Dark Spikes

Dark Spikes Icon of Dark Spikes from Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Fell dragon spikes that deal damage to foes in range.

Type(s) Combat art (Echoes: Shadows of Valentia) Dark (Three Houses) First game Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Dark Spikes (Japanese: ダークスパイク Dark Spike) is a combat art which was introduced in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. It is possessed only by the Creation, who periodically uses it during its fight in the Thabes Labyrinth. When it activates this art, the Creation summons purple spikes from the ground which randomly inflict between 10 and 30 points of damage on all opposing units within a five-space radius at once.

In Three Houses, Dark Spikes is instead a dark spell, and is given the name Dark Spikes Τ (Japanese: ダークスパイクΤ Dark Spike Τ). It is a strong spell that is very effective against cavalry units. In this appearance, the spikes are depicted as appearing within the air, then impaling the target from all sides at once.

Data

In the main Fire Emblem series

Game	Icon	Might	Hit	Crit	Avo / Crit Avo*	Range	Cost	Other effects and notes
Echoes: Shadows of Valentia		10-30	--	--	--	1-5	0 HP	Inflicts (Random number within might) damage on all opposing units within range. If the damage would kill a target, it leaves the target with 1 HP.

Game	Icon	Level	Might	Weight	Hit	Crit	Range	Uses	Worth	WEXP	Other effects and notes
Three Houses		B	13	11	80	0	1-2	3	--	2	Deals bonus damage to cavalry units.

In other Fire Emblem series titles

Game	Icon	Level	Might	Weight	Hit	Crit	Range	Uses	Worth	WEXP	Other effects and notes
Heroes (Unrefined)		5★	14	--	--	--	2	--	400 SP	--	Deals bonus damage against cavalry targets. Boosts user's speed by +3 at all times. If foe's HP is 75% or higher at the start of combat, boosts user's attack and speed by +6 each during combat, and if user initiates combat while not at full HP, user makes a guaranteed follow-up strike before foe's counterstrike.
Heroes (Refined: +Effect)		5★	14	--	--	--	2	--	400 SP 500 200	--	Deals bonus damage against cavalry targets. Boosts user's speed by +3 at all times. If foe's HP is 75% or higher at the start of combat, boosts user's attack and speed by +6 each during combat, and if user initiates combat while not at full HP, user makes a guaranteed follow-up strike before foe's counterstrike. Lowers special skill cooldown count by -1. At start of turn, user can move adjacent to allies within two spaces, but deals 1 damage to user. If user initiates combat or an ally is within two spaces, boosts user's attack and speed by +6 each and special skill cooldown charge by +1 per user's attack during combat.
Heroes (Refined: +Atk)		5★	15	--	--	--	2	--	400 SP 500 200	--	Deals bonus damage against cavalry targets. Boosts user's speed by +3 at all times. If foe's HP is 75% or higher at the start of combat, boosts user's attack and speed by +6 each during combat, and if user initiates combat while not at full HP, user makes a guaranteed follow-up strike before foe's counterstrike. Grants +2 HP.
Heroes (Refined: +Spd)		5★	14	--	--	--	2	--	400 SP 500 200	--	Deals bonus damage against cavalry targets. Boosts user's speed by +3 at all times. If foe's HP is 75% or higher at the start of combat, boosts user's attack and speed by +6 each during combat, and if user initiates combat while not at full HP, user makes a guaranteed follow-up strike before foe's counterstrike. Grants +2 HP and +2 speed.
Heroes (Refined: +Def)		5★	14	--	--	--	2	--	400 SP 500 200	--	Deals bonus damage against cavalry targets. Boosts user's speed by +3 at all times. If foe's HP is 75% or higher at the start of combat, boosts user's attack and speed by +6 each during combat, and if user initiates combat while not at full HP, user makes a guaranteed follow-up strike before foe's counterstrike. Grants +2 HP and +3 defense.
Heroes (Refined: +Res)		5★	14	--	--	--	2	--	400 SP 500 200	--	Deals bonus damage against cavalry targets. Boosts user's speed by +3 at all times. If foe's HP is 75% or higher at the start of combat, boosts user's attack and speed by +6 each during combat, and if user initiates combat while not at full HP, user makes a guaranteed follow-up strike before foe's counterstrike. Grants +2 HP and +3 resistance.

Availability

Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Unobtainable

Exclusively used by the Creation.

Three Houses

Skill level

Reason B: Lysithea Reason A: Hubert

Heroes

Units

Lysithea: Earnest Seeker

Flavor text

Game	Text (English)	Text (Japanese)
Echoes: Shadows of Valentia	Fell dragon spikes that deal damage to foes in range.	邪竜の棘 範囲内の敵にダメージを与える
Three Houses	Advanced dark magic. Effective against cavalry.	闇の上級魔法 騎馬特効
Heroes	Effective against cavalry foes. Grants Spd+3. At the start of combat, if foe's HP ≥ 75%, grants Atk/Spd+6 during combat. If unit's HP < 100% and unit initiates combat, unit makes a guaranteed follow-up attack before foe can counterattack.	騎馬特効 速さ＋３ 戦闘開始時、敵のＨＰが７５％以上の時、 戦闘中、攻撃、速さ＋６ 戦闘開始時、自分のＨＰが９９％以下で 自分から攻撃した時、絶対追撃、かつ 追撃可能なら自分の攻撃の直後に追撃を行う
Heroes (refined: +effect)	Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). At start of turn, grants the following status to unit for 1 turn and deals 1 damage to unit: "Unit can move to a space adjacent to any ally within 2 spaces." If unit initiates combat or is within 2 spaces of an ally, grants Atk/Spd+6 to unit during combat and Special cooldown charge +1 per unit's attack. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)	奥義が発動しやすい（発動カウント－１） ターン開始時、 「周囲２マス以内の味方の隣接マスに移動可能」を付与 （１ターン）、自分に１ダメージ 自分から攻撃した時、または、 周囲２マス以内に味方がいる時、 戦闘中、攻撃、速さ＋６、 自身の攻撃による奥義発動カウント変動量＋１ （同系統効果複数時、最大値適用）

Trivia

The spikes variant of Expiration in Awakening.

• The concept of Dark Spikes is presumably taken from one of the two animations of Expiration, the Creation/Grima's other attack, in Awakening, where Grima would attack a target by summoning purple spikes. Grima also does this in the opening cutscene of his chapter, bringing all units' HP down to one (although health is restored prior to the map beginning).

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology and in other regions
Language	Name	Definition, etymology, and notes
English	Dark Spikes	Used in Shadows of Valentia.
Japanese	ダークスパイク	Dark Spike
Spanish	Púas oscuras	Dark thorns
French	Piques noires	Dark spears
German	Dunkle Spieße	Dark Skewers
Italian	Scaglie nere	Dark flake
Dutch	Schaduwspiezen	Shadowpierce
Simplified Chinese	漆黑刺棘	Dark Thorns
Traditional Chinese	漆黑刺棘	Dark Thorns

Dark Spikes Τ

Names, etymology and in other regions
Language	Name	Definition, etymology, and notes
English	Dark Spikes Τ	Used in Three Houses and Heroes. Dark magic in Three Houses is denoted with a Greek letter; in this case, Tau. Spelled with the Latin script 'T' in Heroes.
Japanese	ダークスパイクΤ	Dark Spike Τ
Spanish	Púas oscuras Τ	Dark thorns Τ. Spelled with the Latin script 'T' in Heroes.
French	Piques noires Τ	Dark spears Τ. Spelled with the Latin script 'T' in Heroes.
German	Dunkle Spieße Τ	Dark Skewers Τ
Italian	Scaglie nere Τ	Dark flake Τ. Spelled with the Latin script 'T' in Heroes.
Portuguese (Brazil)	Pua obscura T	Dark sting T. Spelled with the Latin script 'T'.
Korean	다크스파이크Τ	Dark Spikes Τ; a transliteration of the English word used as the Japanese name.
Simplified Chinese	暗黑冲击 T	Dark Assault T. Spelled with the Latin script 'T' rather than the Greek Tau.
Traditional Chinese	暗黑衝擊Τ	Dark Assault Τ

Gallery

• 

  The Creation activating Dark Spikes in Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

• 

  Dark Spikes T as it appears in Heroes.

• 

  Dark Spikes T as it appears in Heroes.

See also

• Thani
• Upheaval