Cave Monkey

The Cave Monkey is BTD6's hidden Power. Before you can buy or use it, you have to unlock a secret achievement on Frozen Over. Once unlocked, it is a placeable monkey that smacks Bloons with a wooden club and stuns them, including MOAB-class Bloons. It costs 150 Monkey Money.

How to unlock the Cave Monkey

The Cave Monkey started as a frozen secret on the Frozen Over map in version 17.0 and became a Power in version 50.0. To unlock it:

1. Play Frozen Over on any mode that allows Mortar Monkeys.
2. Aim Mortar Monkeys at the spot where the Cave Monkey is frozen in the ice.
3. Hit that spot with Mortar shells a total of 50,000 times. Hits keep counting across games, and hits after the Cave Monkey has broken free still count.

This unlocks the hidden achievement "They call me Cave Monkey!", which gives you three Cave Monkey Powers and adds it to the Powers menu for purchase.

The fastest way is to place many cheap 0-0-0 Mortars aimed at the spot. Extra Mortars add more shots per second than upgrades do. Later, upgrade some to Artillery Battery and use their abilities, and bring Striker Jones, who speeds up Mortars and their ability cooldowns. A Banana Farm or two helps you afford the setup sooner.

If you receive Cave Monkeys from events before unlocking the achievement, you cannot use them until it is unlocked.

What the Cave Monkey does

• Placed on land like a tower, and stays for the rest of the game.
• Attacks with a club about once every 1.1 seconds, hitting up to 5 Bloons per swing for 1 damage each.
• Stuns regular Bloons for 1 second.
• Stuns MOABs, BFBs, ZOMGs and visible DDTs for 0.25 seconds. BADs and Boss Bloons cannot be stunned by it.
• Can damage every Bloon type, but cannot detect Camo on its own.
• Has a very short range of 24 units.
• Targeting options: First, Last, Close and Strong.
• Unlike most placed Powers, it can be buffed by your support towers, and it counts as range for the Monkey Sub's Advanced Intel.

How to get more Cave Monkeys

After the achievement, you can buy them for 150 Monkey Money each. They can also show up as event rewards, for example in Odyssey events. In Rogue Legends it appears as a Boost and through the Carry A Big Stick Artifact.

Best times to use it

Be realistic: the Cave Monkey is not a strong tower. Its damage is tiny and its range is short. Its value is the stun.

• Next to a blimp kill zone. Each swing briefly stops MOABs, BFBs and ZOMGs. Set it to Strong so it focuses the biggest target in range.
• At a tight corner of the track. Its short range covers more track where the path bends around it.
• Early rounds on hard modes. It pops a few Bloons and stuns the rest, which helps a weak opening defence hold a little longer.
• For fun and collection. Many players use it simply because it is a rare secret.

It will not hold back a BAD or a Boss, since it cannot stun them.

Best combos

• Monkey Village. A Radar Scanner can give it Camo detection, and other Village buffs apply as it can be buffed.
• Single-target blimp killers. Snipers, Dartling Gunners and Monkey Subs hit stunned blimps for longer in one spot.
• Monkey Sub with Advanced Intel. Subs can shoot at Bloons inside the Cave Monkey's range.
• Glue Trap. Slowed Bloons spend more time inside its tiny range, so it gets more swings at them.

Where you can't use it

• Disabled in CHIMPS, Races and ranked Boss Events.
• Disabled in challenges and Quests that turn Powers off, and in the editors' test mode.
• In Contested Territory Powers come from Relics only, and there is no Cave Monkey Relic.
• In Odyssey only equipped Powers can be used.
• Not available at all until you unlock the hidden achievement.

Is it worth the Monkey Money?

Not really. At 150 Monkey Money it costs more than a Super Monkey Storm and does far less. A MOAB Mine or a Monkey Boost will help a struggling defence much more.

Unlock it for the achievement and the three free copies, then use those for fun or for small stun support near a blimp kill zone. Only buy more if you enjoy using it.

Frequently asked questions

How do you unlock the Cave Monkey Power in BTD6?

Hit the frozen Cave Monkey's spot on Frozen Over with Mortar Monkey shells 50,000 times in total. That unlocks the hidden achievement "They call me Cave Monkey!" and the Power.

How much does the Cave Monkey cost?

150 Monkey Money, after the achievement is unlocked. The achievement itself gives three for free.

Can the Cave Monkey stun MOABs?

Yes. It stuns MOABs, BFBs, ZOMGs and visible DDTs for 0.25 seconds, but not BADs or Boss Bloons.

Can the Cave Monkey see Camo Bloons?

Not on its own. It can be buffed, so a Monkey Village with Radar Scanner can help.

Do the Mortar hits have to happen in one game?

No. The 50,000 hits are counted across all your games on Frozen Over.

Can you use the Cave Monkey in CHIMPS?

No. Like all Powers, it is disabled in CHIMPS, Races and ranked Boss Events.