Ascended Shadow

Ascended Shadow is the Ninja Monkey's Paragon, a fusion of Grandmaster Ninja, Grand Saboteur and Master Bomber. It combines three hard-hitting attacks with passive effects that change the whole map: every tower on screen gets camo detection, every non-boss bloon is permanently slowed, and every MOAB-class layer loses a quarter of its health. All of its attacks deal bonus damage to camo and Boss Bloons and have a 15% chance to knock bloons back by 100 to 150 units.

How to unlock and build it

You need all three Ninja tier 5s on the map at the same time: Grandmaster Ninja (5-x-x), Grand Saboteur (x-5-x) and Master Bomber (x-x-5). The Paragon upgrade must also be unlocked with Ninja Monkey XP, which requires every other Ninja upgrade first. When the option appears on any of the three, buy it ($500,000 on Medium; Paragons cannot be discounted). The Paragon absorbs every other Ninja Monkey on the map, and only one Ascended Shadow can exist at a time.

Attacks at degree 1

• Shurikens: eight seeking shurikens per throw (nine with Deadly Tranquility) every 0.217 seconds. Each deals 32 damage with 4 pierce, plus 32 against bosses, 16 against camo, and 64 extra against stunned bloons or bloons carrying a sticky bomb.
• Flash bombs: five bombs every 1.5 seconds that stun regular bloons through two layers for 3 seconds and MOAB-class bloons for 1 second. Each bomb deals 96 damage with 40 pierce and releases three seeking mini-shurikens (80 damage, 10 pierce each).
• Sticky bomb: an enchanted card thrown at the Strongest MOAB-class target every 8 seconds, with infinite range. It detonates after just under 3 seconds for 50,000 damage (plus 25,000 against bosses), with a 5,000 damage explosion around it.

Range is 70 units. Since the shurikens and flash bombs gain so much from stuns and sticky bombs, set it to Strong so everything focuses on the same big targets.

Passive effects

• Global camo detection for all towers on screen, including other Paragons. Like a Radar Scanner, Phayze's Radar Jam can block it for normal towers, but not for Paragons.
• A permanent Grand Saboteur effect: all bloons except BADs and bosses move 50% slower, and every MOAB-class layer (BADs included) has 25% less health.
• Ninja support: +10 range for every Ninja on screen and one extra Shinobi Tactics stack for Ninjas in its range. It does not buff itself.

Degree and what raises it

Like every Paragon, Ascended Shadow has a degree from 1 to 100 that is fixed the moment you create it. Higher degrees raise attack speed, pierce and damage. Degree comes from Paragon power, which you build by:

• Cash spent on the Ninjas it absorbs (not counting the tier 5s), plus any extra cash you add on the Paragon slider.
• Extra tier 5 Ninjas beyond the three required.
• Damage dealt and income produced by the absorbed Ninjas, as shown on their counters.
• Paragon Power Totems on the map.

The usual plan is a Ninja-focused defense: several tier 5 Ninjas, Bloonjitsus and a big Shinobi Tactics army that pops as much as possible before you merge. A Grand Saboteur's ability is a cheap way to add damage, because the health it removes from blimps counts.

Best uses

• Freeplay: the permanent slow and MOAB health cut help every other tower, which makes it close to a must-have in long runs. Do not buy it too early, though; its kills are pops that future Paragons' sacrificed towers would otherwise collect.
• Boss events: most of its boss damage comes from the sticky bombs. Its best matchup is Phayze thanks to the camo bonus on every attack. Its worst is Blastapopoulos, which destroys sticky bombs before they explode. Because the sticky bomb ignores everything except its target, Lych's and Dreadbloon's minions do not distract it.
• Support for other Paragons: global camo detection and the slow make it a strong second or third Paragon in multi-Paragon setups.

Is it worth it?

Yes in freeplay and many boss events, mainly because of its passive effects rather than raw damage. In a normal game you will rarely have the cash for it.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get the Ninja Paragon in BTD6?

Unlock it with Ninja XP, then have Grandmaster Ninja, Grand Saboteur and Master Bomber on the map at once and buy the Paragon upgrade on one of them.

How much does Ascended Shadow cost?

$500,000 on Medium. The page shows the cost for every difficulty, and Paragon prices cannot be discounted.

Does Ascended Shadow give camo detection?

Yes, to every tower on screen, including other Paragons.

What is the best target setting for Ascended Shadow?

Strong. Its shurikens deal extra damage to bloons that already carry a sticky bomb, and the sticky bomb always goes for the strongest target.