Foam (0-3-0).

Support options

• Alchemist Acidic Mixture Dip (2-0-0): buffs nearby towers so they can pop Lead and deal extra damage to Ceramic and MOAB-class bloons, for a limited number of attacks.
• Monkey Village Monkey Intelligence Bureau (0-3-0): lets every tower in range pop all bloon types. It is expensive, but it fixes Lead, Black, White, Purple and Frozen problems at once.

Heroes

Gwendolin (fire), Striker Jones (explosions, plus buffs for Bomb Shooters and Mortars) and Captain Churchill (tank shells) all pop Lead and are good picks when your tower list lacks it.

Lead rounds to prepare for

• Round 28: six Lead Bloons. The first real test.
• Round 30: nine Lead Bloons.
• Rounds 37 and 38: Leads mixed into big groups of other bloons, which can overwhelm a single Lead popper on short maps.
• Round 45: the first Fortified Leads.
• Round 59: 50 Camo Leads, which need Camo detection and Lead popping together.
• Round 63: 75 Leads followed by a wall of Ceramics.
• Rounds 90 and 95: Fortified Camo Regrow Leads alongside DDTs.

In Alternate Bloons Rounds the first Leads appear on round 10.

Fortified Leads

A Fortified Lead takes 4 damage instead of 1 to break its outer shell. Its children are normal Black Bloons. Single high-damage hits handle them well, such as a Full Metal Jacket Sniper, while low-damage explosions take several hits each. Read more on the Fortified page.

Common mistakes

• Popping Lead with bombs, then leaking the Blacks. Explosions cannot pop Black Bloons, and every Lead releases two Blacks. A pure Bomb Shooter defense pops the Lead and then lets the Blacks walk past. Pair explosions with a sharp or normal-damage tower.
• Waiting until round 28 to buy the answer. Have your Lead popper in place before the round starts, with enough damage to handle six Leads in a row.
• Covering only one lane. On maps with several paths, one Mortar or Sniper might reach both lanes, but most towers will not.
• Forgetting Camo Leads on round 59. A Lead popper without Camo detection, next to a Camo detector that cannot pop Lead, still leaks them unless both cover the same bloons.
• Expecting lasers to work. Energy attacks, such as early laser upgrades, cannot pop Lead even though they look powerful.

Frequently asked questions

What can pop Lead bloons in BTD6?

Explosive, fire, plasma, acid, normal, glacier and frigid damage. In practice: Bomb Shooters, Mortars, Full Metal Jacket Snipers, Alchemists and fire upgrades on many towers.

What round do Lead bloons first appear?

Round 28 in standard games, with six Lead Bloons. In Alternate Bloons Rounds, round 10.

Why can't my Dart Monkey pop Lead?

Darts deal Sharp damage, which Lead is immune to. Upgrade to Juggernaut (4-0-0) or add a tower that pops Lead.

Can bombs pop Lead bloons?

Yes. Explosions pop Lead, but they cannot pop the Black Bloons that come out of it, so you need a second tower to finish them.

What is the cheapest Lead popper?

A base Bomb Shooter or Mortar works right away, and a 1-0-0 Full Metal Jacket Sniper is one of the most reliable early options because it reaches the whole map.

Is the DDT a Lead bloon?

The DDT has Lead properties as well as Black and Camo, so it needs damage that can pop Lead and Black and a tower that can see Camo.