The Blazing Sun

The Blazing Sun is the top path tier 5 Desperado and one of the cheapest tier 5s in the game. Compared with Twin Sixes, each shot deals 20 damage instead of 6, plus 40 extra damage to Ceramics, and the cooldown between bursts drops from 1.2 to 0.3 seconds.

It also has a heat mechanic. A counter goes up by 1 every shot it fires and down by 1 every time it fully pops a Bloon, up to a cap of 75. The higher the counter, the slower it attacks. Once the counter reaches 50, every shot also sets Bloons on fire in a small area, dealing heavy fire damage over time (75 damage every 1.5 seconds for about 12 seconds). If it stops shooting for a short moment, the counter resets.

In practice: against weak Bloons it pops them fast and stays at full speed, while against tanky targets it heats up, slows down a little and starts burning everything around the target.

When to buy it

Its best window is the mid to late game. Before round 81 it one-shots Ceramics, so it holds most rounds cheaply while you save for an expensive tier 5. After round 80, Super Ceramics take several shots and its lack of pierce shows, so it needs a cleanup partner such as Etienne's UCAV or The Bloon Solver.

Tips:

• 5-2-0 is the best crosspath. Bullseye crits and Quickdraw both reward distance, and path 3 speed buffs work poorly with the burst.
• Range buffs, such as Primary Training or Take Aim, effectively raise its attack speed by letting Quickdraw work for longer. Attack speed and pierce buffs like Berserker Brew help it very little.
• Bounty Hunter marks double its damage against marked targets.
• Captain Churchill is a strong hero pairing for covering its weaknesses.

Late game and boss events

Dense blimp rounds are a problem for it, but on single high-health rounds such as 97 and 100 it gives solid support. With Bounty Hunter marks it can take down the outer BAD layer on round 100 and help with the insides. If your DDT and Ceramic cleanup is already good, several Twin Sixes are more cost-efficient.

In Boss Events its single-target damage is excellent against tier 1 bosses such as Lych and Bloonarius, and it is a cheap tier 5 for Boss Rush. In Deflation, 5-2-0 is one of the few towers that can solo, outside of maps that need huge range.

Is it worth it?

Yes, for the price. Against Elite Defender, its closest competitor, it gives up global range for higher damage. It is not a late-game carry by itself, but as a cheap single-target tier 5 it is very efficient.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best crosspath for The Blazing Sun?

5-2-0. Camo detection plus crits that grow with distance fit its long-range playstyle.

Is The Blazing Sun good in CHIMPS?

It is good value up to round 80 and useful on big single-target rounds after that, but it needs cleanup for Super Ceramics and dense blimp rounds.

How much does The Blazing Sun cost?

$16,500 on Medium. Prices for every difficulty are at the top of this page.