What is the difference between Damage and Pierce in BTDB2?

Damage determines how many layers a single projectile strips from a Bloon (e.g., 2 Damage pops a Blue Bloon instantly). Pierce determines how many separate Bloons that single projectile can hit before disappearing.

How does the Alchemist buff work in Battles 2?

A top-path Alchemist (Berserker Brew / Stronger Stimulant) applies a massive buff to nearby towers, granting them +1 Damage, +2 or +3 Pierce, and an Attack Speed multiplier. This exponentially increases the DPS of towers that fire many low-damage projectiles, like the Tack Shooter or Ninja.

How is Grouped DPS calculated?

Grouped DPS (Maximum Theoretical DPS) is calculated by multiplying your Single-Target DPS by your Pierce. It assumes every single projectile hits the maximum number of Bloons allowed by its Pierce stat, which often happens during massive Purple or Pink eco rushes.

BTDB2 Damage Calculator | Pierce & DPS Setup Tool

Tower Stats

Quick Presets

Base Damage 1

Pierce (Bloons hit per shot) 2

Attack Delay (Seconds) 0.95s

Projectiles per Attack 1

Alchemist Buff
+1 Dmg, +3 Pierce, +11% Spd Jungle Drums
+15% Attack Speed

Combat Output

Attacks Per Sec

Single Target DPS

Max Grouped DPS

Projectile & Pierce Spread

Bloons TD Battles 2 Damage Mechanics

In Bloons TD Battles 2, assessing a tower's strength requires looking past its base damage. Winning against high-level opponents means defending against dense grouped rushes (like Purples or Ceramics) and massive single targets (like MOABs and BADs). To do this efficiently, you must understand the mathematical relationship between Damage, Pierce, and Buffs.

Single Target DPS vs. Grouped DPS

Every projectile fired by a tower has two primary stats: Damage (how many layers it strips off a single Bloon) and Pierce (how many different Bloons it can hit before expiring).

Single Target DPS is your raw damage output against a single entity, like a MOAB. It is calculated as: (Damage × Projectiles) ÷ Attack Delay.
Max Grouped DPS is your theoretical maximum damage if every single projectile hits the maximum number of Bloons allowed by its Pierce stat. It is calculated as: Single Target DPS × Pierce. High pierce towers (like the Glaive Ricochet or Ray of Doom) have astronomical Grouped DPS, making them essential for defending massive mid-game rushes.

[PRO TIP] If a tower shoots 8 projectiles (like a Tack Shooter) with 1 Damage and 2 Pierce, hitting a MOAB will only utilize the 1 Damage per projectile. The 2 Pierce goes to waste unless other Bloons are touching the MOAB.

The Power of the Alchemist Buff

The top-path Alchemist (Berserker Brew / Stronger Stimulant) is arguably the best support tower in the game. It provides flat bonuses: +1 Damage and +2/3 Pierce. Because these are flat additions, they disproportionately benefit towers that shoot many low-damage projectiles very quickly.

For example, a standard Ninja Monkey deals 1 Damage per shuriken. Giving it +1 Damage literally doubles (100% increase) its DPS. However, giving an Assassin (which deals massive base damage) a +1 Damage buff results in less than a 5% total DPS increase. Use the calculator above to toggle the Alchemist buff and see how specific loadouts synergize.

Does Jungle Drums stack with Alchemist?

Yes. The Monkey Village's Jungle Drums provides a 15% reduction to Attack Delay. This stacks multiplicatively with the Alchemist's attack speed buff, resulting in a massively accelerated fire rate.

Why does my Dartling Gunner struggle against Ceramics?

Ceramic Bloons have high HP (layers). While the Dartling Gunner (Hydra Rocket Pods) has excellent Pierce to deal with grouped small Bloons, its base Damage per explosion is relatively low, meaning it takes many hits to crack a Ceramic shell. Alchemist buffs are practically mandatory to help it scale.

How does Attack Delay translate to Attack Speed?

Attack Delay is the exact number of seconds a tower waits between shots. To find Attacks Per Second (Attack Speed), you simply divide 1 by the Attack Delay (1 ÷ Delay). A delay of 0.5s means the tower attacks 2 times per second.

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