Strategy:Primary Only

This article is a stub. You can help out by expanding it. The editor who added this notice did not specify a reason.

This article was last updated for: version 46.3

Primary Only is an introduction to game modes that restrict tower use. As such, strategies become more limited, but the mode is still very easy and only presents a challenge on a small handful of maps.

General recommendations

Gameplay

• Because towers such as Acidic Mixture Dip or Radar Scanner that can improve towers' coverage and let them pop more Bloon types are banned, know which towers are suitable for popping Camos and Leads.
  • The only accessible upgrades that can pop Camo Bloons are Enhanced Eyesight and Cold Snap.
  • Leads can be popped by Bomb Shooters or upgrades like Red Hot Rangs and Hot Shots.
  • Heroes can be used in this game mode, and they can be pivotal to victory. Corvus is the most powerful, as he has extreme power in the early-game thanks to Spear (which pops Leads), Ancestral Might (for Round 40), and Vision allowing him to defeat almost all Camos. Simpler, still generally useful heroes include Quincy, who gains Camo and Lead popping early on, and Sauda, who has innate Camo detection and can pop Lead with her level 3 ability. Benjamin and Geraldo can both make money (the latter with Rare Quincy Action Figure) to allow for an easier time in rounds 31-40.
• Primary Only is the most difficult on Flooded Valley, due to the dam blocking nearly all primary towers from reaching the Bloons. For tips on defeating Primary Only on Flooded Valley, check the Strategy section on the article for that map.
• Unless going into Freeplay, do not spend too much money on anti-MOAB towers, because the only blimp that appears is on Round 40. MOAB Assassin defeats the MOAB on all maps through a simple one-shot when placed far away.

Towers suited for most maps

Name	Portrait	Reasoning & How to Use
Corvus		With his spirit and occasional use of Spear (which has Lead-popping), Corvus sweeps through the game with ease. Vision allows him to defeat nearly all Camos in the early game when activated slightly after the start of Round 33, for the first Camos on Round 36, and for the Camos on Round 37. Ancestral Might easily defeats Round 40 when enough mana is saved up for it in the previous rounds. He is especially strong on maps such as Geared, where primary towers and most other heroes suffer due to lacking global range. Place Corvus near the start of the track to constantly farm mana.
Quincy		Quincy is a hero geared for beginners, so he naturally is able to defend against the earlier rounds. He gains Camo popping and Lead popping on time on all maps if placed at the start of the game. Rapid Shot can help against the Round 40 MOAB.
Sauda		Sauda has camo popping right off the bat and gains the ability to pop lead with her ability at level 3. She is especially effective in maps that have a big loop or curve for her to be placed in. Leaping Swords can also do either solid damage to the MOAB or one-shot the Ceramic insides.
Pat Fusty		Pat's level 3 ability is good for towers that launch many projectiles but have low base damage. Use him with The Tack Zone and Blade Maelstrom to further buff their power. If you end up placing a lot of towers, such as Dart Monkeys and Boomerang Monkeys, try to put them around Pat so they can use his buffs.
Geraldo		If placed on Round 1, Rare Quincy Action Figure will have a value of $9,684 by Round 31, allowing for much more defense to be placed in the 30s. See Invisibility Potion can grant 2 towers Camo detection for all Camos after Round 24, guaranteeing victory against Camos on nearly all maps. Gerry's Fire provides valuable additional damage in the 30s, and Blade Trap handily cleans up the insides of the Round 40 MOAB.
Crossbow, Sharp Shooter		One 0-2-3 crossbow can defeat all Camos on most maps, and does well against the first 20 rounds. Upgrading it to Sharp Shooter allows it to deal solid damage to most rounds.
M.O.A.R Glaives		Its glaives can bounce all around the map and clean up almost all non-MOABs with ease. Other towers are still needed for Camos, and multiple MOAR Glaives may be needed for multi-lane maps.
MOAB Assassin		Assassin guarantees victory against Round 40, as the ability one-shots the MOAB. Place Assassin far away from the track so that its main attack does not pop the MOAB before the ability is used.

Towers to avoid

Name	Portrait	Reasoning & How to Use
Admiral Brickell, Rosalia		These heroes have abilities that buff towers that cannot be used on Primary Only. While it is still possible to beat the game with them, these heroes do not contribute much and other heroes are generally better options.
Psi		Psi's main power comes from their ability to one-shot MOABs at Level 14. In this mode, Psi never reaches Level 14 and their main attack does relatively little help. They could be used on maps such as Geared, where the limited-range Primary Monkeys suffer, but Corvus is a superior option.
Ezili		Ezili gets most of her strength through her MOAB Hex ability. Other than that, her base attack is slow and deals little damage, making her a bad choice for the early-game, which is all that matters in this game mode. While she can pop camo and lead, and remove these properties at level 9 (which she does not reach before Round 40), the Primary Monkeys and many other heroes can take care of them already.
Ice Monkey		Ice Monkeys are generally support towers, with Embrittlement's de-buff and Snowstorm's ability. However, in this game mode, there simply is not enough defense for their supporting capability to be worth it, unless specifically going past Round 40.
Glue Gunner		The Glue Gunner tends to be used to slow MOABs or large swarms for cheap in the late-game, with MOAB Glue, Relentless Glue, and Glue Storm. On Primary Only, with no late-game being present and not enough towers to support, they are not worth to purchase and fall off in the same fashion as Ice Monkeys, unless specifically going past Round 40.