Surveyor

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Drones

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Surveyor
Prices
Token Cost	N/A
Placement Cost	750
Information
Type	Offensive Support (3-X)
Damage Type	Single Target Multi-Target (Splash) (X-3)
Placement Limit	4
Requirement	Beat Final Fortification (before the 2024 Halloween update) Beat 8 maps in solo in the 3 difficulties
Initial Statistics
Cooldown	13
Damage	1*3
Range	30 *(46)
DPS	~1.85
Flying Detection	Yes (0-0)
Defense Piercing	None

Description

Surveyor is a summoning tower that calls in drones to attack enemies, which are immune to stuns and most drones having flying detection. Path 1 supports towers through range buffs and Cryo Drones to freeze enemies, while Path 2 summons a variety of offensive drones that can deal great damage.

Surveyor can be obtained by beating 8 maps in solo for all 3 main difficulties. However, to actually get the tower, a player must join the Hexagon Development Support server and show proof that they have beaten 8 maps on all gamemodes. The server invite link can be clicked here.

Previously, it could also be obtained by beating Final Fortification in the Cold Construct Event. If you obtained it during Cold Construct 2022, you would receive an exclusive skin called Avarian Assassin.

Appearance

• Current
• Version 1

The Surveyor wears a dark green shirt and a cap, with fingerless gloves and orange safety vest. It wears black pants and a pair of boots. It holds a tablet, that uses at the moment of spawning drones.

The Surveyor wears blue and gray armor over a black suit. It has a helmet and a pair of boots. It holds a tablet, that uses at the moment of spawning drones.

Lore

"Drone warfare is an ever-growing field in military research. Therefore, the UEC has decided to invest a great deal of time into their Surveyor program. These units, often drafted rather than cloned, work both on-field and off the grid. Their roles are primarily to maintain and control various types of drones on the battlefield. Some primary objectives include reconnaissance, armor-disruption and explosions."

Upgrades

• Path 1
• Path 2

Path 1 ( 13,650)

Top Path

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Surveying Zone Range is significantly increased. Changes   Range increased from 30 to 60 (+30)

$450

Improved Battery Drone lifetime increased by 10 seconds,drone speed double. Changes   Drone lifetime increased by 10 seconds (+50% DPS) 2x Drone speed

$300

Drone Intel Can now summon a single Radar Drone which buffs range,upgraded drones. Changes   Can now summon a Radar Drone which buffs range by 10% to nearby towers. The drone can be moved anywhere with a 15 second cooldown. Replaces M2 burst drones with M3 burst drones if "Stronger Drones" upgrade is bought. extends drone lifetime by an additional 10 seconds +10s.

$3,150

Support Guardian Drone cap increased. Radar Drone is upgraded,upgraded drones. Changes   Drone Cap increased from 4 to 5 (+1) Can now spawn Cryo Drone Deals explosive freezing damage. Burst Drone is replaced with Burst Drone M4. Burst Drone does 4 damage, shoots 10 shots per burst with an 2s cooldown (20 DPS). Last the same time as regular Burst drone. Radar Drone's range buff is now 20% (+10%).

$9,750

Path 2 ( 35,100)

Bottom Path

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More Support Drone cap increased by 1, faster drone deployment time. Changes   Drone cap increased by 1 (+1). Reduces Surveyor's cooldown from 13 seconds to 10s (-3s).

$450

Stronger Drones Burst Drone upgraded to MK2. Changes   Can now spawns upgraded Burst Drones. Burst Drone M2 does 1 damage, shoots 5 shots per burst with 2s cooldown (+1.5 DPS), also has 32 range. Drones can now attack while arriving Lasts same time as regular Burst Drone.

$1,650

Drone Warfare Bomber Drone is added to the drone arsenal, increased limit. Changes   Can now spawn Bomber Drone. Bomber Drone deals 20 splash damage per bomb in a burst of 3 bomb shots, with 0.5s interval per shot and 3s cooldown per burst (20 DPS). Lasts for 50 seconds and has the slowest movement speed in the arsenal. Burst Drone M2 is now replaced with Burst Drone M3. Burst Drone M3 does 2 damage in a 7 per bursts, with 0.1s cooldown per shot and 2s cooldown per burst (7 DPS). Lasts same time as regular Burst drone

$6,500

Death Swarm Drone cap increased, Sentinel Drone is added. Changes   Drone cap increased from 5 to 7 (+2) Increased Drone lifespan to 4s+ Burst Drone M3 is now replaced with Sentinel Drone. Sentinel drone deals 8 damage with a 0.1s cooldown (80 DPS).

$26,500

Stats Table

• Path 1
• Path 2

Level	Total Price	Cooldown (Spawn time)	Drone's DPS	Drone's lifespan	Range	Average DPS	DPS Cost Efficiency
0-0	750	13	Burst Drone: 1.2 DPS	Arrival lifespan: N/A Burst drone: 20s	Surveyor: 30 Drone I: 16 Total: 46	~1.85	406.25
1-0	1,200	13	Burst Drone: 1.2 DPS	Arrival lifespan: N/A Burst Drone: 20s	Surveyor: 60 Drone I: 16 Total: 76	~1.85	650
2-0	1,500	13	Burst Drone: 1.2 DPS	Arrival lifespan: N/A Burst Drone: 30s	Surveyor: 66 Drone I: 16 Total: 76	~2.77	~541.67
2-2	3,600	10	Burst Drone M2: 2.5 DPS	Arrival lifespan: 6s Burst Drone M2: 30s	Surveyor: 60 Drone M2: 32 Total: 92	9	400
3-2	6,750	10	Burst Drone M3: 7 DPS	Arrival lifespan: 6s Burst Drone M2: 40s	Surveyor: 60 Drone M3: 32 Total: 92	32.2	~209.63
4-2	16,500	10	Burst Drone M4: 20 DPS Cryo Drone: undefined	Arrival lifespan: 6s Burst Drone M4: 40s Cryo Drone: 60s	Surveyor: 70 Drone M4: 48 Cryo Drone: 16 Total: 86-118	46	~358.7

Level	Total Price	Cooldown (Spawn time)	Drone's DPS	Drone's lifespan	Range	Average DPS	DPS Cost Efficiency
0-0	750	13	Burst Drone: 1.2 DPS	Arrival lifespan: N/A Burst drone: 20s	Surveyor: 30 Drone I: 16 Total: 46	~1.85	406.25
0-1	1,150	10	Burst Drone: 1 DPS	Arrival lifespan: N/A Burst Drone: 20s	Surveyor: 30 Drone I: 16 Total: 46	2.4	~479.17
0-2	2,800	10	Burst Drone M2: 2.5 DPS	Arrival lifespan: 6s Burst Drone II: 20s	Surveyor: 30 Drone M2: 32 Total: 62	6.5	~430.77
2-2	3,600	10	Burst Drone M2: 2.5 DPS	Arrival lifespan: 6s Burst Drone M2: 30s	Surveyor: 60 Drone M2: 32 Total: 92	9	400
2-3	10,100	10	Burst Drone M3: 7 DPS Bomber Drone: 20 DPS	Arrival lifespan: 6s Burst Drone M3: 30s Bomber Drone: 50s	Surveyor: 60 Drone M3: 32 Bomber Drone: 16 Total: 76-92	81.4	~124.08
2-4	36,600	10	Sentinel Drone: 80 DPS Bomber Drone: 20 DPS	Arrival lifespan: 6s Sentinel/Bomber Drone: 54s	Surveyor: 60 Sentinel Drone/Bomber Drone: 16 Total: 76	300	122

Abilities

3-X

Radar Drone (Level 1) Summons a Radar Drone which buffs towers within its range. Statistics   Buffs range by +10% Has an effective range of ??? Can be moved around with a cooldown of 15s.

$0

4-X

Radar Drone (Level 2) Summons a Radar Drone which buffs towers within its range. Statistics   Buffs range by +20% Has an effective range of ??? Can be moved around with a cooldown of 15s.

$0

Comparison

4-2 Surveyor (16,500) 86-118 swarm range Inconsistent 46 DPS Spawns Cryo Drone Spawns Radar Drone 20% range buff to towers near Radar Drone 5 drone cap

2-4 Surveyor (36,600) 76 swarm range Consistent 300 DPS Explosive damage (Bomber Drone) 6 drone cap

Skins

To see all upgrades of each skin, see the gallery page.

Name	Red	Black Ops	Avarian Assassin
Cost	3	8	N/A
Obtainment	Colored Crate <Daily Store	Daily Store	Own the Cold Construct 2022 badge during Season 2023.

Tactics

• To obtain the Surveyor, it is recommended to play on Classic Isle, Grassy Islands, Crimson Fortress, Mythical Shore, Sky Islands, Farm, Rift Valley and Chaos due to their easy difficulty.
  • If it is too difficult, it is recommended to play with a team to beat Hard Mode or Expert Mode in these maps, though it is entirely possible to solo them with a good loadout.
  • As Surveyor is usually among the last towers a player obtains, other maps not listed may have already been beaten from progression, such as progression from completing contracts to obtain Mechanic and Businessman, making obtaining the Surveyor easier as those towers are often unlocked before Surveyor.
    • However, maps beaten to unlock Mechanic and Businessman are usually beaten only in Expert Mode, which means you have to beat those same maps again on Normal Mode and Hard Mode, including the ISC maps.
• Surveyor is an all-rounded tower being strong from early-game to late-game.
  • Spamming 0-1 Surveyor for early game is recommended due to consistent DPS.
    • While playing on a larger map, going for 1-X upgrade isn't a bad option.
  • Surveyor has certain advantages over regular towers due to its drones.
    • All drones summoned by Surveyor has flying detection by default, which can be used as a cheap flying detection for early game.
    • All drones are also stun immune and cannot be killed at all, with the exception of lightning from the Supercell modifier.
      • Surveyor itself is not affected by stuns as well, which means it can still summon drones.
    • However, keep in mind that drones themselves cannot be buffed by Bugler.
      • The drone's attacking range is slightly larger than Surveyor's actual range, but this range cannot be buffed by Bugler as well.
    • Due to Surveyor's long cooldown,the drones overall DPS needs to ramp up, which can be punishing in the early game or with modifiers like Apocalypse.
• Keep in mind that Surveyor has a placement limit of 4, so it is important to choose which path to focus on.
  • Path 1 Surveyor mainly focuses on support and utility.
    • The range-buff provided by Radar Drone from 3-X Surveyor and beyond can prove useful to short range towers such as Vulcan.
      • The Radar Drone can be moved anywhere, making the placement of Surveyor or other towers less of an issue.
    • The Cryo Drone can slow down enemies by 30%, including bosses by 10%, giving towers more time to attack them.
      • Despite dropping explosions, it only slows the first enemy it targets.
    • Usually, it is recommended to have only one Path 1 Surveyor as the range buff from Radar Drone and slowness from Cryo Drone do not stack.
  • Path 2 Surveyor completely DPS oriented, having a variety of drones that can deal huge bursts of damage.
    • This path of Surveyor has both single-target and crowd-control capabilities thanks to its Sentinel Drones and Bomber Drones and its high drone cap.
    • Keep in mind that despite its high DPS, it will be inconsistent due to the drone's limited lifespan.
    • As this path can get relatively expensive, bringing Markets to generate more income or using 4-X Businessmen for discounts is recommended.
• Burst drones MI/MII can be used as perfect counters to early-game enemies with defense attribute, as all of them shoot in burst of shots that deal 1 damage.

Trivia

• Surveyor is likely to be based off of Etienne from the Bloons franchise, who also uses drones to attack.
• The previous default skin at X-4 Surveyor is based on the Foundation, better known as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, from the videogame Fortnite.
  • Subsequently, the previous default version at 4-X is based on the the Visitor from the same game.
• When upgrading Surveyor to 4-X, the Radar Drone relocation ability disappears from the ability hotbar, but can still be accessed through the tower's upgrade UI.
• Surveyor is the third event tower after Lightbeamer and Mechanic.
  • Surveyor is also the event tower who remained as an event tower the longest, ending in 2024 Halloween patch.
• Surveyor is the second tower to have flying detection by default, the first is Businessman.
• Previously, the Surveyor granted a damage buff, making it the second tower to give a damage buff, the first being Bugler.
  • The damage buff from Surveyor functions differently compared to the one from Bugler, as Surveyor's damage buff is percentage-based while Bugler's damage buff is additive.
• Surveyor is the most DPS cost efficient tower in the game without any buffs, outclassing most of the towers by being twice as efficient in terms of DPS per cost at 2-4.
  • the tower used to be ironically also the least DPS cost efficient tower at 4-2, with a cost of ~2026.47 per DPS.
• The Surveyor is the only contract tower to not have a permanent tower badge tied to it.
• In the Eternal Update Changelogs, it stated that the requirement to obtain Surveyor was nerfed from 8 maps to 6 maps, despite it still being 8 maps.
  • This is not a typo by the writer of the changelogs, as it was actually planned to be included in the update.
  • This nerf was scrapped out of the update as the Eternal Update brought more easy maps, specifically Rift Valley, Farm and Classic Isle.

Update History

(4/1/23) Added Surveyor, (5/1/23) Nerfed X-3 Surveyor price from 4,800 to 8,500 (+3,700). Nerfed 3-X Surveyor price from 5,000 to 6,500 (+1,500). Nerfed X-4 Surveyor price from 19,000 to 20,000 (+1,000). Buffed Bomber Drone damage from 35 to 45 (+10 Damage) with increased explosion radius. (12/10/24) Surveyor is now acquired by beating all 3 gamemodes on 8 maps solo (unobtainable due to a bug, counting solo map contracts as multiplayer.) (30/03/25) Contract requirement to unlock surveyor has been reduced from 8 maps to 6. (still unobtainable due to a bug, which wasn't related to solo map contracts counting as multiplayer.) Added Inverted and Red in the shop. Added lore description. Surveyor gets an overhaul. Renamed X-1 from "Extra Parts" to "More Support" Base 0-0 Surveyor gets nerfed. Increased base cost from 700 to 750 ( +50). Burst drone now deals 1 DPS (-67%). Decreased Surveyor's cooldown from 15s to 13s (-2s). Decreased Surveyor's range from 32 to 30 (-2). X-1 upgrade now decreases Surveyor's cooldown by 3s (-3s) 1-X and 2-X switched places, now surveying zone being first and improved battery at a later upgrade. 1-X upgrade now increases Surveyor's range from +4 to +30 (+26) and costs 450 ( -250). 2-X upgrade gets it's cost decreased to 300 ( -150). Renamed 3-X from "Damage Beacon" to "Drone Intel" Changed drone buff type from Damage to Range. 3-X upgrade gets a cost decreased to 3,150 ( -3,350), can now summon M3 Drones when upgraded to 3-2 and adds +10s lifespan to drones. 4-X can now replace M1/M2 burst drones to M4 burst drone, which deals 20 DPS and gets a cost decreased to 9,750 ( -14,250). Cryo drone has been also reworked. X-3 spawn a Bomber drone instead of Sentinel drone and now costs 6,500 ( -2,000). Bomber drone deals 20 DPS from 45 and moves very slowly, M3 drone meanwhile deals 7 DPS from 50. X-4 adds Sentinel drone back to the arsenal and gets it's cost increased to 26,500 ( +6,500). Sentinel drone deals 80 DPS from 30 and has smaller range.