Sniper Monkey

The Sniper Monkey can hit anything on the map, which makes it one of the easiest towers to place and one of the most dependable sources of single-target damage. It has weak pierce, so it always needs a partner for groups, but it is excellent at stalling MOAB-class Bloons and picking off the Bloons other towers miss.

Best crosspaths

0-0-0 opener

A plain Sniper Monkey is a common CHIMPS opener on long maps. Pair it with one or two Dart Monkeys: the Sniper deletes the stronger Bloons, the Darts handle the rest.

2-2-0 or 2-0-2 cheap support

Full Metal Jacket for Lead plus either Night Vision Goggles and Shrapnel Shot or the first two fire rate upgrades. A cheap and very useful mid-game stray catcher that sees Camo (2-2-0) or attacks faster (2-0-2).

4-0-2 or 4-2-0 Maim MOAB

Maim MOAB deals heavy damage and briefly immobilizes MOAB-class Bloons. A few of these can stall MOABs and BFBs for long enough that your main damage kills them. 4-0-2 fires faster; 4-2-0 adds Camo and shrapnel.

0-2-4 or 2-0-4 Full Auto Rifle

Full Auto Rifle fires nonstop with good popping power. 0-2-4 sees Camo and adds shrapnel, 2-0-4 pops Lead and hits harder. It is a strong mid-game damage tower, and it grows into Elite Defender.

2-4-0 Supply Drop

Supply Drop drops a crate of cash, damages Lead, and boosts Shrapnel. It is a strong income tower in modes where you are allowed to earn extra cash. In CHIMPS its cash does not help you, so skip it there.

5-2-0 or 5-0-2 Cripple MOAB

Cripple MOAB immobilizes MOAB-class Bloons for longer and makes them take extra damage from all other attacks. It is a strong late-game support for heavy MOAB rounds and bosses.

2-0-5 or 0-2-5 Elite Defender

Elite Defender fires extremely fast, deals more damage to MOAB-class Bloons, and speeds up as Bloons get closer to the exit. It also gets a burst of attack speed when you lose lives, which makes it a good last line of defense.

Early game

In CHIMPS and on long maps, a 0-0-0 Sniper with a Dart Monkey or two is one of the safest starts. Put the Sniper anywhere it has a clear view of the track. Set it to First if Bloons are getting close to the exit, and back to Strong when you want it to remove dangerous Bloons early.

Buy Night Vision Goggles before round 24 if the Sniper is your Camo answer, and Full Metal Jacket before the Lead round at 28.

Mid game

Snipers shine as support from the 30s onward:

• MOAB stalling: build a 4-0-2 Maim MOAB before the BFB on round 60. Several Maim MOABs can lock down MOABs and BFBs.
• Steady damage: a 0-2-4 or 2-0-4 Full Auto Rifle adds a lot of single-target damage.
• Ceramics: Deadly Precision deals big bonus damage to Ceramics, which helps against Ceramic rushes when paired with a splash tower.

Targeting matters a lot for Snipers. Strong is the right default for top path Snipers, because their high damage is wasted on small Bloons. Full Auto Rifles and Elite Defenders do fine on First, since they fire fast enough to clean up whatever is closest to the exit. Maim MOAB works best on Strong, so it stuns the biggest MOAB-class Bloon on screen rather than the first one that comes in.

Mind obstacles. A Sniper that cannot see part of the track will not shoot there, so check line of sight before buying expensive upgrades.

Late game

Late-game Snipers are about control and damage support:

• Cripple MOAB: immobilize and debuff ZOMGs and BADs so everything else hits harder.
• Elite Defender: a fast-firing safety net near the end of the track.
• Elite Sniper: in income modes, more cash and faster reload for every Sniper.

The S.P.I.D.E.R. Monkey Paragon is a late-game and boss option that also lets other Snipers ignore line of sight.

Sniper Monkey in CHIMPS

The Sniper Monkey is one of the most reliable CHIMPS towers:

1. Open with a 0-0-0 Sniper and one or two Dart Monkeys on long maps.
2. Add Night Vision Goggles for the camo green on round 24 and Full Metal Jacket for round 28.
3. Build Maim MOABs or a Full Auto Rifle for the MOAB rounds.
4. In the late game, consider Cripple MOAB for BADs and Elite Defender as a safety net.

Skip Supply Drop in CHIMPS. For full CHIMPS walkthroughs, see our videos on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel.

Best heroes and tower combos

Snipers do not have a dedicated hero, so pick one that covers their weakness against dense rounds. The best combos come from towers:

• Splash damage towers: Bomb Shooters, Mortar Monkeys and Wizards clear the groups that Snipers cannot.
• Ice Monkey: Snipers deal Sharp damage but pop Frozen Bloons with Full Metal Jacket, so they work well next to Ice Monkeys.
• Monkey Village: extra attack speed and, with Radar Scanner, Camo for Snipers that skip the middle path.
• Alchemist: a brew adds damage to every shot.

Tier 5 upgrades: are they worth it?

Cripple MOAB (5-x-x). Worth it for heavy late-game MOAB rounds and bosses because the debuff boosts all your damage. It got weaker raw damage in version 49, so treat it as support.

Elite Sniper (x-5-x). Excellent in income modes, useless for cash in CHIMPS.

Elite Defender (x-x-5). A strong and fairly cheap tier 5 that keeps putting out damage and reacts to leaks. Good value in most modes.

Common mistakes

• Leaving Snipers blocked by obstacles. Check line of sight before upgrading.
• Skipping Full Metal Jacket. Without it the Sniper cannot pop Lead or Frozen Bloons.
• Using Supply Drop in CHIMPS. Its cash does not help there.
• Relying on Snipers for dense rounds. Pair them with splash damage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Sniper Monkey path?

4-0-2 Maim MOAB for MOAB stalling, 0-2-4 or 2-0-4 Full Auto Rifle for damage, and 2-4-0 Supply Drop for income outside CHIMPS.

Can Sniper Monkey see camo?

Yes, with Night Vision Goggles (x-1-x), which also adds damage against Camo Bloons.

Can Sniper Monkey pop lead?

Yes, with Full Metal Jacket (1-x-x). Supply Drop (x-4-x) also damages Lead.

Is Sniper Monkey good in CHIMPS?

Yes. A 0-0-0 Sniper is a common opener, and Maim MOAB and Full Auto Rifle are reliable mid-game picks.

Does the Sniper Monkey have infinite range?

Yes. It can shoot any Bloon on the map, but obstacles that block line of sight stop it from targeting Bloons behind them. The Paragon ignores line of sight.

What targeting should Sniper Monkey use?

Strong for top path Snipers and Maim MOAB, First for fast-firing bottom path Snipers when Bloons are close to leaking.

What is the Sniper Monkey Paragon?

The S.P.I.D.E.R. Monkey, added in version 57 for $800,000 on Medium.