Bloons Tower Defense 4 (also called Bloons TD4 or BTD4) is the fourth tower defense game in the Bloons series, and the sequel to Bloons Tower Defense 3. Released on October 26, 2009, BTD4 saw the addition of many new features including new maps, new modes, new Bloons and towers, and an all-new progression system which has you gradually unlock towers by gaining XP from popping Bloons.
This game is notable for having been monetized by Mochi Games, which allowed players to buy Mochi Coins with real money and use them to get perks like prematurely unlocking hidden tower upgrades and other various boosts until the day Mochi Media was shut down.
Gameplay[]
The game is played on one of the many different tracks that you can choose at the start of the game; after choosing a track, you get to choose the desired mode and then the game begins. You start out with $650 and a set number of lives depending on the difficulty level, and must use that money along with the money earned from popping Bloons to set up a solid defense using the different tower types in your arsenal in order to beat a certain number of rounds (the exact number depends on the difficulty mode chosen). After beating the last required round, you have the option to either return to the main menu or keep playing in Free Play mode to see how far you can get. Each tower type has its own method of attack, and can be upgraded to increase its lethality against the Bloons. Some Bloons can be popped with relative ease, but others can resist some types of attacks from your towers.
This game also features a Career Rank system, in which you advance to a higher rank by earning enough XP from popping Bloons to level up. Reaching higher ranks allows you to unlock new towers and gain access to the towers' most powerful upgrades.
Modes[]
- Easy Difficulty: You start with 200 lives, all towers and upgrades are cheaper than normal, and all Bloons move slower than normal. You have to beat 50 rounds to win this mode; beating a track on this difficulty earns you a Bronze Medal for that track.
- Medium Difficulty: You start with 150 lives, all towers and upgrades have their normal prices, and all Bloons at their normal speeds. You have to beat 60 rounds to win this mode; beating a track on this difficulty earns you a Silver Medal for that track.
- Hard Difficulty: You start with 100 lives, all towers and upgrades are more expensive than normal, and all Bloons move faster than normal. You have to beat 75 rounds to win this mode; beating a track on this difficulty earns you a Gold Medal for that track.
- Sandbox Mode: A freeplay mode where you can test out strategies by sending in waves of Bloons whenever you want. You have the ability to choose the exact types and amounts of Bloons spawned in each wave that you send in. Despite its sandbox nature, you don't have unlimited resources - you get $1,000,000 and 100,000 lives. This mode is unlocked after reaching Career Rank 26.
- Apopalypse: Basically the same as Medium Difficulty, but with one huge difference: the Bloons never stop coming! This means that each new round is started automatically instead of the game stopping between rounds, so all the Bloon waves bleed together. This mode is unlocked after reaching Career Rank 31.
Tracks[]
Normal Tracks[]
These tracks are available for all players form the get-go.
- Ocean Road: A beachside area featuring a twisty road that leads from the north end of the beach all the way to the bottom-left corner. There is a small body of water near the end of the track.
- Sweet Tooth: A candy world where the track runs around the perimeters of two giant lollipops.
- Firecracker: A big city lit up with fireworks in the sky. Its track runs along the edges of the skyscrapers, and there's water all along the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Track: A grassy field named for the dirt path shaped like a faucet. It also has a little pond.
- Pool Table: A pool table-themed area with four holes that serve as both entrances and exits for the Bloons (although no Bloons ever come out of the bottom-left hole), plus some paths connecting all the holes together.
- World Tour: An outer space map featuring a track running around the planet Earth, featuring plenty of water on the planet itself.
- DNA Test: A microscopic zone where the track runs around a strand of DNA.
- River Bed: Another grass field, this one featuring a dried-up river as the track.
- Ant Hill: A dirt field featuring a path that splits off into four, with a couple small bodies of water here and there.
Premium Tracks[]
These tracks could only be unlocked by buying them with Mochi Coins; since Mochi Media has shut down, there is no way to access them anymore.
- Daisy Chain: Yet another grass field, this one featuring a giant daisy; the track enters from the bottom of the screen, passes through the daisy's petals, and then exits at another point at the bottom of the screen.
- Blue Laser: A cosmic area containing a twisty laser path which serves as the track. Bloons enter and exit from both ends of this track.
- Clifftop Track: A track situated at the top of a very high cliff. It has a stone path that twists around the clifftop, and Bloons can enter and exit from both ends.
- Grasslands Track: A grass field with two dirt paths; the Bloons enter each path from opposite ends (i.e. they start from the top left and the bottom right ends of the tracks, and they finish on the other respective end of the tracks).
- Inter-Dimensional Track: A track situated in some sort of interdimensional rift. It features a mess of twisty paths, complete with four entry points and four exit points for the Bloons.
- High-Tech Track: An industrial area containing a few short paths which intersect with each other.
- Railway Track: A track set at a railroad, featuring five sets of train tracks that merge together into one track. There's also a river that runs near the bottom of the screen.
Towers[]
- Dart Monkey: A normal monkey that throws darts at Bloons. Each dart pops one Bloon. Costs $170 on Easy Difficulty, $200 on Medium Difficulty, and $215 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 1, so is available from the first time you play the game.
- Tack Shooter: A machine that shoots tacks in eight directions. Costs $305 on Easy Difficulty, $365 on Medium Difficulty, and $390 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 2.
- Boomerang Thrower: A monkey that throws boomerangs which follow a curved path back to the Boomerang Thrower. Each boomerang can hit up to two Bloons at a time. Costs $340 on Easy Difficulty, $400 on Medium Difficulty, and $430 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 3.
- Bomb Tower: A cannon that shoots bombs at Bloons, creating explosions that damage any Bloon caught in the blast. Costs $595 on Easy Difficulty, $700 on Medium Difficulty, and $755 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 4.
- Ice Tower: A magic ball of ice that periodically unleashes blasts of frost, freezing any Bloon caught in its range. Costs $325 on Easy Difficulty, $380 on Medium Difficulty, and $410 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 6.
- Mortar Tower: An artillery cannon manned by a monkey, which launches explosive shells that rain down on Bloons at a specific point. The Mortar Tower has infinite range and you can choose where it shoots at any time, although it's somewhat inaccurate. Costs $700 on Easy Difficulty, $825 on Medium Difficulty, and $890 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 7.
- Glue Gunner: A monkey that shoots glue at Bloons, slowing them down. Costs $230 on Easy Difficulty, $270 on Medium Difficulty, and $290 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 9.
- Monkey Beacon: A radio tower that buffs the attack range of nearby towers. Costs $850 on Easy Difficulty, $1,000 on Medium Difficulty, and $1,080 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 10.
- Monkey Ace: A monkey piloting an airplane that flies above the track in a figure-eight pattern, sometimes shooting darts in eight directions as it flies. The Monkey Ace can be placed anywhere. Costs $765 on Easy Difficulty, $900 on Medium Difficulty, and $970 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 11.
- Monkey Buccaneer: A monkey piloting a pirate ship that shoots giant darts which can pierce through several Bloons at once. The Monkey Buccaneer can only be placed in water. Costs $510 on Easy Difficulty, $595 on Medium Difficulty, and $650 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 12.
- Monkey Apprentice: A monkey that shoots magic bolts that seek out Bloons. Each magic bolt can pop two Bloons. Costs $465 on Easy Difficulty, $550 on Medium Difficulty, and $595 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 14.
- Super Monkey: A superhero monkey who throws darts at an incredibly fast rate. Costs $3,400 on Easy Difficulty, $4,000 on Medium Difficulty, and $4,320 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 15.
- Banana Farm: A small farm building that gives you extra money at the end of each round - it initially gives $80 per round, but can be upgraded to give more. Costs $850 on Easy Difficulty, $1,000 on Medium Difficulty, and $1,080 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 16.
- Dartling Gun: A gatling gun manned by a monkey, which fires darts at a very fast rate but is somewhat inaccurate. The Dartling Gun has infinite range and can be aimed at any point on the screen by pointing your cursor at a specific spot. Costs $1,065 on Easy Difficulty, $1,250 on Medium Difficulty, and $1,350 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 1, so is available from the first time you play the game.
- Spike Factory: A machine that constantly produces piles of Road Spikes and drops them onto the track, making it great for guarding exits. Each pile created by the Spike Factory has five Road Spikes. Costs $595 on Easy Difficulty, $700 on Medium Difficulty, and $755 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 1, so is available from the first time you play the game.
Track Items[]
- Road Spikes: A pile of spikes that can be placed on the track to pop Bloons on contact. Each pile has 10 spikes, and one spike is used up every time a Bloon touches the pile. Costs $25 on Easy Difficulty, $30 on Medium Difficulty, and $35 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 5.
- Exploding Pineapple: A seemingly ordinary pineapple that explodes three seconds after being placed. Costs $20 on Easy Difficulty, $25 on Medium Difficulty, and $30 on Hard Difficulty. Unlocked at Career Rank 8.
- Monkey Glue: A blob of glue that can be placed on the track to slow Bloons down on contact. Each blob can slow down 20 Bloons before disappearing. Costs $10 on all difficulties. Unlocked at Career Rank 13.
Tower Upgrades[]
| Tower | 1st Upgrade | 2nd Upgrade | 3rd Upgrade | 4th Upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dart Monkey | Piercing Darts: The Dart Monkey's darts can now pop two Bloons, able to pierce through the first one they hit.
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Long Range Darts: The Dart Monkey's attack range is increased.
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Spike-O-Pult: The Dart Monkey gets a catapult and can now hurl giant spiky balls at Bloons.
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Triple Shot: The Dart Monkey's catapult can now shoot three spiky balls at once. Unlocked at Career Rank 19.
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| Tack Shooter | Faster Shooting: The Tack Shooter's attack speed is increased.
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Extra Range Tacks: The Tack Shooter's range is increased.
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Blade Shooter: The Tack Shooter now shoots circular sawblades instead of tacks. The sawblades can hit Bloons more easily due to their larger size.
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Ring of Fire: The Tack Shooter now shoots out flame blasts instead of sawblades. The flame blasts can pop Lead Bloons. Unlocked at Career Rank 22.
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| Boomerang Thrower | Multi Target: The Boomerang Thrower's boomerangs can now pop up to seven Bloons at once.
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Sonic Boom: The Boomerang Thrower's boomerangs can now pop frozen Bloons.
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Glaive Thrower: The Boomerang Thrower now throws glaives, which are bladed boomerangs that can pop up to 12 Bloons at once.
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Lightsaber Thrower: The Boomerang Thrower now throws lightsabers that can pop any type of Bloon, and can pop up to 70 Bloons at once. Unlocked at Career Rank 20.
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| Bomb Tower | Bigger Bombs: The Bomb Tower's bombs create bigger blasts.
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Extra Range: The Bomb Tower's range is increased.
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Missile Launcher: The Bomb Tower's attack range and speed are increased and it now shoots missiles which fly faster when shot from the Bomb Tower. | MOAB Mauler: The Bomb Tower now shoots anti-MOAB missiles that deal extra damage to MOAB-Class Bloons. Unlocked at Career Rank 17.
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| Ice Tower | Improved Ice Tower: The Ice Tower's range is increased, and Bloons frozen by the Ice Tower stay frozen for longer.
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Permafrost: Bloons frozen by the Ice Tower move slower after thawing out.
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Snap Freeze: Bloons hit by the Ice Tower's attack will sometimes pop once before freezing.
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Arctic Wind: The Ice Tower now emits an aura of cold air that slows Bloons down if they enter its range. Unlocks at Career Rank 24.
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| Mortar Tower | Greater Accuracy: The Mortar Tower's accuracy is increased.
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Rapid Reload: The Mortar Tower's attack speed is increased.
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Bloon Buster: The Mortar Tower's shells can now pop through two Bloon layers instead of one.
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Mortar Battery: The Mortar Tower's attack speed is tripled, making it attack much faster. Unlocked at Career Rank 23.
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| Glue Gunner | Stickier Glue: The Glue Gunner's glue lasts longer on Bloons.
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Glue Soak: The Glue Gunner's glue now affects all layers of Bloons.
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Corrosive Glue: The Glue Gunner's glue is now acidic and can pop one Bloon layer every two seconds.
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Glue Splatter: Glue globs fired by the Glue Gunner now splatter on impact with a Bloon, covering up to 20 nearby Bloons with glue. Unlocked at Career Rank 25.
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| Monkey Beacon | Wider Influence: The Monkey Beacon's range is increased.
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Jungle Drums: The Monkey Beacon now increases nearby towers' attack speed as well as their range.
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Sonar Beacon: The Monkey Beacon grants nearby towers the ability to detect Camo Bloons.
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Monkey Storm Beacon: The Monkey Beacon can summon a squad of Super Monkeys that destroys every Bloon onscreen, though it costs money to summon a Super Monkey Storm. Unlocked at Career Rank 18. (Note: This upgrade can only be applied to one Monkey Beacon.)
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| Monkey Ace | Pineapple Express: The Monkey Ace sometimes drops Exploding Pineapples as it flies around.
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Spy Plane: The Monkey Ace grants nearby towers the ability to detect Camo Bloons.
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Rapid Fire: The Monkey Ace's attack speed is increased.
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Operation Dart Storm: The Monkey Ace's attack speed is increased even more and it now shoots darts in 16 directions instead of eight. Unlocked at Career Rank 27.
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| Monkey Buccaneer | Grape Shot: The Monkey Buccaneer now shoots volleys of sharpened grapes alongside the giant darts.
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Crow's Nest: The Monkey Buccaneer grants nearby towers the ability to detect Camo Bloons.
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Longer Cannons: The Monkey Buccaneer's range is increased.
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Battleship: The Monkey Buccaneer's attack speed is tripled, making it attack much faster. Unlocked at Career Rank 21.
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| Monkey Apprentice | Intense Magic: The Monkey Apprentice's magic bolts can now pop up to seven Bloons at once.
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Fireball: The Monkey Apprentice now sometimes shoots fireballs that explode on impact with a Bloon.
Prices:
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Summon Whirlwind: The Monkey Apprentice now sometimes generates a big tornado that sucks up Bloons and sends them back to the start of the track, although the tornado also removes effects like glue and ice from the Bloons it sucks up.
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Tempest Tornado: The Monkey Apprentice's tornado is now much more powerful; it sucks up more Bloons, sends them even further back up the track, and pops Bloons while blowing them away. Unlocked at Career Rank 29.
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| Super Monkey | Super Range: The Super Monkey's range is increased.
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Laser Vision: The Super Monkey now shoots lasers instead of throwing darts. The lasers can pop two Bloons, able to pierce through the first one they hit, and they can also pop frozen Bloons.
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Plasma Vision: The Super Monkey's attack speed is increased and he now shoots plasma instead of lasers. The plasma can pop any type of Bloon.
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Sun God: The Super Monkey's attack speed is increased even more and he now shoots volleys of sun beams instead of plasma. The sun beams deal heavy damage and pierce through many Bloons. Unlocked at Career Rank 30.
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| Banana Farm | More Bananas: The Banana Farm now gives you $120 at the end of each round.
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Banana Plantation: The Banana Farm now gives you $250 at the end of each round.
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Banana Republic: The Banana Farm now gives you $500 at the end of each round.
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Banana Research Facility: The Banana Farm now gives you $2,000 at the end of each round. Unlocked at Career Rank 28.
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| Dartling Gun | Steady Barrels: The Dartling Gun's accuracy is increased.
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Powerful Shots: The Dartling Gun's darts fly faster and they can now pop three Bloons, piercing through the first two Bloons they hit.
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Increased Barrel Spin: The Dartling Gun's attack speed is increased.
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Laser Cannon: The Dartling Gun now shoots laser beams instead of darts. The lasers can pop up to 13 Bloons at once, and they can pop frozen Bloons. Unlocked at Career Rank 33.
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| Spike Factory | Faster Production: The Spike Factory's attack speed is increased.
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Bigger Stacks: Each pile created by the Spike Factory now has ten Road Spikes instead of five.
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White Hot Spikes: The Spike Factory's Road Spikes are now super hot, and can pop frozen Bloons and Lead Bloons.
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Spike Storm: Every 15 seconds, the Spike Factory automatically covers the entire track with short-lived Road Spike piles. Unlocked at Career Rank 34.
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Bloons[]
Normal Bloons[]
These are the standard Bloon types that look like normal balloons. They only take a few hits to pop, but they come in large numbers and some types have immunity to certain tower attacks.
- Red Bloon: The most basic Bloon. Moves slowly and spawns nothing when popped.
- Blue Bloon: Moves a little faster and spawns a Red Bloon when popped.
- Green Bloon: Moves at moderate speed and spawns a Blue Bloon when popped.
- Yellow Bloon: Moves fast and spawns a Green Bloon when popped.
- Pink Bloon: Moves very fast and spawns a Yellow Bloon when popped.
- Black Bloon: Moves as fast as a Blue Bloon and spawns two Pink Bloons when popped. Is immune to explosive attacks.
- White Bloon: Moves slightly faster than a Black Bloon and spawns two Pink Bloons when popped. Is immune to ice attacks.
- Camo Bloon: A Bloon with a camouflage pattern. Moves as fast as a Blue Bloon and spawns two Pink Bloons when popped. Can only be detected and popped by towers with the ability to detect Camo Bloons.
- Zebra Bloon: Moves as fast as a Green Bloon and spawns a Black Bloon and a White Bloon when popped. Is immune to both explosive attacks and ice attacks.
- Lead Bloon: A Bloon made of metal. Moves as fast as a Red Bloon and spawns two Black Bloons when popped. Is immune to attacks from sharp things and wind attacks.
- Rainbow Bloon: Moves as fast as a Green Bloon and spawns two Zebra Bloons when popped.
- Brown Bloon: A Bloon made of clay. Moves faster than a Rainbow Bloon, takes 10 hits to pop, and spawns two Rainbow Bloons when popped. Can't be slowed down by glue, but can still be popped by glue shot by a Glue Gunner with the Corrosive Glue upgrade.
MOAB-Class Bloons[]
These are boss-level Bloons that take the form of giant blimps with many smaller Bloons inside of them. They take many hits to pop and can't be frozen or slowed down by glue. If one of these escapes, it's game over due to the sheer number of Bloons inside of them.
- MOAB (Massive Ornery Air Blimp): A big blimp that moves as fast as a Red Bloon, takes 200 hits to pop, and spawns four Brown Bloons when popped.
- BFB (Brutal Floating Behemoth): A bigger blimp that moves slower than a MOAB, takes 400 hits to pop, and spawns four MOABs when popped.
Trivia[]
- This is the first game in the Bloons Tower Defense series to have music.
- This is the only BTD game where all tower upgrades are on a single path.
- This is the last BTD game where Brown Bloons are named for their color instead of the material they're made of; as of BTD5 and beyond, they are now called Ceramic Bloons.
- The Firecracker track, the Dartling Gun, and the Spike Factory weren't in BTD4 when it first released; they were all added to the game in an update that went live on September 8, 2011.