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Spur of a giant ant which has been fashioned into a rapier. The blade drips with scarlet rot. |
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Giant Ants (大蟻) are Enemies in Elden Ring.
Overview[]
Oversized social insects that fiercely defend their underground tunnels, where they feast upon gathered human remains. Red and hairy, Giant Ants grapple their prey with powerful jaws to pierce them with abdominal stingers. They can expel highly-acidic venom in viscous clumps, which solidifies into Formic Rock deposits.[1] Their acid spray has surprising range and bypasses a shield's guard.
Giants Ants can cling to walls and even ceilings in their lairs, dropping down to swarm and ambush intruders. Others march up and down the boughs of Great Trees, foraging for resources to support their colonies.
Variants[]
Giant ants come in a variety of different forms:
- Giant Ant
- Giant Ant (Medium)
- Giant Ant (Saddle)
- Giant Hardhead Ant
- Giant Honeypot Ant
- Giant Winged Ant
Saddle[]
Saddled Giant Ants are the reluctant mounts of Nox Swordstress, held in a trance placed by the Nox, indicated by glowing purple eyes. However, lulling the Ants to 
Sleep dispels the enchantment, freeing them to turn on their former masters.
Winged[]
Giant Winged Ants move faster and hover out of reach of melee attacks. Although they utilize exclusive airborne attacks, they are otherwise identical to their worker counterparts, using their moveset when grounded.
Hardhead[]
Giant Hardhead Ants, also known as Shield-Headed Ants, possess enlarged, heavily-armored heads that act as nigh-impenetrable shields, making them resistant to damage and tough to stagger. Their bites can inflict 
Poison status, and they can spit globules of formic acid. If given the opportunity, they ram and knock enemies prone with a headbutt.
Their only weakness is their unarmored legs and abdomens, though they protect their bodies well in favorable positions.
Honeypot[]
Giant Honeypot Ants, also known as Large Giant Ants and Bloated Ants, are a voracious, highly-specialized caste rendered immobile by their enormously plump, honey-filled abdomens.[2] Frail and utterly defenseless, they gorge themselves in heavily fortified chambers at Ainsel River and Deeproot Depths, protected by their colonies.
This variant boasts a different set of Resistances than other Giant Ants; it is not as vulnerable to 
Fire damage, but is often slain with a single strike to its ballooned abdomen, which functions as a weak spot.
Honeypot Ants drop valuable items, such as Rune Arcs and Numen's Runes, but will not respawn once defeated.
Drops[]
| Item | Drop Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Formic Rock | 1.50% | Non-Honeypot Ants |
| Formic Rock | 8.00% | Honeypot Ants |
| Golden Rune [10] | 100% | Honeypot Ant at Ainsel River |
| Numen's Rune | 100% | Honeypot Ants at Deeproot Depths (x6) |
| Rune Arc | 100% | Honeypot Ants only |
Locations[]
- Ainsel River
- Ainsel River Main
- Deeproot Depths
- Miquella's Haligtree
- Nokstella, Eternal City
- Rotted Woods
Resistances[]
- Ants are quite susceptible to Sleep status.
- Giant Ants have low Poise.
- Weakness: Fire damage
Moveset[]
Giant Ant, Giant Ant (Medium), Giant Ant (Saddle), :
- Single Bite (avoided by backstepping)
- Triple Bite (avoided by double backstepping or rolling)
- Acid Spray (avoided by moving sideways)
- Grab (don't stand still in front of giant ant)
Notes[]
- Winged Ants can die from fall damage.
- Like most non-respawning foes, Giant Honeypot Ants respawn in New Game Plus (NG+).
- A number of items have been fashioned out of ant body parts: Maleigh Marais created the Antspur Rapier, the spur of a giant ant which has been fashioned into a rapier, whose blade drips with scarlet rot.[3]
- The huge head of one of the giant ants which inhabit the two underground rivers, was used without modification as a shield, excelling at repelling enemy attacks. it also grants a boost to Immunity when wielding the shield
- Using the acidic rock dropped by the ants, a forbidden art of Depraved Perfumers releases an Acid Spraymist from user's mouth, damaging armaments and temporarily lowering Attack Power.
- Romina, Saint of the Bud, conceals an Ant's stinger.[4]
Trivia[]
- Giant Ants are largely based on real-world honeypot ants; each variant represents a different caste:
- Giant Honeypot Ants are repletes, which store honey and sugar in their bloated abdomens for the colony to use. "Honey" is the filename for the Giant Honeypot Ant's abdomen.
- Hardhead Ants are phragmotic ants, likely based on turtle ant soldiers, as they use their large, flat heads to seal colony tunnels and entrances.
- Winged Ants are alates, mature ants that sprout wings and fly off to find mates and start new colonies.
Gallery[]
See also[]
References[]
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