BTD6 reference
How BTD6 Paragon Degree Works
A Paragon has an internal power total. That power total is converted into the visible degree from 1 to 100. The important trick is that power comes from several separate capped buckets, not from one giant cash total.
Updated 2026-06-04 by TDGameTools.
Power buckets
Degree is built from separate sources
Cash, pops, upgrade tiers, extra Tier 5s, and totems can each be missing or capped. A single big spend does not automatically solve the full formula.
What affects BTD6 Paragon degree?
BTD6 Paragon degree is affected by total Paragon power, which is built from multiple capped and uncapped sources rather than one cash total. The main sources are sacrificed tower value, manual cash investment, pops or supported generated income, non-Tier-5 upgrade tiers, extra Tier 5 towers beyond the three required to unlock the Paragon, and Geraldo Paragon Power Totems. Cash and pops can contribute a large amount of power, but each has a cap, so extra spending or extra pops may stop increasing the final degree once that source is full. Upgrade tiers, extra Tier 5s, and totems often explain why two setups with similar cash totals produce different degrees. The practical planning rule is to identify the missing bucket before adding more of a source that is already capped. This makes troubleshooting clearer and prevents wasted inputs.
60,000 power
Cash and sacrifice value
Sacrificed tower value and manual cash investment share this cap. Manual cash uses a 5% markup in the public formula, so it is convenient but not always the cheapest route.
90,000 power
Pops and generated income
Every 180 pops or $45 of supported generated income contributes 1 power. The full pop bucket is 16.2 million pops or $4.05 million generated income.
10,000 power
Non-Tier-5 upgrades
Each non-Tier-5 upgrade tier contributes 100 power, so this bucket is full at 100 total upgrade tiers.
50,000 power
Extra Tier 5 towers
Each Tier 5 beyond the required three contributes 6,000 power. The first three Tier 5s unlock the Paragon; they are not extra Tier 5s.
No source cap
Geraldo totems
Each Paragon Power Totem contributes 2,000 power, but the final Paragon degree still caps at 200,000 total power.
Important degree thresholds
The power curve is not linear. Higher degrees need increasingly more power, and degree 100 is a hard cap at 200,000 total power.
| Degree | Required power | Why players care |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 11,032 | Useful planning milestone |
| 40 | 31,360 | Useful planning milestone |
| 60 | 66,387 | Useful planning milestone |
| 76 | 107,681 | Historic high target and common guide reference |
| 80 | 120,115 | Useful planning milestone |
| 91 | 159,085 | Modern solo no-totem ceiling for most Paragons |
| 100 | 200,000 | Maximum visible degree |
Why maxing one category is not enough
A player can hit the cash cap and still miss a target degree because the other buckets remain low. The cleanest diagnostic is to look at each source separately: cash, pops or income, non-Tier-5 tiers, extra Tier 5s, and totems. That is the reason TDGameTools shows a separate meter for each source instead of one single money-required field.
Related guides
Sources
Sources below support the game availability link, formula details, source caps, and milestone values referenced in this guide.
FAQ
Is BTD6 Paragon degree based on money only?
No. Money is only one capped bucket. Pops, generated income, upgrade tiers, extra Tier 5 towers, and Geraldo totems can all affect the final degree.
Why does adding more cash stop helping?
The cash bucket caps at 60,000 power. Once that bucket is full, adding more cash to the same bucket will not increase the degree.
What is the maximum Paragon degree without Geraldo?
Under the modern public formula, maxed solo setups can reach around degree 91 for most Paragons without totems. Degree 100 generally needs Geraldo totems or co-op conditions.