Landmark

This page shows the mechanics of landmarks in custom games.

Mechanics

Landmarks are special locations on the surface that can take form of a variety of things. Only a limited number of landmark locations is available on each map.

Landmarks are generated based on the default map designs if landmark randomization is disabled.

Landmarks are randomly generated based on your choices if landmark randomization is enabled. New landmarks appears every 150 seconds when you look away from the surface. Existing landmarks disappear over time.

Common landmarks

Small food

Small food are only available if landmark randomization is disabled. They consist of sand fleas and seeds. Small food give 5 to 15 food.

Large food

Dead fish give 1500 food and allow up to 8 ants to harvest at once.

Pine cones give either 600 food (preset) or 1500 food (random) and allow up to 12 ants to harvest at once.

Following ants only come from nearby spawners to harvest large food if landmark randomization is enabled. They gather any food on the way and don't fight each other.

Number and level of following ants is affected by environmental difficulty. They only have level 1 and level 2 soldiers.

Available ants include black ants, wood ants, fire ants, trap-jaw ants, army ants, little black ants or big-headed ants.

Poppy plants

Poppy plants randomly drop seeds over time. Seeds give 5 to 15 food.

Funnel-web spiders

Funnel-web spiders set up their lairs on the surface. Web randomly generates meat chunks over time. Meat chunks give 5 to 15 food. Funnel-web spiders can only attack ant and termite colonies.

New funnel-web spiders come from a nearby spawner to populate each lair every 30 seconds. Lairs disappear more quickly if they remain empty.

Maximum population increases along with environmental difficulty. Overpopulating hosts become dead when difficulty suddenly decreases.

Root aphids

Root aphids secret honeydew over time.

Ladybird beetles land and eat aphids. Attack frequency is affected by environmental dificulty.

Milkweed aphids

Milkweed aphids secrete honeydew over time.

New aphids only appear on random host plants across the map over time if landmark randomization is enabled.

Omnivorous ant colonies can move milkweed aphids to designated host plants. Allies can't take aphids from each other.

Beach maps have rosemary plants while other maps have milkweed plants.

Caterpillars

Magnolia saplings randomly generate caterpillars over time.

Carnivorous plants

Venus flytraps and dwarf sundews reopen a single leaf every 60 seconds if landmark randomization is enabled.

Titans

Titans include huge whip spiders, American bullfrogs and great blue skimmers. Each landmark can only hold a single size 1 titan.

Great blue skimmers fly across the map and only land to fight when you discover their landmarks. Other titans stay in the same place.

Titans can only attack ant and termite colonies.

Infestation

Infestation landmarks are gathering spots for enemies of the same kind. New enemies come from a nearby spawner to populate each spot every 75 seconds. They are generated based on your choices.

Maximum population increases along with environmental difficulty. Overpopulating enemies become dead when difficulty suddenly decreases.

Exclusive landmarks

Harvestable plants

Harvestable plants will appear in extra landmark locations if you choose to play with leafcutter ants.

Small plants give 20/ 40/ 60 food and allow 1/ 2/ 3 ants to harvest at once. Patches regenerate 100 food in total every 5 minutes.

Medium plants give 615 food and allow 24 ants to harvest at once. They regenerate 300 food every 5 minutes.

Large plants give 1230 food and allow 26 ants to harvest at once. They regenerate 200 food every 5 minutes.

Lignocellulose

Lignocellulose piles will appear in extra landmark locations if you choose to play with Matabele ants or termites.

Lignocellulose piles give 90 food and only allow a single termite to harvest.

Following termites only come from nearby spawners to harvest lignocellulose if landmark randomization is enabled or if you play with Matabele ants. They gather any lignocellulose on the way and don't fight each other.

Number and level of following termites is affected by environmental difficulty. They only have level 1 and level 2 soldiers.

Trivia

(none)