Portable Lake

The Portable Lake is an inflatable pool you place on land. It creates a small area of water where you can build water towers, which normally need a real lake or river on the map. It costs 50 Monkey Money, or 40 with the Cheaper Lakes knowledge, and stays for the rest of the game.

What the Portable Lake does

• Placed on land like a tower.
• Creates water on top of it where water towers can be placed: Monkey Subs, Monkey Buccaneers, Mermonkeys, the water beasts of the Beast Handler and Admiral Brickell.
• Sun Temples and the True Sun God can also sit on it, as they normally need water too.
• A Pontoon cannot be placed on it.
• Can be placed during the break between rounds.

The pool is big enough for one water tower of normal size. If you need several water towers on dry land, look at the Portable Lake Pro, which is much wider.

How to get Portable Lakes

Buy them for 50 Monkey Money (40 with Cheaper Lakes), or collect them from:

• Achievements: Medal Winner (get all medals on a map, 1 Lake plus 100 Monkey Money), Insta-defense (1) and Therpopylae (pop 200,000 Bloons on Peninsula, 2 Lakes).
• Quests: Brickell Bootcamp (2) and the Pro Power Challenge (1).
• Daily and event rewards.

Best times to use it

• Dry maps where you want a water tower. Many maps have no water at all. A Lake lets you bring a Monkey Sub or Monkey Buccaneer anyway.
• Admiral Brickell on a land map. She needs water. A Portable Lake next to the track makes her playable on almost any map.
• Merchantman income. The Buccaneer's Merchantman and Favored Trades lines earn cash each round. A Lake lets you use them on maps without water.
• Sun Temple placement. If the only good spot for a Sun Temple is dry, a Lake solves it.
• Water near the track is in the wrong place. Even on maps with water, the lake may be far from the action. A Portable Lake puts your Sub right at the best choke point.

Best combos

• Monkey Sub. Subs are strong for their price, and the Submerge and Support upgrade strips Camo from Bloons around the Sub. A Lake turns them into an option on every map.
• Admiral Brickell. Her Naval Tactics and Mega Mine abilities fit well with Subs and Buccaneers on Lakes next to her.
• Monkey Buccaneer. Destroyer, Aircraft Carrier and Merchantman builds all work from a Lake.
• Mermonkey. A strong water tower that gets placement freedom from a Lake.
• Tech Bot. Link it to Brickell or a Buccaneer ability to keep the water defence running on cooldown.

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.
• Not usable in Contested Territory, because there is no Portable Lake Relic.
• In Odyssey and Rogue Legends only equipped Powers can be used.

Is it worth the Monkey Money?

If you like water towers or Admiral Brickell, yes. For 40 to 50 Monkey Money you get a permanent placement spot that opens up strategies the map would otherwise block.

You do not need one for most games. Keep the free Lakes from achievements and quests, and only buy them when you plan a specific water strategy on a dry map. Every Lake you buy and use also earns XP toward the Portable Lake Pro, which needs 12,500 XP (about 25 regular Lakes bought and used). The Pro version holds land and water towers and has upgrades for cash, lives and attacks.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Portable Lake do in BTD6?

It creates water on land so you can place water towers such as Monkey Subs, Monkey Buccaneers and Mermonkeys anywhere.

Can you put Admiral Brickell on a Portable Lake?

Yes. Admiral Brickell can be placed on a Portable Lake, which makes her usable on dry maps.

How much does a Portable Lake cost?

50 Monkey Money, or 40 with the Cheaper Lakes Monkey Knowledge.

Can you put a Pontoon on a Portable Lake?

No. Pontoons cannot be placed on a Portable Lake.

Can you use Portable Lake in CHIMPS?

No. Powers are disabled in CHIMPS, Races and ranked Boss Events.

What is the Portable Lake Pro?

The Pro version, added in version 56.0. It costs 150 Monkey Money, is much wider and can hold both water and land towers.