Spike Factory

"Generates piles of road spikes around the track automatically. Leftover spikes disappear at the end of each round."

- Bloons TD 4 Description

"Generates piles of road spikes on bits of nearby track. Each pile can pop 5 bloons, and unused spikes disappear at end of each round."

- Bloons TD 5 Description

The Spike Factory is a special tower that, once placed, produces Road Spikes that pop bloons and disappear at the end of each round. Its special attack, Spike Storm, is capable of killing large amounts of bloons, destroying even MOABs and BFBs easily. Like the Dartling Gun, the Spike Factory was not included in the original edition of the game. The tower was released on September 8th, 2011. It costs 595 on Easy, 700 on Medium, and 755 on Hard. On March 15, 2012, it was added to Bloons TD 5 as an update.



Starting Ability (BTD4)
Before being upgraded, the Spike Factory shoots out clumps of five tacks at a rate of one shot nearly every three seconds (per second if fast-forwarded). These clumps always land in corners and disappear at the end of each round. If the spike factory is not placed in range of a corner, than the spike factory will act as if it is not in range of the track at all, and shoot spikes randomly in all directions.

This tower will shoot randomly in it's range and will not aim for bloons.

Increased Production
Description:

Makes the factory produce spikes much faster.

This costs 595 on easy, 700 on medium and 755 on hard, making it cost itself.

Bigger Stacks
Description: Sammy likes men nipples

The factory creates double size spike stacks.

This costs 510 on easy, 600 on medium and 650 on hard.

White Hot Spikes
Description:

White hot spikes can pop frozen and lead bloons.

This costs 300 on easy, 350 on medium and 380 on hard. The tower turns purple as shown in the above screenshot.

Spike Storm
Description:

Every 15 seconds the factory generates a storm of short-lived spikes, filling up the entire track. The Tower turns red.

This costs 5950 on easy, 7000 on medium and 7560 on hard.

Starting Ability
Before being upgraded, the Spike Factory shoots out clumps of five tacks at a rate of one shot nearly every three seconds (per second if fast-forwarded) or 69 frames. These clumps last until they are used up or the spikes time out (they will do this after a long time or when a round ends). This tower is always able to detect Camo Bloons. However, it will not shoot if there are no bloons on screen

Bigger Stacks
Cost: $595 (Easy), $700 (Medium), $755 (Hard) Description: Generates larger piles of Spikes per shot.

Statistics: Popping power increases to 10.

White Hot Spikes
Cost: $765 (Easy), $900 (Medium), $970 (Hard) Description: Cuts through lead like a hot spike through... lead.

Statistics: Now pops lead and frozen bloons.

***If you upgrade past here, you will be locked out of any further Path 2 upgrades***

Spiked Ball Factory
Cost: $2040 (Easy), $2400 (Medium), $2590 (Hard) Description: Modified to produce heavy but viciously sharp spiked balls instead of regular spikes. Do extra damage to ceramic bloons.

Statistics: Each spike does 3 damage to ceramic and M.O.A.B.-Class bloons.

Spiked Mines
Cost: $11900 (Easy), $14000 (Medium), $15120 (Hard) Description: Rigged with heavy explosives, the spiked balls are set to go off when then they lose all their spikes.

Statistics: Explosions pop 4 layers of many bloons. Attack rate (4/0) improves to once every 31 frames.

(The explosions have the same effect of the Mortar Tower's Burny Stuff.)

Faster Production
Cost: $680 (Easy), $800 (Medium), $865 (Hard) Description: Increases the rate of Spike production.

Statistics: Attack rate (0/1) improves to once every 43 frames. Approximately every 1.4 seconds

Even Faster Production
Cost: 1065 (Easy), $1250 (Medium), $1350 (Hard) Description: By adding sprockets, dongles, and widgets, the rate of spike production increases even more.

Statistics: Attack rate (0/2) improves to once every 26 frames. Approximately every 0.8 seconds

***If you upgrade past here, you will be locked out of any further Path 1 upgrades***

MOAB-SHREDR Spikes
Cost: $4250 (Easy), $5000 (Medium), $5400 (Hard) Description: Super-Hard-Rending-Engine-Driven-Razors are specially engineered to really hurt MOAB-class bloons.

Statistics: Each spike does 3 damage to MOAB-class bloons, Attack rate improves to once every 16 frames. Approximately 0.4 seconds.

Spike Storm
Cost: $5525 (Easy), $6500 (Medium), $7020 (Hard) Description: Lays a thick carpet of spikes over the whole track. (Spikes last 5 seconds unless reacted upon, in which the spikes will get an extra 5 seconds to pop a bloon).

Strategies
1. Buy 3 Spiked Ball Factories (3-2)

2. Sell 2 Spiked Ball Factories and then Upgrade to Spiked Mines (4-2)

3. Buy Spiked Mines (4-2)

4. Buy MOAB-SHREDR Spikes (2-3)

5. Repeat Step 3

Trivia

 * If the Spike Factory is placed far enough from the track, the Road Spikes it produces will not be seen.
 * It is possible to beat the entire game with only this tower because they can pop lead and Camo Bloons.
 * In BTD4, sometimes the Spike Storm will only cover 1/4-1/2 of the track. While in BTD5, it covers all the paths and much more convenient to use since it's an ability. However, the spikes in BTD5 disappear faster.
 * If used correctly and effectively, it is quite easy to beat up to level 65 relying on Spike Factories (Especially with the new and powerful upgrades 3-4 in BTD5)
 * In BTD5, the Spike Factory will not produce spikes if there are no bloons on screen. (in Sandbox mode)
 * In BTD5, the spikes created by the Spike Factory will not be placed on the track, if the Spike Factory placed far enough from the track. However, the spikes still have an effect if bloons hit it when being blown back.
 * In BTD5, there is a glitch where when you buy the even faster production upgrade, it doesn't load the upgraded look unless it is under the range of a monkey village.
 * There was no hotkey for the Spike Factory in BTD4. In BTD5, its Hotkey is M.
 * If the Spiked Mines "time out", there will be a bloon-popping explosion.
 * In BTD5, You only need 2 of these to beat Monkey Lane on easy (having them both 4/1 or 4/2 is optional).
 * In BTD 4, there are 6 spikes with no upgrades, but pop only 5 bloons.
 * Spike Factories are very helpful for Covert Pops.
 * Place the Spike Factory at the end.
 * In BTD5 the Bigger Stacks Upgrade is unlike regular Road Spikes it will pop only 10 Bloons instead of 11.
 * If you place one out of range of the track, then it will shoot spikes anywhere. Like said before, the spikes it produces act normally and any bloons blown into the spikes will pop.
 * A 0-0 Spike Factory produces Bigger Stacks when it has Tack Awesomizer
 * A 2-2 Spike Factory upgraded on the second path first looks different then if it is upgraded on the first path first.
 * A 1-2 Spike Factory can destroy an entire MOAB, if it is placed near the end of a long track.
 * A 1-1 Spike Factory is better than a MOAB Mauler. (Unless it is placed too near the beginning.)
 * The Spike Factory seems to shoot way faster in Bloons Tower Defense Battles than in BTD5.