Tier 5 upgrade
Trade Empire
Trade Empire earns $800 per round and buffs up to 20 Merchantmen and Favored Trades with more income and damage. Full farming guide.
Generates more cash per round, increases cash earned by up to 20 other Merchantmen by the number of Merchantmen, and boosts all Merchantmen damage.
Daily challenges
Monkey Buccaneer tier 5s
Long Range
Crow's Nest
Merchantman
Favored Trades
Trade Empire
Stats
Main attack
- Damage
- 2
- Pierce
- 6
- Attack speed
- 0.5s
- Range
- 71
How to use Trade Empire
Trade Empire is the bottom path tier 5 Monkey Buccaneer and the centre of the best water-based farm in the game. On its own it earns $800 per round ($820 with Trade Agreements), but its real power is a buff to up to 20 other Merchantmen or Favored Trades on the map:
- Each buffed boat earns +$10 per buffed Merchantman and +$20 per buffed Favored Trades in the network. With 20 boats, every boat earns a lot more per round.
- Buffed boats gain +1 damage, +1 Ceramic damage and +1 MOAB-class damage on all attacks.
- Favored Trades get the buff first, then the oldest Merchantmen.
Trade Empire itself also gains the damage bonus, keeps the cash-based damage multiplier (x2 at $10,000, x3 at $50,000) and, with Hot Shot, its burn deals 9 damage per tick.
When to buy it
Trade Empire is worth buying once you have around 16 Merchantmen. The usual farm route:
- Spam Merchantmen on the water, close together and ideally near a Monkey City.
- Upgrade one to Trade Empire at around 16 boats.
- Add Merchantmen until 20 are buffed.
- Upgrade them to Favored Trades while buying 10 Central Markets.
- For maximum income, keep spamming Merchantmen on the remaining water and upgrade them over time.
Central Market raises each boat's base income but not the Trade Empire bonus itself.
Damage
With Hot Shot (0-2-5) its burn can take a whole Ceramic down, which gives it real damage. Still, buy it for income first; skip the crosspath when you do not need it to fight.
Paragon synergy
A full Trade Empire farm is also the easiest way to build a high-degree Navarch of the Seas, because the cash your boats generate counts toward the Paragon's power without stealing pops from your defense. The Navarch's own Merchantman buff stacks with Trade Empire's.
Is it worth it?
On maps with plenty of water and in modes with income, yes, it is among the strongest income setups in BTD6. On small or dry maps, or in CHIMPS, it is not worth it.
Frequently asked questions
How many Merchantmen does Trade Empire buff?
Up to 20 Merchantmen or Favored Trades. In Co-op each player's Trade Empire adds its own 20.
When is Trade Empire worth it?
Once you have about 16 Merchantmen. Below that, the buff does not pay back the cost quickly.
How much does Trade Empire cost?
$23,000 on Medium. Prices for every difficulty are at the top of the page.
