Dartling Gun (BTD6)

''Notice: Future updates to Bloons Tower Defense 6 may make this page obsolete. This page was made by Judbud and is not speculation for features of an upcoming update.''

While the Dartling Gun was in BTD4 and BTD5, it came up absent in BTD6 (As of July 6, 2018). So here is my version of what a Dartling Gun's upgrades might be in BTD6.

Base Stats
(All costs assume Medium difficulty)

The Dartling Gun, similar to the previous games, will fire at a rate of 5 times per second in the direction of either the last place you tapped (Mobile) or where your mouse currently is (Computer). These projectiles are highly inaccurate, having a spread of 25 degrees up or down from where you aim. These darts hit only 1 bloon before dissipating, but travel across half the screen. By default, these darts can not pop Camo or Lead, unlike previous games where they could pop Camo.

Cost: 1,000$

Class: Military

In-game Description: A highly powerful, controllable weapon that deals heavy damage to bloons that you aim at.

Unlocks: When you reach Rank 30

Path 1
1/0/0 - Pinpoint Accuracy

Effect Description: Increased accuracy allows popping of Camo Bloons and reduces attack spread.

Actual Effect: Lowers spread from 25 degrees to 5 degrees, also allowing you to pop Camo Bloons.

Cost: 800$ and 900 XP.

2/0/0 - Sharpened Darts

Effect Description: Allows darts to pop through 4 bloons.

Actual Effect: Allows darts to pop through 4 bloons, also again lowering spread down to 2 degrees and increasing bullet velocity by 33%.

Cost: 1100$ and 1400 XP.

3/0/0 - Depleted Bloontonium Weapons

Effect Description: Through the power of bloontonium, allows the dartling gun to pop all types of bloon.

Actual Effect: Allows the dartling gun to pop all types of bloons, also increasing layers popped to 2.

Cost: 2500$ and 2250 XP

4/0/0 - Intoxication

Effect Description: Greatly increases the power of the bloontonium.

Actual Effect: Allows the dartling gun to pop through 35 bloons, also increasing layers popped to 5. Popped bloons will lose 10% speed, as well as 1 layer per second, for 3 seconds. This effect will stack with itself and compound.

Cost: 12,500$ and 10,000 XP

5/0/0 - Unkillable Waste

Effect Description: This may be a bad idea.

Actual Effect: Increases pierce to 200 bloons and layers popped to 10. Bloons, including MOABs, affected by radiation will lose 5 layers per second instead of 1, and it lasts for 5 seconds. Infected bloons will glow, infecting any bloons that are right next to it at a rate of 1 stack per second. BADs are not affected by the slowdown, and ZOMGs are only affected by the slowdown to a minimum of 60% of normal speed. Anything weaker is at the mercy of the toxins.

Cost: 60,000$ and 40,000 XP.

Path 2
0/1/0 - Increased Barrel Speed

Effect Description: Increases attack speed by 50%.

Actual Effect: Increases attack speed from 5 to 7.5.

Cost: 800$ and 800 XP.

0/2/0 - Velocity Empowerment

Effect Description: Further increases attack speed and velocity.

Actual Effect: Increases attack speed from 7.5 to 13 per second, also increasing velocity by 50% and pierce by 10% rounded up.

Cost: 1500$ and 1400 XP.

0/3/0 - Rocket Pods

Effect Description: Dartling gun now fires sharp-tipped rocket pods that have incredible power.

Actual Effect: Now fires explosive attacks that can pop black bloons with a pop limit of 45 (50 including the previous upgrade). Explosion is about 1/4 the size of a 0/0 dart monkey's range.

Cost: 4500$ and 4000 XP.

0/4/0 - Explosives Storm

Effect Description: Greatly increases the attack power and adds an ability that fires rockets all over the screen.

Actual Effect: Now fires 2 rockets side-by-side that pop 2 layers each. New ability with a 100 second cooldown that launches 150 rockets with double layer damage and pop limit to the largest groups of bloons on screen.

Cost: 10,000$ and 8000 XP.

0/5/0 - B.A.D.S.

Effect description: I hope you like bombs.

Actual Effect: Now fires 5 rockets spread out by 2 degrees each. These rockets now pop 5 layers, do double damage to MOAB-class bloons, fires at 15 per second instead of 13, and have a pop limit of 100. The ability is buffed to triple layer damage and pop limit with 500 rockets. (Please help with balancing this one in the comments)

Cost: 90,000$ and 70,000 XP.

Third Path
0/0/1 - Flamethrower

Effect Description: Changes the attack to a deadly flamethrower attack that burns affected bloons.

Actual Effect: Increases layers popped by 1, also burning affected bloons for 1 damage per every other second for 6 seconds. Combining with rockets makes flaming rockets that burn EVERY affected bloon, and adding with high-tier bloontonium upgrades increases the layer pop rate by 50%.

Cost: 1500$ and 1500 XP

0/0/2 - Guided Flames

Effect Description: Flames leap toward bloons with incredible ferocity.

Actual Effect: Projectiles target the nearest bloon to them. Also adds 1 pierce.

Cost: 2,000$ and 2,000 XP

0/0/3 - Laser System

Effect Description: Changes flames into powerful, guided, scorching lasers.

Actual Effect: Increases layers popped to 3 and burn damage to 1 per second.

Cost: 6,000$ and 5,000 XP

0/0/4 - Laser Cannon

Effect Description: The laser becomes even more powerful and persistent.

Actual Effect: Triples pierce, increases layers popped to 5, and scorched bloons take 1 extra damage per hit taken.

Cost: 18,000$ and 15,000 XP

0/0/5 - Ray of Doom

Effect Description: An automated weapon of incredible power.

Actual Effect: Adds the 4 basic targeting options, as well as keeping Follow Mouse. The ray stops being homing. Instead, it gives the ray an infinite amount of pierce as well as 50% more damage to MOAB-class bloons. The "Sharpened Darts" upgrade now instead increases the width of the ray from 2/3 of the width of the footprint of the Ray of Doom to 3/3 of the width.

Cost: 130,000$ and 85,000 XP

Trivia

 * Laser stands for Light Amplified by Simulated Emissions of Radiation.
 * I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to balancing this tower. Please help.
 * The Dartling Gun is technically the first tower to be cut from the Bloons Tower Defense games, along with the Engineer, Bloonchipper, and Mortar.