Pierce

"Pierce is the number of different bloons an attack can hit"

- Bloons Adventure Time TD, while loading screen message displayed

Pierce is a commonly used description for the maximum number of bloons that can be affected by an individual element of attack. An element of an attack may be a dart, tack, bomb, frag or something else that is individual. Pierce could even be described as the remaining "health" of a projectile.

"Pierce" is obviously the language of pointy things. In contexts where a non-pointy attack is launched it is also common to talk in terms of blast, splatter, shoot, slice or shred but pierce has become the term in most general use.

The concept of arbitrary pierce is not limited to Bloons TD games, but it is a notable game mechanic influential for optimal defensive strategy in this tower defense sub-genre. For example, a Ninja Monkey's shuriken has 2 pierce by default, meaning it can hit up to two different bloons before the shuriken expires automatically. Some attacks may have exactly one pierce no matter what, and are marked as Impact. Some attacks may have strictly infinite pierce, and are marked as Infinite Pierce.

When referring to any spike-related attack, such as Spike Factories' spike piles, pierce is the "health" of the spikes before it gets used up. For attacks that are capable of dealing Contact Damage, some projectiles also gauge pierce as "health", but some such as Wall of Fire constantly refresh pierce every contact tick until the projectile expires.

Before Bloons TD 4
TBA

Bloons TD 4
TBA

Bloons TD 5
TBA

Bloons TD 6
TBA

Bloons Adventure Time TD
TBA

Bloons Pop!
In Bloons Pop!, pierce is mostly in regards to the maximum number of bounces an attack can make, including for monkeys who are thrown onto the screen. Boomerangs and bolts are among many exceptions, and these projectile types follow the typical pierce rules of any mainline BTD game.

Parallels and differences between Pierce and Popping Power
Along with a depth of Damage inflicted by an attack, with the number of elements in an attack (such as from a Tack Shooter or from Triple, Airburst or Monkey Ace Darts) and possibly with attack speed, Pierce is an important contributing factor to Popping Power. Indeed, in some situations, it is simply described as "Popping Power" as per the following quotes.



"Increases the popping power of all nearby monkeys by 1."

- BTD%M/BMCM description for the Monkey Village x/1, Monkey Fort upgrade

"Grants a (2-20)% increase in popping power of every offensive tower and agent you deploy..."

"Larger blast area and more popping power."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Bomb Shooter x/1 Bigger Bombs upgrade

Popping Power goes beyond Attack extent to also consider the number of elements in an attack as per:

"Airburst darts split into 3 on impact for massively increased popping power"

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Monkey Sub x/2, Airburst Darts upgrade

Depth of Damage caused by an attack can also be considered as an aspect of "Popping Power":

"Snipers set to strong targetting can help maximize their popping power"

- BMC/M "Loading ..." screen advice

More general advice also includes that:

"Researching upgrades allows you to increase your Monkeys' popping power."

- BMC/M "Loading ..." screen advice

And, arguably, the time extended effects of Glue and Burny Stuff can also be considered as constituting Popping Power.

Pierce by Tower (BTD5)

 * See also: Tower and upgrade stats (BTD5M, BMCM and Battles Mobile)

Text in Italic means Premium/Specialty (BTD5 only) or obtained through Monkey Knowledge Packs (Bloons Monkey City only)


 * Dart Monkey
 * Basic Tower: 1
 * Sharp Shots: 2
 * Razor Sharp Shots: 4
 * Spike-o-Pult: 18
 * Juggernaut: 100 (101 with Sharp Shots, 103 with Razor Sharp Shots)
 * Splodey Darts: +10
 * Monkey Knowledge Packs: 10%, 20%, 30%


 * Tack Shooter


 * Basic Tower: 1 (for each tack)
 * Ring of Fire: Totals to 60 but this increases greatly with bonuses
 * Blade Shooter: 2 (for each blade)
 * Blade Maelstrom: ∞ (every blade in BTD5)
 * Tack Awesomizer: x2
 * Tack Research Center: +1
 * Monkey Knowledge Packs: +1 every 2nd shot, +1, +1 and +2 every 2nd shot, +2, +2 and +3 every 2nd shot, +3


 * Sniper Monkey
 * Basic Tower: 1 (pops multiple layers per shot, but only on one bloon.)


 * Bomb Tower
 * Basic Tower: 40
 * Bigger Bombs: 50 ?
 * Missile Launcher: 55 ?
 * Cluster Bombs: 180 ?
 * Frag Bombs: 1 (for each of the eight frags)


 * Ninja Monkey
 * Basic Tower: 2
 * Sharp Shurikens: 4
 * Flash Bombs: 40 (bombs only)
 * Double Shot: 4 (per shuriken, throws 2 shurikens)
 * Bloonjitsu: 4 (per shuriken, throws 5 shurikens)
 * Monkey Knowledge Packs: +1, +2, +3


 * Boomerang Thrower
 * Basic Tower: 3
 * Multi Target: 7
 * Glaive Thrower: 12
 * Glaive Riccochet: 100 (40 in Bloons Monkey City)
 * Glaive Lord: 40 (Rotating Glaives have ∞)


 * Ice Tower
 * Basic Tower: ∞
 * Snap Freeze: ∞
 * Ice Shards: 1 (per ice shard)
 * Monkey Knowledge Packs: +1, +4, +5, +6


 * Glue Gunner
 * Basic Tower: 1
 * Glue Splatter: 6
 * Glue Hose: 6 (x3)


 * Monkey Buccaneer
 * Basic Tower: 5
 * Grape Shot: 2 (per grape)
 * Cannon Ship: 40 (per bomb)
 * Aircraft Ship: 5 (per strafed dart)


 * Monkey Ace
 * Basic Tower: 5 (each dart)
 * Sharper Darts: 8 (each dart)
 * Spectre: 40
 * Pineapple Present: 20 (per pineapple)
 * Ground Zero: ∞
 * Monkey Knowledge Packs: +1, +2, +3


 * Dartling Gun
 * Basic Tower: 1
 * Powerful Darts: 3
 * Laser Cannon: 13 (15 with Powerful Darts)
 * Ray of Doom: 100
 * Ray of Doom (mobile): ∞
 * Hydra Rocket Pods: 1 (Rocket) 40 (Explosion)
 * Dartling Ammo Dump iOS: +1
 * Monkey Knowledge Packs: +1, +2, +3


 * Mortar Tower
 * Basic Tower: 40
 * The Big One: 100


 * Monkey Apprentice
 * Basic Tower: 2
 * Intense Magic: 7
 * Lightning Bolt: 25
 * Summon Whirlwind: 15
 * Tempest Tornado: 70
 * Dragon's Breath: 3 (per flame)
 * Monkey Knowledge Packs: Whirlwind popping power +2, +4, +6

Super Monkey
 * Basic Tower: 1
 * Laser Vision: 2
 * Plasma Vision: 5
 * Sun God: 5 (x3)
 * Robo Monkey: 3 (4 with Laser Vision, 5 with Plasma Vision)
 * Technological Terror: 5 (6 with Laser Vision, 7 with Plasma Vision)
 * Temple of the Monkey God: Depends on sacrifices. A Temple with no sacrifices will pop 50 bloons per yellow plasma ball.
 * Temple of the Monkey God (mobile): Beams have ∞ popping power no matter the sacrifices.


 * Spike Factory
 * Basic Tower: 5
 * Bigger Stacks: 10
 * Spiked Balls: 16
 * Spiked Mines: 16 (Spikeballs) 40 (explosion)
 * Tack Awesomizer: x2 (except for Spiked Mines' explosion)
 * Spikes R Us (BTD5 Mobile) x1.5
 * Monkey Knowledge Packs: +1, +2, +3 (per pile)


 * Monkey Village
 * Basic Tower: 0
 * High Energy Beacon: 1


 * Bloonchipper
 * Basic Tower: 1 (3 storage) (9 With Triple Barrel storage)


 * Monkey Engineer
 * Basic Tower: 3
 * Sentry Gun: 2
 * 9-Inch Nails: 8 (does not affect sentries)


 * Heli Pilot
 * Basic Tower: 2 (per dart, shoots 2 darts)
 * Quad Darts: 2 (per dart; x4)
 * Razor Rotors: ∞
 * Apache Dartship:


 * Monkey Sub
 * Basic Tower: 1
 * Barbed Darts: 3
 * Bloontonium Reactor: 30
 * Airburst Darts: 1 (per dart, shoots one dart that splits in 3 (4 with Tier 3 Sub Construction Yard))
 * Ballistic Missile:
 * Monkey Knowledge Packs: every 3rd, 2nd, all Airburst Darts split into 4 instead of 3.


 * Agents
 * Beekeeper: 1
 * Beekeeper Pro: 1
 * Meerkat Spy: -
 * Meerkat Spy Pro: 1
 * Tribal Turtle's spears: 3
 * Tribal Turtle's coconuts: 5
 * Tribal Turtle Pro's spears: 3
 * Tribal Turtle Pro's coconuts: 5
 * Angry Squirrel: 1
 * Angry Squirrel Pro: 1 (both pop more when enraged)
 * Bloonsday Device: 700
 * Bloonsday Device Pro: 700
 * Super Monkey Storm: ∞
 * Super Monkey Storm Pro: ∞

Tier
There is no strict "tier" of indicating the quantitative amount of pierce a certain attack possesses, because an attack can be considered "high pierce" or "low pierce" depending on the type of attack and how it performs in a practical game.

Assuming the attack is an ordinary projectile-based attack, the following is a table indicating a quantitative measure of how much pierce each projectile has.

Quotes indicating quantities of bloons that an element of an attack can pop
"Can pop 1 extra bloon per shot."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Dart Monkey x/1, Sharp Shots upgrade

"Can pop 2 extra bloon per shot."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Dart Monkey x/2, Sharp Shots upgrade

"Catapult fires spiked balls that can pop 18 bloons."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Dart Monkey 3/x upgrade

"Hurls a giant spiked ball that excels at crushing ceramics"

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Dart Monkey 4/x Juggernaut upgrade

"Shoots out big razer sharp blades."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Tack Shooter x/3, Blade Shooter upgrade

"Converts tower into a blade shooter that shoots our razor sharp blades that are harder for the bloons to avoid."

- BTD5 description for the Tack Shooter x/3, Blade Shooter upgrade

"Ability: covers the area in a storm of blades."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Tack Shooter x/4 Blade Maelstrom Abiity upgrade

"Blade Maelstrom Ability: covers the area in an unstoppable storm of blades."

- BTD5 description for the Tack Shooter x/4, Blade Maelstrom Ability upgrade

"Boomerangs can now pop 7 bloons each."

- BTD5 description for the Boomerang Thrower Multi-Target upgrade

"Glaives slice through up to 12 bloons at once!"

- BTD4 description for the Boomerang Thrower Glaive Thrower upgrade

"Glaives now automatically bounce from bloon to bloon."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Boomerang Thrower 3/x, Glaive Ricochet upgrade

"The glaives from this tower will automatically bounce from bloon to bloon as long as there is one close by."

- BTD5 description for the Boomerang Thrower 3/x, Glaive Ricochet upgrade

"Two permanent glaives orbit the tower."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Boomerang Thrower 4/x, Glaive Lord upgrade

"Creates two permanent glaives that orbit round the tower, shredding almost anything that touches them. Glaive Lord can attack Camo Bloons."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Boomerang Thrower 4/x, Glaive Lord upgrade

"Shurikens can pop 4 bloons each."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Ninja Monkey 2/x, Sharp Shurikens upgrade

"Larger blast area and more popping power."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Boomb Shooter x/1 Bigger Bombs upgrade

"More velocity and range, more damage, and faster firing."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Bomb Shooter x/2, Missile Launcher upgrade

"Throws out secondary bombs instead of frags."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Bomb Shooter 3/x, Cluster Bomb upgrade

"Splatters glue across 6 bloons as a time."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Glue Gunner x/2, Glue Splatter upgrade

"Monkey Ace darts can pop 8 bloons each!"

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Monkey Ace 2/x, Sharper Darts upgrade

"Fast firing twin laser beams pop twice as much as before."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Super Monkey 1/x, Laser Blasts upgrade

"Plasma vaporizes everything it touches."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Super Monkey 2/x, Plasma Blasts upgrade

"It is said that bloons who doth touch the sun shall be cleansed, and there shall be peace."

- BTD5 description for the Super Monkey 3/x, Sun God upgrade

"Shoots larger and more powerful magical bolts."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Monkey Apprentice 1/x, Intense Magic upgrade

"The Apprentice adds a powerful fireball attack to its arsenal."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Monkey Apprentice x/1, Fireball upgrade

"Unleash the power of lightning to zap many bloons at once."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Monkey Apprentice 2/x, Lightning Bolt upgrade

"... and adds a powerful energy beam attack"

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Monkey Village 4/x, Energy Beacon

"Darts move faster and can pop 3 bloons each."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Darlting Gun x/1, Powerful Shots upgrade

"Rapid fire Plasma can pop 13 bloons each and also pops frozen bloons."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Dartling Gun 3/x, Laser Cannon

"Shoots vicious little missiles instead of darts."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Dartling Gun x/3,

"The Ray of Doom is a persistent solid beam of bloon destruction."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Dartling 4/x, Ray of Doom upgrade

"Produces sharp spiked balls that do extra damage to ceramic bloons"

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Spike Factory 3/x, Spiked Balls upgrade

"Spiked balls explode when they loose all their spikes."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Spike Factory 4/x, Spiked Mines upgrade

"Massive nails pop 8 bloons at once, including frozen bloons."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Monkey Engineer x/1, 9-inch nails upgrade

"Makes the Submarine's darts pop up to 3 bloons each."

- BTD5M/BMCM description for the Monkey Sub 1/x, Barbed Darts upgrade

Trivia

 * In the BTD5 generation, while Sniper Monkeys attack single bloons, it inflicts damage on its affected target.
 * Note that in BTD6, Shrapnel Shot and further upgrades allow the Sniper Monkey to be able to affect multiple bloons at once.
 * In BTD3 and BTD4, towers with multiple pierce will hit blimps multiple times.
 * This is one of the reasons why the Monkey Wizard is considered about as powerful as a Sun God in BTD4. It has massive pierce, letting it destroy even a B.F.B. with ease.
 * This does not apply to the Bloons TD 4 (iOS) version, making extreme-pierce towers such as the aforementioned Monkey Wizard less powerful.