Giant Ant

A tough and eager new foe.

^{"These uhm, cannon fodder enemies are found throughout the first few levels, but end up in hordes that will attack you like nothing in the game during the ant colony level, they take about three hits to kill, and arrive in the level in undestroyable eggs. The only advice i have for you is keep those zappers at hand, especially in the any colony."
--Description, Catacomb Crypt}

A new monster native to the jungles around The Towne of Morbidity, the Giant Ant, sometimes called the Giant Fire Ant, is an aggressive, if unimaginative foe.

They resemble crimson ants of prodigious size with black compound eyes.

In Catacomb Armageddon

An egg blocks a Treasure Chest and Key.

The second enemy the player will encounter in Catacomb Armageddon, Giant Ants have a relatively low damage output (one of the lowest of any Catacomb monster, in fact), but they are tough nuts to crack, boasting 15 hit points, and because they are relatively large, they have a tendency to actively get in the way of the player, effectively acting as moving cover for other enemies and blocking the player's line of fire. When killed, they flop on their back and twitch their legs in the air. Ants encountered in The Ant Colony can have as many as 18 Hit Points.

Giant Ant Eggs can be found throughout the dungeons, and will often hatch into Giant Ants when the player is in the room long enough. Ant eggs are invincible until the occupant hatches, but curiously, do show up on the Crystal Sphere, so the Giant Ant is often a surprisingly poor ambusher. In large groups, they'll try to surround the player and wear them down with light attacks, a situation that occurs quite often in The Ant Colony.

Giant Ants are there mostly to run interference for other enemies and to wear down a player. In big groups, their low damage output means they should be prioritized last if possible, since while they look dangerous, they really aren't, and are simply tough to kill. If a player absolutely needs to take them down quick, a single Zapper or Xterminator or two can put them down fast, and let the player focus on other threats.

Giant Ants require the Red Jewel to be detected by the Crystal Sphere.

In Catacomb Apocalypse

The Giant Ant does not return, but its futuristic counterpart shows up.

In Catacombs of the Damned

This homage game features a similar arthropod enemy in the form of spiders. They are smaller than the Ants are.

Trivia

• The Giant Ant is based on Fire Ants of the Solenopsis genus.
• The Giant Ant is one of three enemies in Catacomb Armageddon that are expressly female (the other two being the Viper and Succubus).
• The queen of the Giant Ants is never encountered.
• The Giant Ant is one of only two enemies (the other being the Treant) whose corpse has animation.