Ice Monkey

The Ice Monkey is a support tower first and a damage tower second. Most of its value comes from freezing, slowing and weakening Bloons so your main damage has more time and deals more damage. Built correctly, it turns a borderline defense into a safe one.

Best crosspaths

2-3-0 or 2-0-3 early control

Cold Snap on the top path is the key early pick because it adds Camo and Lead. 2-3-0 Arctic Wind adds a strong slowing aura and freezes nearby water so you can place land towers on it. 2-0-3 Cryo Cannon gives long-range freezing shots instead of a pulse.

4-2-0 Embrittlement

Embrittlement is the most popular Ice Monkey support upgrade. Every Bloon it hits, including MOAB-class Bloons, becomes brittle: it takes extra damage while frozen and loses its Lead immunity for a short time. It also strips Camo and Regrow through Ice Shards. The middle path crosspath makes it attack and freeze better.

0-4-2 or 2-4-0 Snowstorm

Snowstorm adds an ability that freezes every regular Bloon on screen and slows MOAB-class Bloons. It is a great panic button for rush rounds in the 60s and 70s.

2-0-4 Icicles

Icicles adds bonus MOAB damage and makes frozen Bloons grow sharp icicles that pop Bloons touching them. It is a solid mid-game support tower that also contributes damage.

5-2-0 Super Brittle

Super Brittle multiplies the damage Bloons take while frozen and makes its shards tear through Ceramics. Recent updates made it attack faster and hit harder. It turns your whole defense into a stronger one, including against bosses.

2-5-0 Absolute Zero

Each attack freezes all Bloons everywhere for a brief moment. Snowstorm becomes even stronger and boosts all Ice Monkeys. Since version 51 its global freeze no longer affects Camo, Lead or White Bloons without buffs, so it needs support.

2-0-5 Icicle Impale

Shoots huge icicles that deal heavy damage to MOAB-class Bloons and freeze them. A good late-game anti-MOAB support.

Early game

A plain Ice Monkey is not a great round-1 tower. It costs $400 and freezes Bloons, which can block Sharp damage from your other towers. If you use it early, upgrade Permafrost and Cold Snap so it pops Lead, sees Camo and keeps Bloons slow after they thaw.

Place Ice Monkeys at the front of your defense, not inside the range of your main Sharp towers, unless you have Embrittlement. That way Bloons are slowed before they reach your damage and thaw by the time they arrive.

Mid game

The Ice Monkey becomes valuable in the mid game:

• Ceramic rounds: a 2-0-3 Cryo Cannon or a 2-3-0 Arctic Wind slows Ceramics, which gives every other tower more time to break them.
• Damage support: a 4-2-0 Embrittlement is one of the strongest debuffs in the game. Put it at the start of the track and let your main damage benefit.
• Rush rounds: a 0-4-2 or 2-4-0 Snowstorm saves you on the dense Ceramic waves.

Arctic Wind also freezes water near it, which lets you place land towers on water maps. Because the Ice Monkey itself is amphibious since version 49, you can even place it on the water first and then build land towers on the ice it creates. On water-heavy maps this opens up spots that are normally reserved for Subs and Buccaneers.

Think about where the Ice Monkey sits compared with your damage. A slowing tower is most valuable at the very start of your defense, so Bloons spend the whole trip through your kill zone moving slowly. A debuff tower like Embrittlement also wants to hit Bloons early, so the brittle effect is active while your main towers are firing.

Late game

Late-game Ice Monkeys are force multipliers. A Super Brittle makes every other tower deal much more damage, and Absolute Zero gives you a repeating global freeze plus a strong ability. Ice Monkeys still struggle against BADs, so pair them with heavy single-target damage.

The Herald of Everfrost Paragon is a late-game and boss tool, mainly because of its debuff and its ability to freeze every Bloon, including bosses.

Ice Monkey in CHIMPS

In CHIMPS the Ice Monkey is mostly a mid and late-game support:

1. Build your main damage first.
2. Add a 2-0-3 Cryo Cannon or 2-3-0 Arctic Wind for the Ceramic rounds in the 60s and 70s.
3. Upgrade to 4-2-0 Embrittlement when you need extra damage on MOAB-class Bloons and DDTs.
4. Consider Super Brittle or Absolute Zero for the final rounds.

Be careful on DDT rounds: Absolute Zero's global freeze will not hold Camo, Lead or Black Bloons without help, and Ice Monkeys cannot touch BADs on their own. For full CHIMPS walkthroughs, see our videos on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel.

Best heroes and tower combos

• Silas: the Ice hero. He slows and freezes Bloons himself, can freeze water into platforms, buffs Ice Monkey tier 5s and lets you have a second Absolute Zero from level 13. The best hero for Ice-based strategies.
• Sniper Monkey, Mortar Monkey and other non-Sharp damage: these work well with frozen Bloons. With Embrittlement, Sharp towers can also hit them.
• Monkey Village: extra range and attack speed help Ice Monkeys cover more track.
• Bomb Shooter: MOAB Eliminator and other heavy hitters benefit from Embrittlement's damage boost.

Tier 5 upgrades: are they worth it?

Super Brittle (5-x-x). Yes, for late-game setups that need more damage. It makes your whole defense stronger and works against bosses.

Absolute Zero (x-5-x). Strong crowd control and a great ability, but since version 51 its passive freeze ignores Camo, Lead and White without support. Worth it when you have those covered.

Icicle Impale (x-x-5). A good anti-MOAB support with freezes. Less essential than Super Brittle, but useful when you need both damage and control.

Common mistakes

• Freezing Bloons in front of Sharp towers. Frozen Bloons are immune to Sharp damage unless they are brittle.
• Skipping Cold Snap. Without it the Ice Monkey ignores Lead and Camo.
• Relying on Ice for BADs. BADs cannot be frozen by normal Ice Monkey attacks.
• Stacking several Embrittlements. Since version 53 brittle debuffs do not stack, so only the strongest one counts.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Ice Monkey path?

4-2-0 Embrittlement is the most useful support build. For crowd control, 2-4-0 Snowstorm. In the late game, Super Brittle or Absolute Zero.

Can Ice Monkey pop lead?

Yes, with Cold Snap (2-x-x). Without it, the Ice Monkey cannot freeze or pop Lead Bloons.

Can Ice Monkey see camo?

Yes, with Cold Snap (2-x-x). Ice Shards and above also strip Camo from Bloons it damages, and Snowstorm briefly freezes Camo Bloons.

Can Ice Monkey be placed on water?

Yes. Since version 49 the Ice Monkey is amphibious.

Is Ice Monkey good in CHIMPS?

Yes, as support. Embrittlement and Snowstorm are common in the mid and late game.

Why can't my Dart Monkeys pop frozen Bloons?

Frozen Bloons are immune to Sharp damage. Either keep Ice Monkeys away from your Sharp towers, or use Embrittlement, which lets Sharp attacks hit brittle frozen Bloons.

What is the Ice Monkey Paragon?

Herald of Everfrost, which costs $300,000 on Medium.