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For other uses of MOAB, see MOAB (disambiguation).
MOAB Maulers do much more damage to MOAB-Class Bloons.
~ In-game description

MOAB Mauler (sometimes shortened to Mauler) is the third upgrade of Path 2 for the Bomb Shooter in Bloons TD 6. It deals 16 damage to MOAB-class bloons, but still deals only 1 damage to other types of bloons. Additionally, it adds +5 range on top of the Missile Launcher upgrade, for a total of 49 range. It attacks every 0.825s.

This upgrade costs $935 on Easy, $1,100 on Medium, $1,190 on Hard, and $1,320 on Impoppable.

Description[]

Overview[]

Mauler missile launching

MOAB Mauler missile aiming at MOAB

This upgrade retains its missile base launch platform. The missile's color scheme changes to yellow and gold, its radius increases (and hence a less pointy tip), gains an additional fin on the bottom, and its shark mouth design is larger. The mouth design is also smiling, making the MOAB Mauler missile display an angry smile.

Crosspathing adjusts appearance of the MOAB Mauler missiles themselves. Path 1 crosspathing visibly fattens the nose of the missiles, then adds another dark yellow stripe near the eyes. Path 3 crosspathing adds either a red target or explosion symbol to the forehead of the missile.

MOAB Mauler deals +15 MOAB damage (16 total) and gains +5 range (49 total).

Targeting Priorities[]

MOAB Mauler targets bloons using the standard targeting priorities. It shoots straight movement projectiles.

  • First: Targets the first bloon visible within its range.
  • Last: Targets the last bloon visible within its range.
  • Close: Targets the closest bloon visible within its range.
  • Strong: Targets the strongest bloon visible within its range.

Full Popology[]

Statistics[]

Updated as of Version 40.0
Base stats
  • Missile:
    • Projectile, explosion type, 49 range, 0.875s attack cooldown, 1 damage, 16 MOAB-class damage (+15 MOAB-class damage), 14 pierce. Blast radius of 12.
Crosspathing interactions
  • 1-3-0:
    • Missile pierce increased from 14 to 20 and blast radius from 12 to 18.
  • 2-3-0:
    • Missile pierce increased from 20 to 30 and base damage increased to 2.
  • 0-3-1:
    • Gains +7 range (49 → 56)
  • 0-3-2:
    • Gains +2 range (49 → 56 → 58)
    • Upon collision, release Frags that cannot affect the collided bloon (if hitting a bloon).
Monkey Knowledge interactions

Attack Interactions[]

See also: Attack Interactions/Bloons TD 6/Primary
Updated as of Version 36.0
Base attack(s)
  • Bomb:
    • Explosion Type (pops White, Purple, Lead, Frozen) Explosion
    • Single Projectile Single Projectile
    • Straight Attack Straight Attack
    • Area of Effect Area of Effect
    • Extra damage versus MOAB-class Bloons (+15) Extra Damage to Blimps (+15)

Costs[]

Updated as of Version 41.0. Listed prices exclude external buffs, any sacrifices, and Monkey Knowledge.
[Module | Data] Purchase Sell
Costs Easy Medium Hard Impoppable Easy Medium Hard Impoppable
Upgrade (X-3-X) $935 $1,100 $1,190 $1,320 -
Total (0-3-0) $1,930 $2,275 $2,455 $2,730 $1,351 $1,593 $1,719 $1,911
Crosspath (1-3-0) $2,225 $2,625 $2,835 $3,150 $1,558 $1,838 $1,985 $2,205
Crosspath (2-3-0) $2,775 $3,275 $3,535 $3,930 $1,943 $2,293 $2,475 $2,751
Crosspath (0-3-1) $2,100 $2,475 $2,670 $2,970 $1,470 $1,733 $1,869 $2,079
Crosspath (0-3-2) $2,355 $2,775 $2,995 $3,330 $1,649 $1,943 $2,097 $2,331

This upgrade's prices (or included crosspath's prices) are affected by the following MK: BetterSellDealsIcon Better Sell Deals

Strategy[]

Summary[]

The MOAB Mauler is a cheap option to bolster the mid-game MOAB defense, or even spammed for the late-game to counter groups of MOAB-class bloons. It can be chosen as a main form of MOAB-popping by using many MOAB Maulers, or buy a small amount for support. It can be quite tedious to buy many MOAB Maulers, but their power builds up immensely given enough of them, especially when paired with range-oriented supports such as Primary Mentoring. It is especially powerful when paired with Striker Jones as the active hero, in fact the best support option for Mauler spam. Given the Mauler's massive MOAB-class destructive potential at varying volumes, both spaced and grouped, it should also be paired with towers capable of dealing with Ceramics and below, such as Bloon Impact.

Tips[]

  • Depending on the situation, MOAB Maulers should be set to First or Strong targeting. This is because when rounds become filled with MOABs, BFBs and ZOMGs, First targeting will allow MOAB Maulers to deal some damage against the lower tier MOABs instead of constantly focusing on the largest blimp while allowing weaker blimps to leak. First Targeting may also be preferred to pop parent bloons slower and thus prevent children bloons from overwhelming a defense.
  • The MOAB Mauler can be be used in tandem with the Top Path Monkey Village very well. It benefits the most from the increased range from Primary Training, the free Tier 1 upgrades and further range buffs from Primary Mentoring, and even more from Primary Expertise's free Tier 1 and 2 upgrades.
  • Use Striker Jones with MOAB Maulers. They synergise well, particularly the global attack speed buffs and the removal of the black bloon property immunities and the double damage from Level 20 Artillery Command. MOAB Maulers lose a noticeable amount of value without Striker Jones.
  • Striker Jones and Top Path Villages are great buffs, as they not only buff MOAB Maulers, but also affect with other towers that are great MOAB Mauler partners.
    • Before Round 80, The Big One and Recursive Cluster are great choices to help with dense bloon rounds and ceramics from blimps.
    • After Round 80, Bloon Impact and Arctic Wind can help to handle superceramics which MOAB Maulers have much lower damage against.
  • Generally, 1-3-0 Maulers are the preferred crosspath. This is in part because Primary Mentoring can provide Bigger Bombs for free, but the pierce and blast radius make that crosspath better against grouped blimps. The range via Extra Range is a small improvement against spaced blimps and also makes it possible for the tower to hit them more times, thus dealing more damage to them, so it may be used in some circumstances.
    • The tier 2 Frag Bombs and Heavy Bombs tend to be subpar damage soon after early game, so those upgrades are generally considered unnecessary for the most part, but Heavy Bombs can still be useful. While Frags themselves are subpar, Frag Bombs is niche as a way of adding even more range plus a miniscule damage increase. On the other hand, the Heavy Bombs upgrade is useful for dealing with densely clumped MOAB-class because of the much extra pierce aspect (it also increases damage versus MOAB-class Bloons from 19 to 20, but that is almost irrelevant).
  • MOAB Maulers do not deal extra damage to Ceramic Bloons and will struggle against them. Maulers may also waste pierce on them as they take down MOAB-class bloons. To combat Ceramics, especially Super Ceramics in the later rounds, use defenses specifically designed to counter them such as Cryo Cannon or Bloon Impact.
  • In income farming, such as for Boss Bloon Events, MOAB Maulers almost outside of Bloon-popping range can be used to break open MOABs while dealing minimal damage to Bloons, so that Bloon Trap and Rubber to Gold can accrue more opportunities for generating income.

Version History[]

Balance Changes[]

Overall, the MOAB Mauler has been buffed since it was first released. Initially, it was only as powerful as it was in BTD5, leading to it to once become outcompeted by more powerful anti-MOAB options. This was especially with the addition of the Alchemist's Berserker Brew buffs amplifying damage of popular multi-projectile upgrades, leading to the MOAB Mauler's anti-MOAB expertise to become outclassed.

It has since gained almost double MOAB-class damage overall plus extra damage to Ceramics, making massive groups of them significantly stronger as a late-game option, especially when paired with Striker Jones. The Striker Jones + Mauler spam strategy was largely untouched until around Version 19.0, when it was discovered that the synergy had been secretly overpowered at the time. Since then, the Mauler had began losing its bonus Ceramic damage, lost a fair amount of pierce, got an overall slight price nerf, and slightly decreased its MOAB-class damage, but nonetheless remains viable as part of a CHIMPS strategy on maps with plenty of open central space.

4.0
  • BUFF MOAB Mauler deals more damage to MOAB-class (11 → 16)
12.0
  • BUFF MOAB Mauler inherits increased attack speed from the Missile Launcher upgrade (every 1.2s → 1.02s)
  • BUFF MOAB Mauler now deals +5 damage to Ceramics as well.
15.0
  • BUFF Base MOAB Mauler range increased from 44 to 49
16.0
  • BUFF MOAB Mauler deals more damage to MOAB-class (16 → 19)
18.0
  • BUFF MOAB Mauler inherits increased attack speed from the Missile Launcher upgrade (1.02s → 0.825s)
20.0
We're really excited about the recent rise in Bomb fame, and we want to encourage this by buffing some of the detracting parts of Bomb Shooters. But larger groups of basic T3 Maulers are now performing far too well against everything when they are intended to be more of a MOAB Specialist. This change means little in the early game, but should pull these groups back a little in more higher round gameplay.
~ Ninja Kiwi
  • NERF MOAB Mauler deals less Ceramic damage (+5 → +4)
22.0
Some low tier Bomb pierce has been shifted further up into the 2xx Heavy Bombs upgrade to effectively nerf 130 Mauler meta in price, but the price of these upgrades and [...] have both been buffed to benefit other variations of bomb better. [...]
~ Ninja Kiwi
  • NERF Base MOAB Mauler pierce reduced from 18 to 14 and benefits less from the Bigger Bombs crosspath (28 → 20)
  • BUFF 2-3-0 MOAB Mauler deals more pierce (28 → 30)
23.0
Small nerf to the regular-Bloon power of MOAB Mauler's domination.
~ Ninja Kiwi
  • NERF MOAB Mauler deals less Ceramic damage (+4 → +3). However, MOAB Assassin keeps the +4 bonus.
25.0
In some cases the effort to make upgrades feel powerful eclipsed the need for monkey tower weaknesses to be supported by path or other tower synergies. [...] MOAB Maulers have been a very strong meta spam for a while now, so we are chipping off most of its ceramic bonus at T3.
~ Ninja Kiwi
  • NERF MOAB Mauler deals even less Ceramic damage (+3 → +1). MOAB Assassin remains the same.
28.0
While MOAB Maulers are a current popular meta the base bomb shooter is unaffordable early on for the little contribution it can make at early levels when not much pierce is really needed, so some cost has been moved out of the base upgrade and into the Mauler with an overall price increase to Mauler. [...]
~ Ninja Kiwi
  • NERF MOAB Mauler price increased from $900 → $1100
    • Total price nerf is $125, offset by -$75 from base Bomb
30.0
Has strong meta usage, Mauler as a moab focus upgrade no longer needs the bonus to ceramic crutch
~ Ninja Kiwi
  • NERF MOAB Mauler no longer deals +1 damage to Ceramics. Does not affect MOAB Assassin.
32.0
Has been a standout tier 3 for long enough, T4 remaining unchanged to still encourage more focussed use over low tier spam.
~ Ninja Kiwi
  • NERF MOAB Mauler bonus MOAB damage +18 → +15. MOAB Assassin damage unchanged.

Bug Fixes and General Changes[]

12.0
  • Change Description now includes the words "[...] and ceramics" (in lowercase) at the end of the official description. This is to accommodate the extra Ceramic damage buff.
30.0
  • Change Description changed from "MOAB Maulers do much more damage to MOAB-Class Bloons and ceramics." to "MOAB Maulers do much more damage to MOAB-Class Bloons."

Gallery[]

Official artwork[]

Trivia[]

  • Unlike its BTD5 counterpart, MOAB Mauler in BTD6 are not statistically identical to its previous upgrade beyond gaining extra MOAB-class damage. In BTD6, MOAB Mauler gains extra range too.
  • When tested on Round 1 on Monkey Meadow while on Sandbox Mode, a single MOAB Mauler can beat all except BFBs and above. It can beat a single MOAB but not necessarily all its children inside.
  • Unlike most stickers, this one is one of the 2 stickers that are slightly different from the upgrade icon's official artwork.

Extra Notes (Version History)[]

  • When first released, the Mauler did 11 damage to MOAB-class bloons. In BTD4 Flash, the MOAB Mauler also does 11 damage to MOAB-class bloons.
  • Although fans anticipated an inevitable nerf for MOAB Maulers leading towards Version 20.0, MOAB Maulers only received a nerf to its Ceramic damage. Ninja Kiwi stated that this was done to make MOAB Maulers "intended to be more of a MOAB Specialist". This was because before then, a Striker Jones + MOAB Mauler spam strategy was extremely effective at both MOAB-class and Super Ceramics, but the Version 20.0 nerfs made the synergy less effective against Super Ceramics.
  • Maulers went from having +5 Ceramic damage all the way to no bonus Ceramic damage.


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