Smart Spikes (BTD6)

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'''Smart Spikes''' ('''Directed Spikes''' prior to {{BTD6 version|14.0}}) is the [[Spike Factory (BTD6)|Spike Factory]]'s path 3 tier 2 [[upgrade]] in ''[[Bloons TD 6]]''. It gains a [[tower buff]] at the start of each [[round]] that quadruples its [[attack speed]] for 3 seconds. If [[crosspath]]ed with [[Spike Storm (BTD6)|Spike Storm]] and [[Carpet of Spikes (BTD6)|Carpet of Spikes]], their abilities will only dispense spikes on paths that currently have Bloons on them, and their abilities will dispense more spikes if they're triggered while the buff is still active. The buff can be absorbed by [[Lych]]. The Spike Factory also gains ~~three~~ new [[targeting]] options:

'''Smart Spikes''' ('''Directed Spikes''' prior to {{BTD6 version|14.0}}) is the [[Spike Factory (BTD6)|Spike Factory]]'s path 3 tier 2 [[upgrade]] in ''[[Bloons TD 6]]''. It gains a [[tower buff]] at the start of each [[round]] that quadruples its [[attack speed]] for 3 seconds. If [[crosspath]]ed with [[Spike Storm (BTD6)|Spike Storm]] and [[Carpet of Spikes (BTD6)|Carpet of Spikes]], their abilities will only dispense spikes on paths that currently have Bloons on them, and their abilities will dispense more spikes if they're triggered while the buff is still active. The buff can be absorbed by [[Lych]]. The Spike Factory also gains four new [[targeting]] options in addition to the default random behavior, which is labeled as Normal in the options:

*Close — Dispenses spikes on the nearest section of track within range.

*Smart — Targets whichever track has the Bloons that are closest to reaching the exit (or has Bloons at all), and dispenses spikes on the point closest to the end of that track. If it cannot reach any paths that have Bloons on them, it will dispense spikes on the points closest to the ends of each track within its range, keeping their coverage roughly even.

*Set Target — Dispenses spikes on any ~~chosen~~ location within range~~~~

*Set Target — Dispenses spikes to any location within range, the target point can be selected by clicking the Set Target button on the tower's menu and it can be set outside the track.

*Automatic — ~~Automatically attacks as far~~ towards the ~~start~~ of track ~~as possible~~ if ~~no Bloons are within~~ range, ~~and produces~~ spikes in ~~advance~~ to the ~~first Bloon within its range.~~

*Automatic — Changes behavior depending if there are Bloons in range, if there are, the Spike Factory will target its spikes towards the Bloon that is closest to the exit ("First" targeting). Otherwise it will drop the spikes in the closest point to the front of the track within range, also, if there is more than one track in range, the spikes will be divided in a similar way to the Smart targeting.

==Stats==

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==Strategy==

Smart Spikes allows the Spike Factory to focus on specific regions, with limited functionality, and the start-of-round speed boost improves its short-term production of spikes. Combined with the bonus lifespan of [[Long Reach (BTD6)|Long Reach]], this crosspath is great for stockpiling over long periods. Be aware of the end-of-round ~~expiry of spikes, however~~, as ~~spikes~~ still cannot carry over rounds without [[Long Life Spikes (BTD6)|Long Life Spikes]] or above.

Smart Spikes allows the Spike Factory to focus on specific regions, with limited functionality, and the start-of-round speed boost improves its short-term production of spikes. Combined with the bonus lifespan of [[Long Reach (BTD6)|Long Reach]], this crosspath is great for stockpiling over long periods. Players should be aware that the spikes will still expire at the end of the round, as they still cannot carry over rounds without [[Long Life Spikes (BTD6)|Long Life Spikes]] or above.

The start-of-round speed bonus also stands out in [[Boss Rush]] for a boost in production for every Boss kill, particularly for [[MOAB SHREDR (BTD6)|MOAB SHREDR]] and [[Super Mines (BTD6)|Super Mines]].

As a crosspath, it works well for most ~~crosspaths~~. For lower tiers, ~~it's specifically helpful for~~ 1-0-2 ~~Spactory~~ as cheap ~~focused tanking of bloons~~. [[Spiked Balls (BTD6)|Spiked Balls]] and [[Spiked Mines (BTD6)|Spiked Mines]] may prefer this crosspath on longer maps. [[Spike Storm (BTD6)|Spike Storm]] and [[Carpet of Spikes (BTD6)|Carpet of Spikes]] mainly use ~~this crosspath~~ to control ~~ability spike targeting~~ on alternating lanes. Super Mines and MOAB SHREDR tend to prefer ~~their other crosspaths~~ outside of Boss Rush.

As a crosspath, it works well for most upgrades. For lower tiers, a 1-0-2 Spike Factory can be used as a cheap option to catch stray Bloons. [[Spiked Balls (BTD6)|Spiked Balls]] and [[Spiked Mines (BTD6)|Spiked Mines]] may prefer this crosspath on longer maps while [[Spike Storm (BTD6)|Spike Storm]] and [[Carpet of Spikes (BTD6)|Carpet of Spikes]] mainly use it to control where the spikes from their abilities land on maps with alternating lanes. However, Super Mines and MOAB SHREDR tend to prefer the [[Faster Production (BTD6)|Faster Production]] crosspath outside of Boss Rush due its higher DPS.

For targeting priorities, all ~~of the new ones~~ have helpful use cases:

For targeting priorities, all options have helpful use cases:

* Close: Focusing near the Spike Factory without needing to modify a reticle (unlike Set Target)

* Close: Focusing near the Spike Factory without needing to modify a reticle (unlike Set Target).

* Smart: Allows auto-switching between active lanes to protect far towards the exit(s).

* Set Target: Allows for any specific location in range. Can be placed off the track to specifically hit only MOAB-~~class~~, or to micromanage different locations of spikes.

* Set Target: Allows for any specific location in range. Can be placed off the track to specifically hit only MOAB-Class Bloons, or to micromanage different locations of spikes.

* Automatic: Anti-stalling.

* Automatic: Anti-stalling. It can also be used as a less micro-intensive option (compared to Set Target) to "chase" MOAB-Class Bloons around while they are in range.

==Update history==

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 |xp    =550
 }}
-'''Smart Spikes''' ('''Directed Spikes''' prior to {{BTD6 version|14.0}}) is the [[Spike Factory (BTD6)|Spike Factory]]'s path 3 tier 2 [[upgrade]] in ''[[Bloons TD 6]]''. It gains a [[tower buff]] at the start of each [[round]] that quadruples its [[attack speed]] for 3 seconds. If [[crosspath]]ed with [[Spike Storm (BTD6)|Spike Storm]] and [[Carpet of Spikes (BTD6)|Carpet of Spikes]], their abilities will only dispense spikes on paths that currently have Bloons on them, and their abilities will dispense more spikes if they're triggered while the buff is still active. The buff can be absorbed by [[Lych]]. The Spike Factory also gains three new [[targeting]] options:
+'''Smart Spikes''' ('''Directed Spikes''' prior to {{BTD6 version|14.0}}) is the [[Spike Factory (BTD6)|Spike Factory]]'s path 3 tier 2 [[upgrade]] in ''[[Bloons TD 6]]''. It gains a [[tower buff]] at the start of each [[round]] that quadruples its [[attack speed]] for 3 seconds. If [[crosspath]]ed with [[Spike Storm (BTD6)|Spike Storm]] and [[Carpet of Spikes (BTD6)|Carpet of Spikes]], their abilities will only dispense spikes on paths that currently have Bloons on them, and their abilities will dispense more spikes if they're triggered while the buff is still active. The buff can be absorbed by [[Lych]]. The Spike Factory also gains four new [[targeting]] options in addition to the default random behavior, which is labeled as Normal in the options:
 *Close — Dispenses spikes on the nearest section of track within range.
 *Smart — Targets whichever track has the Bloons that are closest to reaching the exit (or has Bloons at all), and dispenses spikes on the point closest to the end of that track. If it cannot reach any paths that have Bloons on them, it will dispense spikes on the points closest to the ends of each track within its range, keeping their coverage roughly even.
-*Set Target — Dispenses spikes on any chosen location within range<!--obviously-->
+*Set Target — Dispenses spikes to any location within range, the target point can be selected by clicking the Set Target button on the tower's menu and it can be set outside the track.
-*Automatic — Automatically attacks as far towards the start of track as possible if no Bloons are within range, and produces spikes in advance to the first Bloon within its range.<!-- explain how this works. I think its how old smart targeting worked -->
+*Automatic — Changes behavior depending if there are Bloons in range, if there are, the Spike Factory will target its spikes towards the Bloon that is closest to the exit ("First" targeting). Otherwise it will drop the spikes in the closest point to the front of the track within range, also, if there is more than one track in range, the spikes will be divided in a similar way to the Smart targeting.
 ==Stats==
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 ==Strategy==
 {{Strategy needed}}
-Smart Spikes allows the Spike Factory to focus on specific regions, with limited functionality, and the start-of-round speed boost improves its short-term production of spikes. Combined with the bonus lifespan of [[Long Reach (BTD6)|Long Reach]], this crosspath is great for stockpiling over long periods. Be aware of the end-of-round expiry of spikes, however, as spikes still cannot carry over rounds without [[Long Life Spikes (BTD6)|Long Life Spikes]] or above.
+Smart Spikes allows the Spike Factory to focus on specific regions, with limited functionality, and the start-of-round speed boost improves its short-term production of spikes. Combined with the bonus lifespan of [[Long Reach (BTD6)|Long Reach]], this crosspath is great for stockpiling over long periods. Players should be aware that the spikes will still expire at the end of the round, as they still cannot carry over rounds without [[Long Life Spikes (BTD6)|Long Life Spikes]] or above.
 The start-of-round speed bonus also stands out in [[Boss Rush]] for a boost in production for every Boss kill, particularly for [[MOAB SHREDR (BTD6)|MOAB SHREDR]] and [[Super Mines (BTD6)|Super Mines]].
-As a crosspath, it works well for most crosspaths. For lower tiers, it's specifically helpful for 1-0-2 Spactory as cheap focused tanking of bloons. [[Spiked Balls (BTD6)|Spiked Balls]] and [[Spiked Mines (BTD6)|Spiked Mines]] may prefer this crosspath on longer maps. [[Spike Storm (BTD6)|Spike Storm]] and [[Carpet of Spikes (BTD6)|Carpet of Spikes]] mainly use this crosspath to control ability spike targeting on alternating lanes. Super Mines and MOAB SHREDR tend to prefer their other crosspaths outside of Boss Rush.
+As a crosspath, it works well for most upgrades. For lower tiers, a 1-0-2 Spike Factory can be used as a cheap option to catch stray Bloons. [[Spiked Balls (BTD6)|Spiked Balls]] and [[Spiked Mines (BTD6)|Spiked Mines]] may prefer this crosspath on longer maps while [[Spike Storm (BTD6)|Spike Storm]] and [[Carpet of Spikes (BTD6)|Carpet of Spikes]] mainly use it to control where the spikes from their abilities land on maps with alternating lanes. However, Super Mines and MOAB SHREDR tend to prefer the [[Faster Production (BTD6)|Faster Production]] crosspath outside of Boss Rush due its higher DPS.
-For targeting priorities, all of the new ones have helpful use cases:
+For targeting priorities, all options have helpful use cases:
-* Close: Focusing near the Spike Factory without needing to modify a reticle (unlike Set Target)
+* Close: Focusing near the Spike Factory without needing to modify a reticle (unlike Set Target).
 * Smart: Allows auto-switching between active lanes to protect far towards the exit(s).
-* Set Target: Allows for any specific location in range. Can be placed off the track to specifically hit only MOAB-class, or to micromanage different locations of spikes.
+* Set Target: Allows for any specific location in range. Can be placed off the track to specifically hit only MOAB-Class Bloons, or to micromanage different locations of spikes.
-* Automatic: Anti-stalling.
+* Automatic: Anti-stalling. It can also be used as a less micro-intensive option (compared to Set Target) to "chase" MOAB-Class Bloons around while they are in range.
 ==Update history==

Smart Spikes (BTD6): Difference between revisions