Blade Maelstrom (BTDB2)

BTDB2

“	Activated Ability: Covers the area in a storm of blades.	”
	^{~ BTDB2 description}

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Qwertyxp2000 1.7 — Blade Maelstrom ability blocked by obstacles

Blade Maelstrom is the 4th upgrade of Path 2 for the Tack Shooter in Bloons TD Battles 2. It is similar to its BTD6 counterpart, except more expensive and ability blades cannot ignore Line of Sight, but the ability has no initial cooldown. The activated ability is roughly the same as the BTD6 Version 25.0 counterpart, except with the special anticlockwise rotation with Path 3 crosspaths as the only unique crosspathing interaction.

Alongside the normal Blade Shooter attack, the Blade Maelstrom upgrade grants a new activated ability that creates two rapidly shooting streams of extremely high-pierce blades that spiral outwards clockwise (or anticlockwise with 0-4-1 crosspath) for 3 seconds at a rate of 30 times per second (every 0.03333s). These special blades deal a limited amount of pierce, specifically 200, deal 1 damage per blade, and do not ignore Line of Sight obstacles. All of its blades cannot damage Frozen or Lead. Cooldown for the ability is 20 seconds.

It costs $3,000, and is unlocked by default.

Strategy[]

Summary[]

The Blade Maelstrom ability shoots twin blades that continually are shot rotationally. The ability is mostly used to bail out against a big rush, as well as to clean up the insides of a MOAB. Duration of the ability is limited, so time it well and place a Tack and its upgrades promptly if micromanaging Maelstrom abilities. Placement of the Maelstrom matters much more in this game, particularly because these blades cannot ignore obstacles.

Tips[]

Use crosspaths as appropriate for Blade Shooter. The only crosspath that affects Maelstrom ability is 0-4-1, which should be used if rotating anticlockwise instead of clockwise will prevent chasing bloons.
While the Blade Maelstrom ability can no longer ignore Line of Sight, this particular attribute is mostly only a problem on maps that contain obstacles nearby usable track, such as In the Wall, Oasis, and Banana Depot.
Blade Maelstrom's ability is best used against the grain, so the rotating blades won't chase the bloons in the same direction as the movement of the bloons.
Players using Maelstrom may be disadvantaged on Mirrored Maps, as the effectiveness of the Blade Maelstrom ability is unequal if placed and used on the same location but mirrored.

Version History[]

Might be helpful to add the inherited Blade Shooter stat nerfs

Maelstrom is a powerful tower for dishing out wide damage, making it excel at dealing with R11-16 rushes, particularly between the Purple to Rainbow range. As a result, it has been nerfed in cost in order to make buy-and-resell strategies less capable of bailing out against these rushes.

Initial release (compared to BTD6 during Version 28.0)

Blade Maelstrom has no initial cooldown

1.0.4

Blade Maelstrom cost increased ($2700 → $2900)

1.5.0

Blade Maelstrom blades can no longer pass over blockers.
No longer requires 9000 XP to unlock. Players who have unlocked this upgrade before the update will not receive a full refund.

1.9.3

Blade Maelstrom cost increased ($2900 → $3100)

1.10.3

Blade Maelstrom cost decreased ($3100 → $3000)
- Total price adjustment is $0 due to Blade Shooter (+$100)

2.2

0-4-1 Blade Maelstrom ability spin direction changed from clockwise to anticlockwise

“	This Blade Maelstrom change was made to add greater versatility and limit any side advantages. [...]	”
	^{~ Ninja Kiwi}

Quotes[]

“	Tack Shooters are effective when placed on tight corners. Their Blade Maelstrom upgrade is great for when you're being overrun by a lot of Bloons.	”
	^{~ Quincy, Loading Screen tips}

Gallery[]