These formidable foes have extremely sharpened medal spear-heads that almost always are at least a foot above their heads.  These units are well known for being the most common type of spear unit around.  Their light spear and scale-mail armor provided some defense but their true talent laid within being able to wave off opposing cavalry and infantry attacks.  Against archers these units would fall due to the fact that their speed is not the greatest.  Some strategies included standing down with the spears at a 45 degree angle, this worked better with halberdier's, and having the opponent run into it.  Another strategy is to have the first row of pikes at a 45 degree angle, the second row had theirs at a 60 degree, the third at theirs at a 75 degree angle, the fourth had theirs go in between the first three rows and any row after that stood at a 90 degree angle awaiting their comrades fall.  *Note Usually the fourth row consisted of halberdiers due to them having huge sometimes up to 30 feet of spear.  The Pikemen were commonly known as cavalry killers until the invention of the lance where a cavalier could charge and hit anyone standing within 7-15 ft. around him thus breaking the spearmen up.  Pikemen though once separated were usually doomed to be picked off.