Crosspathing/Ice Monkey (2024)

In Bloons TD 6, it is important to choose the best crosspathing for a specific tower in order to receive the best benefits out of that tower type. Towers have special roles to play for each stage of the game. The Ice Monkey at its core is a source of freezing and is mainly used as a support tower for slowing down bloons.

Introduction[]

Ice Monkey is a one-of-a-kind tower. It freezes bloons in place, though at a very short range, which prevents attacks with the Sharp damage type to damage bloons. While this can cause some negative synergies with physical-based strategies, it can prove useful as an effective stalling tactic on energy based strategies. In Path 1, Ice can increase the harshness of the cold with upgrades like Metal Freeze and Ice Shards. In Path 2, Ice focuses on the area effectiveness of the cold, with upgrades like Enhanced Freeze and Artic Wind. In Path 3, Ice turns into a more traditional attacking tower, trading area coverage for a lot more range compared to base Ice Monkey with upgrades like Larger Radius and Cryo Cannon.

Upgrades[]

Tier 2 and below[]

Base Tower and Tier 1 Crosspaths[]

• 0-0-0: The base Ice has low range but quite high pierce and freezes bloons in place. Due to its extremely short range, it should be crosspathed to compensate its extremely short range. 0-0-0 can be spammed as an emergency measure to catching Super Ceramics, but will only have the default freeze effects unless pre-upgraded before it can target bloons.
• 1-0-0: Having the Permafrost upgrade makes Bloons move slowly even after being unfrozen. It has practical uses for slowing down single layers of bloons, particularly Ceramics.
• 0-1-0: Enhanced Freeze increases the attack speed of the Ice Monkey and freezes bloons for longer. Without higher-tier upgrades, it freezes bloons almost as long as the monkey can attack.
• 0-0-1: The Ice Monkey's range becomes larger, yet still small range compared to other towers. This can be used to reach bloons a little further than normal.
• 1-1-0: Combines the slowness after thawing out with the increased attack speed and longer time frozen bloons. In practice, it is best used to slow down the progress of Ceramic Bloons within a small area.
• 1-0-1: Combines the slowness after thawing out with the larger radius.
• 0-1-1: Combines the increased attack speed and larger radius.

Tier 2 Crosspaths[]

• 2-0-0: Cold Snap allows the Ice Monkey to freeze and pop Lead Bloons and detect Camo. It can be used to stop Camo rushes.
• 0-2-0: It can freeze up to two layers of bloons. To make it easier to understand this, attacks that can pop frozen bloons made by this crosspath will not cause the bloons to immediately unfreeze for extra one layer (up to 2, as the upgrade description states), which was the case before this crosspath. Also extends freeze duration and pierce, making them both useful for freezing many more bloons for longer.
• 0-0-2: This makes it so that the Ice Monkey can freeze bloons that are already frozen. However, it needs other Ice Monkeys or the 0-2-2 crosspath to properly make use of the refreezing effect, as it is otherwise too slow to keep up with the duration of freezing.
• 2-1-0: Combines Lead freeze and popping power with the increased attack speed. In practice, it can be used as a 1-1-0 Ice that affects Camo, which is handy against Round 78's densely packed Camo Ceramics.
• 2-0-1: Combines Cold Snap with an increased radius.
• 1-2-0: Combines the slowness after thawing out with the increased freeze resistance to layers being popped.
• 1-0-2: Combines the slowness after thawing out with the ability to freeze bloons that are already frozen. The lone Ice Monkey with this crosspath can't stall bloons unless paired with multiple Ice Monkeys.
• 2-2-0: Combines Lead freeze and popping power with the increased freeze resistance to layers being popped.
• 2-0-2: Combines the lead Freeze and popping power with the ability to freeze bloons that are already frozen.
• 0-2-1: Combines the increased resistance to layers being popped and pierce bonus, with the larger radius.
• 0-1-2: It is a notable crosspath for good reason, mainly its stalling power. Very strong for its cost at pure stalling, with exception of Whites and Zebras. Mostly used during the late-game for massive stalling of Super Ceramics especially when paired with Downdraft for an insane cheap price. Unless given any noticeable speed buff, bloons in range may move just a tad bit per shot. It can be paired with multiple 0-1-2 to provide a similar permafreezing effect.
• 0-2-2: Combines the increased freeze resistance to layers popped with the ability to freeze bloons that are already frozen. The extra freeze duration makes the freeze length just longer than the rate of freezing and the extra pierce also allows the Ice Monkey to freeze more bloons, the combination allowing for permafreezing of more bloons. In practice, it is best used for permafreezing bloons with the same Ice Monkey, especially Ceramics.

Upper Path 1[]

Ice Shards[]

• 3-0-0: Ice Shards adds a temporary shardable status effect onto all bloons affected by its ice blasts, causing popped bloons to burst out shards. Crosspathing is not too important but is desirable for the maximum effects.
• 3-1-0: More bloons can be frozen per time, but cannot activate its own shards under any circ*mstances. Pair with other towers to make the most of the 3-1-0 crosspath.
• 3-2-0: Extra freeze duration isn't so important for Ice Shards but worth adding to keep bloons in place. However, the extra pierce is significant to freeze more bloons at once and therefore make more use of the potentially massive quantities of shards. Shardable status effect has not yet been proven to soak through layers, but it doesn't hurt to add 3-2-0. May give better popping potential here.
• 3-0-1: Ice Shards already gains a decent range boost, but if more range is desired, like on Downstream, 3-0-1 may be useful.
• 3-0-2: Can activate its own shards when given sufficient attack speed, or using multiple 3-0-2 nearby each other can cause a similar sharding effect to BTD5 Ice Shards except weaker. Syncing or desyncing them would add different effects to the sharding effects.

Embrittlement[]

• 4-0-0: Strips camo and regrow, and makes frozen bloons and blimps become temporarily brittle and temporarily vulnerable to sharp and freezing damage and takes +1 additional damage from all attacks. It is even more desirable to give an Embrittlement with crosspathing for maximum performance, but again not required to become truly useful.
• 4-1-0: With Enhanced Freeze, it is fast enough to almost self-trigger its own shards upon the second consecutive hit, similar to a BTD5 Ice Shards but much weaker, although any speed bonus such Jungle Drums is needed in order to do so. Also attacks fast enough to ensure full uptime for the debuff and brittling.
• 4-2-0: Extra freeze duration self-synergizes with Embrittlement to keep bloons in place when struck consecutively, allowing the bloons to crack open and unleash shards. Also freezes more bloons. Note that bonus freeze duration doesn't necessarily extend the debuff. Shardable status effect has not yet been proven to soak through layers, however, though these other benefits are worth adding for Embrittlement.
• 4-0-1: Unlike the earlier Ice Shards, extra range isn't too important here compared to the attack speed.
• 4-0-2: Embrittlement already can re-freeze the same bloons with its brittle effects, so 4-0-2 is generally useless unless paired with Ice Monkeys without the Embrittlement upgrade, since Embrittlement can only "re-freeze" if itself freezes the same bloon consecutively.

Super Brittle[]

• 5-0-0: Super Brittle's blasts damage any bloon type, inflicts a higher vulnerability to affected bloons, +4 damage to be precise, and its debuff and brittle effects last much longer. If a bloon is attacked consecutively, it can receive 100% uptime with the debuff and brittle effects. Crosspathing a Super Brittle is useful but not essential.
• 5-1-0: Faster attack speed will help let it hit more blimps per unit time.
• 5-2-0: Deep Freeze granting extra freeze duration isn't so important for Super Brittle but helps ensure ordinary bloons are frozen in place. Also freezes more bloons. Note that bonus freeze duration doesn't necessarily extend the debuff.
• 5-0-1: Wider freeze coverage allows Super Brittle to affect a wider range. Blimps have quite large hitboxes already but the base Super Brittle's range is still quite tiny, so it could be worth adding.
• 5-0-2: Re-Freeze appears to have no effect on refreshment of the brittle effects, as Super Brittle is already fast enough to refresh the effects faster than they last.

Upper Path 2[]

Arctic Wind[]

• 0-3-0: Arctic Wind adds an Arctic Wind aura that slows down freeze-vulnerable bloons within range as well as allowing land towers to be placed on water. It also freezes more bloons per attack. Crosspathing is worth adding to assist its support potential, whether it be to slow bloons more effectively or to expand the size of the Arctic Wind aura.
• 1-3-0: Bloons will become even slower as they would need to pass through the Arctic Wind aura and undergo Permafrost effect. However, Arctic Wind does still have a small range. 1-3-0 tends to clump up bloons more than keep them in place as 0-3-2 would do.
• 2-3-0: Allows Leads and Camos to be affected by Arctic Wind too.
• 0-3-1: Adds more range to increase Arctic Wind influence range and wider range for the ice platforms. This crosspath alone is mainly for purposes of ice platforms.
• 0-3-2: Can basically permafreeze bloons, especially Ceramics.

Snowstorm[]

• 0-4-0: Besides more range, Snowstorm gains an ability that freezes all bloons on screen, except Leads if not given lead-popping from any source. Crosspathing choice is often based on that for Arctic Wind, given that Snowstorm's increased range improves the Arctic Wind aura's coverage, but 2-4-0 may be used if external lead-popping sources are not plausible for its ability to affect DDTs.
• 1-4-0: Permafrost also can apply to its ability, affecting all except MOAB-class bloons (which requires any Tier 5 Ice Monkey upgrade). 1-4-0 ability is useful against bloons, especially Ceramics.
• 2-4-0: Without lead-popping sources such as MIB or AMD, this crosspath is the only way for Snowstorm to affect Leads and DDTs, especially for its ability.
• 0-4-1: Gains more range to further expand Arctic Wind effects, especially bloon slowdown aura and ice platform coverage.
• 0-4-2: Can refreeze bloons to near-permastall Ceramics. Helpful if needing to stall Super Ceramics.

Absolute Zero[]

• 0-5-0: Activating Absolute Zero requires no initial cooldown and therefore can be used to freeze all bloons on screen on-demand with sell-and-rebuy strategies, and usually only requires 0-5-0. As for using Absolute Zero without sell-and-rebuy, Absolute Zero can directly target MOAB-class but not freeze them, the main attack gains more range, ability cooldown decreases and ability increases attack speed of all Ice Monkeys. Crosspathing improves the Absolute Zero's potential. Path 1 crosspath is more beneficial against blimps while Path 3 keeps its original Arctic Wind optimization principles.
• 1-5-0: Main attack can inflict Permafrost to any bloon including MOAB-class. Once struck against blimps, blimps will move at 25% permanently until popped. The same applies to its ability.
• 2-5-0: The ability already freezes Leads and DDTs even without crosspaths, but 2-5-0 allows DDTs to be inflicted with Permafrost with its main attack.
• 0-5-1: Wider range for a wider influence of the Arctic Wind effect.
• 0-5-2: Near-permanently stalls Ceramics. It also takes advantage of its improved 300 pierce, which allows it to catch lots more Ceramics.

Upper Path 3[]

Cryo Cannon[]

• 0-0-3: Cryo Cannon converts the Ice Monkey into a more traditional, projectile-based attacker. It shoots freezing snowballs at bloons at a much quicker rate and deal more damage. As such, it is most effective as a catcher of Super Ceramics in the late-game. Crosspathing is worth adding to assist with its powerful freezing potential, especially because it loses a small amount of pierce in exchange for more damage.
• 1-0-3: Permafrost seems like a worthy upgrade to add, because Cryo Cannon attacks quite fast. However, Permafrost is rarely useful in a practical sense due to the fact that Cryo Cannon basically permafreezes the affected bloon(s) in place.
• 2-0-3: This particular crosspath is mostly dedicated to the reliable catching of Golden Bloons. A 2-0-3 Cryo Cannon is sufficient enough to permanently freeze a Golden Bloon and inevitably lead to its eventual death, at least until much later rounds where the Golden Bloon gains freeze immunity. By this point, a MIB should be readily affordable.
• 0-1-3: Attacks faster so that it can catch Super Ceramics and ordinary Ceramics better, alongside a general DPS increase.
• 0-2-3: Gains substantial benefit for maximizing the amount of freezing inflicted on bloons. While the extra freeze penetration is nearly useless since Cryo Cannon attacks quick enough to refreeze them anyway, the extra pierce makes this crosspath useful for maximizing its ranged freezing potential against groups. The extra freeze duration can make it marginally better at freezing large groups of bloons quickly.

Icicles[]

• 0-0-4: Icicles adds spikes to each bloon hit by the snowball attack. Crosspathing improves its damage potential. Note that Icicles isn't as good at stalling compared to Cryo Cannon or 0-2-2 Ice, but it handles mid-game rushes better in exchange for that. It additionally targets and damages MOAB-class bloons but not apply slowdown effects of any sort. As a result of all of this, Icicles is typically oriented for DPS more than slowdown utility.
• 1-0-4: Permafrost seems like a worthy upgrade to add, because Icicles attacks quite fast. However, Permafrost is rarely useful in a practical sense due to the fact that the icicles can eat away at bloons anyway, rendering Permafrost less useful on all except groups of Ceramics and when microing its targeting.
• 2-0-4: Useful on "hard and heavy" rounds, especially Round 63, given that Leads may block out the spikes.
• 0-1-4: Increases attack speed for a much better hybridized freeze and damage.
• 0-2-4: The extra freeze penetration is nearly useless except with other towers (especially because icicles can shred bloons every time they hit them), but the marginal freeze duration bonus and pierce increase can be helpful for affecting many more bloons. As such, it is the Icicles' optimal crosspath for DPS.

Icicle Impale[]

• 0-0-5: Icicle Impale allows the Ice Monkey to directly target MOAB-class, and hitting them slows them down immensely and deals a considerable amount of damage. It also attacks slightly faster than normal. Crosspathing is worth adding to improve its support role at both freezing and supporting damage.
• 1-0-5: Applies permafrost to blimps, generally useless because Impale freezes blimps to a halt anyways.
• 2-0-5: Can hit and freeze DDTs. Does not require a Radar Scanner because Cold Snap adds built-in camo detection.
• 0-1-5: Faster attack speed and better at stalling MOAB-class bloons.
• 0-2-5: The marginal freeze duration bonus can be helpful for further freezing, especially MOAB-class bloons, but the freeze penetration bonus has no effect for its MOAB-class stalling. The extra pierce makes Icicle Impale more helpful for rounds with densely packed blimps, such as Round 95 (in combination with lead-popping) and 98.

Strategy[]

Crosspathing an Ice Monkey has wide variety on not only the higher-tiers but also for lower-tiers. Lower-tiers specialize mostly on freezing plus a limited amount of bonus freezing potential, and many of these specialize at stopping Ceramic rushes such as Rounds 63 and 78. Higher-tiers typically prefer the middle crosspath over a utility crosspath, while the middle path higher-tiers tend to have a choice of either crosspath depending on the needs of the defense and/or necessary utility.