Golden Justice

Golden Justice is the middle path tier 5 Desperado. Its rifle now fires a straight line shot with practically unlimited pierce, dealing 280 damage plus 280 more to Ceramic and Fortified Bloons. The trade-off is speed: the rifle fires half as often as before, about every 3.18 seconds.

Other changes:

• Crits now deal 8x damage instead of 4x on all attacks.
• The pistol deals 24 damage, +24 to Ceramics, marks its target and hits up to 8 Bloons in a small area around it.
• The marking attack works twice as fast.
• Marked to Pop deals 300 damage per hit instead of 30.

When to buy it

Golden Justice is a late-game purchase that shines on maps with long straight sections of track. Line it up so the rifle shot travels along the path, and each shot hits everything in that line for huge damage. It is excellent against hyperdense rounds when the Bloons are slow enough to stay in the line between shots.

Its weaknesses are clear:

• On curvy maps the line shot hits far fewer Bloons.
• Fast Bloons such as DDTs and Super Ceramics move out of the line between its slow shots.
• When Bloons get close it is forced onto the pistol, which deals much less damage.

The best partner is Silas: his Absolute Zero slows Bloons so heavily that the rifle can keep firing down a packed line. Slowing support in general helps a lot.

2-5-0 is usually preferred: Standoff helps against single targets and Quickdraw fits its long-range placement. 0-5-2 is worth considering if groups regularly reach its range, thanks to Nomad.

Is it worth it?

On the right map with slowing support it deals enormous damage for $42,000. Without a long straight line or slowdown it is unreliable, and The Blazing Sun or The Desert Phantom are easier to get value from. In CHIMPS it struggles with DDTs and fast Super Ceramics unless they are slowed.

Frequently asked questions

Does Golden Justice pierce through MOABs?

The rifle line shot has practically unlimited pierce and hits everything along its path, including MOAB-class Bloons.

What is the best crosspath for Golden Justice?

2-5-0 in most cases. 0-5-2 if large groups keep reaching it.

How much does Golden Justice cost?

$42,000 on Medium. Prices for all difficulties are at the top of this page.