Line #357 Characters/EmpiresOfTheUndergrowth


1	[[foldercontrol]]
2
3	[[folder:Ants]]
4	The main characters of the game.
5	----
6	* AfterCombatRecovery: All ant units can recover really slowly when not fighting enemies.
7	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience:
8	** Ants have designated colors on various parts of their bodies to show which colony they belong to. In story mode missions, your colony is red by default.
9	** Brood tiles also have different colors and textures corresponding to their units in one colony.
10	* MonoGenderMonsters: All ants in the game are female. It is currently impossible to create male alates in the game.
11	* SignatureMove: With the exception of the black ants, every ant species in the game has a unique ability that only that ant possess [[GameplayAndStorySegregation even if other species in the game would possess them in real life]]. The Gene Stealers' unique ability is the power to use any other ants' special powers.
12	* ZergRush: Because upgraded ants don't gain much stats, it's more beneficial to focus on quantity over quality for more damage output and more labors. Upgrading is recommended when you have a surplus of food or when level 3 abilities are required.
13
14	!!Gene-thief Ants (''Formica ereptor'')
15	Gene-thief ants are the protagonists of story mode and many side missions. They can absorb traits of other ant species to adapt to different challenges. You can bring your customized gene-thief colony from story mode to freeplay mode.
16	----
17	* AnotherSideAnotherStory: The opposing gene-thief colony in formicarium challenge 3 is playable in side mission The Other Foot. You have to constantly supply workers for the main colony's formicarium challenge, while surviving even greater challenges that the scientist throws at you.
18	* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Gene-thief ants can absorb the traits of other ant species to adapt to different challenges. They are completely [[OriginalCharacter fictitious]] and exist only to let you use different ant species in the same colony. There is no species in the Formica genus that has the level of physical variation seen here.
19	* CharacterCustomization: In story mode, you can use royal jelly to unlock additional abilities for your units and improve their stats. The customization is preserved when you bring your formicarium colony to freeplay mode.
20	* DivergentCharacterEvolution: In story mode, your gene-thief ants only have [[WorkerUnit workers]] at the beginning. You have to use royal jelly to [[LegoGenetics unlock other species as your units]]. You can only pick one type of wood ants, leafcutter ants, fire ants and matabele ants per colony. The choice is permanent. You can also unlock two additional abilities for each unit, including your queen, which let your colony keep up with the formicarium challenges.
21	* {{Leitmotif}}: A piano piece plays whenever you are in the formicarium. The combat music for the area is simply an alteration of that piano piece.
22	* TheProtagonist: They are the protagonists of story mode. Attempting to be more specific is superfluous since they lack the capacity to understand morality.
23	* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Formicarium challenge 3 has the player gene-thief colony face off against a rival colony, which is implied to be the one that provided the ants in the previous formicarium challenges. The rival colony is the technician, which focuses solely on strong melee units, while the player colony is the performer, which uses a more variety of units like melee attackers, ranged shooters and tanks, further customized to suit the player's strategy. The performer ends up outmaneuvering and defeating the technician.
24	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: They are omnivores, but seeds are often seen as their primary food source. The male scientist feeds them with large numbers of seeds as a reward after you complete a mission.
25
26	!!Black Ants (''Formica fusca'')
27	Black ants are playable as a complete species. They are the most basic ant species in the game.
28	----
29	* AdaptationalWimp: Real black ants can shoot formic acid. This ability is restricted to wood ants in-game, and devs [[WordOfGod explicitly stated]] that the reason black ants ''in particular'' can't use this is to keep them as generic as possible.
30	* TheGenericGuy: They have no ability and offer no unique playstyle, as they are meant to get you used to the basic gameplay.
31	* JackOfAllStats: They have average stats and only gain a bit more stats when leveled up.
32
33	!!Wood Ants (''Formica rufa'')
34	Wood ants are playable as a complete species. They are famous for shooting acid from abdomen as defense.
35	----
36	* ButtCannon: Wood ants can shoot [[AcidAttack formic acid]] from abdomen, dealing venom-type damage.
37	* GlassCannon: The shooters have low health and high attacking damage.
38	* MutuallyExclusiveMagic: At the beginning of a mission, you are allowed to choose between mortar shooters or rapid-fire shooters. Level 3 mortar shooters can do [[SplashDamage splash damage]] while level 3 rapid-fire shooters can [[StatusEffects slow enemies down]].
39	* ShownTheirWork: You start mission 2.1 with 3 black ant workers and a dead black ant queen next to your queen. In real life, a young wood ant queen will infiltrate a black ant nest, kill the queen and trick the black ant workers to work for her until the first few wood ants are ready to work.
40	* SignatureMove: Formic acid strikes, which are the only ranged attacks usable by ants in the game.
41	* StoneWall: The melee soldiers have high health and low attacking damage.
42
43	!!Leafcutter Ants (''Atta cephalotes'')
44	Leafcutter ants are playable as a complete species. They are famous for growing fungus from harvested leaves.
45	----
46	* TheBigGuy: Leafcutter majors are the largest among ant units, even bigger than other species' queen. They are preferably used to take hits from the enemies while the smaller units do the actual fighting beneath them. Their sheer size prevents them from being devoured by spiders and mantises.
47	* EquippableAlly: Level 3 mediae and majors can get two minims to board them and fend off the annoying phorid flies while they are busy carrying leaves.
48	* {{Foil}}: To the wood ants.
49	** Wood ants are carnivores while leafcutter ants are fungivores.
50	** Wood ant special unit is a glass cannon while leafcutter ant special unit is a tank.
51	** Wood ant missions let you play defensively in your nest while leafcutter ant missions force you to play offensively against opposing colonies.
52	* {{Irony}}: While leaf cutter ants are one of the more herbivorous ants in the game, they're also significantly more aggressive than their predecessors, the wood ants, because they cannot turtle up and eat the enemies trying to raid their nests.
53	* MutuallyExclusiveMagic: At the beginning of a mission, you are allowed to choose between [[DrawAggro taunt]] majors or [[StatusEffects stun]] majors. Level 3 taunt major gain extra defense at low health while level 3 stun major can slow enemies down.
54	* NoSell: Majors are immune to knockback and stun.
55	* PickyEater: Leafcutter ants are physically incapable of picking up insect corpses for food a they can only eat the fungus they grow from leaves.
56	* SignatureMove: Beyond the stun/taunt power, leaf cutter majors have immunity to stun and knockback.
57	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Their only food source is the fungus cultivated from harvested leaves. In freeplay mode, choosing leafcutter ants will allow harvestable plants to appear on the map.
58
59	!!Fire Ants (''Solenopsis invicta'')
60	Fire ants are playable as a complete species. They are famous for using their own bodies to build rafts and bridges. They can spawn two ants from one tile at level 3.
61	----
62	* AdaptationalWimp: Real-life fire ants have the ability to use offensive gaster flagging, just like the little black ants. It has [[WordOfGod been confirmed]] that this is to make each species unique and give them different play styles.
63	* BewareMyStingerTail: Both fire ant workers and soldiers have stinger on their abdomen. They sting after every few bites, dealing venom-type damage.
64	* {{Foil}}: To the leafcutter ants.
65	** Leafcutter ants and fire ants hold records for the largest and smallest queen in the game respectively. Leafcutter minims and fire ant workers are also the smallest ant units in the game.
66	** Both are aggressive. Leafcutter ants are [[XenophobicHerbivore territorial]] while the fire ants are predatory.
67	** Leafcutter ant special units are big and expensive soldiers that can take a lot of hits from enemies. Fire ants special units are small and cheap soldiers that can quickly swarm over enemies.
68	** Leafcutter ants have muscular jaws for cutting up leaves while fire ants have venomous stingers.
69	* FromBadToWorse: Both of their focus missions involve a bad situation becoming worse, in second through no fault of their own.
70	** Their first mission sees a newly arrived queen having to deal with a female american bullfrog that lives just north of the her nest. When the bullfrog is finally repelled, it turns out she was repelling a horde of smaller amphibians, which then zero in on the fire ant nest and become the final opponents of the mission.
71	** Mission 3.2, "A Bridge Too Far", sees a newly mated queen land on a mound of dirt, which is in extreme danger of flooding. Then, midway through her colonies preparations to leave, a giant dragonfly that had previously been skimming overhead attacks them. Of course, taking down the dragonfly provides a much needed extra amount of food.
72	* LogicalWeakness: If a Fire Ant bridge is destroyed, any ants on far side of the bridge will panic and die, as they no longer have a connection to the colony.
73	* MisplacedWildlife: This is [[{{Justified}} justified]] as ''Solenopsis invicta'' is one of the most prolific invasive species on Earth. So while the species is native to South America, the missions are set in a swamp in North Carolina, USA.
74	* MutuallyExclusiveMagic: At the beginning of a mission, you are allowed to choose between pervasive soldiers or vigorous soldiers. Pervasive soldiers [[WeHaveReserves can hatch for free]] if they have been incubated for a long period. Vigorous soldiers [[StatusBuff gain a boost in stats]] for a short period after spawning.
75	* SignatureMove: Stings, spawning two per tile with max upgrades and using their bodies to build bridges. And while all ants can climb titans, fire ants are especially suited to this due to being able to use all attacks and having the numbers to create dedicated groups for swarming enemies and scaling them simultaneously.
76	* SuperDrowningSkills: {{Downplayed\|Trope}} -- while they will drown if immersed in water, fire ants used to make bridges will only be at risk of being washed away if the water level suddenly changes. This is in fact a plot point for "A Bridge Too Far", where the fire ants must mass enough of their workers/warriors to build a raft to escape an impending flood.
77	* ZergRush: As ants that can spawn two per tile, you're encouraged to use them to swarm enemies. Their unique powers, however, can skew how best they are used in rushes. This is especially encouraged with the vigorous brood, as it gives a rapidly decaying StatusBuff when the ants first hatch, encouraging you to immediately send them into battle. Pervasive Brood ants are best kept in reserve until a later rush, so that they can take advantage of free respawns.
78
79	!!Matabele ants (''Megaponera analis'')
80	Matabele ants are confirmed to be playable as a complete species in the 5th set of missions. They are famous for raiding termite nests and taking care of the wounded.
81	----
82	* TheMedic: The medic units can heal nearby allies every time they hit their attacks. Additionally, downed ants can be carried back to the nest to be healed later.
83	* ShownTheirWork: As opposed to just healing injured ants via their attacks, Matabele Ants can also drag back downed members of the colony to their nests to be brought back to fighting shape. This is accurate to the real ants, who perform triage inside their nests.
84	* SignatureMove: Healing other ants via their attacks.
85	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: They are known for eating only termites.
86
87	!!Slavemaker Ants (''Formica sanguinea'')
88	Slavemaker ants are only playable as gene-thief ant units. They are famous for stealing larvae from other colonies to raise as their own.
89	----
90	* BanditMook: Slavemaker ants steal larvae from other colonies. The stealers will sneak past your defense line while the tanky soldiers act as distraction.
91	* {{Foil}}: To the gene thief ants. Both have other ant species in their colonies. However, slavemaker ants steal larvae from other colonies while gene-thief ants outright transform into other species.
92	* SignatureMove: Slavemaker ants can steal brood from tiles, which also temporarily prevents the tile from holding new brood.
93
94	!!Trap-jaw Ants (''Odontomachus baurii'')
95	Trap-jaw ants are only playable as gene-thief ant units. They are famous for their immense bite force.
96	----
97	* AdaptationalWimp: Real trapjaw ants have stingers. Only fire ants have stingers in-game.
98	* {{Foil}}: To the leafcutter ants. Both have incredibly powerful bite forces. However, the leafcutter ants use their jaws to carve up plants while the trapjaw ants use their jaws to kill preys.
99	* SignatureMove: Launching themselves via their jaws.
100	* TacticalWithdrawal: These ants can use their jaws as catapults to eject themselves out of danger and [[RegeneratingHealth heal themselves]] in the process.
101
102	!!Army Ants (''Eciton Burcheii'')
103	Army ants are only playable as gene-thief ant units. They are famous for devastating anything on their hunting trail.
104	----
105	* AdaptationalWimp: Real army ants can sting. In-game, only fire ants can do this.
106	* TheCavalry: In mission 3.2, scouts will occasionally appear on empty lanes. After spotting your ants, they quickly run back to their swarm calling for reinforcement. Killing the scouts can prevent the reinforcement from arriving.
107	* {{Foil}}:To the leafcutter ants. Both have huge majors with powerful jaws protecting their harvesting trail. However, the leafcutter ants are fungus farmers while the army ants are nomadic hunters.
108	* PowerGlows: Majors release orange pheromone cloud when their ability is activated. The pheromone cloud was later change to red glow for better performance.
109	* SignatureMove: Majors can release pheromones that increase the damage their allies inflict.
110	* StatusBuff: Majors can increase the damage of their allies every time they hit their attacks.
111
112	!!Little Black Ants (''Monomorium minimum'')
113	Little black ants are confirmed to be playable as a complete species after the swamp missions are released. They are the smallest ant species in the game.
114	----
115	* {{Fartillery}}: By waving their gasters, they release foul-smelling odor to debuff enemies.
116	* SignatureMove: Little black ants can gaster flag enemies, which can inflict confusion.
117
118	!!Big-headed Ants (''Pheidole morrisii'')
119	Big-headed ants are confirmed to be playable as a complete species after the swamp missions are released. The super-soldiers possess huge heads with powerful bites, which however make them quite clumsy.
120	----
121	* SignatureMove: Not necessarily a move, but they can produce soldiers with gigantic heads that are clumsy yet devastating in close combat.
122	* WaddlingHead: {{Downplayed\|Trope}} in that they have visible bodies, but the heads of their specialist warriors are far too large for their bodies.
123
124	!!Driver ants (''Dorylus'')
125	Driver ants are confirmed to be enemies in the 5th set of missions. They are known for devastating everything on their hunting trail.
126	----
127	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Only time will tell, but their behavior in real-life in analogous to army ants.
128
129	!!Bullet Ants
130	Bullet ants are confirmed to be playable only as the last gene-thief ant units in story mode. They are known for their huge size and incredibly powerful stings.
131	----
132	* ContestWinnerCameo: They are one of the kickstarter rewards and are set to be the last gene-thief ant units in the story mode.
133
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Arachnids]]
137	They are the developers' favorite type of enemies. The beach wolf spider is even the protagonist of its own missions.
138	----
139	* SpidersAreScary: The arachnids are depicted to be menacing forces. They are usually the strongest and fastest in their environment.
140
141	!!Funnelweb Spiders (''Segestria florentina'')
142	Funnelweb spiders are enemies that build funnel-shaped nests in the log missions.
143	----
144	* ChestMonster: Their nests are filled with delicious insect remains. Any small creatures stepping on the webs will be slowed down and then captured by the fast spiders.
145	* FragileSpeedster: They have low health and high speed.
146
147	!!Beach Wolf Spiders (''Arctosa littoralis'')
148	Beach wolf spiders are nocturnal enemies in the beach missions.
149	----
150	* DungeonBypass: Any wolf spiders entering your nest can run pass your defense to a random brood chamber.
151	* FinalBoss: Some adult female spiders act as the final opponents in Rising Tide.
152	* HyperactiveMetabolism: Adult spiders can [[SwallowedWhole devour small creatures]] to replenish their health in battle.
153	* LightningBruiser: The adults have high health, speed and attack.
154	* StatusEffects: Large spiders can occasionally inject venom to enemies, damaging them over time.
155	* TheProtagonist: A beach wolf spider is the protagonist of [[HolidayMode the holiday missions]]. It's voiced by the community manager Mike.
156
157	!!Harvestmen
158	Harvestmen are common surface enemies in the rainforest missions.
159	----
160	* AnArmAndALeg: They drop one leg as distraction and run away at low health.
161	* CowardlyMooks: They avoid groups of insects and tend to attack lone ones.
162	* StatusEffects: They can constanly stun multiple enemies at once, making them [[GoddamnedBats annoying]] to deal with.
163
164	!!Jumping Spiders (''Psecas viridipurpureus'')/ Magnolia Green Jumper (''Lyssomanes viridis'')
165	Jumping spider variants are diurnal enemies in the rainforest and swamp missions.
166	----
167	* CowardlyMooks: They avoid groups of insects and tend to attack lone ones. They run away when surrounded.
168	* DungeonBypass: Any jumping spiders entering your nest can run pass your defense to a random brood chamber.
169	* FragileSpeedster: They have low health and high speed.
170	* UndergroundMonkey: Magnolia green jumpers are variants of jumping spiders, with different models, stats and abilities.
171
172	!!Whip Spiders (''Heterophrynus batesii '')
173	Whip spiders are nocturnal enemies in the rainforest missions.
174	----
175	* BladeBelowTheShoulder: They have huge pedipalps covered with large and sharp spines, which help impaling and immobilizing any prey within their range.
176	* FinalBoss: A huge whip spider act as the final opponent in Aggrandise.
177	* MightyGlacier: Whip spiders have the high health and attack. However, they have low speed and need to constantly reposition themselves in battle to make use of their long pedipalps.
178	* OptionalBoss: A huge whip spiders can be found in Frontline, hidden under a log. It will emerge after some time has passed, depending on difficulty. It guards some of the largest harvestable plants on the map.
179	* StatusEffects: The adults have various attacking patterns to deal with different situations. They can either [[{{Knockback}} knock enemies back]] and stun them or cause all nearby enemies to bleed, damaging them over time.
180
181	!!Green Lynx Spiders (''Peucetica viridans'')
182	Green lynx spiders are the largest true spiders in the game. They are enemies in the swamp missions.
183
184	!!Six-spotted Fishing Spiders (Dolomedes triton)
185	Six-spotted fishing spiders can walk on water to attack fire ant bridges. They are challenge mode enemies in the swamp missions.
186	----
187	* WalkOnWater: Their legs afford them enough weight dispersion to avoid breaking water surface tension. This allows them to be a direct threat to fire ant bridges.
188
189	!!Sun Spiders
190	They are confirmed from Liam's stream to be enemies in the 5th set of missions.
191
192	[[/folder]]
193
194	[[folder:Other Creatures]]
195	The various creatures you need to fight to survive.
196
197	!!Woodworms
198	Woodworms are harmless beetle larvae in the log missions.
199	----
200	* HarmlessEnemy: They are incapable of doing any damage.
201	* TheWoobie: They can only crawl away in fear when attacked.
202
203	!!Devil's Coach Horse Beetles (''Ocypus solens'')/ Green Rove Beetles (''Phanolinus auratus'')/ Blue Rove Beetles (''Plochionocerus fulgens'')
204	Rove beetle variants are common underground enemies in the log, beach and rainforest missions.
205	----
206	* {{Mooks}}: They are the most common enemies you face in the game.
207	* StatusEffects: The adults can release a [[{{Fartillery}} foul-smelling gas]] from their abdomen that damage and disrupt nearby enemies.
208	* UndergroundMonkey: They are variants of rove beetles, with different models, stats and abilities.
209
210	!!Woodlice
211	Woodlice are harmless crustaceans in the log missions.
212	----
213	* HarmlessEnemy: They are incapable of doing any damage.
214	* HeavilyArmoredMook: At low health, they can cling to the ground to gain extra resistance.
215
216	!!Mole Crickets (''Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa'')
217	Mole crickets are challenge mode enemies in the log missions.
218	----
219	* DungeonBypass: These crickets invade your brood chambers from above. There is no way to prevent this from happening.
220	* FinalBoss: An Uber mole cricket acts as the final boss for Excavators.
221
222	!!Beach Tiger Beetles (''Cicindella dorsalis'')/ Six-spotted Tiger Beetles (''Cicindella sexguttata'')
223	Tiger beetle variants are diurnal enemies in the beach and swamp missions. Beach tiger beetle larvae are challenge mode enemies in the beach missions.
224	----
225	* AntlionMonster: Beach tiger beetle larvae bury themselves underground. Unlike antlions, they have to leave their burrows to attack, exposing their soft bodies.
226	* LightningBruiser: The adults have high health, speed and attack.
227	* StatusEffects: The adult beach tiger beetles can stun multiple enemies at once.
228	* UndergroundMonkey: Six-spotted tiger beetles are variants of tiger beetles, with different models, stats and abilities.
229
230	!!Hermit Crabs
231	Hermit crabs are nocturnal enemies in the beach missions.
232	----
233	* HeavilyArmoredMook: At low health, they can retreat into their shells to gain extra resistance and [[RegeneratingHealth heal themselves]] in the process.
234	* OptionalBoss: In Babysitting, an Uber hermit crab can be found hidden under a log. Killing it is not required to beat the mission. It was left there as a joke during a developing stream.
235
236	!!Root Aphids
237	Root aphids are one of your primary food sources.
238	----
239	* HelpfulMook: They constantly secrete honeydew and repopulate, making them a reliable food source for your colony.
240
241	!!Ladybugs
242	Ladybugs are obstacles for harvesting honeydew.
243	----
244	* BanditMook: Ladybugs will occasionally swoop down to eat your aphids. They will fly away at low health.
245
246	!! Spiny Devil Bush Crickets (''Panacanthus varius'')
247	Spiny devil bush crickets are nocturnal enemies in the rainforest missions.
248	----
249	* TheSpiny: They are covered with short spines that can damage any enemies making direct contact with them.
250	* StatusEffects: The adults can cause all nearby enemies to bleed, damaging them over time.
251
252	!!Leaf-mimic Praying Mantises (''Pseudoxyops perpulchra'')
253	[[SlayingMantis Leaf mimic praying mantises]] are diurnal enemies in the rainforest missions.
254	----
255	* HyperactiveMetabolism: Adult mantises can [[SwallowedWhole devour small creatures]] to replenish their health in battle.
256	* StealthyMook: They cannot be seen on the minimap. Their health bar can only be shown in battle.
257
258	!!Phorid Flies
259	Phorid flies are challenge mode enemies in the rainforest missions.
260	----
261	* AirborneMook: Phorid flies swarm above harvestable plants, far from leafcutter ants' reach.
262	* ChestBurster: An example involving the head -- phorid flies lay eggs in the heads of leafcutter ants (and ''only'' leaf cutter ants), which hatch into larvae that slowly turn the ant's innards into mush. While this will eventually kill the ant in question, the more pressing concern is that afflicted ants suffer ''massive'' debuffs that make them worse than useless for anything. This can be an absolute ''death sentence'' for the player in "The Harvest", since you need to race against another colony to collect the most leaves.
263	* PuppeteerParasite: Although infected ants don't lose health and can still follow orders, they receive multiple debuffs, which drastically hinder their harvesting ability, and die after a short period.
264
265	!!Velvet Worms
266	Velvet worms are centipede-like creatures that can shoot sticky liquid to defend themselves. Due to their complex movement and the overhaul of movement code, they are put on the back burner. The developers want to keep them in the game in the future.
267	----
268	* EarlyBirdCameo: Somewhat - they are first mentioned by the narrator during 3.1, but wouldn't be added into the game until over a year later during the "Adventure" update (which, to be fair, did include them in level 3.1).
269	* GiantMook: Like most non-beetle arthropods, adults are merely upscaled juveniles and lack any special models or moves.
270	* StatusInflictionAttack: Enemies hit by their goo attack are slowed.
271
272	!!Bombardier Beetles (''Brachinus altenans'')
273	Bombadier beetles can shoot a powerful stream of scalding liquid from their abdomens. They are enemies in the swamp missions.
274	----
275	* ButtCannon: They shoot scalding liquid from their abdomen.
276
277	!!False Bombardier Beetles (''Galerita bicolor'')
278	False bombadier beetles can shoot [[AcidAttack formic acid]] from their abdomens like wood ants. They disguise themselves as true bombardier beetles for protection. They are enemies in the swamp missions.
279	----
280	* ButtCannon: They shoot formic acid from their abdomen.
281
282	!!Checkered Beetle (''Enoclerus rosmarus'')
283	Checkered beetles are diurnal enemies in the swamp missions.
284	----
285	* DivergentCharacterEvolution: While they are analogous to the rove beetles faced in previous missions, checkered beetles have several differences stemming from how, like the tiger beetles, they're in a different beetle family. First, they are much slower than the rove beetles, [[MightyGlacier with both larvae and adults relying on stronger bites and armor to compensate]]. Second, they don't have any [[{{Fartillery}} abdomen gas attacks]], as that goes to the Bombardier Beetle and False Bombardier Beetle. Finally, as part of a developer paradigm shift, grubs and imagos drop ''far'' less food than the rove beetles, meaning that losses against them can rapidly add up.
286	* TheGenericGuy: They don't have any ability or gimmick.
287	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: While lacking in the {{Fartillery}} department, the grubs and adults act as the swamp version of the rove beetle enemies faced in previous maps.
288
289	!!Velvet Ants (''Dasymutilla occidentalis'')
290	Velvet ants are socially parasitic wasps that cannot fly. They are enemies in the swamp missions.
291	----
292	* BewareMyStingerTail: At low health, they can retaliate using their long venomous stinger.
293	* NonIndicativeName: They are socially parasitic wasps, not ants. They disguise as ants for protection.
294	* TheSpiny: Their bodies are covered with thin spines that can damage any enemies making direct contact with them.
295
296	!!Wasp Mantidfly (''Climaciella bunnea'')
297	Wasp mantidflies are enemies in the swamp missions.
298	----
299	* ExactlyWhatItSaysontheTin: They are flies that have mantis-like forelegs and wasp coloring.
300
301	!!Great Blue Skimmers (''Libellula vibrans'')
302	Great blue skimmers are titan enemies in the swamp missions.
303	----
304	* AirborneMook: They stay in the air most of the time and only swoop down to attack.
305	* GiantFlyer: They are flying titans within the scope of the game.
306	* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: Once she's taken enough damage, the skimmer will take to the air, fly for a bit, and land at a different part of the outcropping you're on. If you don't press that assault again, she will fly away again, this time for good.
307	* SkippableBoss: If the player manages to reach the required number of fire ants for "A Bridge Too Far" before night 4, they can complete the mission without ever fighting the Skimmer. Note that if the Skimmer does land, defeating it effectively becomes mandatory, as she will actively slaughter your ants until killed/repelled.
308
309	!!Termites (''Marcrotemes bellicosus'')
310	They are the world's largest termites, which are known for building massive mounds. They are confirmed to be enemies for the 5th set of missions. They will have a food processing system similar to leafcutter ants.
311
312	!!Predator Plants
313	Venus flytraps, pitcher plants, and sundews are enemies in the swamp missions.
314	----
315	* ChestMonster: Both plants produce an edible nectar-like substance that your ants can collect, but they carry a percentage change to be trigger, killing the ant harvesting them. The nectar ''is'' a valid food source, though, and not just bait, so the player must ask themself a question -- [[SadisticChoice ignore the food supply or risk losing your ants in the harvest]]?
316	** Additionally, pitcher plants have spiders living on/in them that will try to eat your ants.
317	** Note that only the pitcher plants' nectar is real, though -- the material produced by flytraps and sundew is bait.
318
319	!!Pine Woods Tree Frog (''Hyla femoralis'')
320	Pine woods tree frog are enemies in the swamp missions.
321
322	!!American Bullfrog (''Lithobates catesbeianus'')
323	American bullfrogs are titan enemies in the swamp missions.
324	----
325	* AlwaysABiggerFish: Introduced eating a narrow-mouthed toad. [[spoiler:[[ChekhovsGun This ends up being important]], as once she flees, a whole horde of newts and toads she was keeping away descend upon the fire ants]].
326	* {{Kaiju}}: They are the largest creatures in the game.
327	* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler:Once she's taken enough of a beating, the female bullfrog fought in Mission 4.1 flees, leaving players to fight the horde of amphibians that were too afraid to face her]].
328
329	!!Narrow-mouthed Toad (''Gastrophryne carolinensis'')
330	Narrow-mouthed toad are enemies in the swamp missions.
331	----
332	* ViolationOfCommonSense: While most enemies that invade your nest are best defeated by trapping them in bottlenecks, not only can the toad dig through your nest (which makes a bottleneck impractical), but they can also eat multiple ants in one bite, encouraging you to instead face them in open areas and attack them from all sides.
333
334	!!Dwarf Salamanders (''Eurycea quadridigitata'')
335	Dwarf salamanders are enemies in the swamp missions.
336	----
337	* AquaticMook: Like all amphibians, they can swim, and are introduced swimming.
338	!!Rainbow Lizards
339	They are confirmed from Liam's stream to be enemies in the 5th set of missions.
340
341	[[/folder]]
342
343	[[folder:The Humans]]
344	!!The Scientists
345	Two scientists observe a colony of Formica ereptor in their lab.
346	----
347	* ConfessToALesserCrime: Following the second formicarium challenge, the male scientist told his colleague that the gene thief ants successfully repelled forty wood ants, much to her alarm, as she only wanted at most thirty to be sent against the colony. By this point, your colony should have fought three tiger beetles, ten wolf spiders, and well over one hundred ants from three different colonies.
348	* CrazyPrepared: The third formicarium the ants are moved to has several mosses growing out of its highest level ([[FreezeFrameBonus and if you take the time to look, all of them have labels]]). [[spoiler:Given that when the scientist hides the ants in a cupboard, a light comes on, its heavily implied that he was planning to disguise their new home as a moss-growing experiment, where he could then brush off the ants being in there as contamination]].
349	* EvilutionaryBiologist: The Male Scientist delves into this on occasion, what with him creating the Royal Jelly and using it to power up the ants. [[spoiler:Fully steps into this role during Formicarium Challenge 4, where he uses said jelly to create nightmarish hybrids to challenge the ants with]].
350	* TheFaceless: Only the male scientist's hands are visible in the game.
351	* JerkassGods: The scientists might as well be gods compared to the ants, and the male one tends to go out of his way to make the ''ereptor'' colony's life more difficult purely for his own amusement. He even refers to his finger crushing the ants as 'the hand of god'.
352	* MadScientist: The male one is a downplayed example even though the developers have literally called him "Evil Scientist". He's more interested in amusing himself by having the gene thief ants fight other creatures in increasingly more elaborate battles rather than giving them reasonable challenges. He's also the one responsible for providing the gene thief ants with royal jelly, something the female scientist doesn't approve of. Other than that, he doesn't really act like a typical mad scientist. [[spoiler:He finally comes into this role in full during the Fourth Formicarium Challenge, where it's revealed that his royal jelly can hybridize ''any'' two species, resulting in the hybrids]].
353	* {{Narrator}}: They narrate for the gene thief colony. Their opening dialogue following a completed mission will reflect whatever resource you chose to receive extra amounts of for completing the mission. They have unique dialogue following the completion of the formicarium challenges.
354	* OneHitKill: In formicarium challenge 3, the male scientist uses his own finger to crush your ants if you try to fight in the open.
355	* OnlySaneMan: The female scientist prioritizes getting results from research over personal amusement, forcing the male scientist to avoid doing anything too stupid around her. She also wants the colony disposed of once the tests are completed, [[PragmaticVillainy since she's probably aware of the damage they could cause if they were released into the wild]].
356
357
358	!!The Narrator
359	He was planned to be the scientist who studies the migration of gene thief ants in the wild. Currently, he is only the narrator for the missions of story mode and freeplay mode.
360	----
361	* {{Narrator}}: He informs you about the progress of your colony and the new creatures first appearing in a mission. He has some unique lines for events exclusive to freeplay mode.
362	* TheVoice: He's never seen in person.
363	[[/folder]]
364
365	[[folder:'''Spoiler Characters''']]
366	!!Hybrids
367	Hybrid creatures created by the Male Scientist using Royal Jelly. '''Unmarked Spoilers Ahead!'''
368	----
369	* BodyHorror: Using the royal jelly on incompatible hosts (read:anything not an ant) makes it possible to fuse together animals that should ''not'' be able to hybridize in real life. The first one is a hybrid between a hermit crab and a scorpion, the second is actually a pair of whip-spider and mantis hybrids, while the third is a misshapen combination of tarantula and dragonfly.
370	* BossRush: All four of the hybrids are faced in succession during the Fourth Formicarium Challenge.
371	* MixAndMatchCritters: They're hybrids of two different arthropods, [[BodyHorror albeit misshapen ones that clearly would not be able to function in real life]].
372	* OutsideContextProblem: While the ''ereptor'' already demonstrated weird powers from Royal Jelly, these creatures take it to a completely different level -- all of them a frankenstein's monster-esque abominations created by the Male Scientist using Royal Jelly, and from his comments, it's implied that he actually did this by fusing together live arthropods as opposed to breeding them. Gameplay wise, these creatures have unique powersets that no other creature in the game has, with two of them even having parts from creatures that aren't even in the game yet!
373	* PowerupLetdown: While each hybrid gets new powers and abilities from the animals they are fused from, this also comes with drawbacks. Beyond the ones listed with each individual hybrid, the Male Scientist notes that none of them will survive longer than a day.
374	!!Hermit-Scorpion
375	The first hybrid created by the Male Scientist, it is a fusion of a hermit crab and a scorpion.
376	----
377	* BewareMyStingerTail: Has a scorpion stinger tail hidden under its hermit-crab shell. Damage done from mounting will cause the shell to break faster, exposing the tail sooner.
378	* PowerupLetdown: Its two different parents impair its ability to attack and defend properly -- it can't use its tail while its snail shell is still intact.
379	* TurnsRed: Taking enough damage to its snail shell causes said shell to shatter, allowing the hybrid to use its tail to attack.
380	!!The Twins
381	A pair of whip-spider and mantis hybrids. [[CainAndAbel They do not like each other]].
382	----
383	* CainAndAbel: The two of them ''do not'' like each other, and try to kill each other before the scientist throws them into the formicarium. Players can exploit this by luring them into attacking each other, saving you time and ants killing them. Justified considering that they are not actually siblings but rival predators who had body parts swapped with each other.
384	* DualBoss: You fight both of them at the same time. That being said, they ''hate'' each other, so you can easily trick them into killing one another and saving you time and food.
385	* MixAndMatchCritters: One has the body and head of a whip spider with the arms of a mantis, while the other has the body and head of a mantis with the arms of a whip spider. It's implied in the dialogue introducing them (and the accompanying sound effects) that the scientist actually used the Royal Jelly to surgically transplant their arms onto each other.
386	* SetAMookToKillAMook: The optimal strategy for defeating them is to manipulate them into fighting each other so that they wear each other out, optimally ending in one killing the other.
387	!!Dragantula
388	The last of the hybrids fought in the Fourth Formicarium Challenge, it is a fusion of a dragonfly and a tarantula.
389	----
390	* BodyHorror: It has spider legs on one half of its body and dragonfly legs on the other, a spider's cephalothorax attached to a dragonfly's abodomen, and its wings do not look like they were meant for this kind of animal. Oh, and it has its dragonfly head on one of its pediapalps.
391	* FinalBoss: The last enemy that must be slain in Formicarium Challenge Four.
392	* OutsideContextProblem: Beyond being a hybrid, this creature incorporates parts from tarantulas, which not only haven't yet shown up in the game as normal enemies, but have not been implied to be enemies the player will fight ''at all''.
393	* PowerupLetdown: It may have combined the strength of a tarantula with a dragonfly's speed and flight, but those wings were NOT meant to hold up something that large - it will often stun itself after launching a powerful attack.
394	* WingsDoNothing: {{Justified\|Trope}} and {{Downplayed\|Trope}} -- while the dragantula has dragonfly wings, these are ''not'' meant for an animal of its size, so it only uses them for a few attacks (one of which leaves it stunned).

Context Characters / EmpiresOfTheUndergrowth