Dragon Spikes in Butcher Hero
Dragon Spikes is an Uncommon helmet with the Piercing type, built to take less damage from enemies that attack with Piercing hits. Pierce Guard adds 25% Pierce Defense on the base item and 70% at item level 15, while Last Stand Armor and Emergency Plating add more defense when your health gets low.
Dragon Spikes at a Glance
Dragon Spikes takes the helmet slot. Unlike a weapon, a helmet with a damage type works as armor: the type tells you which incoming damage the item protects against. This one protects against Piercing hits, and all its abilities add Pierce Defense.
| Slot | Helmet |
|---|---|
| Defense type | Piercing |
| Rarity | Uncommon, with a Divine form |
| Abilities | Pierce Guard, Last Stand Armor, Emergency Plating |
| Ability unlocks | Pierce Guard from the start, Last Stand Armor at item level 1, Emergency Plating at item level 6 |
| Highest ability level | Item level 15 |
Compare it with every other piece of gear in the Butcher Hero item list. The equipment guide explains slots, copies and damage types.
Abilities by Item Level
Pierce Guard is the base layer: a flat percentage of extra Pierce Defense. Last Stand Armor scales with damage you have already taken, and the table shows its rate per missing percent of health. Emergency Plating is an emergency button: under half health it multiplies the defense for 10 seconds, then rests for 120 seconds. Locked abilities show a dash.
| Item level | Pierce Guard | Last Stand Armor per 1% missing | Emergency Plating below 50% health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | +25% | - | - |
| 1 | +25% | +0.4% | - |
| 2 | +30% | +0.4% | - |
| 3 | +35% | +0.4% | - |
| 4 | +35% | +0.45% | - |
| 5 | +40% | +0.45% | - |
| 6 | +40% | +0.45% | +100% |
| 7 | +40% | +0.5% | +100% |
| 8 | +45% | +0.5% | +100% |
| 9 | +45% | +0.5% | +120% |
| 10 | +45% | +0.6% | +120% |
| 11 | +50% | +0.6% | +120% |
| 12 | +50% | +0.6% | +150% |
| 13 | +50% | +0.7% | +150% |
| 14 | +60% | +0.7% | +150% |
| 15 | +70% | +0.8% | +200% |
Enemies That Deal Piercing Damage
Armor works by damage type, so the first step is to know what hits you. The red icon in the top-right corner of the screen shows the damage type that nearby enemies deal, and the green icon marks the weapon type that suits them. When the red icon shows Piercing, Dragon Spikes is the helmet that matches.
The tips in the game back this up. One says to check the enemy type hints on the minimap and choose matching gear for each location. Another says that gear fitting enemy weak spots and resistances can count for more than a higher item level. A third reminds that an item ability sometimes outranks matching an enemy's weakness.
Dragon Spikes Video
The video shows a fight against a boss much stronger than the hero and how the right gear helps the hero survive, a good place to see armor choices in play.
Other Piercing Helmets
The other Piercing helmets are Wooden horns (Common) with Regen Harvest; Demon horns (Rare) with Highlife Smash, Lowlife Guard and Spark Mercy; Graveeye Visor (Epic) with Supercrit Focus, Supercrit Core and Shock Infusion; Runekeeper Face (Legendary) with Death Defy, Defy Recovery and Defy Rampage. Dragon Spikes is the one whose three abilities all add Pierce Defense, so it is the plain choice when defense is all you want from the slot.
You can raise Pierce Defense from other slots too. The Piercing Guard Charm accessory has Pierce Defense Mastery, and Crimson fang is a Rare Piercing shield whose Panic Bloom ability adds Pierce Defense below half health. For full loadouts open the best builds page.
Levels and Evolution
Dragon Spikes has 16 steps in its ability ladder. Each time the item level reaches a step, one of the three values moves up, and Emergency Plating appears only at item level 6. Copies of the item raise the level, and evolution leads to the Divine form of the helmet. The tips in the game also say that evolving an item can unlock brand-new abilities, and that hunting enemies which drop evolution materials gives faster power spikes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Dragon Spikes do in Butcher Hero?
Dragon Spikes is a helmet that raises Pierce Defense. Pierce Guard gives a flat boost, Last Stand Armor adds more for every percent of health you are missing, and Emergency Plating gives a large short boost under half health. All three only help against damage of the Piercing type.
What rarity is Dragon Spikes?
Dragon Spikes is Uncommon, the second step on the rarity ladder after Common. The helmet slot has 3 Uncommon helmets: Steel guard, Dragon spikes and Spiked dome. Evolving the item gives its Divine form.
When does Emergency Plating unlock?
Emergency Plating comes last on the card and opens at item level 6. When your health is below 50%, it raises Pierce Defense by 100% at first and by 200% at item level 15. The effect lasts 10 seconds, and then the ability needs 120 seconds to recharge.
How do I know when to wear Dragon Spikes?
Look at the red icon in the top-right corner of the screen. It shows the damage type that nearby enemies deal. When it shows Piercing, a Piercing helmet fits the location. The tips in the game add that gear fitting enemy weak spots and resistances can count for more than a higher item level.
Which other helmets give Pierce Defense?
The Piercing helmets in the item list besides Dragon Spikes are Wooden horns (Common), Demon horns (Rare), Graveeye Visor (Epic) and Runekeeper Face (Legendary). A Piercing Guard Charm accessory also raises Pierce Defense, so you can add defense from another slot.
Read Next
Look at the Smashing-defense twin of this helmet in Spiked Dome, see weapon picks on the best weapons page, or meet the Mythic helmet on the Mushroommancer Cap page.