Elite Defender

Elite Defender is the bottom path tier 5 Sniper Monkey. It halves Full Auto Rifle's cooldown again and raises bonus MOAB damage from +2 to +4. On top of that it gets faster the closer Bloons get to the exit: it gains attack speed equal to how far along the track the furthest Bloon is, up to +100%.

It also has a passive that triggers when you lose lives: 4x attack speed for 7 seconds, with a 10 second cooldown (5 seconds with the Master Defender Monkey Knowledge). At full power it attacks 16 times faster than Full Auto Rifle.

When to buy it

Elite Defender is a strong cheap tier 5, and like the tiers below it has two very different builds:

• 0-2-5 is a generalist that carries the mid-game when it can shoot Bloons travelling toward it, as on the bottom-middle section of Muddy Puddles. A 4-2-0 Stronger Stimulant boosts its damage, pierce and speed. With 0-2-4 Full Auto Rifles, a 0-5-2 Elite Sniper and Permanent Brew it forms a strong CHIMPS strategy. Geraldo's Jar of Pickles and Sharpening Stone also boost it a lot.
• 2-0-5 is a single-target blimp killer. Use it when there is no good head-on spot for 0-2-5, and in Boss Events. It is especially strong against Vortex, whose shield it ignores. Phayze is the exception: it needs the middle path's Camo detection.

Targeting: Strong in nearly all cases; First against Lych and Dreadbloon.

Ezili's Sacrificial Totem and Dan D'Monke's Rabble Rouser can trigger the life-loss passive on purpose. Relying on leaks is risky, though, because dense waves can still outpace it.

Elite Defender vs The Blazing Sun

Both are cheap single-target tier 5s with low pierce. Elite Defender has unlimited range and scales with buffs; The Blazing Sun hits harder per shot and one-shots Ceramics before round 81.

Is it worth it?

Yes. For its price it is one of the best tier 5s for boss events and a core piece of Sniper spam in CHIMPS, as long as the map suits the build you choose.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best crosspath for Elite Defender?

0-2-5 for groups on maps where it faces Bloons head-on, 2-0-5 for single targets and most bosses.

Is Elite Defender good against bosses?

Yes, especially 2-0-5 against Vortex, because it ignores the shield. Use 0-2-5 against Phayze.

How much does Elite Defender cost?

$14,900 on Medium. Prices for every difficulty are at the top of the page.