Apache Prime

Apache Prime is the final upgrade on Path 1 for the Heli Pilot in BTD6. It is a much more powerful version of Apache Dartship. It costs $38,250 on Easy, $45,000 on Medium, $48,600 on Hard, and $54,000 on Impoppable.

The upgrade replaces the Apache Dartship's dart weapons with lasers and plasma. Its base Quad Dart projectiles are replaced with lasers and its deadly frontal machine gun is replaced with a rapid-fire plasma cannon. The lasers and plasma cannon now have 23 and 11 pierce respectively, and strip 6 and 5 layers per shot instead of 1 for both, before Monkey Knowledge boosts are applied. Its homing missiles deal an additive 15 damage (total 17 from 2 damage) to M.O.A.B. Class Bloons as well. The plasma machine gun cannot pop purples, the rockets cannot pop blacks, but the laser attack can pop all bloons.

StrategiesEdit

SummaryEdit

The Apache Prime is an excellent late-game tower that features in many CHIMPS runs due to its sheer power. Its shortcomings are usually dampened by adding support towers. Its largest weakness on paper is in fact DDTs, which its rockets do not damage, along with the inability to fully use its decent pierce due to the tendency of DDTs to be spaced and fast. These issues are usually solved with the addition of support. Its largest weakness in practice is affording it, as Apache Dartship can struggle against many mid-late rounds on harder maps and without a properly planned strategy. It is recommended to micro the Apache Prime to good positions if you are able to/need to.

TipsEdit

• Monkey Intelligence Bureau, Bloon Sabotage, MOAB Glue and Overclock all help the Apache Prime overcome this weakness. In addition, the latter three upgrades can also be useful to help on non-DDT rounds where the Apache Prime just does not have enough time to kill the bloons on certain tracks.
• While Bigger Jets does help remedy the Apache Prime's issue of failing to catch up with Super Ceramics, it seriously loses out on popping power compared to Faster Firing.
• If you cannot micro the Apache Prime, leaving it on Pursuit still allows it to do its job, albeit it will not be a truly optimised use of the Apache Prime.
• The Bloon Solver, Sun Avatar, The Biggest One are great options for complementary towers as they all are specifically very good at destroying Super Ceramics.
  • Do be careful as their price may make them hard to afford.
  • Cheap superceramic support options include Glue Hose and its upgrades, 0-1-2 Ice Monkeys, Downdraft, and The Big One.
• Shattering Shells makes fortified superceramics much easier to deal with.
• See Apache Dartship for more strategies during the process of affording Apache Prime.

Update HistoryEdit

2.0

Increased movement speed

6.0

The main plasma cannon gained +1 damage and +1 pierce

8.0

Machine gun damage increased (3 → 5)

MOAB rocket damage increased (11 → 16)

4xx Apache Dartship price increased from $16400 to $19500, increasing cumulative price of Apache Prime.

9.0

4xx Apache Dartship price increased from $19500 to $19600, increasing cumulative price of Apache Prime.

17.0

Base Heli Pilot cost increased ($1500 --> $1600), increasing cumulative price of Apache Prime.

GalleryEdit

Apache Prime in-game

Apache Prime in-game

Apache Prime with Heli Pad

Apache Prime Shooting

Apache Prime official upgrade icon

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TriviaEdit

• Note that while the lasers and plasma have more pierce and damage than the basic darts, they cannot hit Purple Bloons. On the other hand, Purple Bloons can still be popped due to the Razor Rotors upgrade and the missile array.
• In the upgrade artwork, the Apache Prime appears to be deploying flares in the angel formation, made famous by the AC130 gunship (otherwise known as the Spectre).
• In Version 1.6 of the game, there used to be a glitch that caused the Apache Prime to be extremely powerful, firing its frontal plasma cannon at roughly five times the speed. All its projectiles seemingly did double damage as well. The cause of this glitch is unknown, as it only triggered on certain devices.
• A 5-2-0 Apache Prime will defeat a B.A.D. by itself, although the speed of which is much increased if it is upgraded to 5-0-2 and some other form of removing or allowing it to pop Camo is used.
• Due to its versatility and ease of use, the Apache Prime has been used in a variety of 2 Towers CHIMPS, most notably being paired with Archmage, Pre-Emptive Strike, and Wizard Lord Phoenix.