Mutation

A mutation is a term in Bloons TD 6 and Bloons Adventure Time TD to describe a modification of an entity (usually a tower or Bloon) that is not an intrinsic element of it. Most mutations are temporary, such as a buff for a tower that only lasts for a limited duration or while within range of another tower, but some mutations affect entities for as long as they exist. A gameplay element that applies a mutation (such as a projectile that inflicts a damage over time mutation on a Bloon) is known as a mutator. Certain Bloon mutators are also referred to as status effects.

Mutations are only a concept in Bloons TD 6 and Bloons Adventure Time TD. In other games, such as Bloons TD Battles 2, non-intrinsic modifiers are not referred to as mutations.

Tower mutators

• Buffs
• Negative effects
• In Bloons TD 6 only:
  • Monkey Knowledge
  • Artifacts
  • Traits
  • Relics

In BTD6, upgrades and Hero levels are not mutators. In BATTD, upgrades, trinkets, and weapons are not mutators.

Bloon mutators

• Blowback
• Damage over time (includes acid, burn, and other subtypes)
• Freeze
• Grow block
• Knockback
• Slow (includes glue, permafrost, stun, and other subtypes)
• In Bloons TD 6 only:
  • Lych's resurrected Bloons
  • Vortex's slipstream

Instantaneous effects, such as damage and pushback, are not mutators. Glue and freeze are considered "status effects", but whether this applies to any other mutators is unknown.

In BATTD, certain equipment increases the "effect duration" of the character it is equipped to. This stat increases the duration of all of the character's slowing, freezing, and damage over time mutators. It does not affect any other duration-based mutators (such as knockback), nor does it affect mutators that apply while within range of a character (such as Ice King's Winter Weather) rather than over a set duration.