Budget Battery

Budget Battery is a fifth-row Military knowledge that lowers the price of the Mortar Monkey's Artillery Battery upgrade (tier 4 middle path) by a flat $600. You need 8 Knowledge Points in the Military tree, Paint Stripper and a one-time 500 Monkey Money. It has nothing below it. It was added in version 6.

The discount is applied after the difficulty price multiplier, so it is $600 on Easy, Medium, Hard and Impoppable alike. Version 57 fixed an issue where flat discounts like this one were calculated incorrectly outside Medium.

How it changes the game

Artillery Battery (x-4-x Mortar Monkey) fires several shells per attack at high speed and is one of the Mortar's main damage options in the mid and late game. It is also the step before Pop and Awe, one of the strongest stall towers in the game. A $600 saving means:

• Earlier Artillery Battery: you hit tier 4 sooner, often a round earlier in the 50s and 60s, when the Mortar's high fire rate starts to matter against Ceramics and blimp children.
• Battery spam: strategies that place several Artillery Batteries on different parts of the map save $600 each.
• Faster Pop and Awe: reaching tier 4 earlier lets you start the tier 5 save-up sooner.

Only the tier 4 Artillery Battery upgrade is discounted. Heavy Shells, Pop and Awe and other paths cost the same, and the tower's stats do not change.

Is it worth it?

Priority: situational. If Artillery Battery or Pop and Awe is a regular part of your strategies, especially in Military Only games or on maps where a Mortar can hit the whole track from a safe spot, $600 per Battery is a good return. Otherwise it is a dead-end node at the bottom of the Mortar branch.

The Mortar column (Extra Burny Stuff, Paint Stripper, Budget Battery) does not lead to any other knowledge. Most players finish it after the high-value Military nodes: Military Conscription, Advanced Logistics and Big Bloon Sabotage. It still helps reach the 14-point threshold for the bottom row, which is a reason to fill it in eventually.

Where it works

Budget Battery is active wherever Monkey Knowledge is enabled, on every difficulty, including Military Only, Races and freeplay. It is disabled in CHIMPS, where Artillery Battery always costs full price, and in challenges that switch knowledge off.

Frequently asked questions

What does Budget Battery do?

It lowers the price of the Artillery Battery upgrade by $600.

Is the discount the same on every difficulty?

Yes. It is a flat $600 applied after the difficulty price change.

Does Budget Battery make Pop and Awe cheaper?

No. Only the tier 4 Artillery Battery upgrade is discounted.

What do I need for Budget Battery?

Extra Burny Stuff, Paint Stripper, 8 Military points and a one-time 500 Monkey Money.

Is Budget Battery worth it?

Only if you use Artillery Battery or Pop and Awe often.