Archmage (BTDB2)

BTD6

BTDB2

“	A true master of magical wizardry.	”
	~ BTDB2 description

Archmage is the 5th upgrade of Path 1 for the Wizard Monkey in Bloons TD Battles 2. Like its BTD6 counterpart, it hugely enhances its bolt attacks in addition to gaining powerful flame attacks and shimmers, plus a significant MOAB-class damage bonus to all its damaging attacks. However, it is much stronger in general, particularly with higher bolt damage.

Each bolt pops 13 bloons instead of 7 (18 instead of 12 with 5-0-1), deals 10 regular bloon damage and 35 MOAB-class damage, and deals +8 damage to Lead Bloons including visible DDTs. Its own Dragon's Breath attack and shimmer attacks do receive double speed bonuses, and further improves its fire attacks by doubling attack speed and gaining substantial MOAB-class damage bonuses. Flames deal +2 MOAB-class damage, fireballs (with 5-1-0) deal 9 damage and +9 to MOAB-class, and firewalls (with 5-2-0) deal +1 MOAB-class damage. However, flames remain to deal 1 damage to non-blimp types.

It costs $32,000, and is unlocked with the other tier 5 Wizard Monkey tier 5 upgrades for 1500.

Strategy

Summary

Archmage serves as a strong overall blimp destroyer, particularly for its specializations against DDTs, in this game with its incredible damage to DDTs at quick rates. It is a strong general DPS Wizard upgrade that deals large-scale MOAB-class damage.

Tips

• Both crosspaths of Archmage are viable in their own ways. If Archmage is used for its general popping power rather than anti-DDT specializations, the 5-2-0 crosspath works better for that purpose. 5-0-2 gains extra pierce and innate camo detection to quickly dispatch DDTs and clean up more efficiently. Visualise it with this Archmage crosspathing test (1.9.0).
  • 5-2-0 only gains enhanced Fireball and Wall of Fire, forgoing better cleanup for better single-target damage and greater general destruction. It works better for quickly destroying slow heavy blimps such as Fortified ZOMGs.
  • 5-0-2 gives the needed bolt pierce and camo detection, making it better for overall cleanup and become more reliable against DDT rushes.
• It may be helpful to combine Archmage with Super Maelstrom to counter its immense weaknesses to large clumps of Ceramics that it may produce from demolishing blimps.

Version History

Archmage has received multiple damage buffs to make it stronger at handling MOAB-class bloons. It further received buffs to make it a more viable anti-DDT tower. The most recent buffs have imported the BTD6 crosspathing buffs from BTD6 Version 34.0, allowing Archmage to stand out as a very powerful Wizard upgrade for its moderately high cost.

Initial release (compared to BTD6 during Version 28.0)

• Released

1.1.1

• Archmage damage to MOAB-class bloons (22 → 26)

1.2

• Archmage: damage to MOAB class bloons (26 → 30)

1.4.0

• Archmage now deals +8 damage to Leads

1.5.0

• Archmage damage to MOAB class bloons increased 30 -> 35
• No longer requires TBA XP to unlock. Players who have unlocked this upgrade before the update will not receive a full refund, as well as unlock all Tier 5 Wizard Monkey upgrades.

1.9.0

• 510 Archmage: fireball damage 3 -> 9
• 5xx Archmage’s fireball, wall of fire, dragon’s breath and shimmer have their attack speed doubled.
• 500 Dragon's Breath now does +2 damage to MOABs
• 510 Fireball now does +9 damage to MOABs
• 520 Wall of Fire now does +1 damage to MOABs

3.3

• Archmage pierce bonus increased from +4 to +6, base pierce of bolt increased from 11 to 13

“	Wizard deserved some attention after being out of the limelight for a while now. Note that we have also indirectly buffed Wizard with the Ezili change, and we fixed a bug which allowed x5x to be much stronger than intended.	”
	~ Ninja Kiwi

Gallery

Enough XP to unlock Archmage

Unlocked Archmage

Trivia

• Archmage retains its original "ambiguous" description, unlike its BTD6 counterpart.