Crosspathing/Mermonkey

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In Bloons TD 6, it is important to choose the best crosspathing for a specific tower in order to receive the best benefits out of that tower type. Towers have special roles to play for each stage of the game. The Mermonkey is special in terms of providing a supportive role while still having offensive benefits whether in the water or on land.

Introduction[]

The Mermonkey is an amphibious tower allowing for a versatile defense on land or in water. While it has relatively good pierce and damage early on, especially since each bloon pierced will generate an explosion that takes out additional bloons similar to how Hydra Rocket Pods functions, it can't pop leads or detect camo early. While camos won't be an issue thanks to Echosense Precision (X-X-1), it can only pop leads with the Arctic Knight (X-4-X) upgrade.

Path 1 is all about slowing down the bloons with ink and granting all nearby towers a pierce buff. Path 2 is about freezing bloons and general burst damage. Path 3 is all about diverting the bloons similar to how the Bloonchipper was used in Bloons TD 5.

Upgrades[]

Tier 2 and below[]

Base Tower and Tier 1 Crosspaths[]

0-0-0: It functions like a shorter ranged 0-0-0 Wizard Monkey but pops Purple Bloons by default and has the added benefit of each pierced bloon popping and dealing shatter-based damage to nearby bloons similar to Hydra Rocket Pods.
1-0-0: Increases attack speed of all the Mermonkey's attacks.
0-1-0: Increases the pierce of the main projectile.
0-0-1: Grants the Mermonkey camo detection and light seeking of projectile.
1-1-0: Allows the Mermonkey to shoot faster and increase projectile pierce.
1-0-1: Allows the Mermonkey to shoot faster, hit camo bloons, and have light seeking of projectile.
0-1-1: It's basically a 0-1-0 Mermonkey whose pierce-increased projectile lightly seeks and can target camo bloons.

Tier 2 Crosspaths[]

2-0-0: Further increase the attack speed of the Mermonkey. Projectile now travels faster too.
0-2-0: Increases the main projectile size and allows the Mermonkey to freeze damaged bloons, including White and Zebra bloons.
0-0-2: Grants a range boost. Also allows the Mermonkey to further boost all X-X-2 Mermonkeys' range up to 5 times including itself.
2-1-0: This is just a 1-1-0 Mermonkey that can shoot out even faster projectiles that travel faster.
2-0-1: This is just a 2-0-0 Mermonkey that can detect camo and have its projectile be with light seeking.
1-2-0: This is just a 0-2-0 Mermonkey that can shoot its big freezing projectiles faster.
1-0-2: This is just a 1-0-1 Mermonkey that has a slight range boost and have its range further boosted by up to 4 other X-X-2 Mermonkeys.
2-2-0: This Mermonkey can shoot out high pierce projectiles that can freeze White and Zebra bloons faster than a 1-2-0 Mermonkey.
2-0-2: This Mermonkey can shoot out its faster projectiles faster than a 1-0-2 Mermonkey. Also has a bigger range that can be further boosted by other X-X-2 Mermonkeys than a 2-0-1 Mermonkey.
0-2-1: This is just a 0-2-0 Mermonkey that hit camo bloons and projectile have light seeking. This crosspath is useful if one wishes to maximise the projectile pierce used.
0-1-2: This is just a 0-1-1 Mermonkey who has a range boost and can have its range further boosted by up to 4 other X-X-2 Mermonkeys.
0-2-2: This is either a 0-1-2 Mermonkey with a bigger projectile that can freeze damaged bloons including White and Zebra bloons or a 0-2-1 Mermonkey with a range boost that can be further boosted by up to 4 other X-X-2 Mermonkeys.

Upper Path 1[]

Abyss Dweller[]

3-0-0: Abyss Dweller grants the Mermonkey additional attacks in the form of its 8 tentacles. Each tentacle deals 9 damage onto up to 24 bloons every 3s. Additionally, all other towers in range of the Mermonkey gains an additional pierce buff.
3-1-0: Increases the pierce of just the main projectile. Not advised since it does not affect the tentacles.
3-2-0: Increases the main projectile size and allows it to freeze bloons, including White and Zebra bloons. Definitely anti-synergistic since the tentacles are sharp-based damage meaning they cannot damage Frozen bloons.
3-0-1: Allows the Mermonkey and its tentacles to hit camo bloons. Also allows the main projectile to lightly seek out bloons.
3-0-2: This is just a 3-0-1 Mermonkey that has a range boost from up to 4 other X-X-2 Mermonkeys. This also allows more towers to get the pierce boost from the Abyss Dweller.

Abyssal Warrior[]

4-0-0: Abyssal Warrior improves on the benefits of the Abyssal Dweller. Each of its tentacles now can hit up to 32 bloons at once dealing 18 damage every 2.5s. The main projectile now also shoots out ink that acts similar to a MOAB Glue Glue Gunner except it cannot affect ZOMGs and DDTs. Lastly, the pierce bonus to all other towers in its range is also boosted to 15% instead of just 5%.
4-1-0: Increases the pierce of the main projectile. Unlike Abyssal Dweller, this has the benefit of affecting more bloons per projectile.
4-2-0: Increases the main projectile size and allows it to freeze bloons, including White and Zebra bloons. While mostly anti-synergistic since the tentacles are sharp-based damage meaning they cannot damage Frozen bloons, the increased projectile size means more bloons can be affected by the ink.
4-0-1: Allows the Mermonkey and its tentacles to hit camo bloons. Also allows the main projectile to lightly seek out bloons. This also means the ink can hit camo bloons without any external camo detection.
4-0-2: This is just a 4-0-1 Mermonkey that has a range boost from up to 4 other X-X-2 Mermonkeys. This also allows more towers to get the pierce boost from the Abyssal Warrior.

Lord of the Abyss[]

5-0-0: Greatly improves on the Abyssal Warrior. Each of its tentacles now can hit up to 80 bloons at once dealing 50 damage every 1.5s. Its main projectile now has more pierce meaning more bloons can be slowed by its ink and also does more base damage from 2 to 10. Additionally, the pierce buff it grants to all other nearby towers is increased to 30% instead of 15%. Finally, it now acts as an inverse Arctic Wind allowing water-based towers to be placed in its radius as though they are land towers, meaning any water-based towers on land in range of the Lord of the Abyss do not count for the purpose of Carrier Flagship or Admiral Brickell water-based buffs.
5-1-0: Increases the pierce of the main projectile. Like Abyssal Warrior, this has the benefit of affecting more bloons per projectile.
5-2-0: Increases the main projectile size and allows it to freeze bloons, including White and Zebra bloons. While mostly anti-synergistic since the tentacles are sharp-based damage meaning they cannot damage Frozen bloons, the increased projectile size means more bloons can be affected by the ink.
5-0-1: Allows the Mermonkey and its tentacles to hit camo bloons. Also allows the main projectile to lightly seek out bloons. This also means the ink can hit camo bloons without any external camo detection.
5-0-2: This is just a 5-0-1 Mermonkey that has a range boost from up to 4 other X-X-2 Mermonkeys. This also allows more towers to get the pierce boost from the Abyssal Warrior. However, like placing down land towers on an Artic wind platform, water-based towers can only be placed in range of the Mermonkey without any external range boosts in use.

Upper Path 2[]

Riptide Champion[]

0-3-0: Riptide Champion now has the projectile directly deal damage to the bloons. Additionally, the projectile now generate energy waves upon the projectile reaching an obstacle or when it expires. Said waves can deal further damage to more bloons. The Mermonkey now also has a bigger radius and does bonus damage to frozen bloons.
1-3-0: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey.
2-3-0: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey again. Also allows the Mermonkey to produce more energy waves from each projectile it throws.
0-3-1: Gives the Mermonkey camo detection and for the projectile to lightly seek its targets. Very useful in maximising the pierce used.
0-3-2: Gives a range boost and can be buffed by other X-X-2 Mermonkeys for further range boosts. Is otherwise just a 0-3-1 Mermonkey.

Arctic Knight[]

0-4-0: Allows the Mermonkey to pop lead bloons. Improves on both the projectile itself and the energy wave to deal more damage, have a greater projectile lifespan, and more pierce. Also gives the Mermonkey the Ice Jet ability to rapidly deal damage either towards a set point or based off its targeting priority.
1-4-0: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey. However, ability is unaffected by the attack speed increase.
2-4-0: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey again. Also allows the Mermonkey to produce more energy waves from each projectile it throws. However, ability is unaffected by the attack speed increase.
0-4-1: Gives the Mermonkey camo detection and for the projectile to lightly seek its targets. Very useful in maximising the pierce used.
0-4-2: Gives a range boost and can be buffed by other X-X-2 Mermonkeys for further range boosts. Is otherwise just a 0-4-1 Mermonkey.

Popseidon[]

0-5-0: Improves on the Arctic Knight. Popseidon now shoots out 3 projectiles at once at double speed, with each projectile dealing double damage. The energy waves each projectile produces is also boosted to deal 12 damage with 24 pierce. Popseidon now has its own ability replacing the Ice Jet ability called Popseidon which freezes all bloons except for BADs and boss bloons similar to a 0-5-0 Absolute Zero and launches more ice balls. These ice balls are also improved to do additional damage and can bounce off not just obstacles but also the map borders. Also has a range boost.
1-5-0: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey. However, ability is unaffected by the attack speed increase.
2-5-0: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey again. Also allows the Mermonkey to produce more energy waves from each projectile it throws. However, ability is unaffected by the attack speed increase.
0-5-1: Gives the Mermonkey camo detection and for the projectile to lightly seek its targets. Very useful in maximising the pierce used.
0-5-2: Gives a range boost and can be buffed by other X-X-2 Mermonkeys for further range boosts. Is otherwise just a 0-5-1 Mermonkey.

Upper Path 3[]

Alluring Melody[]

0-0-3: Transforms the Mermonkey into an amphibious Bloonchipper. Draws in bloons into its radius and circle around it once during its hypnosis cycle. Causes all bloons currently affected by a damage-over-time effect to take up to 200 damage of said damage-over-time at once per hypnosis.
1-0-3: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey. also decreases the cooldown of each hypnosis cycle.
2-0-3: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey again. also decrease the cooldown of each hypnosis cycle once again.
0-1-3: Increases the pierce of just the main projectile. Has no effect on the maximum pierce of the hypnosis cycle.
0-2-3: Increases projectile size and can freeze bloons, including white and zebra bloons. Can be useful for stalling.

Symphonic Resonance[]

0-0-4: Improves on the aspect of the hypnosis cycle. Increase the maximum number of bloons that can be trapped in each hypnosis cycle and can affect MOABs, BFBs, and DDTs. Increases the maximum damage-over-time of each bloon affected by the hypnosis cycle to 500. Also removes camo from all affected bloons and allows the hypnosis cycle to be set within its range with an Allure token instead of just locked to Close. Lastly, grants a range boost.
1-0-4: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey. Note that this will not decrease the cooldown of each hypnosis cycle.
2-0-4: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey again. Note that this will not decrease the cooldown of each hypnosis cycle.
0-1-4: Increases the pierce of just the main projectile. Has no effect on the maximum pierce of the hypnosis cycle.
0-2-4: Increases projectile size and can freeze bloons, including white and zebra bloons. Can be useful for stalling.

The Final Harmonic[]

0-0-5: The Final Harmonic further improves on the aspect of the hypnosis cycle. Grants a range boost to the Mermonkey and reduces the cooldown of the hypnosis cycle. Increase the maximum number of bloons that can be trapped in each hypnosis cycle again and can affect ZOMGs as well. Increases the maximum damage-over-time of each bloon affected by the hypnosis cycle again to 10,000 and can affect BADs and boss bloons to have all damage-over-time to be inflicted at once while in the radius of the Allure token. Also allows the Allure token to be set anywhere on the map. Lastly, grants all heroes a range increase and ability cooldown reduction and all Magic monkeys a pierce boost in range of the token.
1-0-5: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey. Note that this will not decrease the cooldown of each hypnosis cycle.
2-0-5: Increases the attack speed of the Mermonkey again. Note that this will not decrease the cooldown of each hypnosis cycle.
0-1-5: Increases the pierce of just the main projectile. Has no effect on the maximum pierce of the hypnosis cycle.
0-2-5: Increases projectile size and can freeze bloons, including white and zebra bloons. Can be useful for stalling.