You've probably seen the chat flying by in All Star Tower Defense X (ASTDX) with everyone screaming about Update 5. It's a mess. But amidst the chaos of new banners and rerolls, one unit has people genuinely scratching their heads: Lil Bomber ASTD X.
Honestly, if you're a Jojo fan, you already know Narancia and his plane are iconic. But in the context of ASTDX, translating that "scatterbrain" energy into a tower defense mechanic has resulted in one of the weirdest units we’ve ever seen. It’s not just a standard "place and forget" hill unit. It’s got this bizarre, semi-random AOE that makes it either a literal god-tier carry or a complete waste of a slot depending on where your cursor was three minutes ago.
The Weird Truth About Lil Bomber’s Attack Pattern
Most units in ASTDX have a clear circle or a cone. You know exactly what they’re going to hit. Lil Bomber? Not so much. Basically, he functions as a hybrid/hill unit with an "OP AOE type" that feels more like a carpet bomb than a targeted strike.
The range is actually huge. We’re talking massive. But here is the kicker: the unit has a chance of just... missing? Or rather, it hits specific lanes and patterns that aren't immediately obvious. In some showcases, like the ones popping up after Update 5, you can see the boss's HP bar melting, and then suddenly it stops for a second because the plane looped weirdly.
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If you've played other tower defenses, you might be used to the "Data" unit style. Lil Bomber is basically Data but on steroids, and arguably more inconsistent. You can place four of them, and if you stagger them correctly, you create a "dead zone" where nothing survives. But if you're lazy with your placements? You're going to leak air units like crazy.
Key Stats You Actually Care About
- Deployment Cost: It’s relatively cheap for the utility, making it a viable mid-game transition.
- Attack Type: Hybrid (can hit Ground and Air). This is the main reason people are hunting for it.
- The SSS Corrupted Factor: If you’re lucky enough to get a Corrupted version or max out the Skill Tree, the scaling goes nuts.
- Placement Limit: You can usually drop 4, which is plenty for covering the "weird lanes" I mentioned earlier.
Is the Lil Bomber Skill Tree Worth the Grind?
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Only if you have the patience for farming the specific materials required for Update 5 units.
The 100% Skill Tree showcase for the SSS Corrupted Narancia (the "evolved" version of Lil Bomber) shows a massive jump in SPA (Seconds Per Attack). In a game where the difference between a 2-second and a 1.5-second attack speed determines if you win a Wave 65 challenge, the skill tree is mandatory.
You're looking for nodes that specifically buff the AOE radius. Because the attack pattern is so erratic, the bigger the individual explosions are, the less the "missing" chance matters. It sort of brute-forces the math in your favor.
Getting Him: Banner Luck and Ascensions
Look, we all know the gacha in ASTD X can be brutal. Lil Bomber was the highlight of the Update 5 banner. If you missed that window, you're looking at waiting for the rotation or checking if any specialized event nodes drop his base form.
There's also the Ascend mechanic. If you want the version that actually competes with the current meta-tier lists—we're talking the ones where LapisMudkip and other top players rank units—you have to ascend him. Pairing him with units like Cuciarati (another Jojo-inspired unit) seems to be the "flavor of the month" for team builds. They cover each other's blind spots perfectly.
Why Most People Use Him Wrong
I see this in public lobbies all the time. Players treat Lil Bomber like a standard sniper because of the range. Stop doing that. Lil Bomber is a lane-control unit. Because his bombs hit multiple times within the same range, you want to place him at "choke points" where the pathing overlaps. If the enemies have to walk through his range twice (like on a U-turn map), he becomes three times more effective.
Also, don't ignore his trait. Getting a decent trait like "Godly" or even just a solid "S" tier damage trait makes a world of difference because of his high hit count. If each individual bomb is doing 10% more damage, that adds up fast when you're dropping fifty of them a minute.
What You Should Do Right Now
If you actually have Lil Bomber in your inventory, don't let him sit there. He's one of the few hybrid units that can carry you through the mid-to-late game without needing a massive money-making setup like some of the 7-star units.
- Test the "Dead Zone": Go into a private server on an easy map. Place Lil Bomber and watch the red circles. Notice the gaps.
- Focus the Skill Tree: Prioritize the bottom path for pure damage and SPA. The utility paths are cool, but Lil Bomber's job is to blow things up.
- Check Your Element: Remember that ASTD X uses elemental advantages. If you're bringing a "Red" element Lil Bomber into a "Blue" heavy stage, you're going to have a bad time regardless of his level.
The meta in All Star Tower Defense X moves fast. By the time Update 7 hits, we might have something that powercreeps him. But for now, that little plane is a powerhouse if you know how to handle its "unique" personality.
Go check your banner gems. If he's on rotation, he's a solid pull. If not, start saving those materials for the ascension—you're going to need them.