Spikeweed


 * For the plant and ability in Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, see Spikeweed (PvZ: GW).

Spikeweed is an area-of-effect plant available in both main series Plants vs. Zombies games. It is normally ignored by most types of zombies, and can deal damage to any grounded enemy that passes through it at a rate equal to 4/3 of a Peashooter. Since the Spikeweed attacks from below, it can bypass shields. When encountering certain enemies such as Zomboni and Pianist Zombie, Spikeweed will instead instantly kill the unit at the cost of sacrificing itself.

Plants vs. Zombies
Spikeweed is unlocked after the player beats Level 3-6, and can only be planted on the ground (not on Lily Pads or Flower Pots). A Spikeweed can be upgraded to Spikerock after purchasing the Spikerock seed packet for $7,500 in Crazy Dave's Twiddydinkies.

Spikeweed can instantly defeat the following enemies:
 * Zomboni
 * Catapult Zombie

Plants vs. Zombies 2
Spikeweed is unlocked after beating Pirate Seas - Day 6. It attacks 1.9 times a second or once every 0.526 seconds, dealing 0.5 normal damage shots of damage for each attack. It can no longer be upgraded to Spikerock, due to the removal of the upgrade plant mechanic. Additionally, it can now be planted on Lily Pad unlike most other underground plants in the Big Wave Beach, but only function properly if the tide is under its tile; zombies can otherwise attack Lily Pad and indirectly kill Spikeweed in the process.

Spikeweed can instantly defeat the following enemies:
 * Barrel Roller Zombie's barrel (will instantly release Imp Pirate Zombies)
 * Pianist Zombie

Plants vs. Zombies
Spikeweed

Spikeweeds pop tires and hurt any zombies that step on them.

Damage: normal

Range: all zombies that walk over it

Special: can't be eaten by zombies

Hockey is Spikeweed's obsession. He's got box seat season tickets. He keeps close track of his favorite players. And he consistently cleans up in the office hockey pool. Just one problem: he's terrified of pucks.

Cost: 100

Recharge: fast

Plants vs. Zombies 2
Sun cost: 100

DAMAGE: Normal

AREA: Tile

RECHARGE: Fast

Spikeweeds destroy rolling objects and hurt any zombies that step on them.

Special: can't be eaten by zombies

Weakness: crushed by rolling zombies

Although Spikeweed grew up on the seedy side of town, his acupuncture business has been blooming.

Plants vs. Zombies
Spikeweed can be upgraded to Spikerock after purchasing the required seed slot. A Spikerock deals twice the amount of damage as a Spikeweed, and has greatly increased resistance to vehicles and attacks from Gargantuars.

Plant Food effect
When fed Plant Food, Spikeweed covers the entire lane it is placed in with spikes, dealing 36 damage over 4.5 seconds to all grounded enemies and drawing them towards Spikeweed's position. Spikeweed is invulnerable for the duration of the effect, and can destroy Pianist Zombies and barrels without consuming itself upon contact. If this occurs when the Spikeweed is in a minecart, it may not be moved.

Costumed
Plant Food ability can hit zombies on a jumping animation and does a small stun.

Level upgrade
Note: Spikeweed can't be upgraded to level 4.

Plants vs. Zombies: All Stars
Hidden Spikes: Attacks all enemies in its lane. It needs Tenacious Plant Food to activate.

Standard levels
Plant Spikeweeds in front of Wall-nuts, Tall-nuts, or Pumpkins. Most zombies cannot harm it, and will be continuously damaged as they try to eat the defensive wall. Spikeweed is especially important for levels with Zombonis (especially in Bobsled Bonanza), and placing the Spikeweed on the first row will prevent the Zomboni from laying any ice at all (preventing the appearance of the Zombie Bobsled Team). Note that Gargantuars, Giga-gargantuars, and Jack-in-the-Box Zombies can destroy Spikeweeds in the same way as they can any on other plant.

Hokey Pokey
Try to lay down either a row of three Spikeweeds or one Spikeweed in front of a Wall-nut to kill the zombies. Timing can be everything, so if you see a Wall-nut, go ahead and break a few vases on the right hand side to see if a Wall-nut will be needed there. If no zombies appear closer than the fourth row from the left, put the Wall-nut on a different row, and lay down Spikeweed instead. Buckethead Zombies are the exception to this, as you cannot kill them with just Spikeweed - make sure to have a Wall-nut in place or use a Squash to kill them.

Plants vs. Zombies 2
The Plant Food upgrade for Spikeweed (similar to Spikerock) can draw zombies towards it. As such, planting a Spikeweed at the rightmost side of the level and feeding it Plant Food will cause the zombie to return to the start and allow for your main offensive plants to do twice the amount of damage, assuming the zombie is tough enough. It can also be used in an emergency if any zombies get too close to your lawn mowers or as a defense against enemies thrown or able to jump over your defense.

The Plant Food-fed Spikeweed does not do a lot of damage (enough to kill a little more than a normal zombie), so do not waste your Plant Food on it unless you are using it for the "drawing-in" purposes as mentioned above. Any crushing zombies like Pianist Zombie and Barrel Roller Zombie will be destroyed but at the sacrifice of the Spikeweed. It will also stop swarms of Zombie Chickens released by the Chicken Wrangler Zombie if they get past your other plants.

In Jurassic Marsh, Spikeweed can be used to fight enemies deployed by Pterodactyls, although Spikerock is often a better candidate due to its higher damage potential.

Note: Using Spikeweeds on Lily Pads in Big Wave Beach is a very bad idea, as zombies will eat the Lily Pad and cause the Spikeweed to fall into the water, thus wasting 100 sun in process. Therefore, avoid bringing Spikeweeds and Spikerocks in Big Wave Beach, as the Lily Pads eaten by zombies and the Spikeweed falling into the water, thus being usually worthless.

However, it's very beneficial in the Wild West levels to use against almost all the zombies, especially with Prospector Zombie and Zombie Bull Rider which leap over your plants, so they can be good in the first column. A Spikeweed in every lane can effectively combat Zombie Chickens. Another strategy allows you to use the carts in order to keep a Wild West Gargantuar from moving ahead by moving it as soon as he lifts his hammer. In Frostbite Caves levels, it's good to place them next to any slider tiles where the zombies will shift to. If you have any plants that can push back zombies, it's useful to combine them with Spikeweed so they have to walk the gauntlet again.

It is not advised to use Spikeweed against Troglobites, Excavator Zombies, and Arcade Zombies as the former can instantly kill it by pushing ice blocks or arcade machine onto its square, and the latter will shovel it up without stepping on it.

General

 * Despite zombies directly walking on Spikeweed and Spikerock, they cannot ignore their armor.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies

 * In the reanim folder, the Spikeweed's name is Caltrop. This may be because the Spikeweed functions like caltrops; it hurts anyone that steps on it and pops tires.
 * When a Spikeweed is planted in one of the two bottom right squares on Pool and Fog Levels, it will be higher up than other Spikeweeds.
 * Spikeweed is one of the twelve plants that appear in the seed selection screen after the player gets Grave Buster on the online version, the others being Ice-shroom, Lily Pad, Potato Mine, Threepeater, Tangle Kelp, Jalapeno, Doom-shroom, Torchwood, Tall-nut, Cactus, and Blover.
 * Spikeweed, Spikerock, Lily Pad, Cattail, Tangle Kelp, and Sea-shroom are the only plants that cannot be planted on a Flower Pot.
 * Spikeweed, Spikerock, Flower Pot, Tangle Kelp, Sea-shroom, and Potato Mine are the only plants that cannot be planted on a Lily Pad.
 * In Vasebreaker, Spikeweed only appears in Hokey Pokey.
 * It is possible to destroy two or more vehicles with a single Spikeweed. However, those vehicles must ride over the Spikeweed both at the same time.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies 2

 * Spikeweed's costume resembles Groucho Marx.
 * Spikeweed is one of few plants that has its appearance drastically changed, the others being Grave Buster, Starfruit, and Tangle Kelp.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies: All Stars

 * It attacks zombies that are close to it by going underground and spinning on the tile in front of it.