Banana Farm (BTDB2)/Strategies/General

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This page is a general guide for Banana Farm. For more advanced guides, see Banana Farm (BTDB2)/Strategies/Optimization

The Banana Farm is an income-generating tower in Bloons TD Battles 2. Banana Farm produces bananas every round, earning extra money when picked up. However, unpicked bananas can rot after a certain amount of time and earn no money, wasting the monetary investment if not looked after. When properly utilized, the Banana Farm can give the player a competitive advantage compared to players that rely mostly on eco.

The aim of this article is a general guide for using the Banana Farm. It summarizes how to effectively use Banana Farm without going into too much intricate detail about meta strategy.

Base Tower[]

Cost: $1,000
Unlock: 250

Base Banana Farm produces 3 bananas per round, each worth $40, for a total of $120 per round. This is the cheapest income-generating option in the entire game, and can snowball quickly in the first few rounds. However, unlike Battles 1, it is incredibly risky to start with a Banana Farm too early in the game, because the opponent can send eco bloons right on the first round. To get started with Banana Farm farming, the first Farm should be placed after a solid defense is established within the first few rounds. It is worth a mention that all Farms start producing their first banana as soon as a new round begins.

Upgrades[]

Increased Production[]

Cost: $550
Path: 1
Tier: 1
Unlock: Default

Increased Production produces 5 bananas per round, each worth $40, for a total of $200 per round. A simple income generation bonus that helps bridge the gap between the next Farm. The main point of this upgrade is to keep up the pace of steady income growth; purchasing Increased Production saves more in the long-run than just waiting time for another Farm, not to mention more efficient.

Greater Production[]

Cost: $550
Path: 1
Tier: 2
Unlock: Default

Greater Production produces 7 bananas per round, each worth $40, for a total of $280 per round. Like its previous upgrade, Increased Production, it is a simple income generation bonus that helps bridge the gap between the next Farm. Again, the small increments of upgrade costs do help keep a steady income growth till the next Farm.

Banana Plantation[]

Cost: $2,750
Path: 1
Tier: 3
Unlock: Default

Banana Plantation produces 16 bananas per round, each worth $40, for a total of $640 per round. For a Tier 3 upgrade, it makes a lot of money in the short-term. It can be paired with Valuable Bananas to increase banana income to $50 each, giving a total of $800 per round.

Banana Research Facility[]

Cost: $16,000
Path: 1
Tier: 4
Unlock: Default

Banana Research Facility exchanges bananas for banana crates, producing 5 banana crates per round worth $600 each, for a total of $3000 per round. An expensive investment that can quickly increases in value if rounds go by quickly. Combining with Valuable Bananas increases banana crate income to $750 each, giving a total of $3750 per round.

Banana Central[]

Cost: $66,000
Path: 1
Tier: 5
Unlock: 1500

Banana Central produces much more valuable crates, producing 5 banana crates per round worth $2,800 each, for a total of $14,000 per round. It is the most expensive Farm upgrade in the game but outputs the greatest raw income gain. It can be paired with Valuable Bananas to increase banana crate income to $3500 each, giving a total of $17,500 per round. Banana Central also increases income output of all Banana Research Facility by +20% ($720 for BRFs without 4-2-0, and $900 for 4-2-0 BRFs), making it even stronger in combination with masses of factories.

Long Life Bananas[]

Cost: $200
Path: 2
Tier: 1
Unlock: Default

Long Life Bananas increases lifespan of bananas from 15 seconds to 30 seconds. It is not really necessary of an upgrade on its own, given that the size of the playable screen is halved, and therefore picking bananas is not so difficult as a result.

Valuable Bananas[]

Cost: $700
Path: 2
Tier: 2
Unlock: Default

Valuable Bananas increases value of all collectables (bananas and banana crates) from this Farm by +25%. It is used for increasing the value of an existing Banana Farm. This upgrade is mostly valuable for Banana Plantation and above, as it produces a lot of income for a single Farm. By calculation, the Valuable Bananas crosspath costs a little less than the Greater Production crosspath, costing only $900 in total instead of $1100 with both Increased Production and Greater Production, but also produces a smaller income increase too.

Monkey Bank[]

Cost: $4,600
Path: 2
Tier: 3
Unlock: Default

Monkey Bank stores all its collectables in a bank account, giving a $550 lump sum at the start of each round plus an additional three $50 payments during each round. Two more $50 payments are added for every Path 1 upgrade on the Bank. At the end of each round, all stored income receives 20% interest, increasing total stored monetary value by +20% every round. Up to $14,000 can be stored per Bank. Monkey Bank is very expensive but can be super valuable if stored for long enough, especially paired with Ben's Bank buff. However, no income is directly generated until collected, relying on its long-term value to make up its hefty cost.

IMF Loan[]

Cost: $8,000
Path: 2
Tier: 4
Unlock: Default

In addition to an improved bank capacity of $20,000, IMF Loan adds an ability that takes an instant $20,000 loan at the cost of all income generation being cut by 50% until all loans are repaid. IMF Loan encourages risky play to gain a winning advantage; the loan can be used to send an all-out rush against the opponent, greatly expand farming potential, or afford necessary defenses to defend against a rush.

Monkey-Nomics[]

Cost: $45,000
Path: 2
Tier: 5
Unlock: 1500

Monkey-Nomics gives an instant $20,000 per use instead of a loan. Its main use is to gain a lot of income over a long period of time. If repeatedly used as soon as it is ready, the ability is an equivalent of 2400 eco. Its bank capacity also improves to $30,000, allowing for a better storage of income for the long-term. Selling and rebuying the Monkey-Nomics is a common strategy to quickly acquire its instant money-generating ability, particularly profitable when paired with the Banana Salvage crosspath and a nearby Favored Trades.

EZ Collect[]

Cost: $250
Path: 3
Tier: 1
Unlock: Default

EZ Collect makes increases the collection size of all bananas, and Banks glow when full. Both of these benefits are purely for convenience, and just like Long Life Bananas into Valuable Bananas, EZ Collect is mostly for a stepping stone into Banana Salvage.

Banana Salvage[]

Cost: $200
Path: 3
Tier: 2
Unlock: Default

Banana Salvage lets expired bananas autocollect for 50% value, autocollects Banks for their full values, but most importantly it also gives +10% sellback for the current Farm. Banana Salvage allows Farms to sell for much more than they would without this upgrade, giving more money once sold.

Marketplace[]

Cost: $2,800
Path: 3
Tier: 3
Unlock: Default

Marketplace autocollects all its bananas and produces 14 bananas per round, each worth $40, for a total of $560 per round ($720 with 2-0-3 or $700 with 0-2-3). The main value of Marketplace is inheriting the bonus sellback from the Banana Salvage upgrade, rather than the benefit of autocollection. Marketplace produces less bananas than Banana Plantation, making its crosspath choice even more important for maximum income.

Central Market[]

Cost: $13,000
Path: 3
Tier: 4
Unlock: Default

Central Market increases banana value to $160 per banana, producing 14 higher-value bananas that total to $2240 per round ($2880 with 2-0-4, $2800 with 0-2-4). Similarly to Banana Research Facility, Central Market is an expensive investment that helps accelerate income much quicker. An advantage of Central Market is its bonus sellback and slightly lower costs. Central Market also improves Merchantmen income by +10%, which can help a Boat-Farm loadout.

Monkey Wall Street[]

Cost: $46,000
Path: 3
Tier: 5
Unlock: 1500

Monkey Wall Street is the same as a Central Market but gives an additional $10,000 at the end of each round. Monkey Wall Street pays itself incredibly fast just for a single Farm. With incredibly risky play, a Monkey Wall Street bought early can skyrocket income very quickly.

General Strategy[]

All towers including Banana Farm start off with upgrades up to Tier 4. All Tier 5 upgrades for the Banana Farm are unlocked with 2500. In order to suit the tower's varied specialties, some upgrades are better unlocked first before others. Below is a brief guide to utilizing each of the Farm upgrades.

Banana Farm's first two tiers are mostly for the early-game. Try mastering the act of creating more Farms in the early-game while surviving with a tower that essentially solos the early-game, such as a Glaive Ricochet or Blade Shooter. Farm with the first two upgrades of Path 1, and use Path 2 and 3 upgrades when necessary. With sufficient mastery of the early-game, the next Farms can be unlocked later on. Progression from next farms smoothly in a real game is usually going to a either Banana Plantation or Marketplace, given their readily affordable prices. Banana Plantation has a higher short-term income gain, while Marketplace produces slightly less but autocollects and has the benefit of extra sellback. The choice of either two should benefit either playstyle, and hence either one of them should be unlocked first. However, Monkey Bank is quite unaffordable unless amassing a lot of eco to compensate its lack of immediate income gain, so should be unlocked last of the Tier 3 upgrades.

Farm's Tier 4 upgrades have many more flexible options for widely expanding income. Banana Research Facility produces a huge amount of income with a high cost, and similarly for Central Market except with the benefit of extra sellback and Merchantman buffs. IMF Loan essentially requires Monkey Bank to unlock, so trying out risky plays with IMF Loan requires more XP grinding to eventually unlock it. Choice of unlock order for Tier 4 upgrades should be primarily based on the end goal of surviving rounds beyond Round 17.

Farm's Tier 5 upgrades effectively do the same thing: provide a ton of cash, however, each one of them does in a different way. Banana Central main perk is the buff that makes crates created by BRFs worth +25% more (stacks multipicatively with Valuable Bananas) However, this requires adquate space to make the most out of this upgrade and BRFs are fine on their own. Monkey-nomics removes the debt created by its ability on top of its bank, which on top of selling with bottom path upgrades, gives so much addition cash however, it takes a lot of time for the bank to fully fill up and IMF Loan, similarily to BRFs, are fine on their own. Monkey Wall Street is the cheapest of the Tier 5 Banana Farms but also the most cost- effeicent. It gives $10k at the end of every round. Given how quick it is to pay itself off, how much cash it makes once it does profit, the increased Sellback from Banana Salvage, and being the cheapest and most cost-effecient Tier 5 Farm, Monkey Wall Street is clearly the best Tier 5 farm due these reasons.