Spikes vs Fences

[Marasoh]

I've only started playing this game a few days ago and I'm curious to find this out. I've had wooden spikes placed down as my source of defense for the monster portals that spawn, but they don't seem to be doing a whole bunch. Is it better to have fences down instead of the spikes? Which one would guard better?

[stylez]

Spikes stop the mobs completely, and need to be destroyed before the mobs can continue moving toward you. Spikes also allow your dwarves to safely attack melee mobs without retaliation.

Fences just slow the mobs down.

[Marasoh]

Kay cool thanks for the response.

[ehyder]

Fences are useful within tower range since they slow creatures down enough to allow more attacks with the towers. I typically put a series of fences and cages on the ground in front of and below towers. I put spikes on the same level and above towers to "catch" gargoyles and any creatures that manage to climb or get thrown to the towers. The spikes also do some damage, making it even less likely that the creature will be able to damage/destroy your tower.

The fences can get torn down by that ogre that throws other creatures, and the spikes will not last long with the bigger, longer hordes. The fences you can put back up again when they get back into your inventory; the spikes you will have to keep crafting.

[чемодан с котами]

What about spikes vs doors? Wiki does not tell the durability but they work the same, right?

[Quizzer]

Doors don't do damage, but last a lot longer and can be reattached if they come off. Spikes do damage while they are being hit, don't last nearly as long, and get permanently destroyed. Spikes are good early game (very early) but you should be trying to get doors in place asap and then augment them with other active defenses. Active defenses include the pets, which are very effective even late game.

[ehyder]

I now use the iron traps (no spikes anymore) as soon as they become available since they help eliminate the lower hp mobs, and can be placed to protect the more expensive towers from gargoyles and thrown zombies. Trees and bushes will grow through the traps so you can still have that tree farm growing wherever you place the traps. I intersperse traps with the brick fences to slow waves down underneath the tower defenses, placing doors (and more traps) at the end of the kill zone to prevent anything from straggling through.

This has worked well from mid to late game (with the addition of pets, catapult, heavy shooting tower, and columns of Tesla towers as the tech and resources become available). Early to mid-game I just use pets and tall sand walls and ignore the waves.

[TrollofReason]

Fences are best used in conjunction with mechanized catapults. They slow down mobs, making them easy targets for the long-ranged, but normally inaccurate AoE.