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. They can be harvested by 8 ants at once.

Pine cones give either 600 food (preset) or 1500 food (random). They can be harvested by 12 ants 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. You can only encounter 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 and disappear after 3 minutes.

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 and disappear after 3 minutes. Funnel-web spiders can only attack colonies.

New funnel-web spiders come from nearby spawners 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. Ally colonies can't take aphids from each other.

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

Caterpillars

Caterpillars appear on magnolia saplings generate caterpillars over time. Each host plant can only have up to 10 caterpillars.

Carnivorous plants

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

Titans

Titans include huge whip spiders, American bullfrogs, great blue skimmers, huge sun spiders, huge African giant centipedes and huge emperor scorpions. You can only encounter a single titan in each location.

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

Dead titans disappear after 10 minutes.

Titans can only attack colonies.

Infestation

Infestation landmarks are gathering spots for enemies of the same kind. New enemies come from nearby spawners to populate each location 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. They can only regenerate every 5 minutes if landmark randomization is enabled.

Small plants give 20/ 40/ 60 food and regenerate 100 food in total each time. They can be harvested by 1/ 2/ 3 ants at once.

Medium plants give 615 food and regenerate 300 food each time. They can be harvested by 24 ants at once.

Large plants give 1230 food and regenerate 200 food each time. They can be harvested by 26 ants at once.

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 can only be harvested by 1 termite each time. New piles appear every 3 minutes.

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.

Trivia

(none)