 | ARTICLE |  | GALLERY |  | HISTORY |
Similar Article
This article is about Ace Pilot. You may be looking for a Militant skin of the same name.
- "Flies in a circular path, shooting enemies in its line of fire and dropping bombs."
- ―Store Description
- "Rain fire from above!"
- ―Former Store Description
Contents
- 1 Description
- 2 Upgrades
- 3 Ability
- 4 Stats Table
- 5 Skins
- 6 Strategy
- 7 Trivia
- 8 Update History
- 9 Notes
Description
The Ace Pilot is an intermediate tower that can be bought for 
3,500. Unlike other ground towers, the attacking unit of the Ace Pilot, the plane, is an air unit.
The Ace Pilot will circle around the runway. At Level 2+, this can be changed to a figure eight. With its Toggle Reverse ability, it is possible to reverse its flight path. The Ace Pilot is armed with a pair of machine guns on each wing at the base and will shoot any enemy within its patrol radius. At Levels 2–5, the aircraft will periodically drop a bomb directly where the targeted enemy was last, exploding and damaging any enemies caught in the explosion. The explosion is separated into two spheres. Enemies in the inner sphere will be dealt 100% of the stated damage, while damage in the outer sphere decreases linearly by distance from the edge of the inner sphere to the edge of the outer sphere. Since its bombs deal splash damage, they ignore defense, dealing full damage to the enemies with defense. These bombs can also damage lead enemies. Due to it being an air-based tower, it is immune to stuns, and because it is not a humanoid tower, it is also immune to debuffs. Additionally, because it is an air-based tower, it can detect flying enemies.
At Level 4+, the Ace Pilot will also give nearby towers hidden detection, giving towers without hidden detection, like the Ranger, the ability to detect hidden enemies. Its machine guns are then replaced by a single autocannon, granting it higher damage and firerate. The Ace Pilot boasts a high DPS, but its limiting range and inconsistent circling cripple its full potential. Therefore, in most situations, it does not operate at the highest DPS most of the time.
The Ace Pilot has a placement limit of eight per player.
Upgrades
Level 1 - Greased Guns -  $225 |
|---|
 +1 Damage
|
| Level 2 - Bombs away! - $350 |
|---|
 +Figure8 Flight Path •10 Damage •4 Second Reload •4 Explosion Range
|
| Level 3 - Aerial Ace - $2,200 |
|---|
 +2 Damage 0.158 > 0.128 Firerate •18 Damage •4 Second Reload •4.5 Explosion Range
|
| Level 4 - Spy plane - $4,000 |
|---|
+1.5 Range +3 Damage +Hidden Detection Grants Hidden Detection to nearby towers •7.5 Range •25 Damage •1.75 Second Reload •4.5 Explosion Range
|
| Level 5 - The Surging Sky - $10,000 |
|---|
 +1 Range +5 Damage 0.128 > 0.098 Firerate 35% speed increase •25 Damage •0.8 Second Reload •4 Explosion Range
|
Ability
| Toggle Reverse | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Stats Table
To see all the previous statistics of this tower, see the history page, while for the statistics without the Firerate Bug, visit the Firerate Bug page.
| Level | Total Price | Normal Damage | Splash Damage[2] | Bomb Firerate[3] | Explosion Range | Normal Firerate | Range | DPS[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $450 | 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0.158 | 7.5 | 6.33 |
| 1 | $675 | 2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0.158 | 7.5 | 12.66 |
| 2 | $1,025 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0.158 | 7.5 | 15.16[5] |
| 3 | $3,225 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 4.5 | 0.128 | 7.5 | 35.75[6] |
| 4 | $7,225 | 7 | 25 | 1.75 | 4.5 | 0.128 | 9 | 68.98[7] |
| 5 | $17,225 | 12 | 25 | 0.8 | 4 | 0.098 | 10 | 153.7[8] |
Skins
To see all the upgrades of a skin, see the gallery page.
 |  |  |  | |
| Skin | Green | Red | Yellow | Aerial Ace |
| Rarity | Common | Common | Common | Common |
| Daily Store Cost | 1,250 | 1,250 | 1,250 | 1,250 |
| Obtained From | Basic Skincrate | Basic Skincrate | Basic Skincrate | Basic Skincrate |
 |  |  | ||
| Skin | Purple | Navy | Pumpkin | |
| Rarity | Common | Rare | Event | |
| Daily Store Cost | 1,250 | 2,000 | N/A | |
| Obtained From | Basic Skincrate | Basic Skincrate | Pumpkin Skincrate |
Strategy
- Place this tower where it can be used to its full potential. This primarily involves placing it at turns.
- Placing it on a straight path is not recommended, as it will not shoot as often.
- As the Ace Pilot flies clockwise, placing it so it covers a counterclockwise path turn will mean it has a greater chance of attacking an enemy.
- The first roundabout on Wrecked Battlefield is a good example of this.
- You can also place it on a clockwise path and use the Toggle Reverse ability to make it fly counterclockwise, having the same effect.
- When changing flight paths, the Ace Pilot will complete the previous flight path first before switching to the new flight path.
- The DJ Booth can significantly increase its attack radius.
- However, the DJ Booth does not increase the Ace Pilot's flying radius.
- Try not to focus solely on Ace Pilots.
- This is because faster enemies may walk right past the Ace Pilot without being damaged. If you want reliable defense, then a Minigunner or Cowboy could be a more reliable option.
- The Commander cannot decrease the firerate of the bombs. However, it can decrease the firerate of the guns.
- Damage buffs due to a bug can only increase the damage of bombs, making the Mercenary Base much less effective.
- Unlike the Pursuit, the Ace Pilot does not stop to hover over an area whenever an enemy enters its range.
- This means that the Ace Pilot is unlikely to be attacking all the time, reducing the effectiveness of the tower.
- In Hardcore mode, the Ace Pilot can be used as an effective way to deal with flying, lead and enemies with defense that appear early on during the game, such as the Lead, Hefty and Balloon.
- The bombs that the Ace Pilot drops are a good way to clear out hordes of weaker enemies, like the Abnormal or Slow, while also dealing additional damage to higher health enemies, like the Abnormal Boss.
- The Ace Pilot's bombs completely ignore defense, dealing full damage to enemies with defense. Because of this, it can be useful against hordes of enemies with defense that appear early on during the game, like Heavies, Abnormal Bosses or Hefties.
- While the bomb is aimed directly at the target, it may miss the enemy as it takes a little while for the bomb to land.
- At Level 5, the missile has a faster projectile speed, so is less likely to miss the enemy's intended target.
- At Level 4+, the Ace Pilot gives nearby towers hidden detection for towers that do not have it, such as the Ranger.
- Towers are only granted hidden detection if they are within the radius of the runway, which is quite small.
- This radius cannot be increased by the DJ Booth.
- Towers are only granted hidden detection if they are within the radius of the runway, which is quite small.
Trivia
- It is stated by BelowNatural that the Ace Pilot was based on the Monkey Ace from the Bloons Tower Defense series.
- However, its main method of distributing damage and the fact that it gives hidden detection are similar to those of the Aviator from Tower Battles.
- The Ace Pilot used to share its Level 2 icon with the Mortar's Level 4 icon.
- This is currently the only tower able to give other towers hidden detection.
- Strangely, the Soul Stealer and Void Reaver can still spawn a Soul from the Ace Pilot, despite not being a humanoid tower.
- The model of the Ace Pilot may lag behind the actual tower, making it look like it attacks enemies that are out of its range.
- On Level 2 and 5, the Ace Pilot upgrade names have capitalization errors.
- Additionally, there are two spaces between "Aerial" and "Ace" in the Level 3 upgrade name instead of one.
- The Level 5 upgrade name, "The Surging Sky" is a reference to a fake leak of the Level 6 Ace Pilot upgrade.
Update History
For previous cosmetic variations, see the gallery page.
- 29 November 2019
- Ace Pilot added.
- Skins: Red, Green, Yellow
- Bug: Ace Pilot's placement is bugged.
- 24 December 2019
- Statistical changes:
- Level 0
- Ace Pilot now flies faster.
- Level 3
- Now makes the Ace Pilot fly faster.
- Level 5
- Now makes the Ace Pilot fly faster.
- Level 0
- Statistical changes:
- 24 March 2020
- Ace Pilot placement limit increased from 5 to 10.
- 29 April 2020
- Bugfix: Ace Pilot placement bug fixed.
- 26 May 2020
- Statistical changes:
- Base
- Cost decreased from
$1,000 to $650. - Firerate increased from 0.2 to 0.25.
- Cost decreased from
- Level 1
- Damage increased from +1 to +2.
- Level 2
- Cost decreased from $850 to $350.
- Cost decreased from
- Level 3
- Cost decreased from $2,500 to $2,000.
- Cost decreased from
- Level 4
- Cost decreased from $4,500 to $4,000.
- Damage decreased from +3 to +2.
- Cost decreased from
- Level 5
- Damage increased from +2 to +3.
- Range increased from +1 to +2.
- Base
- Statistical changes:
- 31 May 2020
- Bugfix: Stacking issue fixed.
- 29 October 2020
- Unlock cost decreased from 1,600 to 1,500.
- Bombs now only drop when an enemy is in range.
- Splash damage equation reworked.
- Firerate decreased due to the Firerate Bug being made less severe.
- Skin rarity added to Basic Skincrate skins.
- Statistical changes:
- Base
- Firerate decreased from 0.25 to 0.18.
- Damage decreased from 2 to 1.
- Range increased from 5 to 7.
- Flying detection added.
- Level 1
- Damage decreased from +2 to +1.
- Level 2
- Bombs can damage lead enemies.
- Level 3
- Range decreased from +1 to +0.
- Firerate changed from 0.25 > 0.15 to 0.18 > 0.13.
- Renamed from Better plane to Aerial Ace.
- Level 5
- Cost increased from $6,500 to $7,500.
- Firerate changed from 0.15 > 0.1 to 0.13 > 0.08.
- Now fires missiles instead of dropping bombs.
- Cost increased from
- Base
- Bug: Ace Pilot attack range and circling direction is not shown properly.
- Bug: Ace Pilot's bombs only deal damage to one enemy.
- New skins: Aerial Ace, Navy, Purple
- Unlock cost decreased from
- 31 October 2020
- New skin: Pumpkin
- 23 November 2020
- Bugfix: Ace Pilot attack range is now shown properly.
- 8 May 2021
- Ace Pilot's bombs now ignore defense.
- Ace Pilot's bombs now aim directly to where the targeted enemy was last at, as opposed to straight down for Levels 2-4.
- Splash damage reworked. Explosion is now separated into two spheres. Inner sphere deals 100% of the stated damage, while damage in the outer sphere decreases linearly from the edge of the inner sphere to the edge of the outer sphere.
- Ace Pilot now has to take off from its runway when placed down, and upgraded to Level 3 or Level 5.
- Statistical changes:
- Base
- Cost decreased from $650 to $500.
- Bug: Inside the Lobby, the price is $650, when it is actually $500.
- Bug: Inside the Lobby, the price is
- Cost decreased from
- Level 2
- Splash Damage decreased from 12 to 10.
- Bomb explosion range decreased from 5 to 4.
- Projectile speed increased.
- Level 3
- Bomb explosion range decreased from 5 to 4.
- Cost decreased from $2,000 to $1,500.
- Level 4
- Bomb explosion range decreased from 6 to 4.
- Cost decreased from $4,000 to $3,600.
- Now gives Hidden Detection for 15 seconds to nearby towers at the start of each wave.
- Level 5
- Splash Damage decreased from 30 to 24.
- Base
- Bug: No longer immune to stuns.
- Bugfix: Ace Pilot's bombs now deal damage to multiple enemies.
- 4 December 2021
- Bug: The Ace Pilot's bombs no longer grant cash.
- Bugfix: Ace Pilot is now immune to stuns.
- Bugfix: The placement cost of the Ace Pilot in the lobby is now correct.
- 29 December 2021
- Bug: All of the Ace Pilot's skins do not upgrade properly.
- This was fixed later the same day.
- Bug: All of the Ace Pilot's skins do not upgrade properly.
- 12 March 2022
- Ace Pilot is now immune to all debuffs.
- Firerate decreased due to the Firerate Bug being made less severe.
- Statistical changes:
- Base
- Firerate decreased from 0.18 to 0.158.
- Level 3
- Firerate changed from 0.18 > 0.13 to 0.158 > 0.108.
- Level 5
- Firerate changed from 0.13 > 0.08 to 0.108 > 0.058.
- Base
- Bug: Ace Pilot can be targeted by enemies.
- Bugfix: Ace Pilot's bombs now grant money.
- 17 April 2022
- Bugfix: Ace Pilot can no longer be targeted by enemies.
- 21 December 2022
- Skin rarity added to all skins.
- Navy skin rarity changed from Uncommon to Common.
- Aerial Ace skin rarity changed from Rare to Common.
- 23 January 2023
- Navy skin rarity changed from Common to Rare.
- 7 April 2023
- Bugfix: Circling range is now displayed properly.
- 5 May 2023
- Bug: Placement footprint does not show up when the Ace Pilot is selected.
- 28 October 2023
- Placement limit decreased from 10 to 8.
- Statistical changes:
- Base
- Range increased from 7 to 7.5.
- Level 1
- Cost increased from $250 to $300.
- Cost increased from
- Level 2
- Range decreased from +1 to +0.
- Bomb firerate increased from 4 to 4.5.
- Level 3
- Firerate changed from 0.158 > 0.108 to 0.158 > 0.128.
- Bomb damage decreased from 18 to 15.
- Bomb firerate increased from 4 to 4.5.
- Cost increased from $1,500 to $2,000.
- Level 4
- Range increased from +0 to +1.5.
- Bomb firerate decreased from 3.5 to 3.
- Cost decreased from $3,600 to $3,200.
- Level 5
- Damage increased from +3 to +4.
- Firerate changed from 0.108 > 0.058 to 0.128 > 0.083
- Range decreased from +2 to +1.
- Bomb damage decreased from 24 to 20.
- Bomb firerate decreased from 3 to 2.5.
- Bomb explosion range decreased from 6 to 5.5.
- Cost increased from $7,500 to $8,750.
- Name changed from Air Fighter to The Surging Skies.
- Base
- 21 December 2023
- Unlock cost increased from 1,500 to 3,500.
- Unlock cost increased from
- 10 May 2024
- Bug: Ace Pilot does not deal damage while its bomb is being dropped.
- 31 May 2024
- Bug: Splash damage no longer bypasses defense.
- 16 June 2024
- Bug: Towers do not gain hidden detection when upgraded to a Level that has one if they have the hidden detection buff from the Ace Pilot active.
- 21 June 2024
- Rotating the Ace Pilot no longer has an impact on its starting position, though it does affect the rotation of the Figure8 flight path.
- Ace Pilot now can select from two flight paths, Circle and Figure8.
- Ace Pilot no longer has a start up animation on placement, Level 3 or Level 5.
- Statistical changes:
- Base
- Cost increased from $500 to $550.
- Damage increased from 1 to 2.
- Firerate increased from 0.158 to 0.188.
- Toggle Reverse ability added.
- Allows the Ace Pilot to fly in the reverse direction of its flight path.
- Cost increased from
- Level 1
- Cost decreased from $300 to $150.
- Damage decreased from +1 to +0.
- Firerate changed from 0.158 to 0.188 > 0.158.
- Name changed from Better bullets to Greased Guns.
- Cost decreased from
- Level 2
- Bomb firerate decreased from 4.5 to 4.
- Now unlocks the Figure8 flight path.
- Level 3
- Damage increased from +2 to +3.
- No longer boosts flight speed.
- Bomb damage increased from 15 to 18.
- Bomb firerate decreased from 4.5 to 4.
- Bomb explosion range increased from 4 to 4.5.
- Level 4
- Cost increased from $3,200 to $3,600.
- Damage increased from +2 to +3.
- Firerate changed from 0.128 to 0.128 > 0.108.
- Hidden detection buff is now permanent.
- Hidden detection buff is now given in its secondary range around the runway, which has a range of 7.5.
- Bomb damage increased from 15 to 25.
- Bomb firerate decreased from 3 to 2.75.
- Bomb explosion range increased from 4 to 4.5.
- Cost increased from
- Level 5
- Cost increased from $8,750 to $9,750.
- Firerate changed from 0.128 > 0.083 to 0.108 > 0.098.
- Flight speed boost changed, now boosts flight speed by 35%.
- Bomb damage increased from 20 to 30.
- Bomb firerate decreased from 2.5 to 0.65.
- Bomb explosion range decreased from 5.5 to 4.
- Cost increased from
- Base
- Bugfix: Gun now deals damage while a bomb is being dropped.
- Bugfix: Splash damage now bypasses defense again.
- Bug: Regular damage is no longer boosted by damage buffs, though the bomb damage still is.
- Bug: Small red cube appears on the center of the map when the Ace Pilot is placed.
- Bug: Animations breaks when rejoining the server.
- Bug: Ace Pilot is upside down in the Daily Store and when opening skincrates.
- 19 July 2024
- No longer has a white dot under the plane while using the Figure8 path.
- Statistical changes:
- Base
- Cost decreased from $550 to $450.
- Damage decreased from 2 to 1.
- Firerate decreased from 0.188 to 0.158.
- Cost decreased from
- Level 1
- Cost increased from $150 to $225.
- Damage increased from +0 to +1.
- Firerate changed from 0.188 > 0.158 to 0.158.
- Cost increased from
- Level 3
- Cost increased from $2,000 to $2,200.
- Damage decreased from +3 to +2.
- Cost increased from
- Level 4
- Cost increased from $3,600 to $4,000.
- Firerate changed from 0.128 > 0.108 to 0.128.
- Bomb firerate decreased from 2.75 to 1.75.
- Cost increased from
- Level 5
- Cost increased from $9,750 to $10,000.
- Damage increased from +4 to +5.
- Firerate changed from 0.108 > 0.098 to 0.128 > 0.098.
- Bomb explosion damage decreased from 30 to 25.
- Bomb firerate increased from 0.65 to 0.8.
- Cost increased from
- Base
- Bug: Hidden detection buff range is no longer shown.
- Bug: When being placed down, the Figure8 flight path is shown instead of Circle.
- Bug: Figure8 path does not rotate with the tower, displaying the path incorrectly if rotated.
- 2 August 2024
- Bugfix: Regular damage is now boosted by damage buffs.
- Bugfix: When being placed down, it correctly shows the Circle path instead of Figure8.
- 21 August 2024
- Bugfix: Animations no longer break when rejoining the server.
- Bugfix: A small red cube no longer appears in the center of the map when the Ace Pilot is placed down.
- 28 August 2024
- Bugfix: Ace Pilot is no longer upside down in the Daily Store and when opening skincrates.
Notes
- ↑ From Level 2, its bombs can indirectly hit hidden enemies, but this tower cannot directly target hidden enemies until Level 4.
- ↑ Number is the damage dealt in the inner explosion sphere. Splash damage is decreased linearly from the edge of the inner explosion sphere to the edge of the outer explosion sphere, if the enemy is in the outer explosion sphere.
- ↑ Bombs can only be dropped if an enemy is within range.
- ↑ Total DPS is calculated as Gun DPS + Bomb DPS.
Bomb DPS assumes that only one enemy is hit and it receives full splash damage. - ↑ 12.66 Gun DPS + 2.5 Bomb DPS
- ↑ 31.25 Gun DPS + 4.5 Bomb DPS
- ↑ 54.69 Gun DPS + 14.29 Bomb DPS
- ↑ 122.45 Gun DPS + 31.25 Bomb DPS
|
|---|
| Towers | |
|---|---|
| Starter | Scout • Sniper • Paintballer • Demoman • Hunter • Soldier |
| Intermediate | Militant • Medic • Freezer • Farm • Shotgunner • Rocketeer • Trapper • Ace Pilot • Pyromancer • Military Base • Crook Boss |
| Advanced | Electroshocker • Commander • Warden • Cowboy • DJ Booth • Minigunner • Ranger • Turret • Mortar • Pursuit • Mercenary Base |
| Hardcore | Brawler • Accelerator • Engineer |
| Golden Perks | Golden Minigunner • Golden Crook Boss • Golden Pyromancer • Golden Scout • Golden Cowboy • Golden Soldier |
| Exclusive | Gladiator • Commando • Slasher • Frost Blaster • Archer • Swarmer • Toxic Gunner • Sledger • Executioner • Elf Camp • Necromancer • Jester • Cryomancer • War Machine • Mecha Base |
| Removed | Sentry |
| Tower Gallery Pages | |
|---|---|
| Starter | Scout • Sniper • Paintballer • Demoman • Hunter • Soldier |
| Intermediate | Militant • Medic • Freezer • Farm • Shotgunner • Rocketeer • Trapper • Ace Pilot • Pyromancer • Military Base • Crook Boss |
| Advanced | Electroshocker • Commander • Warden • Cowboy • DJ Booth • Minigunner • Ranger • Turret • Mortar • Pursuit • Mercenary Base |
| Hardcore | Brawler • Accelerator • Engineer |
| Golden Perks | Golden Minigunner • Golden Crook Boss • Golden Pyromancer • Golden Scout • Golden Cowboy • Golden Soldier |
| Exclusive | Gladiator • Commando • Slasher • Frost Blaster • Archer • Swarmer • Toxic Gunner • Sledger • Executioner • Elf Camp • Necromancer • Jester • Cryomancer • War Machine • Mecha Base |
| Removed | Sentry |
| History Pages | |
|---|---|
| Starter | Scout • Sniper • Paintballer • Demoman • Hunter • Soldier |
| Intermediate | Militant • Medic • Freezer • Farm • Shotgunner • Rocketeer • Trapper • Ace Pilot • Pyromancer • Military Base • Crook Boss |
| Advanced | Electroshocker • Commander • Warden • Cowboy • DJ Booth • Minigunner • Ranger • Turret • Mortar • Pursuit • Mercenary Base |
| Hardcore | Brawler • Accelerator • Engineer |
| Golden Perks | Golden Minigunner • Golden Crook Boss • Golden Pyromancer • Golden Scout • Golden Cowboy • Golden Soldier |
| Exclusive | Gladiator • Commando • Slasher • Frost Blaster • Archer • Swarmer • Toxic Gunner • Sledger • Executioner • Elf Camp • Necromancer • Jester • War Machine • Mecha Base |
| Removed | Sentry |
