Support tower
Beast Handler
Trains land, water, or air beasts. Multiple Beast Handlers can have their own beasts, or combine efforts to train a single beast with greater beast power.
Daily challenges
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Info
The Beast Handler is a Support tower added in version 36. On its own it pokes nearby Bloons with a short-range staff that pops up to 4 Bloons at a time. It costs $250 on Medium. The staff can pop Frozen Bloons but not Lead or Purple Bloons, and it cannot see Camo Bloons.
Upgrading changes everything: the staff is replaced by a beast that attacks for the Handler. Each beast has a Beast Power stat, and you can merge beasts of the same path to raise it. You can also reposition water and land beasts within the Handler's range. Beast Handlers cannot be buffed by Alchemists or moved by Support Chinooks.
The three paths
- Top path (Piranha to Megalodon): water beasts. The Piranha and Barracuda leap at Bloons, the Great White latches onto a Bloon or MOAB-class Bloon (including Lead) and thrashes it, dragging it back into the water, the Orca hits harder and drags bigger targets, and the Megalodon is the ultimate version. The path needs water close to the Handler.
- Middle path (Microraptor to Giganotosaurus): land beasts with high-pierce area attacks. The Adasaurus can pop Lead, the Velociraptor hits harder, the Tyrannosaurus Rex adds the Stomp ability that stuns Bloons up to ZOMGs in a wide area, and the Giganotosaurus makes Stomp hit the whole map.
- Bottom path (Gyrfalcon to Pouākai): air beasts that grab groups of Bloons and carry them back along the track. The Horned Owl adds Camo detection and can grab Ceramics, the Golden Eagle grabs more and eventually MOABs, the Giant Condor can carry BFBs, and the Pouākai can carry almost anything.
Camo and Lead within its own upgrades
- Camo: Horned Owl (x-x-2) and above. The T-Rex Stomp ability (x-4-x) also hits Camo Bloons.
- Lead: Adasaurus (x-2-x) and Great White (3-x-x) can damage Lead. Air beasts cannot grab Lead Bloons without Lead-popping help, which is why a 0-2-3 or 0-2-4 crosspath is useful.
Paragon
The Beast Handler has no Paragon.
Quick summary
- Category: Support
- Base cost: $250 (Medium)
- Damage type: depends on the beast
- Best at: flexible damage and control, stalling with air beasts, stuns with T-Rex
- Weak at: using space efficiently, Lead and Camo before the right beasts
Upgrades
Top path
Middle path
Stats
Main attack
- Damage
- 1
- Pierce
- 4
- Attack speed
- 1.4s
- Range
- 20
How to use Beast Handler
The Beast Handler is the most mechanically unusual tower in Bloons TD 6. Instead of upgrading one tower, you build several Handlers and merge their beasts to make one stronger beast. Its paths cover water damage, land damage with stuns, and air beasts that carry Bloons back along the track. It takes some practice, but it is strong in most stages of the game, especially in CHIMPS.
Best crosspaths
For most towers, the right crosspath matters a lot. For the Beast Handler it usually does not: a Handler with two beasts simply has two separate beasts that share the same targeting. The main choices are which path to use and how many beasts to merge.
3-0-0 Great White (merged)
The Great White latches onto a Bloon, including Lead Bloons, and thrashes it before returning to the water. At high Beast Power it can drag down MOABs. Merging several tier 3 water beasts gives a strong, consistent damage dealer on water maps.
0-3-0 Velociraptor (merged)
High-pierce area damage at short range. Place the beast on a bend for maximum coverage. Merge more Velociraptors or Adasauruses into it for more damage.
0-4-0 Tyrannosaurus Rex
The T-Rex adds Stomp, an ability that deals heavy damage and stuns Bloons in a wide area, including MOAB-class Bloons up to ZOMGs and DDTs (not BADs or bosses). Merging speeds up the cooldown.
0-0-3 or 0-2-3 Golden Eagle
Air beasts grab groups of Bloons, damage them and drop them on a target point further back along the track. The Golden Eagle grabs many Bloons at once and, at high Beast Power, MOABs too. Adding the Adasaurus (0-2-3) gives the Handler a second beast that pops Lead, because air beasts cannot grab Lead Bloons on their own.
Tier 5: Megalodon, Giganotosaurus and Pouākai
Each tier 5 requires the tier 4 beast to have 3 additional tier 4 beasts of the same path merged into it. That makes them expensive, but they are among the strongest towers in the game. The Pouākai switches to Normal damage and can carry DDTs and Lead.
Early game
A base Beast Handler is cheap at $250 and its staff attack works on Frozen Bloons, but it is weak. Most players buy the first beast quickly. The water path needs water within range of the Handler, and the air path needs track within range.
In CHIMPS, a couple of cheap Handlers with tier 1 or 2 beasts can help the early rounds. Remember that most beasts cannot see Camo, so cover round 24 with another tower or plan a Horned Owl.
Mid game
The mid game is about merging:
- Tier 3 beasts are the most cost-efficient source of Beast Power. Each Handler can only hold one tier 3 beast, so build a few Handlers, upgrade them to tier 3, and merge.
- Tier 2 beats tier 1 for efficiency. If you are merging low-tier beasts, tier 2 gives more per dollar.
- Choose a role: water beasts for steady damage, land beasts for area damage and stuns, air beasts for stalling.
Positioning beasts
Water and land beasts can be moved within the Handler's range. Put them on a bend or wherever they cover the most track in one lane. There is a cooldown on repositioning, so place them ahead of the Bloons rather than chasing every group. Air beasts work differently: you set a target point on the track, and the beast grabs Bloons and drops them there. Set the target far enough back that the beast pulls Bloons a long way, but not so far that it spends ages flying.
Late game
Late-game Beast Handlers are carries:
- Megalodon: huge water damage that can drag down large targets.
- Giganotosaurus: a screen-wide Stomp that stuns everything up to ZOMGs and DDTs for several seconds.
- Pouākai: carries almost any number of Bloons of almost any size back along the track.
All three need several tier 4 beasts merged first, so plan the cash and the space.
Beast Handler in CHIMPS
The Beast Handler is a strong CHIMPS tower:
- Use a couple of cheap Handlers early if the map suits them.
- Build several Handlers to tier 3 and merge them in the mid game.
- Choose T-Rex for stuns, Golden Eagle for stalling, or Great White on water maps.
- Save for a tier 5 if your economy allows it.
For full CHIMPS walkthroughs, see our videos on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel.
Best heroes and tower combos
- Monkey Village: Radar Scanner gives Camo to beasts that lack it, and Jungle Drums speeds them up.
- Damage towers near the air beast's drop point: Bloons dropped by air beasts land right in your kill zone.
- Stun-friendly towers: land beasts deal bonus damage to stunned Bloons at higher tiers.
- Mermonkey: works well with water beasts on mixed land and water maps.
Tier 5 upgrades: are they worth it?
Megalodon (5-x-x). Very strong on water maps. Requires 3 extra Orcas merged in.
Giganotosaurus (x-5-x). A screen-wide Stomp with long stuns is one of the best late-game control tools. Requires 3 extra T-Rexes merged in.
Pouākai (x-x-5). Carries almost anything back along the track and can handle DDTs and Lead. Requires 3 extra Giant Condors merged in.
Common mistakes
- Not merging. Merging is usually more cost-efficient than keeping many separate beasts.
- Buying too many tier 4 beasts too early. Tier 4 is expensive per Beast Power; tier 3 is the sweet spot.
- Forgetting Lead on the air path. Air beasts cannot grab Lead without help.
- Trying to brew the Handler. Alchemists cannot buff Beast Handlers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Beast Handler path?
All three are strong. Middle path T-Rex is great for stuns, bottom path Golden Eagle is great for stalling, and top path Great White is very good on water maps.
How does Beast Handler merging work?
A beast can be merged into another beast of the same path at the same tier or higher. Its Beast Power is added to the receiving beast, which makes it stronger.
Can Beast Handler pop camo?
Yes, with the Horned Owl (x-x-2) and above. The T-Rex Stomp ability also hits Camo Bloons.
Can Beast Handler pop lead?
The Adasaurus (x-2-x) and Great White (3-x-x) can. Air beasts need Lead-popping help.
Can the Alchemist buff Beast Handlers?
No. Beast Handlers cannot be buffed by Alchemists, and Support Chinooks cannot move them. Monkey Villages do work.
What do you need for the Beast Handler tier 5s?
The tier 4 beast must have 3 additional tier 4 beasts of the same path merged into it.
Does the Beast Handler have a Paragon?
No, the Beast Handler has no Paragon.
