Why are spike traps so weak

[-Floki-]

They get destroyed easily

[W1Ltz.⚡]

maybe

[BGratz]

Because if they would not break so fast game would be over even faster, and no one like to count in nanoseconds.

For real, they cost nothing, and even if you play 60 Minute days with a 64 horde every night they are enough until you can have a decent base with a decent Blade and E fence defense https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2872010327

[Andi]

For balancing reasons I suppose. Otherwise I think the lowest tier of spikes would be op early game.
Once upgraded to metal spikes they do a pretty good job. Although I rarely use spikes other than to 'somewhat' protect some important structures / pillars maybe.

[BGratz]

if we speak about base safety theres is nothing that beats "High"
6 Blocks above ground and you have a chilled hordenight.
if you tunnel the Zombies you dont need many Spikes... you can even play without any.
There are the following strategys
* A so strong defense that the Zombies will spend all night punching walls
* A Melee base the player has a relatively safe position to kill the zombies (most dangerous one)
* A base the player shoots the Zombies (expensive but most XP if done right)
* A base Blades and E fences Kill zombies. (Very cheap, nearly no Repair costs, but not possible in startgame)
* A base Turrets shoot the zombies. (Very expensive and low XP)
* Mixed bases of all this stuff

In the end you need to choose if you want to kill the zombies So fast as Possible (so that the last Wave is killed even before 0:00). Or if you want to slow them down and take the damage to your base.

One of the reasons why POI´s are good startbases, who cares if they took heavy damage
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2874662757

And later (2 Bases shown in this thread)
https://steamcommunity.com/app/251570/discussions/10/3362524231624084858/
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2872010238

[90s Gaming Wizard]

Rip Logic of Devs

[BGratz]

Originally posted by Dr. Livesey Chadwik:

Rip Logic of Devs

Sorry, i dislike that they break so fast too, but how would you Balance them? Make every one cost 1000 Wood ?

[mathaniel]

I think they are fine. JMO. Now that I have been adjusting to my new hearing aids the cheap wood spikes serve as cheap alarm systems. Before with my vol up max, I would know they were there, some where from the racket. I can pinpoint where they are breaking in pretty well now. Now, I can, hear a mouse pissin` on cotton ;-)

[...👑 JOST AMMAN 👑...]

Originally posted by -Floki-:

They get destroyed easily

The wooden ones are just the Tier 1 traps, that's why they're so weak.
You may want to craft the "Tier 2" spike traps later on when you get a workbench.

The metal ones are much more resilient and do more damage BTW.

[Khissi]

They are perfect for early game and incredibly easy to update to iron traps by just having forged iron in your inventory and using a hammer or other upgrade tool. Easy to repair, easy to replace, easy to upgrade. What's not to like? Totally worth every chop of my axe in protection from screamers while I'm working in my base. I always build a perimeter wall as soon as I have the resources and surround it with spikes. Screamers don't live long enough to make trouble... Just be sure to check them for needed repairs now and then.

[Crashtian]

We use to have wood log tips, you could upgrade them and they did less damage than spike trap but lasted way way way longer.

People would build bunkers under literal fields of them. it was pretty unbalanced.

[DarkFaceGlow]

Put them down in clumps and they do some damage.

[Amins]

Spikes are pretty much pointless. They're more of a hazard to yourself than anything else. Even the metal ones break in five seconds and everything just pathfinds through the opening that was made ignoring the rest of the spikes. You're better off not even bothering and saving your wood and iron. Place a hatch in a door frame and shoot everything that comes close.

[Amins]

Oh, I suppose if we're talking about general defense and not horde nights, they might be useful. If I find a specific part of a wall that zombies like to beat on it might be good to put some spikes down in that area.

[Teresa]

Originally posted by Amins:

Spikes are pretty much pointless. They're more of a hazard to yourself than anything else. Even the metal ones break in five seconds and everything just pathfinds through the opening that was made ignoring the rest of the spikes. You're better off not even bothering and saving your wood and iron. Place a hatch in a door frame and shoot everything that comes close.

If you dig down one block and place your spikes, the zombies will actually prefer to path over a fresh spike once one is destroyed. To path through the space wheree a spike was destroyed, they would have to go down one level, which is seen as a longer path than walking over the top of the spike beside of it.

If you just set the spike on the ground without sinking it by one block, it is seen as an obstacle, just like a car or a trash bag or a wood frame. So they will prefer to path around it, not because they are avoiding damage but because it is an obstacle in their way.

If the spikes are placed in a one block hole, the zombies see pathing over them the same as pathing over ground tiles, and if the spikes are in the direction that they want to go, they will quite happily path over them.

[Viper9One]

You need to do Iron ones or 125432532523523523 wood ones.