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, and the laser attack can pop all bloons.

StrategiesEdit

SummaryEdit

While this tower is great even when on Pursuit, it has problems catching up with scaled Super Ceramics, and even then is not its most efficient form of its popping power. Due to its inability to deal with Super Ceramics, it is highly recommended to micro the Heli Pilot in favourable positions in front of MOABs, and try to minimise the damage wasted on Super Ceramics, and instead leave it for another tower such as The Bloon Solver.

TipsEdit

• While Bigger Jets may appear to help to remedy the Apache Prime's issue of failing to catch up with Super Ceramics, it has not much popping power anyway and needs Faster Firing to actually have decent popping power.
  • Usually getting Faster Darts isn't worth the price (in fact, sometimes the Apache Prime is worse with Faster Darts than without it (5-0-1))
• The Apache Prime also struggles against D.D.T.s on its own due to their speed and high health unless it is boosted. (Several two towers C.H.I.M.P.S. challenges with Apache Prime and another tower eg. Glaive Lord, Ezili, etc failed on Round 99 since those towers don't have enough popping power for the Fortified D.D.T.s on 99) Use towers like Permanent Brew or Overclock to maximize its popping power against D.D.T.s.
• If you cannot micro the Apache Prime, leaving it on Pursuit still allows it to do its job, albeit making it weaker.
• 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.

Update HistoryEdit

2.0

Increased Movement speed

6.0

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

8.0

Machine gun damage increased 3->5

MOAB rocket damage increased 11->16

GalleryEdit

Apache Prime in-game

Apache Prime in-game

Apache Prime with Heli Pad

Apache Prime Shooting

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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.