Cactus (PvZ: GW)


 * For the Cactus in other versions, see Cactus (disambiguation).

Cactus is a recurring plant in the Plants vs. Zombies series. It serves a playable purpose in Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare and Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 as a playable character on the Plants faction. Cacti serve as snipers or marksmen of the plants' side. Its long range attack allows it to provide long range support to the plant team. Cacti also have the ability to plant Potato Mines around the map which deal 175 damage to any zombie stepping on it, and plant Tallnut Battlements to block zombies, and protect its teams and itself. These abilities allow Cacti to create a safe haven for plants and prevent zombies from entering it. It can also fly a Garlic Drone to scout ahead, fight zombies from other angles, flanking them, and call a Corn Strike dealing maximum damage to group of zombies. However, Cacti are ineffective at close combat range due to their rather low health, low mobility, and a lack of accuracy without scoping.

Description
''The Cactus is the long-range specialist of the Plant team, able to shoot high velocity needles at faraway Zombies. In her rooted form, she can dispatch her flying Garlic Drone to call in Corn Artillery strikes from above.''

Variants

 * Camo Cactus
 * Fire Cactus
 * Ice Cactus
 * Power Cactus
 * Future Cactus
 * Bandit Cactus
 * Citrus Cactus (Garden Warfare only)
 * Jade Cactus
 * Zen Cactus (Garden Warfare 2 only)
 * Petrified Cactus (Garden Warfare 2 only)

Primary weapon
Spike Shot is the primary weapon of the Cactus, all info below is when fully upgraded.
 * The base damage per hit at all ranges is 27 and the critical is 33
 * The max DPS at all ranges is 84.6.
 * The weapon deals no splash damage at all.
 * The ammo in a clip is 15.
 * The reload time is 2.0 seconds.
 * The projectile speed is fast.
 * The weapon is a Semi-precision weapon.
 * The bloom is medium.

Fast Load Cactus Training
Prickle Academy provided free reload training, enhancing reload speed.

Extra Spike Growth
Extra needles growth offers an increased ammo capacity.

Pointier Spikes
Pointier cactus needles provide a more damaging impact.

As Cactus
Cactus should play far from normal combat, as it is very outclassed by the All-Star in closer encounterments. Finding vantage points, and camping there will allow a Cactus to snipe off their opponents with ease, sometimes catching opponents off-guard. Place down Potato Mines and Tallnut Battlements to protect yourself, since both make large noises upon destruction, alerting the Cactus of nearby threats. Cactus should also be wary of nearby Scientists, who may be able to Warp next to it, and kill it instantly. Staying out of sight is suggested in that aspect, such as hiding behind obstacles. Cactus can be used strategically, it can provide helpful support to all nearby plants by severely wounding or killing nearby zombies and using its Garlic Drone to clear objectives with a Corn Strike.

In any defensive situation (most preferably Gardens & Graveyards) a crafty Cactus could place Potato Mines behind Tallnut Battlements, hiding the mine from players. This strategy can be very effective, since impatient players would jump over the blockade, only to die to the mine, and smarter players would either destroy the wall (alerting the Cactus of their presence) or taking another route to their objective.

Mines and battlements could also be used as a last resort when under attack by a Zombie. Backing up placing walls and mines can block off the attacking zombie, allowing you to escape or use the created gap to vanquish them.

Against Cactus
When up against a Cactus, it is important to keep behind cover. Making quick shots at the Cactus by randomly popping out of cover can confuse it, and allow the zombies to deal more damage to it than it can to them.

Scientists pose the least and the most threat against Cacti; at point-blank range, the Scientist's Warp allows for sneak attacks, and its weapon is fatal because of the massive damage up close, and the Cactus lacks accuracy without zooming, but at long encounterments, it is easy to take it down due to its low health and the little damage from the Scientist's weapon, the only exception to this is the Astronaut, who's weapon specializes in distanced encounters, and Paleontologist, who can cause fire damage to Cacti, dealing up to 42 damage.

It also may be a good idea to use The All-Star's Long Bomb against Cacti. The Foot Soldier's ZPG is also effective against a Cactus that's busy shooting down another target, since it'll be distracted.

Watch out for Potato Mines, impatient players can overlook them easily, and damage may not be the only reason they are positioned where they are. They can act as bait to alert a Cactus of your location. Tall-Nut battlements should always be destroyed, because a Cactus could've placed a Potato Mine there.

Garden Ops
In Garden Ops, Cacti are a useful defensive support class on the plant team. Cactus' Spike Shot has a long range, making it effective at zombies afar. Finding a suitable location to snipe is the key in Garden Ops. Due to its low health, Cacti can be vanquished easily if ambushed from behind, especially using the Garlic Drone. Cactus is more on defensive, due to its Potato Mines and Tallnut Battlement/Iron Maiden abilities, so it is useful to protect the team and the Garden from zombies. Potato mines can kill most zombies at once except for bosses. Its Tallnut Battlement block zombies from entering locations. Garlic Drone ability is Cactus' ultimate ability. Garlic Drone is able to shoot needles at high rate, dealing high damage to zombies, The Garlic Drone can call out an Corn Strike, dealing massive damage to group of zombies, making it effective against special waves or boss waves. Planting a Heal Flower and protecting it with Tallnut Battlements is a good idea, since its fragility would be resolved with the protection provided.

Team Vanquish/Vanquish Confirmed!
Cactus is best just staying behind in this mode. Cacti should sneak around the map until they find a safe spot where they can safely snipe zombies at. Cacti should be weary of any zombies around them, as if a single zombie makes it into their sniping spot, they are likely to be vanquished almost instantly. Cacti should remember to make good use of their Potato Mines and Tall-nut battlements to make getting to them difficult for zombies. If Cacti absolutely have to fight zombies at close range, they should not bother with potato mines, but use Tall-nut battlements instead. It is useful for guarding against many strong attacks that the Zombies have, such as the ZPG and Sprint Tackle. In vanquish confirmed, it is recommended to use the Garlic or Artichoke Drone to collect orbs, rather than the Cactus putting themselves in danger to get one. Cacti should also use Garlic/Artichoke drones to pick up Plant orbs also, as that saves the point from the zombies.

Trivia

 * In a commentary (pre-release), a game developer pointed out its similarities to Battlefield. Cactus is the recon with a sniper like attack, Garlic Drone an MaV, Tallnut Battlement an MaV block, and Potato Mine a M18 Claymore.
 * The official Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare strategy guide released by Prima refers to the Cactus as a female character, using pronouns such as "her" and "she".
 * It is also referenced as a female in its Almanac entry in Plants vs. Zombies and Plants vs. Zombies 2.
 * Cactus and its variants are currently the only plant classes who use plants for all of their abilities.
 * It was originally going to have 100 health.
 * If you zoom in fully and then place a Potato Mine while still zoomed in, then the zoom will be instant when you zoom in again. This can come in very handy with variants such as the Camo Cactus.