Mermonkey

The Mermonkey is a flexible Magic tower that works on both land and water. Its paths offer a slowing support, a Lead-popping trident carry, and a support path that removes Camo and buffs heroes and Magic towers. Water placement gives it a large range bonus, so check the map before you place it.

Best crosspaths

0-3-2 Riptide Champion

Riptide Champion fires a powerful trident that pops Lead, grows stronger as it travels and briefly freezes Bloons, which stalls Ceramics over long distances. With Echosense Precision and Echosense Network it sees Camo, homes in and gains range for every other Echosense Mermonkey. Spamming several 0-3-2 Mermonkeys that boost each other's range is one of the most popular Mermonkey strategies.

2-0-3 or 0-2-3 Alluring Melody

Alluring Melody pulls regular Bloons into a trance and removes their Camo. It is a strong support for mid-game rounds and a Camo answer for the whole defense.

4-0-2 or 4-2-0 Abyssal Warrior

Abyssal Warrior's ink slows every layer of the Bloons it hits, including MOABs and BFBs. A good mid-game slow that also deals damage through its abyssal creature.

0-4-2 or 2-4-0 Arctic Knight

Arctic Knight adds the Ice Jet ability, which fires a burst of ice balls straight ahead for a few seconds. A strong burst for MOAB and Ceramic rounds.

2-0-5 or 0-2-5 The Final Harmonic

The Final Harmonic gives every hero in range more range and shorter ability cooldowns, and gives every Magic tower in range extra pierce. It is a support upgrade for strategies built around heroes or Magic towers.

5-0-2 Lord of the Abyss and 0-5-2 Popseidon

Lord of the Abyss makes the abyssal creature much stronger and lets you place water towers on land in its range. Popseidon strengthens Ice Jet and adds a flood that damages every Bloon on screen.

Early game

A base Mermonkey is cheap at $300 and decent on water, where it gets 35% more range. Trident Efficiency and Sharper Prongs are cheap, sensible first upgrades. It cannot see Camo or pop Lead early, so pair it with towers that cover those, or plan Echosense Precision before round 24 in CHIMPS.

Mid game

Choose a role:

• Main damage: 0-3-2 Riptide Champion. It pops Lead and stalls Ceramics. Several Riptide Champions with Echosense Network become much stronger together.
• Slow: 4-0-2 Abyssal Warrior to slow regular Bloons and the first MOAB-class Bloons.
• Camo removal and control: 2-0-3 Alluring Melody.

Riptide tridents freeze Bloons but cannot stall White Bloons or Purple Bloons, so watch those rounds.

Water or land?

Whenever possible, place Mermonkeys in water to get the range bonus. On land maps, Echosense Network can make up for the range loss if you build several Mermonkeys. Lord of the Abyss works the other way around: it lets water towers such as Subs and Buccaneers be placed on land in its range.

Using Ice Jet and the trance

Arctic Knight's Ice Jet fires straight ahead from the Mermonkey for a few seconds, so its facing matters. Place an Arctic Knight where a long stretch of track runs directly away from it, and fire the ability when a MOAB-class Bloon or a Ceramic group is lined up in front. Alluring Melody's trance works differently: it creates an area that pulls regular Bloons in and holds them, removing their Camo and dealing any damage-over-time they carry instantly. Place it where your other towers can hit the pulled Bloons, so the trance turns into extra damage rather than just a delay.

Late game

Late-game Mermonkeys mostly support:

• The Final Harmonic: stronger heroes and Magic towers.
• Popseidon: a strong global flood on a cooldown.
• Lord of the Abyss: strong close-range damage and the ability to place water towers on land.

The Mermonkey has no Paragon.

Mermonkey in CHIMPS

The Mermonkey is a solid CHIMPS tower, especially on water maps:

1. Add a Mermonkey in water early for cheap damage.
2. Build towards 0-3-2 Riptide Champion for Lead and Ceramic stalling, and add more Echosense Mermonkeys for range.
3. Use Alluring Melody or Abyssal Warrior for support.
4. Late, consider The Final Harmonic if your defense relies on heroes and Magic towers.

For full CHIMPS walkthroughs, see our videos on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel.

Best heroes and tower combos

• Heroes with strong abilities: The Final Harmonic gives heroes in range more range and shorter ability cooldowns.
• Magic towers: Wizards, Druids, Ninjas and Super Monkeys get extra pierce from The Final Harmonic.
• Glaive Lord and Glaive Dominus: their damage-over-time effects work well with The Final Harmonic.
• Other Mermonkeys: Echosense Network stacks with every Mermonkey that has it.

Tier 5 upgrades: are they worth it?

Lord of the Abyss (5-x-x). Strong close-range damage and a unique placement trick for water towers. Good on mixed land and water maps.

Popseidon (x-5-x). A strong global flood plus a stronger Ice Jet. Worth it as a late-game burst.

The Final Harmonic (x-x-5). A support upgrade. Worth it when your strategy leans on heroes or several Magic towers.

Common mistakes

• Placing it on land when water is available. You lose the 35% range bonus.
• Forgetting Lead. Only Riptide Champion pops Lead in the Mermonkey's tree.
• Spreading Echosense Mermonkeys too thin. Every Mermonkey with Echosense Network adds to the shared range buff, so build several.
• Buying The Final Harmonic with no heroes or Magic towers nearby. Its buff needs targets.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Mermonkey path?

0-3-2 Riptide Champion is the most popular damage build, 2-0-3 Alluring Melody is a strong support, and 4-0-2 Abyssal Warrior is a good slow.

Can Mermonkey see camo?

Yes, with Echosense Precision (x-x-1). Alluring Melody also removes Camo.

Can Mermonkey pop lead?

Yes, with Riptide Champion (x-3-x).

Can Mermonkey be placed on land?

Yes. It can be placed on land or water, but it gets 35% more range in water.

What does The Final Harmonic do?

It gives every hero in range +15% range and shorter ability cooldowns, and every Magic tower in range +3 pierce. It is a support upgrade, so it is only worth it when those towers are nearby.

What does Echosense Network do?

Each Mermonkey with Echosense Network or higher on the bottom path adds a range buff to every Mermonkey with that upgrade, itself included, stacking up to ten times. The more you build, the further they all reach.

Is Mermonkey good in CHIMPS?

Yes, especially 0-3-2 Riptide Champion spam on water maps.

Does the Mermonkey have a Paragon?

No, the Mermonkey has no Paragon.