Fireball

Fireball gives the Wizard a second attack that launches an exploding fireball. Both parts deal damage: the fireball hits one bloon for 1 Fire damage, and the explosion deals 1 explosive damage to up to 15 bloons. The bloon that took the direct hit gets damaged twice. Fire damage cannot hurt purple bloons, so the fireball will not explode on them.

The fireball also scales with other upgrades:

• Top path: Guided Magic adds lifespan and lets it ignore blockers, Arcane Blast and Mastery add damage, pierce and range, Arcane Spike and Archmage add MOAB damage, and Archmage fires three at a time.
• Bottom path: Intense Magic adds speed and pierce, Monkey Sense adds range and camo, and Necromancer scales fireball damage with the graveyard.

When to buy it

Fireball is slow but handy against small groups, and it is a cheap source of lead popping in the early game. It is mostly bought as a step toward Wall of Fire, or as a crosspath for Archmage and Prince of Darkness, where it adds burst damage.

Is it worth it?

At $300 it is cheap value, mainly as the route to Wall of Fire. On its own it is not a strong early defense.